Hurricane Diane

BY Madeleine George

DIRECTED BY Jennifer King

Dear Friends-

Thank 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

Josh Costello ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

AURORA THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS

BY Madeleine George

DIRECTED BY Jennifer King

THE CAST

Leontyne Mbele-Mbong*

Gianna DiGregorio Rivera*

Stacy Ross

Rebecca Schweitzer*

Luisa Sermol*

CREATIVE TEAM

Kate Boyd Scenic Designer

Natalie Greene Intimacy & Movement Choreographer

Ray Gonzalez* Stage Manager

Leah Hammond Lead Props

PRESENTING SPONSORS

Brooke Jennings Costume Designer

Sasha King Assistant Stage Manager

Kurt Landisman** Lighting Designer

Lana Palmer Sound Designer

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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).

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.

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

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

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.

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.

NATALIE GREENE (INTIMACY & MOVEMENT CHOREOGRAPHER) is an artist and educator working at the intersection of dance, theater, and community engagement. Choreography and intimacy work previously seen at Aurora Theatre Company in The Children and Father/ Daughter, and in productions at 42nd St. Moon, A.C.T., AlterTheater, Aurora Theatre Company, Cal Shakes, Center Rep, Custom Made, Cutting Ball, Portland Center Stage, and Shotgun Players. Her dance-theater work has been presented by California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco 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.

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.

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

(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.

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 (You Mean To Do Me Harm, The Effect, Colossal, The Nether), We Players (Alice in Wonderland, PSYCHOPOMP, Roman Women, Ondine), Magic Theater (Asst. Designer: Monument, A Lie of the Mind, Bad Jews), FaultLine Theater (Maggie’s Riff, Dead Dog’s Bone), Virago Theatre (The Singularity, New York Premier), Custom Made Theater Company (Belleville, Six Degrees of Separation, Sam and Dede, SF and NY Premieres), and Santa Cruz Shakespeare (Asst. Designer, A Year with Frog and Toad). She thanks her husband, Cole, for his unwavering support and encouragement.

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.

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).

CREATIVE TEAM

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.

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).

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

6:30-7:45PM

BY MADELEINE GEORGE

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

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! List is current as of May 24, 2023.

PARTNER

$50,000 +

Nina K. Auerbach

COLLABORATOR

$15,000-$49,999

George & Candy Hisert

Ellen & Barry Levine

Craig & Kathy Moody

Thomas W. Edwards & Rebecca

Parlette-Edwards

Tom & Amy Worth

FAMILY

$5,000-$14,999

Anonymous

Diana Cohen & Bill Falik

David Wood & Kathleen Garrison

Tamra C. Hege

Margaret & Matt Jacobson

Rosalind & Sung-Hou Kim

Paul Templeton & Darrell Louie

Helen M. Marcus

Maris & Ivan D. Meyerson

Norman & Janet Pease

Julianne H. Rumsey

Ed & Liliane Schneider

Sally Shaver

Muffy Thorne

Alison Teeman & Michael Yovino-Young

FRIEND

$1,500-$4,999

Anonymous

Broitman Basri Family

Steven Goldberg & Sandee Blechman

Kathryn Frank & Jim Blume

David Nalley & Adrian Borrero

Falk Family Fund

Dean Francis

Sandra & Richard Gilbert

Judith A. Glass

Greg Gorel

Bonnie & Earl Hamlin

Mirium E John

Kathy Roberts & Aaron Loeb

Karen & John McGuinn

Margo & Roy Ogus

Marianne Robison

Deborah Dashow Ruth

Valerie Sopher

Richard Sterling

Sam Test

NEIGHBOR

$100-$1,499

Anonymous (4)

