Hurricane Diane

A U R O R A

T H E A T R E

C O M P A N Y

BY Madeleine George

DIRECTED BY Jennifer King T H E

U LT I M AT E

I N T I M A T 1E

P R E S E N T S

STARTS STARTS

APR 7

JUNE 16, 2023 T H E AT R E

E X P E R I E N C E

Dear FriendsThank you for joining us for the final production of our 2022/2023 Season. I’ve been a fan of Madeleine George’s work for years; the Shotgun Players have presented excellent productions of The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence and Precious Little. Her writing grapples with profound questions while operating with insight and humor on a very personal level -- a perfect fit for Aurora Theatre Company.

Asked in The Interval about addressing big ideas in a medium like theatre that favors human relationships, George said: I feel like, in a way, it’s like the perfect vehicle. Theatre is only functional and only vivid in a material one-on-one human sized way; that makes it the perfect vehicle for thinking through problems of scale... The storytelling component or the relational component of a theatre piece is an entryway for human beings to get into those questions... You know the expression, “good to think with?” It’s a way that philosophers or theorists will talk about an image or an idea. Actors are good to think with. They’re an amazing tool for playwrights who want to ask big questions in an accessible way.

In Hurricane Diane, George tells a bitingly hilarious story about a Greek god and a group of New Jersey housewives. Along the way, she raises important questions about our ambivalence with and complicity in the ways our collective lifestyle is destroying the environment. I’m so proud that Aurora Theatre Company is introducing this remarkable play to the Bay Area.

Subscriptions and flex passes are on sale now for Aurora Theatre Company’s intimate, inclusive, and inspiring 2023/2024 Season, which starts in September. Thank you so much for being a part of the Aurora Theatre Company family!

Enjoy.

Josh Costello ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

TIME AND PLACE

The Present Red Bank, New Jersey 2

Josh Costello

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

AURORA THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS

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BY Madeleine George

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DIRECTED BY Jennifer King

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THE CAST

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Leontyne Mbele-Mbong* �������������������������������������������������� RENEEE Gianna DiGregorio Rivera* �������������������������������������������������� BETH Stacy Ross ������������������������������������������������������������������������������� DIANE Rebecca Schweitzer* ����������������������������������������������������������� CAROL Luisa Sermol* �������������������������������������������������������������������������� PAM CREATIVE TEAM Kate Boyd Scenic Designer Natalie Greene Intimacy & Movement Choreographer Ray Gonzalez* Stage Manager Leah Hammond Lead Props

Brooke Jennings Costume Designer Sasha King Assistant Stage Manager Kurt Landisman** Lighting Designer Lana Palmer Sound Designer

PRESENTING SPONSORS Craig & Kathy Moody SPONSORS Ellen & Barry Levine Aurora Theatre Company gratefully acknowledges the following foundations and government agencies for their support: Alameda County Arts Commission, City of Berkeley Civic Arts Program, California Arts Council, California Office of the Small Business Advocate, National Endowment for the Arts, Harold & Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust, The Wood Foundation.

Special thanks to John & Molly Gordon

*Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers, **United Scenic Artists Member

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WINE, WOMEN, AND CLIMATE JUSTICE

By Dawn Monique Williams, DRAMATURG

“I have returned, and it begins. . . it’s time for a comeback! Picture it: the world re-initiated into my rites: my ecstasy spreading from village to town until the entire earth hums with organic joy! Every heedless human reawakened to their place in the web of life! We’ll see an immediate drop in carbon emissions, the cooling of the oceans, a spike in forest growth–in short, the instant healing of our green planet.”- Diane, Hurricane Diane Madeleine George builds on the Dionysian Legacy with her play Hurricane Diane. For us thespians and drama geeks, Dionysus is known as the god of theatre. The ancient Greeks, whom we credit as the founders of Western drama (and civics), held an annual performance festival, The City Dionysia, in honor of the god Dionysus. Playwrights presented tragedies, comedies, and satyr plays at these community-centered events where audiences were taught a moral lesson, political figureheads were the punchline, and phallic humor was expected. Dionysus is also known as the god of wine, women, and song. Over the ages, he has been associated with ecstasy, bacchanalia, revelry, sexual liberation, fertility, hedonism, and gender fluidity. And now, in George’s play, the god of the vine is reincarnated as a permaculture landscape gardener, Diane, who just needs a few recruits to join her cult.

