Stage kids then and now 14 · In conversation with Sarah Ruhl 24 · The program for For Peter Pan on her 70th birthday 33
THE BERKELEY REP M AGA ZINE 2 015 –16 · I S S U E 7
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M E E T T H E C A ST & C R E W · 3 4
BE R K E L E Y R E P P R E S E N T S FOR PETE R PAN ON HE R 70TH B IRTHDAY · 33
P ROL O G U E
CON T R I BU T OR S
A letter from the artistic director · 5
Foundation, corporate, and in-kind sponsors · 41
A letter from the managing director · 7
Individual donors to the Annual Fund · 42 Michael Leibert Society · 44
R E P ORT 10
Home away from home: Welcoming artists to Berkeley Rep · 10 The doctors in the house · 13
A BOU T BE R K E L E Y R E P Staff, board of trustees, and sustaining advisors · 45
Stage kids then and now · 14 Teen Night: Where teens and professional artists meet · 16 Swanky, spiffy, SPEAKEASY! · 19
FYI Everything you need to know about our box office, seating policies, and more · 46
All’s “Wells” that ends well · 21 24
Really live theatre: Animals onstage at Berkeley Rep · 23 F E AT U R E S Plays as gifts: In conversation with Sarah Ruhl · 24 I won’t grow up! · 26 Gravity: An interview with Director Les Waters · 28
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I don’t want ever to be a man: Performing gender in Peter Pan · 30
T H E B E R K E L E Y R E P M AG A Z I N E 201 5–16 · I S S U E 7 The Berkeley Rep Magazine is published at least seven times per season.
Editor Karen McKevitt
For local advertising inquiries, please contact Ellen Felker at 510 548-0725 or efelker@berkeleyrep.org.
Art Director Nora Merecicky Graphic Designer Itzel Ortuño
Photo on this page and cover: Kathleen Chalfant (photo by Itzel Ortuño)
Writers Beryl Baker Katie Craddock Bethany Herron Loren Hiser Sarah Rose Leonard Karen McKevitt
Emilie Pass Jamie Yuen-Shore
Contact Berkeley Rep Box Office: 510 647-2949 Groups (10+): 510 647-2918 Admin: 510 647-2900 School of Theatre: 510 647-2972 Click berkeleyrep.org Email info@berkeleyrep.org
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P ROL OG U E from the Artistic Director
I’m a fan of breaking the rules. But I
also believe that you have to earn the right to break them. I’ve always felt that a play can change course, employ a different form, or shift the focus of its content, if such a change fulfills the play’s intention. The risk is larger, of course, than a play that uses a simple, linear narrative or a consistent, familiar style of expression. But the rewards are potentially much greater: if the shift is effective, the feeling in the audience of being unexpectedly transported can be positively euphoric. Things make a different kind of sense. And in the best experiences, our view of the world is changed. In her new play, Sarah Ruhl breaks the traditional rules of dramatic structure. A naturalistic story of a family’s bereavement morphs into a fantastical expression of their unrealized desire; agnosticism and cynicism give way to faith and wonder. The story we thought we were watching becomes another story altogether, one that transcends our original expectations and which becomes a testament to the redemptive power of human imagination. It is a risk on Sarah’s part, a risk that I think is entirely earned. To chart this unique theatrical journey, Sarah has teamed up again with the intrepid Les Waters. The two have a long and rich history, beginning with Eurydice, which premiered on our stage over a decade ago. Sarah and Les are both comfortable pushing the boundaries of form because they are masters of the craft, as evidenced by their subsequent work on In the Next Room and Dear Elizabeth. From the heartland of Louisville, Kentucky where this play premiered a few months ago, they bring a cast to Berkeley headed by the enormously talented Kathleen Chalfant and filled with a gifted roster of friends old and new. It’s a joy to have Sarah and Les back here, where they still have an artistic home, and where we get to help them break some old rules and invent some new ones. Sincerely,
Tony Taccone
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May 2016 Volume 48, No. 7
Paul Heppner Publisher Susan Peterson Design & Production Director Ana Alvira, Robin Kessler, Shaun Swick, Stevie VanBronkhorst Production Artists and Graphic Design Mike Hathaway Sales Director
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P ROL OG U E from the Managing Director
As the artistic and creative teams and
Berkeley Rep’s staff approached the first performance of Sarah Ruhl’s moving meditation about growing up versus growing old, I was reminded of an extraordinary letter we received in April from a high school teacher who brought his class to a student matinee of Macbeth. “I’ve seen high school more and more resemble the work place: long hours, hard work, not meant to be fun….” he said. “It’s become such a high-pressure rat race that it’s harder and harder to get students to come on field trips.” He said that students are afraid of missing classes and upsetting other teachers. They’re afraid of not getting into the right college. He continued, “But seeing my kids watching the show today, their faces lit up afterward, taking apart this or that scene, it reminds me of the real job of art: it’s to make us feel alive, not just that we exist.” How ironic that the Baby Boomers in Sarah Ruhl’s play are nostalgic for their childhood while so many of today’s children have the stress and worries that adults do! What will their lives be like—and what will our world look like—20 years from now? Countless studies show the arts also promote empathy, collaboration, problem-solving, and more. Certainly these skills are just as vital to the workplaces of tomorrow as mathematical and scientific aptitude—and that’s just if we think of the arts in quantifiable terms. The arts do make us feel alive, whether we’re young or young at heart. Warmly,
Susan Medak
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This page Katy Owen in Kneehigh’s 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips (photo by Steve Tanner) Opposite page, left to right Director Lisa Peterson, Playwright Jeff Augustin, The cast of Kneehigh’s 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips (photo by Steve Tanner), Director David Ivers, Playwright Lisa Loomer (photo by Jenny Graham), Director Mira Nair (photo by Ishaan Nair), Playwright Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins (photo by Imogen Heath)
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HAND TO GOD IT CAN'T HAPPEN HERE Adapted by Tony Taccone and Bennett S. Cohen from the novel by Sinclair Lewis Directed by Lisa Peterson Main Season · Roda Theatre World premiere Sinclair Lewis’ satirical novel follows the ascent of a demagogue who becomes president of the United States by promising to return the country to greatness. Called “a message to thinking Americans” upon its publication, this eerily prescient book receives a new adaptation just in time for election season.
THE LAST TIGER IN HAITI By Jeff Augustin Directed by Joshua Kahan Brody A co-production with La Jolla Playhouse Main Season · Peet’s Theatre World premiere production Five kids in modern-day Haiti, all entangled in a dark history of servitude, spin spellbinding folktales, vying for the title of best storyteller—and dreaming of their freedom. When two of them reunite 15 years later, the boundary between reality and fiction vanishes.
946: THE AMAZING STORY OF ADOLPHUS TIPS Adapted by Michael Morpurgo and Emma Rice Directed by Emma Rice In association with Kneehigh and Birmingham Repertory Theatre Main Season · Roda Theatre American premiere Kneehigh is back! The theatrical alchemists return with a tender new coming-of-age tale that uncovers the secrets behind World War II’s D-Day landings—with swingin’ live music, enchanting puppetry, and signature stage sorcery.
SEASON SPONSORS
By Robert Askins Directed by David Ivers Main Season · Peet’s Theatre West Coast premiere A spectacularly foul-mouthed and wickedly scandalous sock puppet shocks a town’s congregation with his outrageous insinuations, exposing their deepest secrets—and teaching us all about love, grief, and what it means to be human. “Darkly delightful,” declares the New York Times.
ROE By Lisa Loomer Directed by Bill Rauch A co-production with Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Arena Stage Limited Season · Roda Theatre World premiere production In turns shocking, humorous, and poignant, Roe cuts through the headlines and rhetoric to reveal the divergent personal journeys of Roe v. Wade lawyer Sarah Weddington and plaintiff Norma McCorvey (“Jane Roe”) in the years following the fateful decision.
MONSOON WEDDING Book by Sabrina Dhawan Music by Vishal Bhardwaj Lyrics by Susan Birkenhead Directed by Mira Nair Main Season · Roda Theatre World premiere Award-winning film director Mira Nair brings her exuberant and sumptuous Monsoon Wedding to Berkeley Rep’s stage in this highly anticipated world premiere musical about an arranged marriage between a modern upper-middle-class Indian family’s only daughter and an American guy she’s never met.
AN OCTOROON By Branden Jacobs-Jenkins Director to be announced Limited Season · Peet’s Theatre Playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins won the Obie Award for his radical, incendiary, and subversively funny riff on Dion Boucicault’s once-popular 1859 mustache-twirling melodrama. A spectacular collision of the antebellum South and 21st-century cultural politics, An Octoroon is “This decade’s most eloquent theatrical statement on race in America today,” says the New York Times. 2 0 1 5 –1 6 · I S S U E 7 · T H E B E R K E L E Y R E P M AG A Z I N E · 9
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Berkeley Rep’s Company Manager Jean-Paul Gressieux and Company Management Fellow Emilie Pass P H OTO BY I T ZEL O R T U Ñ O
Home away from home Welcoming artists to Berkeley Rep B Y E M I L I E PA S S
Playwright Sarah Ruhl points out in her essay
“Mothers on Stage” that from Medea to Mama Rose the maternal experience in theatre has “been told from the point of view of sons, written by sons.” While theatre history has given us plenty of charming matriarchs, she notes that it has not given us much of the mother’s perspective on stage. Why is this the case? The most persuasive explanation Sarah offers is that theatre “lags behind the other literary arts in terms of what can be told, because its medium is embodied, subject to all kinds of material concerns that make it slower to change.” Another explanation may be that while writing fiction might require a room of one’s own, making a play requires being in the room during rehearsals. For Berkeley Rep to produce works like For Peter Pan on her 70th birthday, a play inspired by a mother and artist written by a mother and artist, we must help theatremakers set aside some of their material concerns to create magic on our stages. This is where the company management department comes in. Once the artistic department selects scripts, assembles creative teams, and casts actors, the company management department tries to make it possible for artists from all over the world and at various moments in their personal lives to come to Berkeley Rep and create. As Jean-Paul Gressieux, Berkeley Rep’s company manager, says, “We tend to hire people who reflect our values.” Because Berkeley Rep values representing a diversity of experiences for our audiences, the needs of our artists shift and change from production to production. 1 0 · T H E B E R K E L E Y R E P M AG A Z I N E · 2 0 1 5 –1 6 · I S S U E 7
A company manager encompasses the jobs of personal assistant, medical advisor, landlord, FedEx worker, interior decorator, party planner, and hotel concierge. That said, the title
A company manager encompasses the jobs of personal assistant, medical advisor, landlord, FedEx worker, interior decorator, party planner, and hotel concierge. encapsulates the job description—to help a group of actors and artists feel at home in our community, to become a part of the Berkeley Rep company. Enabling artists to reach a place of comfort in their personal lives so that they may be vulnerable and daring in their artistic work can be as simple as locating a new blender, recommending a good Thai restaurant, or providing a ride to a doctor’s appointment. It’s often more complicated, and quite often the most important duty of a company manager is listening. Jean-Paul says, “Being a company manager is a people job. It’s all conversations, all interactions.” In my time as Berkeley Rep’s company management fellow I have memorized the aisles of Ikea, learned how to draft Actors’ Equity Association contracts, and successfully operated a fax CO N TIN U E D O N PAG E 12
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machine. But the task that has given me the most joy has been working with artists who might have been thwarted by prejudice and logistics in the past. I have returned to Sarah’s thoughts on motherhood and theatre frequently this season. I have had the joy of seeing the mothers of very young children produce some of the most powerful art on Berkeley Rep’s stages, including Jane Cox’s lighting in Amélie, Nisi Sturgis’ performance in Disgraced, and Julia Cho’s writing in Aubergine. Watching these artists and mothers work feels like the opening of a new chapter in theatre history. Working with these artists and their families presents unique challenges and rewards. The first time I picked up one of this season’s artists and her family from the Oakland Airport, it seemed to take
Our Theatre is made richer when artists bring their full, complex selves to their work.
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an eternity to win the Tetris game of piling suitcases and strollers into Berkeley Rep’s 2004 Dodge Ram. Patience was running out for the kids; the stakes were high. “How can I help? What can I do?” I asked as I tucked carry-ons into available corners of the van, unsure if I was helping or hurting the cause. Later, as we sat on the highway immobilized by traffic, her daughter sighed, “Are we going in circles?” You can imagine my surprise when the next time I met the family at baggage claim the same girl greeted me with a hug. “Emilie!” she said. “Let’s go find the big blue van!” Apparently the car had made a big impression, and had stood out as a highlight of her visit to Berkeley. This time, we loaded everything up with comfort and ease. Sarah Ruhl writes, “for my sanity, these two practices, of motherhood and making things, so primary, need to feel as though they are compatriots.” Our Theatre is made richer when artists bring their full, complex selves to their work. We strive to help our artists do just that.
Dr. Chang and playwright KJ Sanchez
Dr. Fugaro and wife Jill Fugaro P H OTO BY J A R ED OAT E S
R E P ORT
The doctors in the house BY KAREN MCKEVITT
While Berkeley Rep’s company manage-
ment staff helps our out-of-town artists find a home away from home, our medical consultants Dr. Cindy Chang and Dr. Steve Fugaro ensure that our actors in particular stay healthy. “If an actor has a cold or back pain or something like that, Berkeley Rep will call me,” says Dr. Chang, who completed specialty training in family medicine and fellowship training in sports medicine. “If it’s beyond my scope of knowledge, I can refer them to someone else.” “I’ve assisted singers who have had laryngitis or bronchitis,” adds Dr. Fugaro, who has a private practice. “One actor needed a root canal, and I was able to refer them to a specialist.” Anyone who’s fallen ill while traveling knows how disconcerting it is to be hundreds of miles away from their doctor or dentist. “I think it’s a comfort to the actors to have a resource and a safety net while they’re here,” notes Dr. Chang. Dr. Fugaro has a particularly fond spot in his heart for actors—his son was a professional actor who spent a year in Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s acting company. “Our son had an interest in acting in high school,” he explains. “His teacher encouraged him to see Mary Zimmerman’s Secret in the Wings at Berkeley Rep, and my family became progressively more involved with the Theatre since then.” In fact, Dr. Fugaro and his wife, Jill, signed on as associate sponsors of Mary Zimmerman’s recent production of Treasure Island.