Ida & Myles Abbott

Norman Abramson

Gertrude E. Allen

Fred & Kathy Allen

Claire & Kendall Allphin

Robert B. Alto

Don Kaufman & Carol Amyx

George Anders

Carlene & Richard Anderson

Stewart Applin

Helen Hutchison & Lee Aurich

Francine M. Austin

Bobbi Baron

Ruthanne Barulich

Steven Beckendorf

James Helman & Josephine Bellaccomo

Marilyn Beller

Alicia B Benito

Paula Hughmanick & Steven Berger

Wendy & Robert Bergman

Ron & Susan Berman

Fumiko Bielefeldt

Barbara Anscher & Steven Binder

Sandra I. Blair

Terry Pink Alexander & John Blaustein

Adrian & Daniel Blumberg

Bonnie Bogue

Thomas Bosserman

Eva & David Bradford

Marilyn & George Bray

Heather Bloch & Mark Briner

Nina & Frank Brunetti

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. 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.

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.

DONORS

Ada Burko & Gabriela Crane

Caroline & Rande Burton

Elizabeth Burwell

Carin & Bob Bryans

The Leo J. & Celia Carlin Fund

Bruce Carlton

Jonathan Carr

Andrea & Michael Cassidy

Lisa Chilton

Susanne Stoffel & Michael Coan

June & Michael Cohen

Marilyn & Richard Collier

Melissa A M Costello

Lawrence R. Cotter

Kasa Cotugno

Jane & Tom Coulter

Gary & Diana Cramer

Te Smith & Dennis Cress

Lynn & Chris Crook

Ann O’Connor & Edward Cullen

Clytia & Joseph M. Curley

Sue & Joe Daly

House Dancer

Mary Hope Dean

Keith E. Doerge

Susan Driscoll

Tammerlin Drummond

Madeline L. Berger & Nina Duhl

William Espey & Margaret Hart Edwards

John Ehrlich

Roger & Jane Emanuel

Carol Emory

Margery Eriksson

Merle & Michael Fajans

Barry David Feiner

Claudia H. Fenelon

Karin L. Fetherston

Gary Robinson & Danny Field

James & Jessica Fleming

Linda Fogel

William & Andrea Foley

John Fordham

Barbara & Ron Forsstrom

Molly & Harrison Fraker

Harvey & Deana Freedman

Mary & Stan Friedman

Stephanie & Donald Friedman

Sarah & Frank Fuller

Mark Aaronson & Marjorie Gelb

Anirvan Chatterjee & Barnali Ghosh

Heidi Giordano

Mitchell M. Gitin

Eva & Alex Glazer

Deborah & Howard Goodman

Paula Goren

Anita Grandpre

Gretchen & Richard Grant

Jane & Stephen Greene

Judy & Sheldon Greene

Elizabeth Groenewegen

Donna Dediemar & Chris Hamilton

Karen & Ken Harley

Carol Baird & Alan Harper

Gina Harris

John Sweitzer & Joyce Hawkins

Tony & Trish Hawthorne

Lynne & Austin Henderson

Leslie Henry

Daria Hepps

Dixie & Clifford Hersh

Jean Krois & Howard Hertz

Nancy Friedman & Terry Hill

Mark A. Hoffman

Charlton G. Holland

Wade & Jane Hughan

Janet Hurwich

Lyn C. Isbell

Douglas Jackson

Susan & Andrew Jokelson

Barbara E. Jones

Cheryl Guyer & Marty Kahn

Robert & Kathleen Kaiser

Richard Kalish

Celia & James Kelly

Rose Adams Kelly

Chris & Pat Kenber

Margaret Kendall

Nancy Mennel & David Kessler

Joan H. Story & Robert F. Kidd

Beth & Tim Kientzle

Marjorie Kirk

Birthe Kirsch

Deborah & David Kirshman

Ben Hermalin & Ruth Konoff

Martha Schimbor &

Nancy Kornfield

Diana Krampf

Teresa Kulka

Kathryn S. Martin & David J. Kurtzman

Joanne & John Lafler

Judith Lamberti

Phillip Brown & Carol LaPlant

Lori A. Laratro

Gretchen M. Larsen

Leavitt Family Fund

Kit & Hayne Leland

DONORS

Joseph Jackson & Joann Leskovar

Jill & Ray L’Esperance

Sandra Lessing

John Leys

Jennifer S. Lindsay

Dan & Emily Loeb

Eugenia Loken

Mimi W. Lou

Antonia Lozon

Rosa Luevano

Jonathan Luskin

Wendell Choo & Mark MacKler

Alexander Byron & Nicole Maguire

Robert & Johanna Mandel

Malcolm & Rina Margolin

Ana Maria Martel

Bunny Martin

Claire & Paul Maxwell

Brad McCullough

Robert McDowell

Arnold Yip & Alison McLean

Patricia & Steve McMahon

Marilee Talkington & Andrew Meisel

Laura & Larry Monin

Everett & Julia Moore

Thomas C. Moore

Miriam Morgan

Susan Morris

Jerry S. Mosher

Karen Mullarkey

Russell Nelson

Rachel & Ron Nissim

Joan Sullivan & Walter Norton

Aleta Wallace & Peter Nussbaum

Roberta S. O’Grady

Sylvia Pascal

Kirk Patterson

Linda Perkins

The Perttula Family

Gini Erck & David Petta

Evan Painter & Wendy Polivka

Sylvia & Perry W. Polk

Zachary Polsky

Barbara Porter

Caroline & Roger Purves

Ingrid Madsen & Victor Rauch

Gregg Richardson

Leonard Gabriele & John Richardson

Helen Rigby, Dramarama

Theater Tours

Maxine Risley

Pauline & Wayman Robertson

Steve & Linda Rosen

Rosenthal-Murphy Family Trust

David Rovno M.D.

Anne & Boyard Rowe

Yvonne Lalanne & Mark M. Rubenstein

Joan Emery & Eddy Rubin

Diane & Ed Ryken

Gretchen Saeger

Marlene & Jonathan Sakol

Claire De Chazal & Francisco Santamarina

Thomas A. Savignano

Susan Sawyer

Sandra Keith & Bob Shephard

Al Hoffman & David Shepherd

Marsha Silberstein

Sharon Marie Silva

Barbara Silverberg

Harriet Simpson

Betsy Smith

Chris & Jeff Smith

Peter & Ann Smith

Sigrid Snider

Eileen Soden

Rhe Charitable Foundation, Jennifer & Will Sousae

Ruth MacNaughton & Harold Spencer

Helen Wickes & Donald J. Stang

Susan Stanley

Laura Steinman

Sally Stevens

Andrew Cohn & Kate Stewart

Frank Kelly & Alan Stewart

Bonnie Stiles

Mark Chaitkin & P. Cecilia Storr

Jay Atkinson & Ariel Summerlin

Maria M. Sutter

Judy Weiss & Stuart Swiedler

Jane & Jay Taber

Robert Deutsch & Donna Terazawa

Revan & Elsa Tranter

Shirley & Michael Traynor

Laurel I Schaefer Trent

Stephen van Meter

Gretchen vonDuering

Helen & John Wadman

Gail & Arne M. Wagner

Arlene Waksberg

Laurence Walker

Margo Webster

Georganne Ferrier & Steven Weinberg

DONORS

Carolyn Weinberger

Sallie Weissinger

Henry Trevor & Elizabeth Werter

Margo Wesley

Laurellee Westaway

Richard Makdisi & Lindsay Wheeler

Alice E. Wilkins

Donna M. Williams

Barbara Lanier & John Wilson

Linda & Steve Wolan

Sally Woolsey

Bess Zimmerman

COMMUNITY

$1-$99

Anonymous (9)

Martha Salzman & Jay Aleck

Ken & Joyce Altshuler

Vernon Ambrose

T Barnes

Stephanie Barnhill

Karen Nelson & Guy Benveniste

Lisa Brinner

Barbara & Gerald Brunetti

Janet Burnham

Cheryl & John Burris

Shawna Casey

Michael Cohen

Bruce Davis

Barbara de Janvry

Mark & Judy Eckart

Elaine M. Eger

Hal Fischer

Lisa V. Freeman

Joan Frenkel

Barbara & William Gaffield

David H. Gelfand

Paul S. Gerken

Eric Fine & Charlie Goetzl

Dorothy Gordon

Elizabeth M. Gough

Martin & Pam Grabske

John S. Gravell

Hollis Greenwood

Barbara Hadenfeldt

Estie & Mark Hudes

Karen Ingenthron

Harvey Ingham

Jerilyn Johnson

William Joyce

Moss Kardener

Marsha & Bob Kermish

Barbara Kuklewicz

Harriet Whitman Lee

Mark Leialoha

Marlene Levenson

Gerald Levine

Elizabeth & Allan Lichtenberg

Aleeza Lipkin

Barbara Loften

William Louie

Kathryn Mitchell Lucchese

James Lyons

George Maguire

Pat Manley

Joan & Roger Mann

Elene Manolis

John Golding & Martin Mass

Lucia Matzger

Katherine McKenzie

Miles & Mary Ellen McKey

Ray McKnight

Penny Mikesell

Bergit Mueller

Sinthu Natesan

Stephen Nocita

Emily Odza

Jayne Oshiro

Thomas J. Owen

Robert P. Camm & Susan Pearson

Leslie M. Radin

Chip Rice

Terry Rillera

Kaye Rosso

Josh Rotenberg

Lewis & Gail Rubman

John Ruskin

Sylvia Saunders

Stephanie Frey-Secor & Peter Secor

Ted Shaner

Dan Slobin

James Stack

Carl Stein

Gerald Underdal

Gerald Weintraub

Kate & Richard West

Linda Wilford

Shelly Willard

Yay Theatre!

Pik Yee

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

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

FOUNDATION & GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

Betty Pirford*

Tom Ross

David Rovno

Julianne H. Rumsey*

Deborah Dashow Ruth

Sylvia Saunders

Valerie Sopher

Lisa R. Taylor

Janis Kate Turner

*In Memoriam

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

Alameda County Arts Commision

Artsfund

California Arts Council

California Office of the Small Business Advocate

HONOR ROLL

List is current as of May 24, 2023.

In Memory of AMTV

In Honor of Sheldon Bornstein (2)

In Memory of William E. Jones

IN-KIND DONORS

City of Berkeley Civic Arts Program

Harold & Mimi Steinberg

Charitable Trust

National Endowment for the Arts

The Shubert Foundation

The Tournesol Project

The Wood Foundation

In Memory of James Risley

In memory of Leo P. Ruth

In Honor of Alison Teeman

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!

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

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

CONSULTANT

Jenn Ruygt

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Nicole Elise Schulz

INTERIM CO-MANAGING DIRECTOR & BUSINESS MANAGER

David Shultz

BOX OFFICE MANAGER

Dawn Monique Williams

ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

BOX OFFICE ASSOCIATES

Venee Call-Ferrer

Zola Hanson

Roman JohnDoza

HOUSE MANAGERS

David Hicks

Joelle Joyner-Wong

Lisa Klein

Michael Mansfield

Linda Wu

AURORA THEATRE COMPANY PRODUCTION STAFF

Emma Buechner

S OUND BOARD OP, ELECTRICIAN HAND, FOLLOW SPOT, & CARPENTER

Brittany Cobb LEAD ELECTRICIAN/PROGRAMMER

Wyn Di Stefano SCENIC PAINTER

Adriana Gutierrez STITCHER

Hannah Haliburton WARDROBE CREW

Cindy Ngu COSTUME COORDINATOR

Lizbeth Ortiz-Pivaral 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:

Andy

Gary

Thomas Donovan | Grace Fretter | Ron Vincent | Judith Holland | David Wood

Cohn | Alison Teeman | Carolyn Weinberger | Robert B. Hetler | Ellen B. Levine

H. Moore | Joan Catherine Braun

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

5-PLAY PACKAGE

3-PLAY PACKAGE

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

Enjoy the complete season of five mainstage plays. Choose your plays and dates at purchase.

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.

BY Liz Duffy Adams

DIRECTED BY Josh Costello

STARTS SEPT 1, 2023

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.

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.