George speaks of Hurricane Diane as a sequel to Euripides’ The Bacchae. Euripides is one of three ancient Greek tragedians whose surviving plays are available to us. Often 4

theorized as sympathetic to female characters and a harsh critic of the pantheon of gods, his plays are full of social commentary painting humans in complex, contradictory light rather than idyllic or infallible. In Euripides’ The Bacchae, Dionysus takes on a human form to rouse his mortal bacchants–a group of female devotees–to a frenzy that disrupts social order and restores balance to the natural world.

recruit these housewives? Does it feed the stereotype that lesbians are out to convert straight women, or does it explode the myth of fixed-point sexuality? Perhaps both.

Certainly, George suggests that the work of restoring balance and order to the natural world requires the feminine. Women are at least half the population, so while half the problem true, they are also at least half the solution.

George transports the Thebes of Euripides’ play to a cul-de-sac in Red Bank, New Jersey, and casts four suburban wives as maenads. George’s play, however, is a blatant comedy and, as she says, “an oblique take on climate change.” Hurricane Diane may not be able to interrogate the origins of climate change or provide the immediate golden ticket for climate justice; what it can do is look at the human scale of change. How complicit and/or complacent are these women, and by proxy, us, in perpetuating ecological damage? How willing are any of us to modify our lifestyles and give up our creature comforts? This moral dilemma fuels George and is why she feels the Greek source material was a great incubator for ideas. The contradiction of being human–discussing the impact of wildfires over waffles and mimosas–has always been the site from which great drama was born.

Like the best Greek tragedies, George’s statement on climate change moves us from a place of complicity to defiance to elegy, all while challenging us to do better despite knowing things will first get worse. Let’s laugh together, let’s cry together, and then let’s take action. And we can make that plan over brunch cause, well, we’re human.

Madeleine George, a lesbian, was also deeply interested in showing the full complexity of women. Writing a play with roles for women of various ages, views, and attitudes, who are not always nice but are fully human. George also complicates the “lecherous lesbian” trope with Diane, a masculine/masculineof-center presenting character for whom there is a strict casting imperative that the role cannot be offered to a cisgender man. What does it mean for Dionysus, the god of agriculture, to show up as a lesbian gardener to

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her happiness and stability to the piano-playing Randy Craig.

Most recent credits include Clue (SF Playhouse), Fefu and Her Friends (A.C.T. Strand), Communion (A.C.T. Stream), They Promised Her the Moon (Theatreworks, opening, 3 performances and a very abrupt closing).

LEONTYNE MBELEMBONG* (RENEE) was last seen at the Aurora Theatre Company as Roxane in Cyrano, and before that in Bull in a China Shop, Temple, and Breakfast with Mugabe. Recent shows: Fefu and her Friends at A.C.T., Lear at CalShakes. Some favorites: title role in Medea (TBA Award), and Cleopatra in Antony & Cleopatra (TBA Award Finalist) with African-American Shakespeare Company; The Half-Life of Marie Curie (TheatreSquared, Fayetteville, AK); Watch on the Rhine (Berkeley Rep/ Guthrie Theatre), Top Girls, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Fences; Andromache, Candide, Richard III (3 times), Twelfth Night, and Intimate Apparel (Mayme; ARTY Award, best supporting actress). leontynembele-mbong.com

REBECCCA SCHWEITZER* (CAROL) is delighted to back at Aurora Theatre Company where she was last seen in Wives.

Favorite Aurora Theatre Company roles include Bull In A China Shop; Rapture, Blister, Burn; Small Tragedy; as well as the world premiere of The First Grade. Rebecca has also appeared at Marin Theatre Company, Center Rep, SF Playhouse, PCPA. Sometimes her voice can be heard on tv and the radio, as well as a whole bunch of different video games (The Walking Dead, Back to the Future, World of Warcraft: Legion, League of Legends). This, along with all endeavors, is dedicated to her mother and grandfather whose love and support have been the foundation for her success.

She would also like to thank her husband for his unwavering support.

GIANNA DIGREGORIO RIVERA* (BETH) is a Bay Area-born actor and musician last seen at the Aurora Theatre Company in The Importance of Being Earnest (2019). Recent credits include Romeo y Juliet (California Shakespeare Theater), Quixote Nuevo tour (Hartford Stage, Huntington Theatre Company, and Alley Theatre), Arcadia (Shotgun Players), and Ageless (Quantum Dragon Theatre). Gianna just received their M.A. in Sexuality Studies from San Francisco State University, where they examined the intersections of queer, BIPOC identities, and intimacy choreography.

LUISA SERMOL* (PAM) is thrilled to be making her debut at Aurora Theatre Company! Recent Bay Area credits include Theatreworks (In Every Generation, It’s a Wonderful Life, Archduke, They Promised Her the Moon), City Lights (The Siegel) Hillbarn Theatre (Noises Off, It’s Only a Play). NY and regional credits include Broadway (Roundabout-Hamlet), Lincoln Center (Tennessee and His Women), Classic Stage Company (Macbeth), Portland Center Stage (Midsummer Night’s Dream), Williamstown Theatre Festival (Romeo and Juliet, A Little Night Music, The Maids), Artists Repertory Theatre (The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, The Humans, Cuba Libre, The Goat, Sideman, Three Sisters, Master Class, Night of the Iguana), Miracle (Boleros for the Disenchanted), Badass Theater (San Merci), Broadway Rose (No Way to Treat a Lady, Company) and most recently, Myra’s Story for Corrib Theatre.

Film/television appearances include Grimm, Leverage, Zero Effect and Insect Poetry. Luisa is a graduate of The Juilliard School and founding member of The Actors’ Reading Collective (ARC). Luisasermol.com

STACY ROSS (DIANE) The last full play Stacy was in before the spring of 2020, the play that was allowed to open, run its course and peacefully close, was here at the Aurora Theatre Company in the late autumn of 2019 (Bull In A China Shop, directed by Dawn Monique Williams). So it seems fitting (and fortunate) to be back here to celebrate with you all. Since you’re reading this it’s probable that you’re a fan of theatre and the Aurora Theatre Company. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. Stacy lives and works in the Bay Area, has done lots of plays, also frames pictures and likes to swim occasionally in the Bay despite an unreasonable fear of sharks. She credits 6

A U R O R A T H E AT R E C O M PA N Y C O M M U N I T Y PA R T N E R S

BIGGER AND BETTER EACH YEAR BAWTF will build each year and add to our programming. In 2024 we aim to coproduce a full production of a play from one of our reading series. We are in conversations with theaters around the Bay to present a three-day festival/ conference in 2025 that will bring theatre practitioners and theatre lovers from around the country to the Bay Area.

THE DOWNTOWN BERKELEY ASSOCIATION

Give now. Give generously.

Together, we are Aurora.

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

Use code MEROLANEW for $10 tickets.*

Showcasing the opera stars of tomorrow, today!

Don’t miss this year’s talented international cohort of artists delighting audiences in six world-class performances during Merola’s Summer Festival.

Merola Summer Festival June 29 – August 19 Get tickets: merola.org/summer Community Partners Community Access Tickets sponsored by TogetherSF.

*Restrictions apply. $10 tickets are intended for audiences new to the Merola Opera Program and are available only for select performances. Tickets may have limited availability and discount subject to change. Cannot be combined with any other offers, discounts, or previously purchased tickets.

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(Aurora Theatre Company); production tech - Don’t Eat the Mangos, Nassim (Magic Theatre). Leah has also dabbled in acting, including playing Universanaut in Disinsemination, Lenny in Rumors, multiple 24 hour play festivals, and a very cute 5-year-old Tortoise in Tortoise and the Hare.

KATE BOYD (SCENIC DESIGNER) is a local scenery and lighting designer. She recently designed the lights for Justice at Marin Theatre Company and scenery for The Language of Wild Berries for Golden Thread. Recent Aurora Theatre Company shows include Father/Daughter and Everything is Illuminated. She has also designed at Center Rep, Magic Theater, New Conservatory Theater, Merola Opera, the SF Conservatory of Music, Company C Ballet, and Theaterworks. Kate is a resident artist with Golden Thread Productions and a recipient of the Gerbode Design Fellowship. Kate teaches stagecraft and design at Lick-Wilmerding High School.

BROOKE JENNINGS (COSTUME DESIGNER) is delighted to make her Aurora Theatre Company debut with this exciting show. A graduate of UC Santa Cruz’s Theater Arts Masters Program, Brooke is an award winning Costume Designer working in the Bay Area and beyond. Her recent credits include Marin Theatre Co. (Dunsinane), San Jose Stage Co. (Grand Horizons, The Great Leap), Shotgun Players (The Claim, Vinegar Tom, Arcadia), San Francisco Playhouse NATALIE GREENE (INTIMACY & MOVEMENT (You Mean To Do Me Harm, The Effect, Colossal, The Nether), CHOREOGRAPHER) is an artist and educator working We Players (Alice in Wonderland, PSYCHOPOMP, Roman at the intersection of dance, theater, and community Women, Ondine), Magic Theater (Asst. Designer: Monument, engagement. Choreography and intimacy work previously seen at Aurora Theatre Company in The Children and Father/ A Lie of the Mind, Bad Jews), FaultLine Theater (Maggie’s Riff, Dead Dog’s Bone), Virago Theatre (The Singularity, New York Daughter, and in productions at 42nd St. Moon, A.C.T., Premier), Custom Made Theater Company (Belleville, Six AlterTheater, Aurora Theatre Company, Cal Shakes, Center Rep, Custom Made, Cutting Ball, Portland Center Stage, and Degrees of Separation, Sam and Dede, SF and NY Premieres), and Santa Cruz Shakespeare (Asst. Designer, Shotgun Players. Her dance-theater work has been presented by California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco A Year with Frog and Toad). She thanks her husband, Cole, for his unwavering support and encouragement.

Airport, ODC Theater, Dance Mission Theater, San Francisco City Hall, Danspace (NYC), DiMenna Center/ Baryshnikov Arts (NYC), and Montescudaio Amphitheater (Italy). Natalie was the Artistic Director of the awardwinning devised theater ensemble Mugwumpin, and is currently the Associate Director of Education at American Conservatory Theater. Her research and pedagogy focus on bringing people together for embodied creative experiences that build a culture of consent.

JENNIFER KING (DIRECTOR) has directed productions for various theater companies locally and abroad, including Aurora Theatre Company, where she directed Dry Powder in 2018. Other credits include work for the Prague Shakespeare Company (associate artist), Capital Stage, Shakespeare Napa Valley (founder and artistic director), SF PlayGround (company member), Berkeley Playhouse, Sonoma County Repertory Theater, Cinnabar Theater, Symmetry Theater, and Actors’ Reading Collective. She is also an award-winning theater professor at Napa Valley College and executive communication coach. Jennifer dedicates this production to her pandemic pod.

RAY GONZALEZ* (STAGE MANAGER) graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts with a focus in Stage Management. Their previous credits most recently include Marin Theatre Company’s JUSTICE: A New Musical. Ray has also worked with The Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Super Summer Theatre, Cirque du Soleil, and the American Ballet Theatre.

SASHA KING (ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER) received her BA in Theatre from UC San Diego in 2019.

Recent credits include TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s productions of Little Shop of Horrors (PA), Nan and the Lower Body (PA), and In Every Generation (Props Runner); La Jolla Playhouse’s La Bulle (PA); San Francisco Playhouse’s Clue (PA); UC San Diego’s Tambo and Bones (ASM), The Clitorish (ASM), Joshua (ASM), and Duchess! Duchess!

Duchess! (PA); Playwrights Foundation’s Damascus (PA).

LEAH HAMMOND (LEAD PROPS) has worn many theatrical hats over the past 20-odd years, but gets especially excited about props. Leah has worked at theatres around the Bay Area, including: Aurora Theatre Company, SF Playhouse, Magic Theatre, Bay Area Musicals, CCSF’s Diego Rivera Theatre, Center REP, and more. Favorite projects include: set design & scenic painting - Cradle Will Rock (Diego Rivera Theatre), Be More Chill (Tomorrow Youth Rep); props - Road to Mecca (Cloistered), Paradise Blue 9

C R E AT I V E T E A M

P R E S E N T S C O M P A N Y T H E AT R E

PRE-SHOW RECEPTION

6:30-7:45PM

BY MADELEINE GEORGE

8:00PM

POST SHOW RECEPTION FOLLOWING THE SHOW

P R E S E N T S

A U R O R A

JUNE 30

C O M P A N Y

*Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers, **United Scenic Artists Member, †Stage Directors and Choreographers Society Member

An LGBTQIA+ AFFINITY EVENT

T H E AT R E

LANA PALMER (SOUND DESIGNER) is excited to be back at Aurora Theatre Company, having previously designed Bull in a China Shop in 2019. Her recent credits include Locusts Have No King and The Confessions of Lily Dare (NCTC), Man of God (Shotgun Players), References to Salvador Dali… (Custom Made Theatre), In Love and Warcraft (American Conservatory Theatre/Perseverance Theatre), The Humans (San Jose Stage), The Daughters (SF Playhouse), and School Girls; or The African Mean Girls Play (Kansas City Rep).

PRIDE Night

A U R O R A

KURT LANDISMAN**(LIGHTING DESIGNER) is pleased to return to Aurora Theatre Company to light Jennifer King’s production of Hurricane Diane.

Amongst the 25 productions Kurt has lit for Aurora Theatre Company, they notably include, A Delicate Balance, directed by Tom Ross; Detroit ‘67, directed

by Josh Costello; American Buffalo, directed by Barbara Damashek; and Dry Powder, directed by Jennifer King. His designs have been seen at all of the major Bay Area Theaters and have been awarded 22 BATCC Awards. He has designed for many opera companies across the US, and Kurt also served the San Francisco Opera as Assistant Lighting Designer for 4 years. Internationally, he created designs in Tokyo, Singapore, and Shanghai.

USE CODE PRIDE30 For $30 Tickets to this night only! Everyone is welcome to this special event!

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

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DONORS

ANNUAL FUND DONORS Aurora Theatre Company 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 Aurora Theatre Companytheatre.org/donate, or email development@aurorathaetre.org or call 510.398.0913. Thank you!

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C ONFRONTIN G & DISMANTLIN G 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. We encourage you to visit our website to learn more about Aurora Theatre Company’s CDO initiatives and commitments, including: • Our new Mission & Values statement, making explicit our commitment to racial justice and to confronting all forms of oppression.

• Our Theatre For Everyone statement, which is also posted in our lobby.

• Welcome To Our Space, a pair of town halls exploring microaggressions in theaters and public spaces.

• Our Community Partners program.

• The list of Commitments we’ve made in the name of confronting and dismantling oppression, including: • Our CDO Task Force, composed of staff and board members including both staff and board leadership.

• Anti-bias trainings we’ve conducted for staff and board.

• Our monthly Community CDO meeting, attended by Aurora Theatre Company artists, Community Partners, Advisory Council members, staff, and board.

• Our commitments towards inclusivity in our season.

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.

Visit Aurora Theatre Companytheatre.org/CDO for more information.

Sam Jackson*, Lorri Holt*, Mia Tagano*, and Denmo Ibrahim* in Splendour. Photo by David Allen. *Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers.

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DONORS

Members of the Barbara Oliver Society for The Next Generation have designated Aurora Theatre Company 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 x312 or development@aurorathaetre.org Thank you to the following members: Anonymous (2) Gertrude E. Allen Nancy Axelrod Steven Beckendorf Norman Abramson & David* Beery Elizabeth Burwell Carol Emory Jacquelin Ewing Marge Glicksman* Candy & George Hisert

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FOUNDATION & GOVERNMENT SUPPORT Aurora Theatre Company Theatre Company gratefully acknowledges these foundations and government agencies for their support:

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

List is current as of May 24, 2023.

Kay & Ed Blonz Tracie Meloy

We strive for accuracy in our program listing, but errors do occur. Please contact Development at 510.843.4042 x312 if you notice a discrepancy, and thank you very much for helping us keep our records as accurate as possible!

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A U R O R A T H E AT R E C O M PA N Y

AURORA THEATRE COMPANY STAFF Josh Costello ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Felicity Cowlin

INTERIM DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

Kat Demith

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Robin Dolan

INTERIM CO-MANAGING DIRECTOR & SENIOR AUDIENCE SERVICES MANAGER

Eli Harris

DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST

Alandra Hileman

MARKETING SPECIALIST

Dayna Kalakau

HOUSE MANAGERS David Hicks Joelle Joyner-Wong Lisa Klein Michael Mansfield Linda Wu AURORA THEATRE COMPANY PRODUCTION STAFF Emma Buechner

SOUND BOARD OP, ELECTRICIAN HAND, FOLLOW SPOT, & CARPENTER

Brittany Cobb

LEAD ELECTRICIAN/PROGRAMMER

Wyn Di Stefano SCENIC PAINTER

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT

Jenn Ruygt

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Nicole Elise Schulz

INTERIM CO-MANAGING DIRECTOR & BUSINESS MANAGER

Adriana Gutierrez STITCHER

Hannah Haliburton WARDROBE CREW

Cindy Ngu

COSTUME COORDINATOR

Lizbeth Ortiz-Pivaral

David Shultz

BOX OFFICE MANAGER

Dawn Monique Williams ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

BOX OFFICE ASSOCIATES Venee Call-Ferrer Zola Hanson Roman JohnDoza

LEAD ELECTRICIAN

Ashley Renee

COSTUME SHOP SUPERVISOR

Becca Salsburg-Frank CARPENTER

FOUNDERS Dorothy Bryant Marge Glicksman Ken Grantham Barbara Oliver Richard Rossi

ADVISORY COUNCIL Ulises Alcala, John Caner, Joy Carlin, Barbara Damashek, Rafael Jesús González, Robert B. Hetler, Malcolm Margolin, Alan Miller, Helen Meyer, Bob Oliver, Hilary Perkins, Hillary & Jonathan Reinis, M. Graham Smith, Steve & Cindy Snow, Jonathan Spector, Mia Tagano, Beth Wilmurt O+G ARTISTS Christopher Chen Barbara Damashek Britney Frazier Margo Hall Cleavon Smith Jonathan Spector Beth Wilmurt SHOW ARTWORK BY Elizabeth Lada VIDEOGRAPHY BY Flying Moose Pictures FORMER ARTISTIC DIRECTORS Barbara Oliver Tom Ross

BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT: Lance Gardner | VICE-PRESIDENT: Gertrude E. Allen TREASURER: Rebecca Parlette-Edwards | SECRETARY: George Hisert Josh Costello | Robin Dolan | Rosalind Kim | Alan Miller Craig Moody | Nicole Elise Schulz | Kinman Tong | Tom Worth PAST BOARD PRESIDENTS IN ORDER OF SERVICE:

Thomas Donovan | Grace Fretter | Ron Vincent | Judith Holland | David Wood Andy Cohn | Alison Teeman | Carolyn Weinberger | Robert B. Hetler | Ellen B. Levine Gary H. Moore | Joan Catherine Braun 17

T H E AT R E Y O U R W AY

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.

5 & 3-PLAY FLEX PASSES

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

5-PLAY PACKAGE

Enjoy the complete season of five mainstage plays.

Choose your plays and dates at purchase.

3-PLAY PACKAGE

See any three shows in our season with a 3-Play Package. 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.

WHY SUBSCRIBE?

Priority Seating | Special & Insider Info | Dining Partner Discounts Missed Performance Discount | Easy Exchanges | Support Aurora

SINGLE TICKETS GO ON SALE AUGUST 1!

(L-R) Anisha Jagannathan, Jasmine Sharma*, and Rebecca Schweitzer* in Jaclyn Backhaus’s Wives. *Member, AEA. Photo by Kevin Berne.

WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE

CALL: 510.843.4822 | VISIT: AURORATHEATRE.ORG BOX OFFICE: 2081 ADDISON STREET, BERKELEY CA , 94704 18

C O M I N G U P N E X T AT A U R O R A T H E AT R E C O M PA N Y

t

s.

.

BY Liz Duffy Adams

STARTS SEPT 1, 2023

D I R E CT ED BY Josh Costello

Will Shakespeare is an upstart crow looking to make his name. Kit Marlowe is the greatest poet of the age and knows it. He’s also a spy for the English crown. In the back room of a tavern, against the backdrop of a polarized and paranoid England where even the slightest misstep can lead to a death sentence, the two writers embark on a risky collaboration.

Artistic partnership becomes a dangerous dance of inspiration, artistry, seduction, and possible betrayal. Experience the thrill of creative expression and the precariousness of living in a society where every move is scrutinized.

AURORA THEATRE COMPANY CONTACT INFORMATION

BOX OFFICE Hours: Tues-Friday, 1pm-5pm Phone: 510.843.4822 Online: auroratheatre.org ADMINISTRATION 2081 Addison Street Berkeley, CA 94704 phone: 510.843.4042 fax: 510.843.4826

SUBSCRIBER 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.

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POLICIES FOR IN-PERSON PERFORMANCES

Masks are required during the performance and at all times while in the Aurora Theatre Company Theatre building. 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.

Please arrive early due to observed Covid-19 protocols.

W E L C O M E

T O

A U R O R A ’ S

3 2 ND

2023/2024

S E A S O N

BAY AREA PREMIERE

BAY AREA PREMIERE

BY Liz Duffy Adams | DIRECTED BY Josh Costello STARTS SEPTEMBER 1, 2023

BY George Orwell | ADAPTED BY Michael Gene Sullivan DIRECTED BY Barbara Damashek STARTS NOVEMBER 10, 2023

BAY AREA PREMIERE

BY Mary Kathryn Nagle | DIRECTED BY Shannon Davis STARTS FEBRUARY 9, 2024

BAY AREA PREMIERE

BY Jeremy Kareken & David Murrell and Gordon Farrell BASED ON THE BOOK BY John D’Agata and Jim Fingal DIRECTED BY Jessica Holt STARTS JUNE 21, 2024

BY Tanya Barfield | DIRECTED BY Darryl V. Jones STARTS APRIL 19, 2024

Intimate.

Inclusive.

Inspiring.

GET IN.

SUBSCRIPTIONS AND SINGLE TICKETS ON SALE NOW! C A L L 51 0 . 8 4 3 . 4 8 2 2 | V I S I T A U R O R A T H E A T R E . O R G