An associate professor at ucsf and a team physician at UC Berkeley, Dr. Chang’s relationship with Berkeley Rep deepened last year during the development and production of KJ Sanchez’s X’s and O’s (A Football Love Story), a docudrama that explores concussions in football and America’s love of
“I think it’s a comfort to the actors to have a resource and a safety net while they’re here.” —DR . C H A NG the game. “My husband and I were associate sponsors on the show, and I was asked to look at the script to ensure that the medical terminology was accurate,” she says. “It was really fun to do that, and so important.” Managing Director Susan Medak says, “We’re so fortunate to count Dr. Chang and Dr. Fugaro as members of our community. They provide vital services for our artists, and they do so with compassion and for the love of theatre.” “It’s an honor to care for the actors,” says Dr. Fugaro. “It’s my small way of giving back to Berkeley Rep considering how much it’s given to audiences.” 2 0 1 5 –1 6 · I S S U E 7 · T H E B E R K E L E Y R E P M AG A Z I N E · 1 3
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Stage kids then and now BY BETHANY HERRON Jennifer Shin, Hanson Tse, and Madison Logan V. Phan in after the quake P H OTO BY K E V I N B ER N E
Nancy Carlin, Brigette Lundy-Paine, and Howard Swain in The Pillowman P H OTO BY K E V I N B ER N E
Joy Carlin and Eli Marienthal in Missing Persons P H OTO BY K E N F R I ED M A N
Devynn Pedell and Aaron Simon Gross in Brundibar P H OTO BY K E V I N B ER N E
At Berkeley Rep, we know that theatre can transform a child’s life, and that arts education has a tremendous impact, no matter what field a student may end up in. That’s why our School of Theatre visits over 100 local schools every year—but our School is only one avenue through which young people come to Berkeley Rep. Over the past 48 years, our stages have hosted some amazing talent, not the least of which is found in the young actors who have grown up backstage. Sometimes, especially in our early years, these youngsters were the sons and daughters of our company members—Sharon Lockwood’s daughter Rose in Slavs, or Geoff Hoyle’s daughter Kailey in The First 100 Years (or even a not-so-young Jorma Taccone in Fuente Ovejuna). Sometimes they were local students from our own School, such as much of the cast of Brundibar, and sometimes they were up-and-coming stars with already strong résumés. However they came to us, these kids have taken off to do some amazing things. It was great to catch up with a few of them recently and see the wide range of futures that have unfolded for them. BRIGET TE LUNDY- PAINE then 11 years old in Brundibar after 12 years old in The Pillowman now 21 years old, nyu drama student, recently seen in Woody Allen’s Irrational Man As the daughter of local actors and theatre-makers Laura and Robert Lundy-Paine, Brigette already had a long list of credits when she made her Berkeley Rep debut. After the summer-camp-like ensemble of Brundibar, Brigette was cast again at Berkeley Rep in The Pillowman, a play with a decidedly different tone. We asked her about her memories as she was taking a break from shooting Wilde Wedding (a movie coming out next year where she’ll be seen playing Glenn Close’s granddaughter). “I knew the subject matter of Pillowman was weird—my grandma was mad I was doing it—but it was just a fun experience for me! I got to be buried alive onstage, sinking down in a coffin, and then getting led out by a stage manager holding a ladybug flashlight.” Those years remain some of the most fun times of her life, and she made lifelong friends: when not shooting movies, she sings in a band called Subtle Pride in New York with another Brundibar actor, Misha Brooks. ELI M ARIENTHAL then 10 years old in Missing Persons, and 13 years old in Galileo after voice of Hogarth Hughes in The Iron Giant, multiple movie roles, and a first generation Youth Speaks poet now 30 years old, in charge of youth programs at Back to Earth and a PhD candidate in Geography at UC Berkeley Acting was an important piece of Eli’s life throughout middle and high school, but upon graduation, when his agent told him he had to make the choice between a career in LA and life in the Bay Area, Eli’s path focused. “Today, my academic work
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continues to be about facilitating collaborative art practices— bringing people together to make art of the fabric of their lives.” Eli’s focus on human geography at UC Berkeley has led him to research and participate in a wide variety of civic rituals of healing, and most recently, the cultural politics of belonging in Oakland, an area where theatre and the arts can play an important role. “As we grasp in uncertain ways toward some better way of being with each other, some more peaceful way of coexisting in the city, not only is the ability to come together in appreciation of the arts a powerful avenue for that to happen—but so is the opportunity for people to come and make art together.” It’s that connection to other people, more than any single moment or scene, that Eli remembers from his plays at Berkeley Rep. “The collective nature of doing live theatre, the way people rely on each other, the sense of personal responsibility to do my part and do it well—the whole process was hugely formative for me, a rite of passage in what I would call a high-risk, high-reward situation. I now run an organization, Back to Earth, that does leadership development with teenage boys, and I feel in them this incredible hunger to be taken seriously and to be offered opportunities to grow into the next, biggest, most responsive version of themselves.” M ADISON LOGAN V. PHAN then 9 years old, in after the quake now 17 years old, in her final year of high school The arts still have a strong presence in Madison Logan Phan’s life and have helped to inspire her academic career. This spring she’s appearing in her high school’s production of Chicago, and next year she’ll be headed off to college to study biology, but she’s sure that she won’t leave theatre behind entirely. “Having theatre in my life at such an early age had an impact on me because I was lucky enough to realize my passions so early on, and Berkeley Rep helped me with that.” In addition to memories of her castmates, Madison fondly remembers her tutor, Carolyn (and her really good pasta dish). As fun as it looks to those of us in the audience, a young actor’s life is packed solid with hard work. In addition to their work onstage, where they keep pace with their professional adult counterparts, every young person in a cast is provided with a tutor who makes sure they are keeping up on their schoolwork and not falling behind their class. The right tutor can help make the experience even more powerful for a young person. “It was honestly such a great experience that taught me so many things, and I will always be so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the Berkeley Rep community!” Each and every one of the more than 40 young actors who have studied their math homework between scenes at Berkeley Rep feels like a member of our family, and we can’t help feeling a flush of pride whenever we talk about the amazing things they’re accomplishing, the heights they’re reaching, and the inspiring pathways they are forging for themselves. We’re thrilled to have this opportunity to brag about them to our community, and we’ll be sure to let you know when they cure the common cold after becoming President of the United States. (The way these kids are going, I give it five years.)
Berkeley Rep’s 2005 production of Brundibar featured a plethora of children, many of which kept touch with us over the years MISHA BROOK S 9 years old, Brundibar after Appeared in the Teen One Acts now First year at New York University. In the band Subtle Pride with Brigette Lundy-Paine A ARON SIMON GROSS 11 years old, Brundibar after Played Archie in 13, A New Musical in the original Broadway production in 2008, appeared in As Seen Through These Eyes (2008), The Good Wife (2009), and Made in Jersey (2012) now 20 years old, drama and musical theatre major at Northwestern GIDEON L A Z ARUS 11 years old, Brundibar after 12 in Pillowman, Teen Council member, attended the Crowden School now Junior at the New School in New York, studying dance and political science ALEC ROBERT M ATHIESON 12 years old, Brundibar after Graduated from nyu’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he studied musical theatre at the New Studio on Broadway (nsb). Outside of school, Alec has been seen in Kenneth Branagh and Rob Ashford’s Macbeth now 22, starting national tour of Ragtime DEV YNN PEDELL 9 years old, Brundibar after 10 years old, Mary Poppins on Broadway, Jane Banks now First year of college at Ithaca, musical theatre major BRENDAN REILLY 12 years old, Brundibar after Pillowman the next year; Teen Council and School of Theatre classes now 22 ERIN REILLY 10 years old, Brundibar after Enrolled in Teen Council and School of Theatre classes now 20. Volunteered in costume shop this past season M ADELINE SILVER M AN 10 years old, Brundibar after Pillowman the next year now 20 GABRIEL VERGEZ 10 years old, Brundibar after 11 years old in Pillowman, Teen Council member now In college 2 0 1 5 –1 6 · I S S U E 7 · T H E B E R K E L E Y R E P M AG A Z I N E · 1 5
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Teen Night: Where teens and professional artists meet BY JA MIE Y UEN-SHORE
When I was 16, I met Mary Zimmerman. It was at Teen Night: Argonautika for which adaptor/director Mary Zimmerman was to be the guest speaker. My friend and I arrived, not knowing that that evening we would be eating pizza with a MacArthur “Genius” Award–winning theatre artist. That night, a few dozen teens circled around to hear Mary give an engaging interview on adaptation, play creation, and the process of choosing cast members for her shows. To this day, listening to her speak while eating pizza with friends at an exclusively teen event is one of my favorite theatre memories. I can appreciate now what an incredible and rare experience that was. The opportunity to meet professional artists is a unique and special aspect of Berkeley Rep’s Teen Nights. At each of the seven Teen Nights, 80 to 100 teens get to attend a teen-led pre-show discussion with an artist or artists involved in that production, in addition to dinner and a ticket the show. This season’s Teen Night speakers have included cast members from Amélie, A New Musical; Berkeley Rep Literary Manager Sarah Rose Leonard; Disgraced Associate Director Nate Silver and actor Behzad Dabu, who played Abe; Berkeley Rep Michael Leibert Artistic Director Tony Taccone; and most recently, Macbeth star Conleth Hill. For each Teen Night, a member of Berkeley Rep’s teen leadership group, the Core Council, is selected to interview our guest speaker. To prep for the interview, the Core Council member reads the play ahead of time, researches the speaker’s biography, and comes up with 10 to 15 potential questions. The
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teen then discusses these potential questions with School of Theatre Programs Manager Anthony Jackson and the education fellow, and talk through what it will be like to moderate an interview. Many of the questions for the guests revolve around their artistic process and career path. Maya Simon, Core Council member and junior at the Oakland School of the Arts, was our first teen interviewer of the season for Teen Night: Amélie, A New Musical. She recalls, “The actors gave a lot of really
“The actors gave a lot of really important advice about how to find projects we were interested in, how to network, and about the creative process of a new musical.” —M AYA SI MON important advice about how to find projects we were interested in, how to network, and about the creative process of a new musical.” Over half of Teen Night attendees are Season Pass holders, meaning they have bought tickets to all seven shows at the
Amélie: A New Musical Teen Night P H OTO BY I T ZEL O R T U Ñ O
beginning of the season like a subscriber. For some guest speakers, it is unusual not only to speak to a group of such enthusiastic young theatre fans, but also to have so many of those young fans be well versed in a broad range of theatre from Molière to Tony Kushner. Many Teen Night attendees aspire to work in the theatre, thus the Q & A portion of the discussion offers a great chance to learn more about how to get there. After coming up with questions for the guests, many teen interviewers find moderating a challenge. Maya says, “The hardest part for me was giving the actors a chance to say all they wanted to on the question while trying to manage the time. I learned more than I ever thought I would about public speaking and facilitation from the interview, in addition to gaining a lot of valuable life and career advice.” “It was really cool to interview Conleth Hill,” adds Chloe Smith, the interviewer at Teen Night: Macbeth. “It was nerve wracking, but I was really excited. He was very funny and it was a great learning experience on how to conduct an interview. I learned how to move a conversation and try to gauge what he seemed interested in and what the audience was interested in.” For the teens, the experiences can be especially poignant when our guests are candid. Tess DeLucchi, who interviewed Aubergine director Tony Taccone, recalled, “The most memorable part of the interview was when Tony spoke about supporting his friend during their last months; how he essentially had to watch them slowly die and the effect it had on his percep-
tion of the show’s direction and mortality overall. This moment of intense honesty was so surprising.” Over the many years and iterations of Teen Night, the preshow interview with a professional theatre artist has remained an essential part of the evening. Interviewee Sarah Rose Leonard, who prior to her tenure as Berkeley Rep’s literary manager was part of the first Teen Council, reflected on the experience of now being a guest at Teen Night. “It was very surreal to be interviewed by Teen Council when I remember sitting in their chairs 14 years ago. We used to have to hustle to fill up a Teen Night, and now it is sold out every time! Seeing professional theatre is so important for teenagers because it exposes them to high-quality, aesthetically rigorous plays that are among the finest in the world. It gives them a sense of what is possible and hopefully inspires them to push themselves to create amazing art.” I hope each teen that attends Teen Night leaves with a great theatre memory, hopefully one as good as eating pizza with Mary Zimmerman. To learn more about Teen Night, visit berkeleyrep.org/teennight.
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R E P ORT
Swanky, spiffy, SPEAKEASY! BY LOREN HISER P H OTO BY C H E S H I R E I S A AC S
On Saturday, April 2, nearly 350 of the Bay Area’s
top arts supporters gathered at The Ritz Carlton, San Francisco to celebrate Berkeley Rep at the Theatre’s annual fundraising event. Berkeley Rep’s SPEAKEASY at the RITZ exemplified all the glitz, glam, and Gatsby-era grandiosity of the roaring ’20s, and the magnificent attire of our valued supporters was equaled only by the pleasure of their company. A gathering of prominent community members, creative and corporate professionals, and philanthropic leaders, SPEAKEASY brought together theatre lovers from throughout the Bay Area. We were thrilled to see supporters of the arts get “all dolled up” and join us for the night in support of Berkeley Rep’s creative and community efforts. Stopping to pose in front of Ira and Leonore Gershwin’s Rolls Royce, guests flooded into the Ritz’s ballroom with paparazzi at their heels. Featuring a dress made out of wine glasses (graciously filled by Domaine Carneros, Folie à Deux, and C.G. Di Arie), swing dancers, and a few flappers for good measure, the event roared as exuberantly as the decade it celebrated. DawnMarie Kotsonis, a.k.a. The Gavel Girl, got the bidding going fiercely—hot tickets were a New York trip to see Hamilton and An American in Paris, as well as a trip on The World, the largest private residential ship on earth. The night ended as guests raised their paddles in support of Berkeley Rep’s arts education programs. All told, over $750,000 was raised to support those programs and the work on our stages. We want to thank this year’s attendees for their unfailing support, incredible generosity, and dedication to the dramatic—you are the cat’s pajama’s!
P H OTO BY C H E S H I R E I S A AC S
P H OTO BY S A R A ELW EI N & A L E X S M I T H
P H OTO BY LO R E N Z A N G ELO
P H OTO BY LO R E N Z A N G ELO
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GET IN ON THE GROUND FLOOR
Stay in the loop about The Ground Floor—Berkeley Rep’s top-notch R&D facility for artists that consists of year-round events and a jam-packed Summer Residency Lab.
“I’ve come to realize that something extraordinary is happening in Berkeley. On the smallest level, they are dedicated to the nurturing of artists— feeding us, housing us, giving us time to create. But on the largest level possible, they are dedicated to nothing less than a wholesale change in the artistic landscape of our time.” —JULIA CHO
The Ground Floor Summer Residency Lab brings artists to Berkeley to work on projects in June. Join the mailing list to hear about public presentations at berkeleyrep.org/groundfloor.
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All’s “Wells” that ends well BY BERYL BAKER Karen Fluegge, John Hood, and Hamid Hussain (left to right)
The pun in this article’s title
might’ve been an overreach of artistic license, apologies to Mr. Shakespeare. I think we can all agree an important factor of any art medium is the relationship between the audience and the art itself. If you’re a performance studies buff, you’d probably go one step further and say the act of viewing can be as active a way to engage with a piece as it is to perform it—but what about those who not only come to see our shows but then go on to sponsor our work? When it comes to our corporate sponsors, and particularly our longtime Season Sponsor Wells Fargo, we could not create the performances at the caliber we do without those relationships. After a recent event Wells Fargo hosted at the Theatre during our production of Macbeth, some of Wells’ folks were kind enough to talk to us about what our work means to them. Hamid Hussain, a member of Berkeley Rep’s Corporate Council and a senior vice president and East Bay region manager at Wells Fargo said, “One of my favorite plays over the last few seasons is Party People.” (Party People was about the history and lives of the Black Panther Party and Young Lords, a collaboration between Berkeley Rep and universes during the 2013–14
season.) Hamid goes on, “Talk about intense! And a very relevant message for a civil, peace-loving society—the right of speech, the fragility of freedom in the face of injustice! Omar’s rant sent chills up my spine and made me want to scream in rage against the prejudices that still persist.” John Hood, vice president and senior relationship manager at Wells, after watching our recent production of Macbeth starring Conleth Hill and Frances McDormand, says that he particularly “…loved the stage sets and the audio-visuals,” as well as hearing “…certain lines (‘out, out damned spot,’ ‘fire burn and caldron bubble’),” although he had a bit of a hard time with the Elizabethan language. All in all, he felt the production was well worth seeing. Karen Fluegge, regional sales manager for Wells Fargo, says, “I’ve had the opportunity to host a number of corporate events at Berkeley Rep and consistently receive feedback from clients and colleagues that it is one of their favorite events of the year. Attendees appreciate the unique venue, creative productions, insightful and humorous presentations by staff…thank you Berkeley Rep for creating so many memorable moments and we look forward to many more!”
We’re thrilled that these representatives of our longtime Season Sponsor see value in these conversations having a home here in the Bay Area just as much as we do. As Hamid says, “Bravo Berkeley Rep for continuing to challenge all of our perceptions while entrancing our senses!”
“Bravo Berkeley Rep for continuing to challenge all of our perceptions while entrancing our senses!” —H A M ID H U S S A IN At Berkeley Rep we strive to be a mainstay of artistic innovation here on the West Coast, and Wells Fargo has invested in that innovation for years now. Our work fosters and forges dialogue, which is part of Wells Fargo’s relationship mission to the communities it serves. And just like the bond between art and audience, our relationship continues to flourish and build upon itself. Here’s looking forward to future seasons of partnership. 2 0 1 5 –1 6 · I S S U E 7 · T H E B E R K E L E Y R E P M AG A Z I N E · 2 1
Brand new classes for all ages and levels begin July 5.
YOUR AWAITS
Register today! berkeleyrep.org/classes 2 2 · T H E B E R K E L E Y R E P M AG A Z I N E · 2 0 1 5 –1 6 · I S S U E 7
fin a ncia l aid avail a ble for you th a nd teen cl a sse s
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Tim Kang and Joseph Steven Yang in Aubergine
James Carpenter and Adam Farabee in The Lieutenant of Inishmore
P H OTO BY K E V I N B ER N E
P H OTO BY K E V I N B ER N E
Really live theatre: Animals onstage at Berkeley Rep B Y K AT I E C R A DD O C K
“Oh my God.” “No-no-no-no-no.”
“Please don’t do it!” “That poor turtle.” These were just a few of the (often full-voiced) comments Tim Kang could hear from the audience as he acted the scene in Julia Cho’s Aubergine in which his character, Ray, prepares to slaughter a turtle to make a special soup for his ailing father. For the actors, it’s almost baffling—do they really think the theatre would ever harm an animal onstage, much less slaughter eight turtles a week? Yet somehow we get lost in the moment; we see the turtle crane her neck to look around, waving her limbs, and are immediately concerned for her welfare in a way we’re not when we watch, say, Banquo’s murder in Macbeth. A few weeks into rehearsal for Aubergine, Properties Supervisor Jill Green brought in a live turtle to audition. In the words of director Tony Taccone, that turtle “knocked it out of the park.” He was active yet relaxed, totally unfazed by Tim-as-Ray’s gentle machinations. Unfortunately, that turtle was unavailable for the actual run of the show, so during tech, Jill brought in another turtle. The backstage crew straightforwardly called him Soup; Tony called him Herman. Hapless Herman was young and nervous. Every time Tim lifted him out of a box to hold him, he would pee all over poor Tim. Jill traded him in for another turtle, quickly dubbed Stew. Stew is a larger, older turtle, and didn’t mind being handled in the least. During the run, she lived backstage in a spacious aquarium in her own private temperature- and light-regulated room; once Aubergine closed, she was adopted by Production Electrician Kenneth Coté, who already had turtles of his own. Actor James Carpenter, who played Duncan, the Porter, and the Doctor in this season’s Macbeth, recalled his experiences with the cat in Les Waters’ production of Martin McDonagh’s notoriously violent black comedy The Lieutenant of Inishmore at Berkeley Rep in 2009. “It wasn’t like it was a normal situation,” James remembers. “The cat had to come out at the end of the play and get embraced by two guys covered in blood from head to foot. She was a really sweet cat, and pretty mellow, but to stay in touch with her, I would go and play with her before the show. We’d play
with string and toys, and I’d pet her. I’m kind of the cat whisperer. I heard that she used to hiss and complain before she came onstage. Once she was onstage, she would kind of sit there and look around. Then I’d get her down very carefully and we’d walk her over to a footstool and threaten her with guns—all of which she was basically good with! By the time we were finished handling her, she was covered in blood, too, and she had to have a bath every night because she was a sticky mess. She never tried to get away during the vital moments of the play, even with a gun to her head. I have a black cat at home, too, and she was the understudy in case anything happened; she let me know that she could probably do a better job.”
“I’m kind of the cat whisperer.” —JA M E S C A R PE N T E R
Despite the logistical challenges and unpredictability of using live animals onstage, sometimes it’s critical to the storytelling. In the case of Inishmore, a play about a man who loves his cat more than anyone or anything in the world, as James notes, “You’ve got to have a real cat. It’s vital to the ending of the play.” The volatility of animals can be disruptive—a corgi, for instance, was ultimately fired after failing to obey Helen Mirren (playing Queen Elizabeth) in The Audience. Yet this liveness can also be uniquely appealing. In Sarah Ruhl’s For Peter Pan on her 70th birthday, a dog appears. Sarah muses, “A dog doesn’t work; a dog plays… Is that why I find it refreshing to see dogs and horses and small children on stage? Because they are what they are and they are automatically in a state of play rather than in a state of work?” Animals are fun to watch in the theatre because they are always fully present and entirely themselves; it’s exciting for the audience, if occasionally difficult for the actors, to never know exactly what will happen. 2 0 1 5 –1 6 · I S S U E 7 · T H E B E R K E L E Y R E P M AG A Z I N E · 2 3
P H OTO CO U R T E S Y T H E J O H N D. A N D C AT H ER I N E T. M AC A R T H U R F O U N DAT I O N
Plays as gifts:
In conversation with Sarah Ruhl BY SARAH ROSE LEONARD
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For Peter Pan on her 70th birthday marks Sarah Ruhl’s fifth new play at Berkeley Rep. Her first was Eurydice in 2004, which quickly defined her as one of the finest, most imaginative writers in contemporary theatre. Her plays are known for being beautifully surreal and poetic, and they celebrate what she calls “the pleasure of heightened things.” Literary Manager Sarah Rose Leonard asked Ruhl a handful of questions as she prepared for the opening of For Peter Pan on her 70th birthday at Actors Theatre of Louisville in March. Sarah Rose Leonard: What inspired you to write this play? Sarah Ruhl: I grew up surrounded by photographs of my mother playing Peter Pan as a teenager in Davenport, Iowa. The iconography stayed with me. When my mother (who is still an actress) turned 70 I wanted to write a play for her as a gift, and because I was thinking of aging, the concept of Peter Pan seemed a natural fit. What was it like to write a play as a gift? It was strange and interesting. I like to think of the theatre as a vast gift culture. I think that on a primitive level, we write plays as gifts anyway, we just don’t necessarily make ourselves conscious of it—and the culture might not perceive it that way. I read Lewis Hyde’s The Gift maybe five years ago and it utterly changed my ideas about the economy of art. Now when I teach at Yale I start the semester by having my graduate students write short gift plays to each other, to remind them that plays can be thought of as gifts, rather than as solipsistic endeavors. Like J.M. Barrie in his dedication to Peter Pan, you refer to your characters as Numbers in the script; your numbers correspond to their birth order. Why is birth order important in this play? I’m fascinated by birth order, in families both big and small. Because I was interested in writing dialogue for a big family as a kind of hive mind—it actually helped to work with numbers
rather than names at first. It gave me the sense of a group mind rather than individuated characters as I was starting out.
the experience of sleeping in their own children’s bed after their father died would compel this family to go back to Neverland for a while…
You say that not knowing is a guiding force for you as you write. Was it strange to follow the voice of your mother, who you know well, into the world of not knowing? I suppose with this play, I knew some things I don’t usually know when I set out to write a play (like things about my mother), but I didn’t know the usual things as I wrote—like how in the world would I formally pull off a transition from a hospital room to Neverland. There are always things I don’t want to know while I write, so that I can continue to discover while I’m writing, and not bore myself with an overdetermined plan.
Some people feel this is a sister piece to Eurydice. Do you feel that way? Yes, in a way. Both are about death and memory and family. Both contain real artifacts from people who I love.
What role did community theatre have in your life growing up? I went to community theatre all the time as a child. My mom acted in and directed community theatre. I saw her in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Romeo and Juliet—funnily enough my sister and I were both in a production with my mother of I Remember Mama. I think we stroked a cat. There’s something very democratic and wonderful to me about plays being an occasion for small communities to come together and make something.
How did you determine the structure of the piece? I knew that it began with a hospital scene when the family patriarch is dying, and I knew that it would end in Neverland. I think there is something about the loss of both parents that forces people to confront their own mortality, their own growing up. I also thought
When did you feel like a grown-up? I will tell you a recent moment when I felt like a grown-up. I was taking two playwriting students (one current, one former) out for dinner at the Humana Festival. I was celebrating with them the fact that their plays were about to go up. I bought the table a bottle of wine. Weirdly enough I’d never done that before— ordered a whole bottle of wine—what an extravagance… (I am so Midwestern, ultimately.) But what felt grown-up was the reason for the celebration — it was watching other writers whom I loved growing up. Usually it would be Paula Vogel buying the wine—she was my teacher. I figure if my students are growing up, I must be growing up…so I suppose to me being a grown-up has to do with that generative state. A rite of passage—watching other people come up. What are the best and worst parts of growing up? The best part is having children. The worst part is planning playdates for them and remembering things like vaccinations and dentist appointments. Have your children had a chance to see the show? I’m hoping to bring them to closing weekend in Berkeley…I think I’ll sneak them into the third part... 2 0 1 5 –1 6 · I S S U E 7 · T H E B E R K E L E Y R E P M AG A Z I N E · 2 5
I won’t grow up! BY SARAH ROSE LEONARD
We work hard to resist growing older—whether
it’s through exercise, eating well, or following popular trends. Many believe that our resistance to aging is driven by our valid fear of death. The doctor and writer Atul Gawande asserts in his book Being Mortal, “Death may be the enemy, but it is also the natural order of things…. There’s no escaping the tragedy of life, which is that we are all aging from the day we are born.” Eh…let’s talk about something else, right? Those facts are hard to face for most of us—which is why we do our best to exercise control over the aging process. The universal desire for control over death drove J.M. Barrie, the creator of Peter Pan, to create a character that defied time itself. Perhaps no one better embodies our resistance to growing up than the ageless Peter Pan. He is horribly afraid of anything that has to do with adulthood, and magically has the ability to choose whether he will grow or not. At the end of J.M. Barrie’s Peter and Wendy, the Lost Boys, who “fell out of their carriages” and were unclaimed by their parents, leave Neverland and are adopted by the Darlings (Wendy, John, and Michael’s parents). Peter toys with staying with them. He enjoyed having Wendy as a pretend mother in Neverland, and maybe it would be nice to have a permanent mother. Barrie writes, “Would you send me to school?” Peter inquired craftily. “Yes.” “I don’t want to go to school and learn solemn things,” he told her passionately. Mrs. Darling stretched out her arms to him, but he repulsed her. “Keep back, lady, no one is going to catch me and make me a man.” For Peter, growing older is thrust upon us by other people, notably parents. In contrast, growing up comes naturally to Wendy. She is perhaps is a typical older sibling in that she becomes the default parent for her younger siblings when the parents aren’t around. She has a sewing kit ready when Peter’s shadow comes unattached, and she knows all of the good stories to tell the Lost Boys. To her, parenthood is inevitable and even wonderful. In psychology, a term for people who don’t want to grow up is puer aeternus, Latin for “eternal boy.” Puer aeternus was popularized by Dr. Dan Kiley in his 1983 bestselling book The Peter Pan Syndrome: Men Who Have Never Grown Up, in which he describes older men whose lives are frozen in adolescence, and who often remain excessively dependent on their mothers. Marie-Louise von Franz, a Swiss Jungian psychologist and scholar, said of the puer aeternus:
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“There is a terrific fear of being pinned down, of entering space and time completely, and of being the singular human being that one is. At the same time, there is a highly symbolic fascination for dangerous sports—particularly flying and mountaineering—so as to get as high as possible, the symbolism being to get away from reality…” No wonder Peter likes to fly! When we skydive, for example, we feel a heightened awareness of our mortality—we could die at any second—but we also have control over it. We decide when to pull the parachute.
...whether to look death in the face and accept it, or avoid thinking about it.
The desire to avoid death is inherent in Peter Pan’s very creation. J.M. Barrie modeled Peter after his brother David, who died in an ice-skating accident when he was 13 and Barrie was 6. Barrie’s mother never recovered from the shock, and various sources say that Barrie always longed to recapture the happy years before his mother became depressed. In 1894, Margaret Henley, the daughter of Barrie’s friend William Ernest Henley, died at age 5 from cerebral meningitis. (William Henley was also the model for Robert Louis Stevenson’s character Long John Silver in Treasure Island.) Margaret used to call Barrie “fwendy” (i.e., “friendly”), which inspired him to create a character called Wendy. But the characters Peter and Wendy weren’t truly invented until around 1897, when Barrie became friends with Sylvia Llewelyn Davies, whom he met at a dinner party, and her five sons. To amuse the boys Barrie, or “Uncle Jim” to the boys, invented stories about a place called Neverland and a pack of Lost Boys. Two of the Llewelyn Davies boys were named Michael and Peter, and Barrie eventually attached their names to characters in the stories. In 1910, Sylvia died of cancer at age 43, three years after her husband Arthur also passed away due to cancer, and Barrie became a guardian of the children. In the preface to Peter and Wendy Barrie dedicated the book “To the Five” and says, “I always knew that I made Peter by rubbing the five of you violently together…that is all he is,
the spark I got from you.” Sadly, he outlived some of the children to whom he was so devoted. One of the children, George Llewelyn Davies, died fighting in World War I. Michael drowned while swimming with a friend. Peter Llewelyn Davies outlived Barrie, but committed suicide by jumping in front of a train in 1960, a few weeks before the 100th anniversary of Barrie’s birth. In addition to the creation of Peter Pan, a wildly imaginative place came out of Barrie’s personal loss: Neverland. This fantasy world where one can stay a child forever resonates strongly with today’s millennial generation, who is often accused of resisting adulthood. A 2010 New York Times Magazine article examines “emerging adulthood” and why so many people in their 20s are taking longer than their parents to build independent lives. Popular TV shows like Master of None and Girls revolve around 20-somethings plagued by indecision about their life choices. They do everything they can to avoid growing up, even as time marches forward. “The traditional cycle seems to have gone off course,” the Times piece posits, “as young people remain un-tethered to romantic partners or to permanent homes, going back to school for lack of better options, traveling, avoiding commitments, competing ferociously for unpaid internships or temporary (and often grueling) Teach for America jobs, forestalling the
This fantasy world where one can stay a child forever resonates
strongly with today’s
millennial generation. beginning of adult life.” But in some ways holding off on becoming an adult can be a good thing. Studies show that once we reach adulthood, our brains become less plastic and brain circuits can be tweaked, but not overhauled. We can foster a longer period of cerebral plasticity by having new experiences and by engaging in challenging work. In For Peter Pan on her 70th birthday, the character Ann got her Ph.D. relatively late in life. Her long-lasting pursuit of
knowledge kept her young in the best way possible: she is still curious. The appeal of Neverland is that the possibility of growing older is always within reach, but only if you want it. In reality, as Peter suspects when he is toying with the idea of being adopted by the Darlings, adulthood often comes to find us. A death of a parent forces us to grow up, a child is born and suddenly you are a parent, or a political situation drives us to act in new ways. For some of us, the realization that we will grow up arrives when we are still young. For example, Barrie says this of Wendy at the beginning of Peter Pan:
The appeal of Neverland
is that the possibility of growing older is always
within reach , but only if you want it.
“One day when Wendy was two years old she was playing in a garden, and she plucked another flower and ran with it to her mother. I suppose she must have looked rather delightful, for Mrs Darling put her hand to her heart and cried, ‘Oh, why can’t you remain like this for ever!’ This was all that passed between them on the subject, but henceforth Wendy knew that she must grow up.” We may remember the moment we felt adulthood coming toward us. The only choice we do have in the face of growing older is whether to look death in the face and accept it, or avoid thinking about it. Those who age consciously, with awareness of their responsibilities and fears, perhaps understand their own existence most clearly. They can tell the difference between truth and foolishness faster than most. They don’t waste their time. Their accumulated knowledge is often a source of wisdom for people in their lives. Some find peace of mind easier to come by. It is magical to possess the ability to watch the world as is spins and possess the awareness that we each have a necessarily ephemeral place in it, which is something Peter Pan can never do. 2 0 1 5 –1 6 · I S S U E 7 · T H E B E R K E L E Y R E P M AG A Z I N E · 2 7
Director Les Waters P H OTO BY Z AC H D E ZO N
Gravity:
an interview with Director Les Waters BY SARAH ROSE LEONARD
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Les Waters’ singular productions
are often marked by vividly controlled chaos, great articulation of emotion, and by least one moment of wild self-abandonment. When he was the associate artistic director at Berkeley Rep he championed plays by cutting-edge writers such as Naomi Iizuka, Will Eno, and Jordan Harrison and gave audiences a new perspective on classics such as Shaw’s Heartbreak House and Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie. He is known for his long and fruitful working relationships with three giants of the theatre world: Caryl Churchill, Charles Mee, and Sarah Ruhl. In 2012, after eight years at Berkeley Rep, Waters became the artistic director at Actors Theatre of Louisville. His love of new plays has a dedicated home at Actors Theatre’s Humana Festival of New American Plays, a globally renowned festival that celebrates contemporary American playwrights. Literary Manager Sarah Rose Leonard caught up with Waters between Humana events to discuss his latest collaboration with Sarah Ruhl.
Sarah Rose Leonard: What drew you to this play originally? Les Waters: Sarah and I are very close collaborators; I’ve loved all my working experiences with her, and I wanted to further that collaboration, so this play was one of the first commissions I put into place when I became the artistic director at Actors Theatre. You grew up in England, lived in California for many years, and now you’ve been in Kentucky since 2012. What constitutes home for you? I probably have many versions of home. I was born and brought up in the north of England. I had a home in London. Home in many ways for me is southern California, Solana Beach, because that’s where my wife Annie and I moved to when our children were young. I think one redefines it all the time. I think if somebody asked me where am I from, I would say England, although I’ve lived 20 years of my life here in the U.S.…it’s fluid. I’ll see pictures of the English countryside, particularly where I’m from, and I’m instantly drawn to it and intensely nostalgic. But I don’t know if I think that’s home. Home is now Louisville, where I live and work. I haven’t been back to England for over 14 years. Part of me wants to go back because it is one of my homes, and I have a deep longing to see the house in the north of England, 30 Lincoln Gardens, where I was brought up. I think I would like to see it, and I’m totally convinced that I would be in floods of tears because I can’t enter that house again. Even if I persuaded the owners to let me in, it would not be the house of my memory. Has your experience as a parent shaped your understanding of the play? As a son? Yeah, as a parent, very strongly. As a son, I’m an only child, so the family dynamics in the play are in some sense foreign to me. I’m not the oldest of five; I’m not the middle kid; all that is very fresh and new to me and constantly fascinating to observe in rehearsal.
What do you make of the way the play addresses death in each movement? Each section seems to have a distinct treatment of death. I think that’s correct. It’s witnessed in the first Movement; for those of us who’ve witnessed the death of a parent, it’s very accurate in many ways to that. The second Movement is a discussion of adulthood and if one ever thinks one’s a grownup, what it means to be a grown-up, and the impossibility of really looking at your own passing—what does it mean to not exist in this form? It’s probably incomprehensible. And in the third Movement, it’s a celebration of not growing up. Well, the third Movement is many things—it’s a reenactment of the play Peter Pan, but also a celebration of theatre—you can die onstage in the theatre, but you’re not dead; you resurrect. It’s being somehow able to imagine beyond this kind of consciousness, and a celebration of being young. I’m rapidly approaching 64, but I think inside I probably think I’m in my 30s. What appeals to you about the power of “believing” in the play? What appeals to me is that people really want it to happen. You really want to see Peter Pan fly! We did a workshop here in January, because the flying company we use, zfx Flying Effects, is based in Louisville. I’m not particularly fond of heights, but I got in the harness and flew. The delight of defying gravity, and gravity’s pull on you, is just extraordinary. When did you first feel like a grown-up? There was a moment in Solana Beach when I was teaching at ucsd, and I came home late from work, and Annie was asleep and our three children were asleep, and I sat in our living room and thought, “This is my life. This is what it is—this is my life,” and I felt more like a grown-up. But I think I’m in a continual process of becoming one.
I wonder if anyone ever 100% feels like a grown-up. I think in lots of ways it’s enormously overrated. It’s tiring. In the play, the notion that childhood is being parented, yet Peter wants to be free from parents—it’s this interesting push and pull. And there’s a point where Ann is the only one who stays in Neverland, and they all say, “I have to go back to my life.” One’s life is a series of practicalities and responsibilities which is something that hopefully we embrace, but on the other hand one wants to deny all the time. Given that there’s no real growing up, what do you think are the best and worst parts of the process? The best bit is having knowledge of it, or having been through things and knowing what they’re like when they come up again. The worst part of getting older is gravity, and knowing it’s finite. I don’t have religious beliefs, so it’s a tough thing to look at. I think that’s when you become a Buddhist. 2 0 1 5 –1 6 · I S S U E 7 · T H E B E R K E L E Y R E P M AG A Z I N E · 2 9
I don’t want ever to be a man: Performing gender in Peter Pan B Y K AT I E C R A DD O C K
Gender is not a fixed, static category;
rather, we perform gender each day as we move through the world and interact with each other. The theatre has a richly complex relationship to the performance of gender. When Kathleen Chalfant dons the legendary green tights and jaunty feathered cap of Peter Pan in Sarah Ruhl’s new play, she joins a rich tradition of women playing the boy who wouldn’t grow up. Indeed, the very first Peter Pan was a woman—37-year-old Nina Boucicault played Peter in the original 1904 stage production at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London. Producer Charles Frohman convinced author J.M. Barrie that Peter should be played by a woman. He reasoned that a deep-voiced adult man would be unconvincing as the young character, and casting
A tile image of an ancient theatre scene
In ancient Greek theatre, men played the female characters because it was considered unseemly for women to act. a boy to play Peter would necessitate casting even younger children to play the Lost Boys, which was impractical since an English law prevented child actors from performing past 9:00 p.m. Frohman was also managing the American actress Maude Adams at the time, and knew she’d make a perfect Peter once the show came to New York in 1905. Adams played Peter to great acclaim on Broadway during the following decade; women have continued to play Peter Pan ever since. Cross-gender casting dates back to the beginning of theatre itself. In ancient Greek theatre, men played the female characters because it was considered unseemly for women to act; this was also standard practice in English Renaissance and Japanese kabuki theatre. In Britain, the Puritan Oliver Cromwell had banned acting for nearly 20 years until King Charles II returned to England and reopened the theatres in 1660, allowing the first professional women actors to grace London’s stages. Women played women, but also, in many instances, men; about a quarter of the roles played by women between 1660 and 1700 were “breeches roles.” These breeches roles are considered progressive by some because they subverted 3 0 · T H E B E R K E L E Y R E P M AG A Z I N E · 2 0 1 5 –1 6 · I S S U E 7
Mary Martin as Peter Pan
Maude Adams as Peter Pan
gender roles, but widely criticized by others for objectifying women, whose legs were often on display in figure-hugging pants primarily to titillate the audience. In opera, hundreds of male characters—sometimes young boys, but often a hero or central love interest in the piece—were written to be sung by women in the mezzo-soprano range. In English pantomimes, the leading male juvenile character is traditionally played by a woman in tight-fitting men’s clothes, opposite another woman as the female ingénue. With the advent of animated films, women began voicing many young male characters, such as Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson in The Simpsons. While productions have occasionally opted to cast a boy as Peter Pan, Peter has almost always been played by a woman. At the Duke of York’s Theatre, Pauline Chase played Peter from 1906 to 1913; she was a favorite of Barrie’s, who made her his goddaughter and enjoyed her “lovable tomboy” iteration of Peter. The first film adaptation of Peter Pan, made in 1924, was silent and featured 17-year-old Betty Bronson. Then in 1928, Eva Le Gallienne directed and played the title role in another popular Broadway production—the first in which Peter flew out over the audience, sailing into the balcony on an invisible wire. Interestingly, it seems the youth of the actress playing Peter mattered far less to producers than her gender, for middle-aged women have played Peter through the decades. Jean Arthur played Peter on Broadway when she was nearly 50. The famous 1954 musical, starring the inimitable 41-year-old Mary Martin, premiered at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco before moving to Broadway, where Martin won the Tony Award for Best Actress. In 1955, nbc presented Peter Pan live as the first full-length Broadway show on color television, drawing a record-breaking audience of 65 million and earning Martin an Emmy. While Mary Martin’s Peter is perhaps the best known, many prominent actresses played Peter after her, including Hayley Mills on the West End and Mia Farrow in another musical adaptation. Sandy Duncan holds the title of longest-running Peter Pan on Broadway for her work in the 1979-1981 revival. Reviewer Marilyn Stasio admired Duncan’s boyishness; her Peter was “all boy…an adorable boy, to be sure, with her grin-cracked face and graceful bounds in mid-air; but a boy, for all that, with ants in his pants and a nose that runs and a downright willful disdain for authority…she avoids even the most tempting moments to be cute, or to signal a flash of grown-up femininity.” Olympic gymnast Cathy Rigby embodied Peter in productions over the course of three decades; she played Peter in 2013 at the age of 60. Most recently, Allison Williams played Peter in nbc’s 2014 live television special, spurring a fresh wave of critical thought about Peter Pan and gender. In her Atlantic piece “Peter Pan, Queer Icon,” Shannon Keating notes the power of the casting custom, remarking that it gives us a mainstream representation of female-bodied boyishness—an image that’s still relatively rare in our culture: “Peter Pan as both a character and a cultural touchstone evades the reductive gender categorization that pervades children’s media. Seeing a female-bodied character embodying the sort of roughness, recklessness, and confident swagger socially afforded to boys is a rarity and thus, a sort of treasure—particularly for queer women, and queer or questioning girls, so often denied popular representations
of their own likeness.” The story of Peter Pan rehearses problematic and dated notions of femininity, from Wendy’s spring cleaning to Mrs. Darling’s lullabies to Tiger Lily and Tinkerbell’s jealous vying for Peter’s affections. If Peter is played by a boy, the only women we see onstage are enacting tediously traditional gender roles. Watching a woman play Peter is usefully unsettling because she offers an alternative to these stereotypes. Director and theatre theorist Richard Schechner advocates for a 21st-century “renaissance of open casting,” which we can already see sparks of in the work of artists like Anna Deavere Smith, who embodies men and women in her per-
“Peter Pan as both a character and a cultural touchstone evades the reductive gender categorization that pervades children’s media.” — SH A N NON K E AT ING
formances; Julie Taymor, who cast Helen Mirren as Prospero; and Fiona Shaw, who played Richard II. Rather than reserving open casting for more androgynous characters like Peter Pan and Hamlet, Schechner calls for entirely open casting, envisioning theatre that, in confronting its audience by casting against type, asks “audiences to wonder what such casting means—and to wonder about their own place in various social hierarchies and circumstances; maybe even to inquire into their own personal situations…performers and spectators alike would be more able to see gender, race, age and body type not as ‘biological destinies’ but as flexible, historically conditioned performative circumstances.” At its most exciting, at its most revolutionary, theatre liberates us from constrictive preconceptions, freeing us to examine our world, each other, and ourselves with fresh eyes. As the father in Sarah Ruhl’s For Peter Pan on her 70th birthday marvels, “How bout my little girl flying?”
Sarah Ruhl’s mother as Peter Pan P H OTO CO U R T E S Y O F M A RY K AT E ZI H A R
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ER M M U S L A I C SPE
N O I T A T N E S E PR
JUL 1–AUG 14 · PEET ’S THEATRE
PHOTO BY TIMOTHY GREENFIELD-SANDERS
Written and performed by John Leguizamo Directed by Tony Taccone Co-production with the Public Theater World Premiere
SEASON SPONSORS
Berkeley Repertory Theatre presents the West Coast premiere of
B E RKE LE Y RE PE RTO RY TH E ATRE TO NY TACCO N E , MICHAEL LEIB ERT ARTIS TIC D IREC TO R SUSAN M E DAK , M ANAGIN G D IREC TO R
by
Sarah Ruhl
CAST I N O R D ER O F S PE A K I N G
Ann Kathleen Chalfant
direc ted by
John Charles Shaw Robinson
Les Waters
Michael Keith Reddin Jim David Chandler
M AY 20 –JULY 3, 2016 RODA THE ATRE · M AIN SE A SON
Wendy Ellen McLaughlin George Ron Crawford
For Peter Pan on her 70th birthday is made possible thanks to the generous support of SEASON SPONSORS
Jack & Betty Schafer Michael & Sue Steinberg The Strauch Kulhanjian Family
E XECU TIV E S P O N S O R S
Jean & Michael Strunsky Gail & Arne Wagner
A dog Yodel
PRODUC TION S TAFF Scenic Design Costume Design Lighting Design Sound Design Dramaturg Fight Director Production Stage Manager Assistant Stage Manager
Annie Smart Kristopher Castle Matt Frey Bray Poor Amy Wegener Drew Fracher Michael Suenkel Karen Szpaller
SPONSORS
Paul Friedman & Diane Manley Scott & Sherry Haber Marjorie Randolph Liliane & Ed Schneider A S S O CIAT E S P O N S O R S
Edie Barschi Valerie Barth & Peter Wiley Lynne Carmichael Robert Council & Ann Parks-Council William Espey & Margaret Hart Edwards Tracy & Mark Ferron Mary & Nicholas Graves Dale & Don Marshall Peter Pervere & Georgia Cassel
The actors and stage managers are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States. For Peter Pan on her 70th birthday was commissioned by and premiered at Actors Theatre of Louisville in the 2016 Humana Festival of New American Plays. This play was developed with support of a generous gift from Emily Bingham and Stephen Reily and an Edgerton Foundation New Play Award. Flying Effects provided by zfx, Inc.
Affiliations The director is a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, Inc., an independent national labor union. The Scenic, Costume, Lighting, and Sound Designers in lort Theatres are represented by United Scenic Artists Local usa-829, iatse.
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BE R K E L E Y R E P P R E S E N T S
profiles
Kathleen Chalfant
Ron Crawford
Keith Reddin
Kathleen was last seen at Berkeley Rep in Honour. She has appeared on Broadway in Angels in America (Tony Award and Drama Desk Award nominations), Racing Demon, Dance with Me, and M. Butterfly. Her off-Broadway credits include Wit (Drama Desk, Obie, Lortel, Outer Critics Circle Awards), Rose, Dear Elizabeth, A Walk in the Woods (Drama Desk nomination), Red Dog Howls, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, and Nine Armenians (Drama Desk nomination). She has also appeared at many regional theatres, including Actors Theatre of Louisville, McCarter Theatre Center, the Guthrie Theater, Arena Stage, Yale Repertory Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, Hartford Stage, the Mark Taper Forum, and others. Her film appearances include The Bath, Isn’t It Delicious, Duplicity, A Price above Rubies, and Kinsey. She has been seen on TV in The Affair, Law & Order: svu, Madam Secretary, Forever, The Strain, Elementary, House of Cards, Mercy, Rescue Me, The Guardian, The Laramie Project, Benjamin Franklin, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Kathleen has also received the Drama League and Sidney Kingsley Awards.
Ron has appeared on Broadway in The Grapes of Wrath at Steppenwolf Theatre Company and as an understudy in Outside Mullingar at Manhattan Theatre Club. His off-Broadway credits include The Invisible Hand at Here Arts Center and White Woman Street at Irish Repertory Theatre. He has also appeared in For Peter Pan on her 70th birthday at Actors Theatre of Louisville; The Crucible at Hartford Stage; A Raisin in the Sun at Geva Theatre Center; Eventide at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts; To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, and Ragtime at Weston Playhouse; The Night of the Iguana and Valley Song at Dorset Theatre Festival; Outside Mullingar at New Harmony Theatre; Ghost on Fire at Goodman Theatre; Schmucks (Groucho Marx) at the Wilma Theater; The Last Romance at Seven Angels Theatre; and A Christmas Carol (Scrooge) at River Union Stage. He has also performed in Travels with Mark Twain, an original one-man show performed in theatres, campuses, libraries, and living rooms. Ron’s film credits include Arthur and the Invisibles, 1, 2, and 3 (Luc Besson), Blood Ties, Sweet Little Lies, and My Man’s A Loser, and he has appeared in the television shows Deadbeat, The Jack and Triumph Show, Law & Order, Spin City, and All My Children.
Keith appeared in Berkeley Rep’s production of Sarah Ruhl’s adaptation of Chekhov’s Three Sisters, directed by Les Waters. He has also appeared in Sarah Ruhl’s Passion Play (Yale Repertory Theatre and Epic Theatre, New York). His other credits include productions in New York at Lincoln Center Theater, Manhattan Theatre Club, Playwrights Horizons, Vineyard Theatre, as well as regionally at Goodman Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Alley Theatre, Yale Rep, Cleveland Playhouse, and Actors Theatre of Louisville.
ANN
David Chandler JIM
David was last seen at Berkeley Rep as Mark Rothko in Red, and he also appeared in Heartbreak House. His Broadway credits include Lost in Yonkers, Death of a Salesman, and American Clock. He has appeared off Broadway at Soho Playhouse, New York Shakespeare Festival, New York Theatre Workshop, Playwrights Horizons, Second Stage Theatre, mcc Theatre, La MaMa, and Vineyard Theatre, among others. He has appeared at London’s Bush Theatre in A Question of Mercy and at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall as Luciano Berio in Alarm Will Sound’s production of 1969. His regional theatre credits include Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Guthrie Theater, Long Wharf Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center, Yale Repertory Theatre, the Wilma Theater, and Williamstown Theatre Festival, among others. David’s film and television credits include The Grey Zone, Hide and Seek, Death of a Salesman, Upheaval, The Portrait, Her Alibi, Seinfeld, Third Rock from the Sun, Arliss, The Undeserved, and Law & Order.
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GEORGE
Ellen McLaughlin W E N DY
Ellen has appeared at Berkeley Rep in Hedda Gabler, In Perpetuity Throughout the Universe, and Ghosts. She originated the part of the Angel in Angels in America, playing the role in workshops and regional productions through its Broadway run in 1993–94. Other favorite work includes the Homebody in Bartlett Sher’s production of Homebody/Kabul (Intiman Theatre, Seattle), Pirate Jenny in A Threepenny Opera (Trinity Repertory Theatre, Elliot Norton Award), Claire in Albee’s A Delicate Balance (Arena Stage, Yale Repertory Theatre), Margie in Good People (George Street Playhouse, Seattle Rep), and Rosemary in Outside Mullingar (George Street Playhouse). Her New York credits include String of Pearls (Primary Stages), Blue Window (Manhattan Theatre Club), A Bright Room Called Day (the Public Theater), and Dear Elizabeth (the Women’s Project.) Her television work includes several appearances on Law & Order. Ellen is also a playwright.
MICHAEL
Charles Shaw Robinson JOHN
Charles’ work for Berkeley Rep includes the role of the Father in Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice. He just appeared in the world premiere of Swimmers by Rachel Bonds and in Howard Brenton’s Anne Boleyn — both at Marin Theatre Company. Other favorite roles include Sorn in Stupid F**king Bird and Leonard in Seminar (both for San Francisco Playhouse), Milton in Tony Kushner’s Homebody/Kabul (Berkeley Rep), Iago in Othello (California Shakespeare Theater), and Henri in Magic Fire, directed by Jack O’Brien (Berkeley Rep/the Old Globe). His regional theatre credits include the title roles in Hamlet (Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park), Pericles (Center Stage, Baltimore), and Scaramouche (the Empty Space Theatre, Seattle). He was last seen in New York in the American premiere of Frank McGuinness’ Gates of Gold at 59E59 Theaters.
Sarah Ruhl
P L AY W R I G H T
For Peter Pan on her 70th birthday marks Sarah’s fifth production at Berkeley Rep and her fifth collaboration with Les Waters; previous productions at Berkeley Rep include the West Coast premiere of Eurydice; the world premiere of In the Next Room, or the vibrator play; an adaptation of Chekhov’s Three Sisters; and the West Coast premiere of Dear Elizabeth. In the Next Room went on to Broadway, playing at Lyceum Theatre. Sarah’s other plays include The Oldest Boy, The Clean House, Passion Play, Dead Man’s Cell Phone, Melancholy Play, Orlando, Late: a cowboy song, and Stage Kiss. Her plays have been seen off Broadway at Women’s Project Theater, Playwrights Horizons, Second Stage Theatre, and Lincoln Center’s Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater. Her
select regional credits include Yale Repertory Theatre and Goodman Theatre. Sarah received the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the Whiting Award, the Lilly Award, a pen Award, and the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Award. She has been a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and a Tony Award nominee. Her book of essays, 100 Essays I Don’t Have Time to Write, was published by Faber and Faber in the fall of 2014.
KATHIE LONGINOTTI REALTOR® and Berkeley Rep Subscriber
Les Waters DIREC TOR
From 2003 to 2011, Les served as associate artistic director at Berkeley Rep, where he directed Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice; In the Next Room, or the vibrator play; Three Sisters; and Dear Elizabeth. He also directed 15 other plays for Berkeley Rep, including the world premieres of Charles Mee’s Fêtes de la Nuit, Jordan Harrison’s Finn in the Underworld, Adele Edling Shank’s adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse, Naomi Iizuka’s Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West, and Todd Almond and Matthew Sweet’s Girlfriend. As current artistic director of Actors Theatre of Louisville, Obie Award winner Les has directed Charles Mee’s The Glory of the World, Rebecca Gilman’s Luna Gale, Naomi Iizuka’s At the Vanishing Point, Lucas Hnath’s The Christians, Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, Will Eno’s Gnit, Todd Almond’s Girlfriend, and Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night for the company. Les also previously directed Big Love by Charles Mee at the Humana Festival in 2000, and the site-specific production of Naomi Iizuka’s At the Vanishing Point at the 2004 Humana Festival. In the last 10 years, his shows have ranked among the year’s best in the New Yorker, the New York Times, Time Out New York, Time Magazine, and usa Today. His productions have been seen in New York at Playwrights Horizons, Signature Theatre Company, the Public Theater, Second Stage Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, Connelly Theater, Clubbed Thumb, and Soho Rep, and regionally at theatres such as the Mark Taper Forum, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, American Conservatory Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, and American Repertory Theater. In 2009, he made his Broadway debut with In the Next Room, or the vibrator play. He led the mfa directing program at University of California, San Diego from 1995 to 2003.
510.981.3032 www.AtHomeEastBay.com
Annie Smart
Coldwell Banker Berkeley
Annie’s previous Berkeley Rep credits include Big Love; Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West; Fêtes de la Nuit; Heartbreak House; In the Next Room, or the vibrator play; The Mystery of Irma Vep; Passing Strange; Rita Moreno: Life Without Makeup; Suddenly Last Summer; Taking Over; Three Sisters; Tiny Kushner; and To the Lighthouse. Annie is originally from London, where she designed sets and costumes for Joint Stock Theatre Group, the National Theatre, and the Royal Court, among many others. She recently designed At the Vanishing Point for Actors Theatre of Louisville. In the U.S., Annie has designed for many
Locally Grown, Globally Known
SCENIC DESIGNER
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BE R K E L E Y R E P P R E S E N T S major theatres, including the Public Theater, Arena Stage, bam, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the Guthrie Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, and Long Wharf Theatre, among others. Now based in the Bay Area, her show designs include Blithe Spirit, Candida, Othello, The Tempest, Man and Superman, An Ideal Husband, Private Lives, John Steinbeck’s The Pastures of Heaven, Pygmalion, and Lady Windermere’s Fan at California Shakespeare Theater; and A Doll’s House, Night and Day, and The Threepenny Opera for American Conservatory Theater. She currently teaches costume and set design at the University of California, Berkeley.
Kristopher Castle
COSTUME DESIGNER
Kristopher’s credits include Luna Gale, At the Vanishing Point, A Christmas Carol, Remix 38, The Ten-Minute Plays (2013 and 2014 Humana Festivals), Noises Off, Sleep Rock Thy Brain, True West, Death Tax, The Veri**on Play, and The Edge of Our Bodies at Actors Theatre of Louisville; [title of show] at Signature Theatre; Passing Strange and Jerry Springer: The Opera at Studio Theatre; My Way Little Girl at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage; Cinderella at North Shore Music Theatre; La Bohème and Die Fledermaus at Catholic University of America; The Shape of Things, Once Upon a Mattress, Castro’s Beard, Little Shop of Horrors, and Eleemosynary at Barrington Stage Company; and The Secret Garden, Oklahoma!, and Forever Plaid at Paper Mill Playhouse.
Isabella Byrd
A S S O C I AT E L I G H T I N G D E S I G N E R
Isabella is a Brooklyn–based lighting designer working in theatre, opera, and experimental installation. Her recent credits include The Flick (the National Theatre), okay by Taylor Mac, Pirates of Penzance (Amarillo Opera), Returning to Albert Joseph (the Satori Group), Gilded Girls (Williams College Theatre Lab), Queen for a Day (Theatre at St. Clements), Bareknuckle (Vertigo Theatre), Remix 38 (Actors Theatre of Louisville, Humana Festival), and The Seagull (with John Gould Rubin). Her upcoming credits include associate design for Othello at New York Theatre Workshop. Isabella is associated with Playwrights Horizons, Monica Bill Barnes & Company, Prague Quadrennial 2015, Pig Iron Theatre Company, Lincoln Center, Spoleto Festival usa, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Dallas Theatre Center, and PigPen Theatre Co. She is the creative producer of 13Playwright’s implosion archive, 13p.org, and a design editor at Chance Magazine.
Bray Poor
SOUND DESIGNER
Bray’s Berkeley Rep credits include Eurydice; In the Next Room, or the vibrator play; Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West; Red; and Dear Elizabeth. His recent work includes The Glass Menagerie at Toneelgroep Amsterdam, 3 6 · T H E B E R K E L E Y R E P M AG A Z I N E · 2 0 1 5 –1 6 · I S S U E 7
profiles
The Last Match at the Old Globe, and 10 out of 12 at Soho Rep (directed by Les Waters). His Broadway credits include The Real Thing; In the Next Room, or the vibrator play; and American Plan. His sound design and music have been heard in New York at Playwrights Horizons, Second Stage Theatre, the Public Theater, Signature Theatre Company, New York Theatre Workshop, PS 122, and Clubbed Thumb, and regionally at Trinity Repertory Company, Arena Stage, Yale Repertory Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, and South Coast Repertory, among others. He has also created multimedia art installations, as well as original music and sound for various media sites dedicated to social change. Upcoming: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ War at Lincoln Center Theater.
Michael Suenkel
Amy Wegener
Karen Szpaller
Amy is the literary director at Actors Theatre of Louisville, where she heads the literary department and coordinates the reading and selection process for the Humana Festival. In 15 seasons with Actors Theatre and four as literary manager at the Guthrie Theater, she has worked as a dramaturg on more than 100 productions and workshops of new plays and classics. Recent Actors Theatre credits include Long Day’s Journey into Night, Tom Jones, and Luna Gale, as well as the Humana Festival premieres of The Glory of the World (also at bam in New York), I Will Be Gone, The GrownUp, Maple and Vine, Appropriate, Gnit, Eat Your Heart Out, The Veri**on Play, and Elemeno Pea. She has co-edited 16 published anthologies and holds degrees from Princeton and Northwestern University.
Karen is thrilled to be back for her 12th season at Berkeley Rep. Her favorite past Berkeley Rep productions include Tribes, The Wild Bride, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Eurydice, Fêtes de la Nuit, Comedy on the Bridge/Brundibar, Compulsion, and Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West. Her favorites elsewhere include The Unfortunates, A Christmas Carol (2006–15), Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City, 1776, Stuck Elevator, Blackbird, Curse of the Starving Class, and The Tosca Project at American Conservatory Theater; Anne Patterson’s art and theatrical installation Seeing the Voice: State of Grace and Anna Deavere Smith’s On Grace, both at Grace Cathedral; the national tour of Spamalot in San Francisco; Wild with Happy, Striking 12, and Wheelhouse at TheatreWorks; Ragtime and She Loves Me at Foothill Music Theatre; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at San Jose Repertory Theatre; Salomé at Aurora Theatre Company; and Urinetown: The Musical at San Jose Stage Company. Karen is the production coordinator at TheatreWorks.
D R A M AT U R G
Drew Fracher
FIGHT DIREC TOR
Drew is a fight master and past president of the Society of American Fight Directors. His work as a fight director has been seen at theatres throughout the United States, including staging fights for the Tony Award–winning Best Revival of Company at the Ethel Barrymore in New York, NY. Other theatres include Actors Theatre of Louisville, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Cincinnati and Atlanta Operas, Missouri Repertory Theatre, the American Shakespeare Center, and the Alabama, Georgia, and Cincinnati Shakespeare Festivals.
zfx, Inc.
F LY I N G E F F E C T S
zfx, Inc. is the complete service provider for Flying Effects. From high schools to Broadway, churches to special events, zfx zealously pursues its goal of worldwide domination of the performer flying industry with unparalleled skill and enthusiasm.
P R O D U C T I O N S TAG E M A N AG E R
Michael began his association with Berkeley Rep as the stage management intern for the 1984–85 season and is now in his 22nd year as production stage manager. Some of his favorite shows include 36 Views, Endgame, Eurydice, Hydriotaphia, and Mad Forest. He has also worked with the Barbican in London, the Huntington Theatre Company, the Juste Pour Rire Festival in Montreal, La Jolla Playhouse, Pittsburgh Public Theater, the Public Theater and Second Stage Theater in New York, and Yale Repertory Theatre. For the Magic Theatre, he stage managed Albert Takazauckas’ Breaking the Code and Sam Shepard’s The Late Henry Moss. A S S I S TA N T S TAG E M A N AG E R
Tony Taccone
MICHAEL LEIBERT ARTISTIC DIREC TOR
During Tony’s tenure as artistic director of Berkeley Rep, the Tony Award–winning nonprofit has earned a reputation as an international leader in innovative theatre. In those 19 years, Berkeley Rep has presented more than 70 world, American, and West Coast premieres and sent 23 shows to New York, two to London, and one to Hong Kong. Tony has staged more than 40 plays in Berkeley, including new work from Culture Clash, Rinde Eckert, David Edgar, Danny Hoch, Geoff Hoyle, Quincy Long, Itamar Moses, and Lemony Snicket. He directed the shows that transferred to London, Continental Divide and Tiny Kushner, and two that landed on Broadway as well: Bridge & Tunnel and Wishful Drinking. Prior to working at Berkeley Rep, Tony served as artistic director of Eureka Theatre, which produced the American premieres of
plays by Dario Fo, Caryl Churchill, and David Edgar before focusing on a new generation of American writers. While at the Eureka, Tony commissioned Tony Kushner’s legendary Angels in America and co-directed its world premiere. He has collaborated with Kushner on eight plays at Berkeley Rep, including The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures. Tony’s regional credits include Actors Theatre of Louisville, Arena Stage, Center Theatre Group, the Eureka Theatre, the Guthrie Theater, the Huntington Theatre Company, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Public Theater, and Seattle Repertory Theatre. As a playwright, he debuted Ghost Light, Rita Moreno: Life Without Makeup, and Game On, written with Dan Hoyle. In 2012, Tony received the Margo Jones Award for “demonstrating a significant impact, understanding, and affirmation of playwriting, with a commitment to the living theatre.”
Susan Medak
M A N AG I N G D I R E C T O R
Susan has served as Berkeley Rep’s managing director since 1990, leading the administration and operations of the Theatre. She has served as president of the League of Resident Theatres (lort) and treasurer of Theatre Communications Group, organizations that represent the interests of nonprofit theatres across the nation. Susan chaired panels for the Massachusetts Arts Council and has also served on program panels for Arts Midwest, the Joyce Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Closer to home, Susan serves on the board of the Downtown Berkeley Association (dba). She is the founding chair of the Berkeley Arts in Education Steering Committee for Berkeley Unified School District and the Berkeley Cultural Trust. She was awarded the 2012 Benjamin Ide Wheeler Medal by the Berkeley Community Fund. Susan serves on the faculty of Yale School of Drama and is a proud member of the Mont Blanc Ladies’ Literary Guild and Trekking Society. She lives in Berkeley with her husband.
Theresa Von Klug
G E N E R A L M A N AG E R
Theresa joined Berkeley Rep at the beginning of the 2015–16 season. She has over 20 years of experience in the New York not-for-profit performing arts sector where she has planned and executed events for dance, theatre, music, television, and film. Most recently she was the interim general manager for the Public Theater and general manager/line producer for Theatre for a New Audience, where she opened its new state-of-the-art theatre in Brooklyn, and filmed a major motion picture of the inaugural production of Julie Taymor’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, released June 2015. Theresa has worked as a production manager at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and New York City Center, including the famous Encores! Great American Musicals in Concert, and as a field representative/lead negotiator for the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers. She holds a MS in Labor
“Seeing my kids watch the show today, their faces lit up…..it reminds me of the real job of art: it's to make us feel alive, not just that we exist.” —Jordan Winer, Drama Teacher at Berkeley High School, after the student matinee of Berkeley Rep’s Macbeth
Help inspire the next generation. Give today. berkeleyrep.org/give · 510 647-2906 2 0 1 5 –1 6 · I S S U E 7 · T H E B E R K E L E Y R E P M AG A Z I N E · 3 7
BE R K E L E Y R E P P R E S E N T S
profiles
Relations and Human Resources Management from Baruch College.
Amy Potozkin, csa
Peter Dean
This is Amy’s 26th season at Berkeley Rep. Through the years she has also had the pleasure of casting plays for act (Seattle), Arizona Theatre Company, Aurora Theatre Company, B Street Theatre, Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Dallas Theater Center, Marin Theatre Company, the Marsh, San Jose Repertory Theatre, Social Impact Productions Inc., and Traveling Jewish Theatre. Amy cast roles for various independent films, including Conceiving Ada, starring Tilda Swinton; Haiku Tunnel and Love & Taxes, both by Josh Kornbluth; and Beyond Redemption by Britta Sjogren. Amy received her mfa from Brandeis University, where she was also an artist in residence. She has been an audition coach to hundreds of actors and a presentation/communication coach to many businesspeople. Amy taught acting at Mills College and audition technique at Berkeley Rep’s School of Theatre, and has led workshops at numerous other venues in the Bay Area. Prior to working at Berkeley Rep, she was an intern at Playwrights Horizons in New York. Amy is a member of csa, the Casting Society of America, and was nominated for Artios Awards for Excellence in Casting for The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures and One Man, Two Guvnors.
P R O D U C T I O N M A N AG E R
Peter arrived at Berkeley Rep in 2014 after a 20-year career in New York, Boston, and Denver. Prior to trekking across the country to find home, Peter was serving as production manager at the Public Theater, where favorite works include Here Lies Love, Father Comes Home from the War Parts 1–3, Mobile Shakespeare, and The Tempest as well as musical collaborations with Sting, the Roots, and the Eagles. Peter also spent time in New York helping Alex Timbers to develop Rocky the Musical, The Last Goodbye, and the cult classic Dance Dance Revolution the Musical. Other favorites include working with Edward Albee to remount The Sandbox and The American Dream at their original home at the Cherry Lane Theatre, Little Flower of East Orange directed by the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and being a part of the development team for The Ride, an interactive four-mile traveling performance in the heart of Times Square. Regionally Peter has had the honor of working with the Huntington Theatre Company, American Repertory Theater, Commonwealth Shakespeare, Trinity Rep, Hasty Pudding Theatricals, Colorado Ballet, Central City Opera, and the Denver Center Theatre Company. Peter is a graduate of Otterbein University.
Madeleine Oldham
R E S I D E N T D R A M AT U R G/ D I R E C T O R , T H E G R O U N D F LO O R
Madeleine is the director of The Ground Floor: Berkeley Rep’s Center for the Creation and Development of New Work and the Theatre’s resident dramaturg. She oversees commissioning and new play development, and dramaturged the world premiere productions of The House that will not Stand, Passing Strange, and In the Next Room, or the vibrator play, among others. As literary manager and associate dramaturg at Center Stage in Baltimore, she produced the First Look reading series and headed up its young audience initiative. Before moving to Baltimore, she was the literary manager at Seattle Children’s Theatre, where she oversaw an extensive commissioning program. She also acted as assistant and interim literary manager at Intiman Theatre in Seattle. Madeleine served for four years on the executive committee of Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas and has also worked with act (Seattle), Austin Scriptworks, Crowded Fire, the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center, the Kennedy Center, New Dramatists, Playwrights Center, and Portland Center Stage.
DIREC TOR OF C A S T I N G/A R T I S T I C A S S O C I AT E
Jack & Betty Schafer SEASON SPONSORS
Betty and Jack are proud to support Berkeley Rep. Jack just rotated off the Theatre’s board and is on the boards of San Francisco Opera and the Straus Historical Society. He is vice-chair of the Oxbow School in Napa and an emeritus trustee of the San Francisco Art Institute where he served as board chair. Betty is on the boards of Earthjustice, Coro Foundation, Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (seo), San Francisco Community College Foundation, and Brandeis Hillel Day School. They live in San Francisco.
Michael & Sue Steinberg SEASON SPONSORS
Michael and Sue have been interested in the arts since they met and enjoy music, ballet, and live theatre. Michael, who recently retired as chairman and chief executive officer of Macy’s West, served on Berkeley Rep’s board of trustees from 1999 to 2006 and currently serves on the board of directors of the Jewish Museum. Sue serves on the board of the World of Children. The Steinbergs have always enjoyed regional theatre and are delighted to sponsor Berkeley Rep this season.
The Strauch Kulhanjian Family SEASON SPONSORS
Roger Strauch is a former president of Berkeley Rep’s board of trustees and is currently 3 8 · T H E B E R K E L E Y R E P M AG A Z I N E · 2 0 1 5 –1 6 · I S S U E 7
vice president of the board. He is chairman of the Roda Group (rodagroup.com), a venturedevelopment company based in Berkeley focused on cleantech investments, best known for launching Ask.com and for being the largest investor in Solazyme, a renewable oil and bio-products company (Nasdaq: szym, solazyme.com). Roger is chairman of the board of CoolSystems, a medical technology company, and a member of the UC Berkeley Engineering Dean’s college advisory board. He is chairman of the board of trustees for the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute; a member of the board of Northside Center, a mental-health services agency based in Harlem, New York City; and a co-founder of the William Saroyan Program in Armenian Studies at Cal. His wife, Julie A. Kulhanjian, is an attending physician at Oakland Children’s Hospital. They have three children.
The Ira and Leonore S. Gershwin Philanthropic Fund/ Jean & Michael Strunsky EXECUTIVE SPONSORS
Michael and Jean Strunsky have a long history with the arts. Mike manages the estate of his late uncle, Ira Gershwin, and promotes Gershwin music worldwide. He helped facilitate the Gershwin Room in Washington, DC, the Ira Gershwin Gallery at the Disney Concert Hall in LA, and the annual Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Mike is a sustaining advisor to Berkeley Rep and serves on the board of the Michael Feinstein Foundation. He is a past member of the boards of the Goodspeed Opera House, the Jewish Home of San Francisco, and the San Francisco Symphony. Jean and Mike co-manage the Ira and Leonore S. Gershwin Philanthropic Fund and a Trust for the Music Division of the Library of Congress. They are members of the Library of Congress’ James Madison Council. Jean is an active Berkeley Rep trustee and has served as co-chair of the annual gala multiple times. She serves on Theatre Communications Group’s National Council and is a former board member of jvs, where she continues to co-chair the Employee of the Year Awards to select winners for the annual jvs Strictly Business Lunch.
Gail & Arne Wagner
EXECUTIVE SPONSORS
Arne Wagner retired from the law firm of Calvo Fisher & Jacob in San Francisco. In his retirement, he teaches high school math parttime and serves as treasurer for Tiba Foundation. Gail Wagner recently retired from Kaiser in San Leandro where she was their hematologist and oncologist. She is the founder of Tiba Foundation (tibafoundation.org), an organization investing in community healthcare in an underprivileged district of western Kenya, in partnership with Matibabu Foundation. She is also on the board of Africa Cancer Foundation usa. Gail has been a Berkeley Rep trustee for
SPONSORS
Scott and Sherry are thrilled to sponsor For Peter Pan on her 70th birthday. Scott and Sherry have been interested in the arts as long as they can remember, including choral and instrumental music, dance, and live theatre. Scott, who is a corporate law partner at Latham and Watkins llp, served on Berkeley Rep’s board of trustees from 2005 through 2014 and is currently a sustaining advisor to the board. Sherry teaches LaBlast dance classes, serves as president of the Burlingame High School Music Boosters and volunteers with Pinewood High School parent group. It is with great pleasure that the Habers are able to support Berkeley Rep and exceptional regional theatre.
Marjorie Randolph SPONSOR
Marjorie is a past president of Berkeley Rep’s board of trustees and a longtime supporter of the Theatre. She was the head of worldwide human resources for Walt Disney Studios. During her tenure at Berkeley Rep, she has sponsored more than 30 plays. A member of the California Bar and a former president of California Women Lawyers, she serves as a community board member and treasurer of the Psychoanalytic Institute of Northern California, a member of the Chabot Space & Science Center Foundation Leadership Council, and a member of the National Leadership Council for Futures Without Violence. She also serves on the boards of UC Press and Kronos Quartet.
BART
SEASON SPONSOR
Bay Area Rapid Transit (bart) is the backbone of the Bay Area transit network and serves more than 100 million passengers annually. bart’s all-electric trains make it one of the greenest and most energy-efficient transit systems in the world. Visit bart.gov/bartable to learn more about great destinations and events that are easy to get to on bart (like Berkeley Rep!). At bart.gov/bartable, you can get discounts, enter sweepstakes offering fantastic prizes, and find unique and exciting things to do just a bart ride away. While you’re there, be sure to sign up for bartable This Week, a free, weekly email filled with the latest and greatest bartable fun.
KPIX-TV (Channel 5) SEASON SPONSOR
kpix 5 shares a commitment with cbs News to original reporting. “Our mission is to bring you compelling, local enterprise journalism,” emphasized kpix/kbcw President and General Manager Bruno Cohen. “And just like Berkeley Rep, we’re passionate about great storytelling. We strive to showcase unique stories that reflect the Bay Area’s innovative spirit, incredible diversity, and rich culture as well as
Proud to Support Berkeley Rep
Peet’s Coffee
SEASON SPONSOR
Peet’s Coffee is proud to be the exclusive coffee of Berkeley Repertory Theatre and salutes Berkeley Rep for its dedication to the highest artistic standards and diverse programming. Peet’s is honored to support Berkeley Rep’s renovation of the new, state-of-the-art Peet’s Theatre. In 1966, Alfred Peet opened his first store on Vine and Walnut in Berkeley, and Peet’s has been committed to the Berkeley community ever since. As the pioneer of the craft coffee movement in America, Peet’s is dedicated to small-batch roasting, superior quality beans, freshness, and a darker roasting style that produces a rich, flavorful cup. Peet’s is locally roasted in the first leed® Gold certified roaster in the nation.
Wells Fargo
SEASON SPONSOR
Personal attention thoughtful litigation final resolution Our goal is to preserve our client’s dignity and humanity.
L A W
Scott & Sherry Haber
its challenges.” Sister station kbcw 44 Cable 12 airs the region’s only half-hour newscast at 10pm. Produced by the kpix 5 newsroom, “Bay Area NightBeat” offers viewers a fresh perspective on current events along with a lively—and often provocative—look at what the Bay Area is saying and sharing online and in social media. Both stations are committed to supporting valuable community organizations such as Berkeley Rep, and are proud to serve as season media sponsors.
F A M I LY
four years and, together, Gail and Arne have been attending the Theatre since they were students in 1972.
FA M I LY L AW G R O U P, P. C .
575 Market Street, Suite 4000 San Francisco, CA 94105 415.834.1120 www.sflg.com
As the top corporate philanthropist in the Bay Area (according to the S.F. Business Times), Wells Fargo recognizes Berkeley Repertory Theatre for its leadership in supporting the performing arts and its programs. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance. Talk to a Wells Fargo banker today to see how they can help you become more financially successful.
Additional staff Band Anna McGahey—trombone, Michael Taylor—trumpet, Liam Robertson—clarinet Canine services Bow Wow Productions Deck crew Gabriel Holman, Matt Reynolds, Thomas Weaver Electrics Melina Cohen-Bramwell, Gabriel Holman, Brad Hopper, Kevin August Landesman, Will Poulin, Minerva Ramirez, Sarina Renteria, Matt Reynolds, Corey Schaeffer, Andrea J. Schwartz, Kourtney Snow, Caitlin Steinmann, Molly Stewart-Cohn, Thomas Weaver, Lauren Wright Props Amelia Burke-Holt, Noah Kramer, Rebecca Willis Scene shop Ross Copeland, Noah Lange, Carl Martin, Read Tuddenham Wardrobe Barbara Blair, Christina Weiland
Did you know that you can purchase
GUARANTEED PARKING for your next performance? Find out more at
BERKELEYREP.ORG/PARKING or ask at the box office!
Medical consultation for Berkeley Rep provided by Cindy J. Chang MD, ucsf Assoc. Clinical Professor and Steven Fugaro, MD. 2 0 1 5 –1 6 · I S S U E 7 · T H E B E R K E L E Y R E P M AG A Z I N E · 3 9
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We thank the many institutional partners who enrich our community by championing Berkeley Rep’s artistic and community outreach programs. We gratefully recognize these donors to Berkeley Rep’s Annual Fund, who made their gifts between February 2015 and March 2016. G IF T S O F $ 10 0,0 0 0 A N D A B OV E Edgerton Foundation The California Endowment The William & Flora Hewlett Foundation The Shubert Foundation G IF T S O F $50,0 0 0 –9 9,9 9 9 The Reva and David Logan Foundation National Endowment for the Arts The Bernard Osher Foundation The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust
BE R K E L E Y R E P T H A N K S
G IF T S O F $2 5,0 0 0 –49,9 9 9 Anonymous BayTree Fund The Frank H. & Eva B. Buck Foundation The Ira and Leonore S. Gershwin Philanthropic Fund Wallis Foundation Woodlawn Foundation
Institutional Partners
G IF T S O F $5,0 0 0 –9,9 9 9 Anonymous Berkeley Civic Arts Program Distracted Globe Foundation East Bay Community Foundation Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation Panta Rhea Foundation Ramsay Family Foundation The Ida and William Rosenthal Foundation G IF T S O F $750 –4,9 9 9 Alameda County Arts Commission/artsfund Berkeley Association of Realtors Joyce & William Brantman Foundation Civic Foundation jec Foundation twanda Foundation
COR P OR AT E S P ON S OR S SEASON SPONSORS
G I F T S O F $ 10 0,0 0 0 A N D A B OV E
SPONSORS
G I F T S O F $ 3,0 0 0 – 5,9 9 9
Mechanics Bank Wealth Management The Morrison & Foerster Foundation
4U Sports Bayer Gallagher Risk Management Services Macy’s
CO R P O R AT E PA R T N E R S
G I F T S O F $ 6,0 0 0 –11,9 9 9
LE A D S P O N S O R
G I F T S O F $ 5 0,0 0 0 – 9 9,9 9 9
American Express
PE R FO R M A N CE S P O N S O R S
G I F T S O F $ 12 ,0 0 0 –2 4 ,9 9 9
Armanino llp City National Bank Deloitte LG Wealth Management llc Meyer Sound Panoramic Interests Schoenberg Family Law Group U.S. Bank
B U S IN E S S M E M B E R S
G I F T S O F $ 1, 5 0 0 –2 ,9 9 9
Bank of the West BluesCruise.com Cooperative Center Federal Credit Union McCutcheon Construction Oliver & Company
E XECU TIV E S P O N S O R S
G I F T S O F $ 2 5,0 0 0 –49,9 9 9
Is your company a Corporate Sponsor? Berkeley Rep’s Corporate Partnership program offers excellent opportunities to network, entertain clients, reward employees, increase visibility, and support the arts and arts education in the community. For details visit berkeleyrep.org/support or call Daria Hepps at 510 647-2904.
I N-K I N D S P ON S OR S
act Catering Angeline’s Louisiana Kitchen Aurora Catering Autumn Press Bare Snacks Bistro Liaison Bogatin, Corman & Gold brk C.G. Di Arie Vineyard & Winery Café Clem Comal Cyprus Domaine Carneros by Taittinger Donkey & Goat Winery Drake’s Brewing Company East Bay Spice Company etc Catering Eureka! Farella Braun & Martel llp
Farm League Design & Management Group five Folie à Deux Gather Restaurant Gecko Gecko Hafner Vineyard Hotel Shattuck Plaza Hugh Groman Catering & Greenleaf Platters Jazzcaffè Kevin Berne Images La Mediterranee La Note Latham & Watkins llp Match Vineyards Mayer Brown llp Pathos Organic Greek Kitchen Phil’s Sliders Picante
PiQ Public Policy Institute of California Quady Winery Revival Bar + Kitchen The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco St. George Spirits Sweet Adeline Tigerlily Berkeley Venus Restaurant Whole Foods Market Hotel Shattuck Plaza is the official hotel of Berkeley Rep. Pro-bono legal services are generously provided by Farella Braun & Martel llp, Latham & Watkins llp, and Mayer Brown llp
M AT C H I NG G I F T S The following companies have matched their employees’ contributions to Berkeley Rep. Please contact your company’s HR office to find out if your company matches gifts. Adobe Systems Inc. · Advent Software · American Express · Apple · Applied Materials · Argo Group · at&t · Bank of America · BlackRock · Bristol Myers Squibb · Charles Schwab & Co, Inc · Chevron Corporation · Clorox · Constellation Energy · Dolby · Gap · Genentech · Google · ibm Corporation · John Wiley & Sons, Inc. · kla Tencor · Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory · Macy’s Inc. · Matson Navigation Company · Microsoft · Morrison & Foerster · norcal Mutual Insurance Company · Nvidia · Oracle Corporation · Salesforce.com · Shell Oil · Sidley Austin llp, San Francisco · Synopsys · The Walt Disney Company · Union Bank, The Private Bank · visa u.s.a., Inc. 2 0 1 5 –1 6 · I S S U E 7 · T H E B E R K E L E Y R E P M AG A Z I N E · 4 1
BE R K E L E Y R E P THANKS
Donors to the Annual Fund
We thank the many individuals in our community who help Berkeley Rep produce adventurous, thought-provoking, and thrilling theatre and bring arts education to thousands of young people every year. We gratefully recognize these donors to Berkeley Rep’s Annual Fund, who made their gifts between February 2015 and March 2016. To make your gift and join this distinguished group, visit berkeleyrep.org/give or call 510 647-2906.
S P ON S OR C I RC L E SEASON SPONSORS
$ 10 0,0 0 0 +
Jack & Betty Schafer Michael & Sue Steinberg The Strauch Kulhanjian Family
LE A D S P O N S O R S
$ 5 0,0 0 0 – 9 9,9 9 9
Martha Ehmann Conte Bruce Golden & Michelle Mercer Frances Hellman & Warren Breslau Wayne Jordan & Quinn Delaney Ms. Wendy E. Jordan Jane Marvin/Peets Coffee Stewart & Rachelle Owen Mary Ruth Quinn & Scott Shenker Steve Silberstein
E XECU TIV E S P O N S O R S
$ 2 5,0 0 0 –49,9 9 9
Edward D. Baker Rena Bransten John & Stephanie Dains Bill Falik & Diana Cohen Kerry Francis & John Jimerson M Edward Kaufmann Pam & Mitch Nichter Marjorie Randolph Sheli & Burt Rosenberg, in honor of Leonard X Rosenberg
Jack & Valerie Rowe Jean & Michael Strunsky Guy Tiphane Gail & Arne Wagner
A S S O CIAT E S P O N S O R S
$ 6,0 0 0 – 11,9 9 9
SPONSORS
$ 12 ,0 0 0 –2 4 ,9 9 9
Anonymous Barbara & Gerson Bakar Carole B. Berg Maria Cardamone & Paul Matthews Susan Chamberlin David & Vicki Cox Thalia Dorwick Robin & Rich Edwards David & Vicki Fleishhacker Paul Friedman & Diane Manley M Paul Haahr & Susan Karp Scott & Sherry Haber Jack Klingelhofer Dixon Long Sandra & Ross McCandless Dugan Moore Leonard X & Arlene B. Rosenberg Joan Sarnat & David Hoffman Liliane & Ed Schneider Norah & Norman Stone Janis Turner Felicia Woytak & Steve Rasmussen
Anonymous (3) Shelley & Jonathan Bagg Edith Barschi Neil & Gene Barth Valerie Barth & Peter Wiley Lynne Carmichael Daniel Cohn & Lynn Brinton Julie & Darren Cooke Robert Council & Ann Parks-Council Daryl Dichek & Kenneth Smith, in memory of Shirley D. Schild Oz Erickson & Rina Alcalay William Espey & Margaret Hart Edwards M Tracy & Mark Ferron John & Carol Field, in honor of Marjorie Randolph Virginia & Timothy Foo Jill & Steve Fugaro Mary & Nicholas Graves Doug & Leni Herst, in honor of Susie Medak Hitz Foundation Christopher Hudson & Cindy J. Chang, MD Wanda Kownacki Ted & Carole Krumland Zandra Faye LeDuff Peter & Melanie Maier, in honor of Jill Fugaro Dale & Don Marshall
Martin & Janis McNair Susan Medak & Greg Murphy, in honor of Marcia Smolens John & Helen Meyer / Meyer Sound Steven & Patrece Mills M Mary Ann & Lou Peoples Peter Pervere & Georgia Cassel Barbara L. Peterson Sue Reinhold & Deborah Newbrun Kaye Rosso Pat Rougeau Patricia Sakai & Richard Shapiro Cynthia & William Schaff Emily Shanks Pat & Merrill Shanks Karen Stevenson & Bill McClave Lisa & Jim Taylor Wendy Williams Linda & Steven Wolan Martin & Margaret Zankel
A R T I S T IC DI R E C T OR’ S C I RC L E PA R T N E R S
$ 3,0 0 0 – 5,9 9 9
Anonymous (6) Marcia & George Argyris Stephen Belford & Bobby Minkler Becky & Jeff Bleich Cynthia & David Bogolub Kim Boston K Jim Butler Brook & Shawn Byers Ronnie Caplane Jennifer Chaiken & Sam Hamilton Constance Crawford Karen & David Crommie Lois M. De Domenico Delia Fleishhacker Ehrlich Nancy & Jerry Falk Karen Galatz & Jon Wellinghoff Richard & Lois Halliday Earl & Bonnie Hamlin Vera & David Hartford Renee Hilpert K Richard N. Hill & Nancy Lundeen James C. Hormel & Michael P. Nguyen, in honor of Rita Moreno Lynda & Dr. J. Pearce Hurley Kathleen & Chris Jackson Seymour Kaufman & Kerstin Edgerton Duke & Daisy Kiehn Rosalind & Sung-Hou Kim Louise Laufersweiler & Warren Sharp Christopher & Clare Lee Phyra McCandless & Angelos Kottas Miles & Mary Ellen McKey Michele & John McNellis Toby Mickelson & Donald Brody Eddie & Amy Orton Janet Ostler Sandi & Dick Pantages Pease Family Fund Kermit & Janet Perlmutter Ivy & Leigh Robinson David S. H. Rosenthal & Vicky Reich Beth & David Sawi
Stephen Schoen & Margot Fraser Linda & Nathan Schultz Beryl & Ivor Silver Audrey & Bob Sockolov Vickie Soulier Deborah Taylor Pamela Gay Walker/ Ghost Ranch Productions Patricia & Jeffrey Williams Sheila Wishek Sally Woolsey
B E N E FAC TO R S
$ 1, 5 0 0 –2 ,9 9 9
Anonymous (8) Mel Adamson K Naomi Auerbach & Ted Landau Nina Auerbach Linda & Mike Baker Michelle L. Barbour Don & Gerry Beers M David Beery & Norman Abramson Annikka Berridge BluesCruise.com Brian Bock and Susan Rosin Caroline Booth Linda Brandenburger Broitman-Basri Family Don & Carol Anne Brown Katherine S. Burcham M Stephen K. Cassidy & Rebecca L. Powlan Leslie Chatham & Kathie Weston Betsey & Ken Cheitlin, in honor of Melvin & Hella Cheitlin Terin Christensen Ed Cullen & Ann O'Connor James Cuthbertson Barbara & Tim Daniels K M Jim & Julia Davidson Richard & Anita Davis Ilana DeBare & Sam Schuchat David & Helen Dichek Francine & Beppe Di Palma Becky Draper Susan English & Michael Kalkstein Bill & Susan Epstein, in honor of Marge Randolph Merle & Michael Fajans
42 · T H E B E R K E L E Y R E P M AG A Z I N E · 2 0 1 5 –1 6 · I S S U E 7
Cynthia A. Farner Lisa & Dave Finer Ann & Shawn Fischer Hecht Linda Jo Fitz M Patrick Flannery James & Jessica Fleming Jacques Fortier Thomas & Sharon Francis Herb & Marianne Friedman Don & Janie Friend, in honor of Bill & Candy Falik Christopher R. Frostad M James Gala Dennis & Susan Johann Gilardi Marjorie Ginsburg & Howard Slyter Daniel & Hilary B. Goldstine Phyllis & Gene Gottfried Robert & Judith Greber William James Gregory Anne & Peter Griffes Garrett Gruener & Amy Slater Ms. Teresa Burns Gunther & Dr. Andrew Gunther Migsy & Jim Hamasaki Bob & Linda Harris Ruth Hennigar In memory of Vaughn & Ardis Herdell Howard Hertz & Jean Krois Bill Hofmann & Robbie Welling M The Hornthal Family Foundation, in honor of Susie Medak’s leadership Rick Hoskins & Lynne Frame Paula Hughmanick & Steven Berger George & Leslie Hume Ingrid Jacobson Beth & Fred Karren Doug & Cessna Kaye Bill & Lisa Kelly Steve K. Kispersky Jean & Jack Knox Lynn Eve Komaromi, in honor of the Berkeley Rep Staff John Kouns & Anne Baele Kouns Helen E. Land Robert Lane & Tom Cantrell
Randy Laroche & David Laudon Sherrill Lavagnino & Scott McKinney Andrew Leavitt & Catherine Lewis Ellen & Barry Levine Bonnie Levinson & Dr. Donald Kay Erma Lindeman Jennifer S. Lindsay Tom Lockard & Alix Marduel John Maccabee K Vonnie Madigan Elsie Mallonee Naomi & Bruce Mann Helen Marcus & David Williamson Lois & Gary Marcus Sumner & Hermine Marshall Charlotte & Adolph Martinelli Rebecca Martinez Jill H. Matichak Erin McCune Kirk McKusick & Eric Allman Dan Miller Andy & June Monach Scott Montgomery & Marc Rand Jerry Mosher Marvin & Neva Moskowitz Daniel Murphy & Ronald Hayden Judith & Richard Oken Sheldeen Osborne Joshua Owen & Katherine Robards Judy O’Young, MD & Gregg Hauser Matt Pagel & Corey Revilla Gerane Wharton Park Bob & MaryJane Pauley Tom & Kathy Pendleton David & Bobbie Pratt Carol Quimby-Bonan Andrew Raskopf & David Gunderman Bill Reuter & Ruth Major John & Jody Roberts Horacio & Angela Rodriguez Deborah Romer & William Tucker Boyard & Anne Rowe Enid & Alan Rubin, in honor of Rebecca Martinez Lisa Salomon & Scott Forrest Monica Salusky & John K. Sutherland
Jeane & Roger Samuelsen Stephen C. Schaefer Jackie & Paul Schaeffer Dan Scharlin & Sara Katz Joyce & Jim Schnobrich Neal Shorstein, MD & Christopher Doane, in honor of Gail Wagner, MD Mark Shusterman, M.D. Edie Silber & Steve Bomse Dave & Lori Simpson Stephen Stublarec & Debra S. Belaga Amrita Singhal & Michael Tubach Cherida Collins Smith Ed & Ellen Smith Sherry & David Smith David G. Steele Andrew & Jody Taylor Alison Teeman & Michael Yovino-Young Susan Terris Samuel Test William van Dyk & Margi Sullivan Jonathan & Kiyo Weiss Beth Weissman Wendy Willrich Steven Winkel & Barbara Sahm Charles & Nancy Wolfram Ron & Anita Wornick Sam & Joyce Zanze Mark Zitter & Jessica Nutik Zitter Jane & Mark Zuercher
LEGEND K in-kind gift M matching gift We are pleased to recognize first-time donors to Berkeley Rep, whose names appear in italics.
BE R K E L E Y R E P T H A N K S
Donors to the Annual Fund
CH A M PIO N S
$ 1,0 0 0 –1, 49 9
Anonymous (7) · Tracy Achorn · Gertrude E. Allen, in memory of Robert Allen · Roy & Judith Alper · Peggy & Don Alter · Pat Angell, in memory of Gene Angell · Ross E. Armstrong · Barbara Jones & Massey J. Bambara M · Leslie & Jack Batson · Patti Bittenbender · Dr. S. Davis Carniglia & Ms. M. Claire Baker · Paula Carrell · Stan & Stephanie Casper · Ed & Lisa Chilton · Patty & Geoff Chin · Chris & Martie Conner · Phyllis Coring K · John & Izzie Crane · Mike & Pam Crane · Teri Cullen · Meredith Daane M · Abby & Ross Davisson · Harry & Susan Dennis · Robert Deutsch · Corinne & Mike Doyle · David & Monika Eisenbud · Paul Feigenbaum & Judy Kemeny · Frannie Fleishhacker · Dean Francis · Lisa Franzel & Rod Mickels · Donald & Dava Freed · Judith & Alex Glass · Ann Harriman, in memory of Malcolm White · Elaine Hitchcock · Mr. & Mrs. Harold M. Isbell · Ken & Judith Johnson · Randall Johnson · Barbara E. Jones, in memory of William E. Jones · Thomas Jones · Marilyn Kecso · Christopher Killian & Carole Ungvarsky · Janet Kornegay and Dan Sykes · Woof Kurtzman & Liz Hertz · William & Adair Langston · Linda Laskowski · Glennis Lees & Michael Glazeski · Nancy & George Leitmann, in memory of Helen Barber · Ms. Sidne S. Long · Jay & Eileen Love · Meg Manske · John E. Matthews · Brian & Britt-Marie Morris · Margo Murray · Paul Newacheck · Claire Noonan & Peter Landsberger · Judy Ogle · Lynette Pang & Michael Man · Charles R. Rice · Maxine Risley, in memory of James Risley · Richard Rouse M · Deborah Dashow Ruth, in memory of Leo P. Ruth · Mitzi Sales & John Argue · Teddy & Bruce Schwab · Seiger Family Foundation ·
Brenda Buckhold Shank, M.D., Ph.D. · Joshua & Ruth Simon · Alice & Scott So · Douglas Sovern & Sara Newmann · John St. Dennis & Roy Anati · Gary & Jana Stein · Annie Stenzel · Michael Tilson Thomas & Joshua Robison · Pate & Judy Thomson · Alistair & Nellie Thornton · Deborah & Bob Van Nest · Sallie Weissinger · Lee Yearley & Sally Gressens
A DVO C AT E S
$500–999
Anonymous (23) · Denny Abrams · Fred & Kathleen Allen · Kerrie Andow · Robert & