Blue Door

INTIMATE. INCLUSIVE. INSPIRING. GET IN.

BY TANYA BARFIELD

DIRECTED BY DARRYL

V. JONES

APR 19, 2024

Dear Friends-

Welcome to the fourth production of Aurora’s 2023/2024 Season! I’m so pleased to welcome back director Darryl V. Jones, who previously directed remarkable productions of The Royale and Detroit ’67 on our stage.

When playwright Tanya Barfield joined the faculty at Juilliard in 2020, she spoke in an interview about her reasons for writing Blue Door:

I wrote the play pre-Obama administration as an examination of inherited trauma and how you transcend from and heal from that. What is the way to reconcile that truth within yourself? It’s a look at how the personal is political.

At Aurora, that connection between the personal and the political resonates powerfully. We have always told stories that play out on a deeply personal level in our intimate space, and that use that personal specificity to explore ideas that transcend into the political, societal, and universal. Blue Door takes us inside the mind of Lewis, a Black man striving to assimilate into a predominantly white university culture, while also taking us on a sweeping tour of African-American history and this country’s particular oppression of Black men.

In conjunction with this personal and political story, Blue Door is filled with magic and song. We often use the word “theatrical” to describe a certain kind of theatre – theatre that fully embraces the way this form requires us to use our imaginations, and thus allows us to explore a world that extends beyond reality as we usually know it. In the magical space she explores with this story, Barfield creates an opportunity for reconciliation and growth.

Our season concludes with The Lifespan of a Fact this summer, and we’ve recently announced the plays that comprise our 2024/2025 Season starting this fall. Information about subscriptions and flex passes is available in our lobby and on our website. Theaters in the Bay Area and across the country are still in deep financial need due to the lingering effects of the pandemic, and Aurora is no exception. I hope you will help us remain a vital part of the Bay Area community by continuing to attend our productions and by making a donation today.

Thank you so much for being a part of the Aurora family. Enjoy the show.

Josh Costello

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

TIME

Between 1851 and 1995.

Costello

Robin Dolan & Nicole Elise Schulz CO-MANAGING DIRECTORS

AURORA THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS

BY TANYA BARFIELD DIRECTED BY DARRYL V. JONES

MUSIC

LYRICS BY TANYA BARFIELD MUSIC BY LARRY GILLARD JR.

THE CAST

MICHAEL J. ASBERRY* LEWIS

JAMES MERCER II* ...................................................................................................... SIMON/REX/JESSE

UNDERSTUDIES

RON CHAPMAN* ............................................................................................... LEWIS/SIMON/REX/JESSE

CREATIVE TEAM

RAY ARCHIE SOUND DESIGNER

BROOKE COX

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER

CHERYLE HONERLAH* STAGE MANAGER, REHEARSALS

ERIC DANIEL JOHNSON PROPERTIES

STEPHANIE ANNE JOHNSON LIGHTING DESIGNER

DARRYL V. JONES COMPOSER OF ORIGINAL SONGS

BIBI MAMA DIALECT COACH

KITTY MUNTZEL COSTUME DESIGNER

SCOTT REARDON* STAGE MANAGER, PERFORMANCES

HECTOR ZAVALA SCENIC DESIGNER

ASSOCIATE SEASON SPONSORS

CRAIG & KATHY MOODY

SPONSORS

TOM & AMY WORTH

ASSOCIATE SPONSORS

ROSALIND & SUNG-HOU KIM

HELEN MARCUS

Aurora Theatre Company gratefully acknowledges the following foundations and government agencies for their support: City of Berkeley Civic Arts Program & Civic Arts Commission, National Endowment for the Arts, Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, and The Shubert Foundation.

BLUE DOOR is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., New York.

BLUE DOOR was commissioned by Playwrights Horizons with funds provided by The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Commissioning Program. BLUE DOOR was first produced by South Coast Repertory.

A workshop of BLUE DOOR was presented by New York Stage and Film and The Powerhouse Theater at Vassar. BLUE DOOR was developed in part with the assistance of the Sundance Institute Theatre Laboratory.

Special Thanks to John & Molly Gordon

*Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers

MY SELF AND THE SELF THAT WATCHES MY SELF

By Dawn Monique Williams

Tanya Barfield’s Blue Door delves into one man’s psyche to explore memory, history, identity, and the legacy left him by his forefathers. Through the convention of a fevered dream, Lewis–a middle-aged Black mathematics professor who struggles with his sense of self and cultural heritage–is visited by ancestors from his deceased brother and as far back as his great-grandfather, who lived during the period of African enslavement in the United States. Employing elements of magical realism and integrating song in the tradition of spirituals and field hollers, Barfield unpacks the psychological effects of generational trauma.

Barfield explores themes of alienation, guilt, and redemption that are reminiscent of Charles Dickens’ novels. In very Dickensian tropes, Lewis (a tormented antihero grappling with an existential crisis and haunted by his past) is visited by the ghosts of his great-grandfather Simon, grandfather Jesse, and brother Rex over the course of a restless night. Lewis, all too aware of his Blackness, sees himself divorced from certain aspects of his community and cultural movements as a result of his intellectual and academic pursuits and his marriage to a white woman. These visitations call to the surface Lewis’ deep conflict with himself about his roots and how he came to feel disconnected from his African American heritage.

Lewis’ refusal to attend the Million Man March leads to the dissolution of his marriage, which serves as the catalyst for the play. Barfield uses the historical March as a device for Lewis to reflect on his relationship with and within the Black community and the development of his own racial identity. The Million Man March was a callto-action gathering held on October 16, 1995, in Washington, D.C. The controversial Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan organized the event. While other prominent Black leaders took part in the planning of and certainly participated in the event, the involvement of Minister Farrakhan was cause for concern for many. The March placed an emphasis on the need for personal accountability, spiritual renewal, collective action, and Black male solidarity, addressing issues such as fatherhood, education, economic empowerment, and community building.

Throughout the play, Lewis grapples with his family’s history, particularly reconciling the stories of resilience in the face of racism, oppression, and cruel enslavement with his experience of the pressures to conform to what it means to be a successful Black man in America. The titular blue door serves as a portal through which the past and present are linked, a potent symbol of memory, trauma, and passage. In many African and Black American spiritual traditions, the color blue is believed to have protective qualities, warding off evil spirits and negative energy, so a blue door is thought to bring protection from haunts or malevolent spirits to the home and those residing within. Lewis’ visitors perhaps mean him no harm, however, their great need prevents them from resting in or being at peace. Symbolically the figure of a door is also that of a mirror: Lewis must learn to see himself, to see his ancestors as part of himself.

Lewis’s journey in Blue Door is a deeply personal exploration of race, memory, and the complex interplay between individual identity and collective history. As he confronts his past and wrestles with his own demons, Lewis undergoes a profound transformation, ultimately finding a deeper understanding of himself and his place in the world.

Aurora Theatre Company’s Community Partners Program

Aurora Theatre Company’s Community Partners program connects each of our productions to a partner organization, grounding Aurora into the life, work, and culture of our community. By sharing resources between Aurora Theatre Company and our partner organizations, we build lasting relationships that further our mission and yours while strengthening our community in Berkeley, the East Bay, and the Bay Area.

Every Friday, we invite a specific group to come together and enjoy community in the Aurora space through the shared experience of playgoing. While all are welcome to any performance, these nights are meant to provide a safe and intentional experience for these specific cross-sections of our community.

APR 19 ................................................................

APR 26 ...........................................................LGBTQIA+

MAY 3 ..............................

MAY 10..................................................................

MAY 17 ....................................................................

MICHAEL J. ASBERRY* (LEWIS) returns to Aurora (Paradise Blue, The Incrementalist, The Bluest Eye, Exit Strategy and Satellites). Michael arrives on the heels of his most recent performance in The Merry Wives of Windsor with the Elm Shakespeare Company (New Haven, CT). Regional Theatre credits include Sacramento Theatre Company; Orlando Shakes (Orlando, FL); San Francisco Shakespeare Festival; San Francisco Mime Troupe; American Conservatory Theatre; Center Repertory Company; Capital Stage; Artists Repertory Theatre (Portland, OR); Lorraine Hansberry Theatre; TheatreWorks; and the 6th Street Playhouse. Film appearances include A Christmas Mystery ; San Andreas; FreeByrd; and Mr. Incredible and Pals. Television credits: Chance, Trauma, and Nash Bridges. Asberry has voiceover spots with Pixar Animation, Pine Sol and Clorox, and appears as characters in the video games Watchdogs 2 and Battlefield Vietnam. Social media handles are: michaeljasberry (Instagram) and Michael J. Asberry (Facebook). (he/him)

JAMES MERCER II*

(SIMON/REX/JESSE) is a Black American multi-hyphenate artist originally from Philly-adjacent making their Aurora debut. Bay Area and regional theatre credits include American Conservatory Theater, Berkeley Rep, AfricanAmerican Shakespeare Company, Irish Rep, and Arden Theatre Company. Mercer has also worked as a national touring physical theatre artist with Theater Unspeakable based in Chicago, and has workshopped plays with A.C.T., Penumbra, National Black Theatre, Playwrights Foundation, and Berkeley Rep’s Ground Floor. School at Steppenwolf Group 21; MFA American Conservatory Theater. www. jamesmercerii.com IG @jmercer_ii

RON CHAPMAN* (U/S

LEWIS, SIMON/REX/JESSE) is an artist who believes in the power and necessity of storytelling. He last appeared as Cymbeline in Cymbeline with the San

Francisco Shakespeare Festival where he is a Resident Artist.

TANYA BARFIELD (PLAYWRIGHT) Tanya Barfield’s plays include: Of Equal Measure (Center Theatre Group), Blue Door (Playwrights Horizons, South Coast Repertory; Seattle Repertory, Berkeley Repertory and additional theaters), Dent, The Quick, The Houdini Act, 121 Degrees WEST, Bright Half Life, and The Call. She wrote the book for the Theatreworks/USA children’s musical: Civil War: The First Black Regiment. Ms. Barfield was a recipient of the 2003 Helen Merrill Award for Emerging Playwrights, 2005 Honorable Mention for the Kesselring Prize for Drama, a 2006 Lark Play Development/NYSCA grant and she has twice been a Finalist for the Princess Grace Award. She has been commissioned by Playwrights Horizons, Center Theatre Group, South Coast Repertory, Primary Stages and Geva Theatre Center. She is a member of New Dramatists and serves on the membership committee at The Dramatist Guild.

DARRYL V. JONES (DIRECTOR, COMPOSER) directed, co-wrote, and performed in the world premiere of Halie! The Mahalia Jackson Musical for Lorraine Hansberry Theatre in 2022. Other directing credits include: The Great Kahn (SF Playhouse), The Devil’s Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith (Center Rep), and the Shotgun Players production of Kill Move Paradise in collaboration with Lorraine Hansberry Theatre. Here at Aurora Theatre Company, he directed Detroit ‘67 and the awardwinning production of The Royale, which he also co-choreographed. Other directing credits include: Off-Broadway & National Tour of We Are Your Sisters, his DominicanAmerican version of A View From The Bridge (Source Theatre, DC); Spunk (African Continuum Theatre Co); and The Minneola Twins (Woolly Mammoth). As an actor in 2023, Jones appeared as the Tin Man in A.C.T.’s production of The Wizard of Oz. He followed that by appearing as The Man in

Crowns at Center Rep. Jones holds a BM in Vocal Performance from Catholic University, and an MFA in Directing from Boston University. He is a member of Actors Equity Association.

EDWARD NEVILLE (DIRECTING FELLOW) is excited to be working at Aurora for the first time. He began acting in the Bay Area and recently completed his MFA at A.C.T. He has been blessed to work on some wonderful projects, including Ti Jean and His Brothers (Mi Jean) and A Christmas Carol (Young Dick) at A.C.T.; Kill Move Paradise (Isa) at Shotgun Players; The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (Matthias of Galilee) with ARC/Remote Theater; Jitney (Youngblood) at AfricanAmerican Shakespeare Company; Gem of the Ocean (Citizen Barlow) at TheatreWorks; Two Trains Running (Sterling) at Marin Theater Company; and most recently SWEAT (Chris) at Center Repertory Company (he/him).

RAY ARCHIE (SOUND DESIGNER) is the Executive Director of Notes to the Soul and head engineer of Brooklyn Sound Lab. Ray plays cello, bass, & piano and has performed internationally with Leonard Bernstein, Michael Tilson-Thomas, LSO, SFSO, & many others. Ray is an award-winning engineer/ producer who has worked in television and radio for over 20 years, regularly presents AES and EBU conventions, and has recorded 30+ albums, 25+ audiobooks, and 100’s journalism pieces for the major publishers.

BROOKE COX (ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER) is a director, writer, and stage manager from the Bay Area. She is delighted to return to Aurora for her second show with the company. She holds a BA in Theatre and English from Willamette University and was a Fall ‘23 National Theater Institute Fellow at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. Their most recent work includes Manahatta at Aurora Theatre Company, and The Triumph of Love and (trans)formada at Shotgun Players.

CHERYLE HONERLAH* (STAGE MANAGER, REHEARSALS) is excited to be back for her fourth show with Aurora! She has had the pleasure of working with several theaters in the Bay Area, including California Shakespeare Theater, ACT, TheatreWorks, Shotgun Players, Douglas Morrisson Theatre, and African-American Shakespeare

Company. They hold a B.A. in Technical Theatre from CSU East Bay, and participated in CalShakes’ Professional Internship Program in 2013. Cheryle is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.

ERIC DANIEL JOHNSON (PROPERTIES) Blue Door marks Eric’s third production with Aurora after working on Everything is Illuminated and The Importance Of Being Earnest. Eric has worked extensively throughout the Bay Area propping all of your favorite plays, musicals, and operas! However, this production marks Eric’s return to the Bay Area theatrical world after a hiatus following the passing of his mother and father. This one is for them.

STEPHANIE ANNE JOHNSON (LIGHTING DESIGNER) Dr. Johnson has been a lighting designer for fifty years. Nationally she has done designs for La Mama Theatre (N.Y.), Telluride Repertory (Colorado), Arizona Repertory, National Black Theater Festival, and The Apollo (N.Y.). Locally, she has worked with Rhodessa Jones, Afro Solo, Cultural Odyssey, African American Shakespeare Company, Lorraine Hansberry Theater, Aurora Theatre Company, Oakland Theatre Project, Lower Bottom Playaz, and many others. This is her fourth show with Aurora. See her work at www.lightessencedesign.com

BIBI MAMA (DIALECT COACH) is a dialect coach based in Los Angeles, California. Recent projects include The Masters Tools (Zora Howard), The High Table (Diversionary Theater), Kim’s Convenience (Westport Country Playhouse), and Detroit ’67 (The University of San Diego). Bibi holds a BFA from Howard University in Washington, DC, and an MFA from the University of San Diego/Old Globe in San Diego, CA. She is an active member of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA), serving proudly on its Junior Board, and is also a Knight-Thompson Speechwork Intern. With her passion for language and dedication to her art, Bibi’s mission is to help people discover, develop, and wield the power of their authentic voice.

KITTY MUNTZEL (COSTUME DESIGNER) designed costumes for The Call, The Brothers Size, and The Legend of Pink at Theatre Rhinoceros. She also designed costumes for Urban Retreat at Lorraine Hansberry and Detroit ’67 at Aurora, (Darryl V. Jones directing), for which she was nominated for Best

Costumes by the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critic Circle Award. She has created dance costumes for the dance troupes Capacitor, Upswing and Ego Umbria. Her art to wear designs have been exhibited at the Palos Verdes Art Center in LA and the Richmond Art Center. Kitty was the Women’s Draper at Berkeley Repertory Theatre for 25 years. She is delighted to be returning to the Aurora Theatre and to be working with Darryl V. Jones again.

SCOTT REARDON* (STAGE MANAGER, PERFORMANCES) Actor’s Equity Association member. Actor/Stage Manager/Director/ Producer. Bay Area native/local. Theatre: Beach Blanket Babylon (12+ years), TheatreWorks of Silicon Valley, Center Rep, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Musical Theatre West, 5-Star Productions, Fresno Grande Opera, PCPA Theatrefest, Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theatre, Oregon Cabaret Theatre, Presidio Theatre, Hillbarn, Disney Cruise Line, and Nickelodeon. Actor’s Equity Association’s Roger Sturtevant Award Winner. Commercial: Visa, Samsung, Philips, Dell, Verizon, LinkedIn, Logitech, LG, Dolby, Google, Cisco Systems, Symantec, Garmin, Intuit, Polycom, Service Now, and more. Education: B.A. DramaUniversity of California, Irvine - Honors in Acting and Musical Theatre; M.A. Special Education - Alliant International University. www.ScottReardon.net

HECTOR ZAVALA (SCENIC DESIGNER) a Queer Latinx Renaissance human. They mix their studies in Performative Art, Acting, Dance, Multimedia, Costumes, Set Design and their love for theater to instill their own style of culturalism, carrying with them the weight of the universal struggle to defend one’s own. A founding member of artist collective Latinx Mafia, they have participated in international festivals such as FITLA, International Latin Theater Festival of Los Angeles, the Edinburgh Theater Festival and the Ibero-American Art Festival and most recently participated in the 51st International Cervantino Festival representing the USA. They have collaborated with greats from the “Chicano’’ community. Most recent Designs include Dream Hou$e at Cinnabar Theater, Pride of Lions at Theatre Rhino, The Legend of Georgia McBride Mexico City, Hallie at Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, and LDG’s SF Carnaval Float 2012-2024.

JOSH COSTELLO (ARTISTIC DIRECTOR) is the Artistic Director of Aurora Theatre Company. Throughout his career, he has worked to make theatre more accessible for more people, sharing a passion for the visceral experience of live theatre with new audiences and underserved communities. He was the founding Artistic Director of Impact Theatre, which focused on audiences in their teens and twenties. As the Artistic Director of Expanded Programs at Marin Theatre Company, Josh created and administered several programs that built relationships with new audiences. At Aurora, Josh initiated student matinee and Community Partner programs and led a revision of Aurora’s mission to emphasize the theatre’s role as storyteller to the community.

Josh has directed Born with Teeth, Cyrano, This Much I Know, The Flats, Exit Strategy, The Importance of Being Earnest, Detroit ‘67, Wittenberg, and The Heir Apparent for Aurora, as well as the world premiere of Eureka Day, which won every Bay Area new play award. His world-premiere production of Aaron Loeb’s Ideation with SF Playhouse in both San Francisco and New York City won the Glickman Award for Best New Play in the Bay Area and the Theatre Bay Area Award for Outstanding Direction, and was named a New York Times Critic’s Pick.

Costello’s other directing work includes My Children! My Africa! at Marin Theatre Company, House of Lucky at Magic Theatre, and his adaptations of Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother and Aphra Behn’s The Rover. He was the Education Director at Marin Shakespeare Company, and a faculty member at Cal Shakes, ACT, SF Shakes, UC Riverside, Cal State Long Beach, South Coast Rep, and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Costello holds a BFA in Theatre from Boston University, and an MFA in Directing from the University of Washington, Seattle.

ROBIN DOLAN (CO-MANAGING DIRECTOR) began working at Aurora as Audience Services Manager in 2013, was promoted to the Business Manager position in 2018, and is now serving as Co-Managing Director. Her prior Arts Administration jobs were with CalShakes and the SF Ballet. Robin served as Co-Artistic Director for Magical Acts Ritual

Theatre from 2003 - 2005, and directed the devised piece Heretics, Harlots and Heroes. Robin has fed her passion for dramaturgy by leading post show talks with audience members at Aurora, and pre-show Grove Talks at CalShakes. Robin has sung with the Oakland Symphony Chorus, the San Francisco Choral Society, the trio Moonrise, the California Revels, and the Spiral Dance Chorus (where she also was Music Director for 8 years). With MART and at conferences, Robin has taught classes on audition prep, singing, improvisation, and acting, and post pandemic has taught dramaturgy and ritual theatre classes at the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre.

NICOLE ELISE SCHULZ (CO-MANAGING

DIRECTOR) specializes in Finance, Ops, and HR, and brings to her current role at Aurora Theatre Company 20+ years of experience as a nonprofit administrative professional. Nicole started at Aurora in the 2003/2004 Season. Over the 10 seasons that followed, Nicole played key roles in supporting the theatre’s tremendous growth. Her contributions were essential during the physical expansion of Aurora’s space as well as the multiple transitions of leadership over the years. Nicole rejoined Aurora in March of 2020 during the COVID shutdown. In between she worked with The Nature Conservancy, CAL Alumni, became a mother, traveled, and wrote. Though an accountant by day, with an MA in Dramatic Art and BA in Modern Literature, Nicole is at heart a lover of storytelling in all its forms.

THE CASTING COLLECTIVE is a team of casting directors with extensive experience and deep ties to the Bay Area theatre community. They have created and maintain the most comprehensive, regularly updated local talent database in the region. Casting locally is the predominant practice of the Collective. In the wake of the pandemic and the massive national call for greater EDI representation and prioritization, regional theatre has fundamentally changed. The Casting Collective is a response to this call for change in the way theatres access, promote, and hire artists, in order to foster an anti-racist, inclusive, collaborative future. Their purpose is to advance the interests of local actors and encourage institutions to explore, engage with, and hire from within

this community instead of searching elsewhere for their talent. castingcollective.org

ROSALIND & SUNG-HOU KIM (ASSOCIATE SPONSORS) have been subscribers to Aurora since 2010. Rosalind has been a Board Member since 2019. Aurora’s ¾ thrust stage allows for every seat to be a great seat. This small, intimate theatre is a real gem for the type of works dealing with in-depth and personal issues, current as well as historical, that are not suitable for large theaters.

HELEN MARCUS (ASSOCIATE SPONSOR) attended her first theatrical performances with her parents at an age too young to remember. Sprinkled with theatre dust at Stratford on Avon, musicals in NYC and many Bay Area theaters, she is pleased to support Aurora’s production of the Blue Door (in honor of her late husband David Williamson.)

CRAIG & KATHY MOODY (ASSOCIATE SEASON SPONSORS) believe live theatre can be lifechanging. They are distressed by the paltry government support of the arts in general and of theatre in particular in the United States. Accordingly, they encourage all who read this to donate generously to a theatre or theatres of their liking. Aurora would be an excellent place to start.

TOM & AMY WORTH (SPONSOR) have been supporters and subscribers for many years. They love the stories told in Aurora plays, and appreciate the superlative work of our actors, directors and production staff in putting on memorable live theatre.

*Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers.

Aurora Theatre Company extends its heartfelt appreciation to all of our generous annual fund donors, whose gifts enable Aurora Theatre Company to provide a nurturing environment for theatre artists and to enrich the lives of our audience. For more information about giving to Aurora Theatre Company’s annual fund, please visit auroratheatre.org/donate, or email development@auroratheatre.org or call 510.843.4042 x308. Thank you! List is current as of March 20th, 2024.

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Susan Rubio

Joshua Miele & Elizabeth Ruhland

John Ruskin

James Ryan

Diane & Ed Ryken

Claire De Chazal & Francisco Santamarina

Thomas A. Savignano

Nicole & Michael Schulz

Jeff Sensabaugh

Sue Sheftel

Marsha Silberstein

Barbara Silverberg

Harriet Simpson

Jacqueline A. H. Smalley

Neil & Sharin Smelser

Betsy Smith

Chris & Jeff Smith

Peter & Ann Smith

Sigrid Snider

Eileen Soden

Ruth MacNaughton & Harold Spencer

Helen Wickes & Donald J. Stang

Laura Steinman

Stephen van Meter & Joann Stewart

Bonnie Stiles

Jay Atkinson & Ariel Summerlin

Mark Chaitkin & P. Cecilia Storr

Jane & Jay Taber

Lisa Taylor

Donna Terman

Helaina Titus

Mary Lou Torre

Revan & Elsa Tranter

Shirley & Michael Traynor

Laurel I Schaefer Trent

Lisa Vandenberg

Gretchen vonDuering

Gail & Arne M. Wagner

Susan & Brad Wait

Laurence Walker

Emily & Robert Warden

Carolyn Weinberger

Georgeanne Ferrier & Steven Weinberg

Stuart Swiedler & Judy Weiss

Henry Trevor & Elizabeth Werter

Margo Wesley

Laurellee Westaway

Richard Makdisi & Lindsay Wheeler

Marilyn B. Willats

Donna M. Williams

Victor Willits

Ann Willoughby

Diane Wilson

Barbara Lanier & John Wilson

Fred D. Winslow

Andrew Witkowski

Susan & Harvey I. Wittenberg

Linda & Steve Wolan

Delene Wolf

Viviana Wolinsky

Andy Steinberg & Laurie Wolkow

Sally Woolsey

Paul L. Wyman

Bess Zimmerman

Fran Burgess & Sandor P. Zirulnik

COMMUNITY

$1-$99

Anonymous (8)

Martha Salzman & Jay Aleck

Ken & Joyce Altshuler

Jeni Anderson

Stewart Applin

Maria Baird

Barbara Barer

Stephanie Barnhill

Rob & Lisa Bates

David Brossard & Sally Beck

Elizabeth Brady

Roberta Brooks

China Brotsky

Barbara & Gerald Brunetti

Nina & Frank Brunetti

Kathie Campbell

Shawna Casey

Amara Kali Lawson-Chavanu

Lywen Chew

George Anders & Elizabeth Corcoran

Brenda Jean Corelis

Adam & Felicity Cowlin

Charley

Chava Craft

Susan David

Keith E. Doerge

Elaine M. Eger

The Grevenworth Family

Hal Fischer

Jake Fong

Lisa Foust

Joan Frenkel

D G

Cathy Gale

Paul S. Gerken

Mitchell M. Gitin

Bobbi Schear & Michael Goloff

Barbara Goodman

Margaret Goodman

Dorothy Gordon

John S. Gravell

Hollis Greenwood

Barbara Hadenfeldt

Gretchen Hayes

Woof Kurtzman & Liz M. Hertz

Hawley S. Holmes

Elisabeth Houseman

Estie & Mark Hudes

Christine Izaret

William Joyce

KS Korpell

Lisa Korwin

Judith Kunitz

Dottie Langthorn

Loren Dean Linnard

Jane Lundin

Pat Manley

Elene Z. Manolis

Wendy Markel

John Golding & Martin Mass

Katherine McKenzie

Penny Mikesell

Sarah Nell Morgan

Bergit Mueller

John J. Nagle

Dirk Neyhart

Stephen Nocita

Philip O’Brien

Vicki Oswald

Thomas Owen

Celena Peet

Wayne Phillips

Joyce Pollack

Jack & Jessica Powell

Rachel E. Reader

Chip Rice

Anne T. Richards

Terry Rillera

Josh Rotenberg

Vickie Rozell

Lewis & Gail Rubman

Neal Shorstein

Anne Sigmon

Linda B. Breaux-Smith

Brian E. Spencer

Susan Stanley

Carl Stein

Laurence R. Stevens

Anne & Douglas Stewart

Bhuma Subramaniam

Bruce Allan Thompson

Nancy Toder

Gary McDole & Sharon Toth

Selma Meyerowitz & Malcolm Trifon

Gabi von Ingersleben

Jo L. Warner

Margo Webster

Paul Werner

Frances Ann Widejko

Linda M. Wilford

Shelly Willard

Jennifer Winch

Pik Yee

Pam Young

Steve Zolno

Anonymous (2)

Gertrude E. Allen

Nancy Axelrod

Steven Beckendorf

Norman Abramson & David* Beery

Elizabeth Burwell

Carol Emory

Jacquelin Ewing

Marge Glicksman*

Candy & George Hisert

Members of the Barbara Oliver Society for The Next Generation have designated Aurora Theatre Company in their estate plans, enabling us to serve not just you—our first-generation audience—but generations to come. For more information on how to make a charitable bequest or designate Aurora Theatre Company in your estate plan, contact the development office at 510.843.4042 x308 or development@auroratheatre.org. Thank you to the following members:

Ellen & Barry Levine

Ines Lewandowitz*

Sumner & Hermine Marshall*

Margaret D. & Winton McKibben*

Alison McLean

Shelly Osborne

Thomas W. Edwards

& Rebecca Parlette-Edwards

Gladys Perez-Mendez*

Margaret A. Phillips

CORPORATE DONORS

$2500 +

$100-$999

Adobe Systems Incorporated+

ChevronTexaco+

+ Matching Gift Program

FOUNDATION & GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

Betty Pigford*

Tom Ross

David Rovno

Julianne H. Rumsey*

Deborah Dashow Ruth

Sylvia Saunders

Valerie Sopher

Lisa R. Taylor

Janis Kate Turner

Kathleen Garrison & David Wood

*In Memoriam

Aurora Theatre Company gratefully acknowledges these foundations and government agencies for their support:

California Office of the Small Business Advocate City of Berkeley Civic Arts Program

The Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust

HONOR ROLL

List is current as of March 20th, 2024.

In Memory of Sheldon Bornstein

In Memory of Mr & Mrs Theodore Collins

In Memory of Marcia Renee Goodman

In Memory of Ron Forsstrom

In Honor of Lisa S Fry

In Memory of William E. Jones

In Honor of Juris Klavins

In Memory of Jack Kirsch

In Memory of Robert Meola

IN-KIND DONORS

The Shubert Foundation

The Wood Foundation

The Zellerbach Family Foundation

In Recognition of Alan Miller

In Memory of Denise Nolan

In Memory of Jesús F. González & Carmen González Prieto

In Memory of Leo P. Ruth

In Memory of George Sensabaugh

In Honor of Dawn Monique Williams

In Memory of David J. Williamson

Aurora Theatre Company is thankful for the following donors who gave generous in-kind contributions of $100 and above.

List is current as of January 31st, 2024.

Ed & Kay Blonz

Samuela Evans

Tracie Meloy

Susie Sargent

We strive for accuracy in our program listing, but errors do occur. Please contact Development at 510.843.4042 x308 if you notice a discrepancy, and thank you very much for helping us keep our records as accurate as possible!

AURORA DINING PARTNERS

Eating

Here’s

Please

As storytellers for our community, Aurora is a treasury: a plurality of voices and world views. Each of your unique perspectives and experiences is incredibly important to us: combined, they reflect the vast diversity of the Bay Area.

Your support today ensures Aurora will continue sharing works both old and new and classic that inspire each of us to laugh louder, think harder, and celebrate the many dimensions of the human condition. auroratheatre.org/donate Give now. Give generously. Together, we are Aurora.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Aurora Theatre Company acknowledges that our building, as part of the Berkeley community, sits on the territory of xučyun (hooch-yoon), within the ancestral and unceded land of the Chochenyo-speaking Ohlone people, the successors of the sovereign Verona Band of Alameda County.

We recognize that every member of the Berkeley community continues to benefit from the use and occupation of this land, since the city’s incorporation in 1878. Consistent with our values, we have a responsibility to acknowledge and make visible the East Bay Ohlone people and their unbroken relationship to their beautiful homeland.

As members of the Berkeley community, it is vitally important that we recognize not only the history of this land, but also that the East Bay Ohlone people are alive and flourishing members of the Berkeley and broader Bay Area communities today.

Thanks to Cafe Ohlone for providing the language used in this acknowledgement.

CONFRONTING & DISMANTLING OPPRESSION

At Aurora Theatre Company, we use the phrase “Confronting and Dismantling Oppression” rather than “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion” because we recognize that this work must be active and ongoing. It is not a box to be checked: it is a continual and intentional process.

This work is an essential piece of Aurora Theatre Company’s intention to be the storyteller for our community. Thank you for being a part of this process with us.

Learn more about Aurora Theatre Company’s CDO initiatives and commitments at: auroratheatre.org/CDO

Anna Ishida* and Rajesh Bose* in This Much I Know. *Member, AEA. Photo by Kevin Berne.

SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGES

Get IN, where you fit in. Aurora offers a variety of subscription packages to meet our patrons where they’re at. Find a package that works for you and your lifestyle.

4-PLAY FLEX PASSES

4-PLAY SUBSCRIPTION

All the benefits, zero commitment. Purchase an Aurora Flex Pass now and choose your plays and dates later.

See any four shows in our season with a 4-Play Subsciption. Choose your plays and dates at purchase.

SUBSCRIPTION & SINGLE TICKET DISCOUNTS

Aurora is committed to making theatre affordable to all. We offer a variety of subscription and single ticket discounts, including Pay-What-You-Can and Rush tickets. Check out all the discounts we offer at auroratheatre.org/discounts.

• $20 Rush subject to availability

AURORA STAFF

Josh Costello

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Felicity Cowlin

DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

Kat Demith

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Robin Dolan

CO-MANAGING DIRECTOR

Eli Harris

DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST

Roman JohnDoza

ASSISTANT BOX OFFICE MANAGER

Dayna Kalakau

SENIOR DIRECTOR, MARKETING & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Dee Miranda

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Jenn Ruygt

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Nicole Elise Schulz

CO-MANAGING DIRECTOR

David Shultz

BOX OFFICE MANAGER

BOX OFFICE ASSOCIATES

Venee Call-Ferrer

Zola Hanson

Melissa Scheulin

HOUSE MANAGERS

Lisa Klein

Michael Mansfield

Melissa Scheulin

Linda Wu

USHER COORDINATOR

Linda Wu

AURORA PRODUCTION STAFF

Jere Dominic Avila

SCENIC PAINTER

Emma Buechner

ASSISTANT TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Lev Collins

CARPENTER, SCENIC PAINTER

Brooke Cox

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER

Sophia Craven LX PROGRAMMER

Janice Gartin

COSTUME CREW

Verena Lee

ELECTRICIAN

Ashley Renee

COSTUME SHOP SUPERVISOR

Taylor Ryan Rivers

ELECTRICIAN

Becca Salsburg-Frank

LEAD CARPENTER

Adeline Smith

SCENIC ARTIST

CASTING DIRECTORS

The Casting Collective Kieran Beccia

FOUNDERS

Dorothy Bryant

Marge Glicksman

Ken Grantham

Barbara Oliver

Richard Rossi

PAST

ADVISORY COUNCIL

Ulises Alcala, Jessica Broitman, John Caner, Joy Carlin, Barbara Damashek, Rafael Jesús González, Robert B. Hetler, Malcolm Margolin, Helen Meyer, Alan Miller, Bob Oliver, Hilary Perkins, Hillary & Jonathan Reinis, M. Graham Smith, Steve & Cindy Snow, Jonathan Spector, Beth Wilmurt

O+G ARTISTS

Christopher Chen

Barbara Damashek

Britney Frazier

Felonius

Margo Hall

Cleavon Smith

Jonathan Spector

Beth Wilmurt

SHOW ARTWORK BY Eddie Colla

VIDEOGRAPHY BY

Flying Moose Pictures

FORMER ARTISTIC DIRECTORS

Barbara Oliver

Tom Ross

BY Jeremy Kareken & David Murrel and Gordon Ferrell

BASED ON THE BOOK BY

John D’Agata and Jim Fingal

DIRECTED BY Jessica Holt

STARTS JUN 21

An intern at a top magazine is given the assignment of a lifetime – fact-checking a masterpiece by a legendary essayist. What the no-nonsense editor means as a simple task becomes a hilarious misadventure when it becomes clear that most of the facts in the essay are embellished, adjusted, or just made up. The essay is brilliant, but has the essayist undermined his own work or revealed a deeper truth by playing fast and loose to make his point? Facts battle with truth when the intern bucks his instructions and confronts the essayist in this Broadway hit.

AURORA THEATRE COMPANY

CONTACT INFORMATION

BOX OFFICE

Hours:

Tues-Friday, 1pm-5pm

Phone: 510.843.4822

Email: boxoffice@auroratheatre.org

Online: auroratheatre.org

ADMINISTRATION

2081 Addison Street

Berkeley, CA 94704

Phone: 510.843.4042

Fax: 510.843.4826

SUBSCRIPTION TICKET EXCHANGE

Free exchanges require at least 25 hours’ notice. Exchanges to a more expensive date require payment of the difference in ticket price. Exchanges with less than 25 hours’ notice will incur a fee.

SINGLE TICKET EXCHANGE

Single ticket buyers may exchange tickets with at least 25 hours’ notice for a fee of $10 per ticket.

PERFORMANCES

For Wednesday evening and Sunday matinee performances, masks are required at all times while in the Aurora building. For all other performances masks are encouraged but not required. Smoking, including e-cigarettes, is prohibited. Please turn off all cell phones during the performance (and any other devices that could be distracting). Photographs and recordings of any kind are strictly prohibited. No children under 5 permitted and every person entering the theatre must have their own ticket.

STARTS OCT 19, 2024

FEB 8, 2025

By Noël Coward

Directed by Josh Costello

By Lloyd Suh Directed by Jennifer Chang

By Lynn Nottage Directed by TBA

By Jane Wagner Directed by Tom Ross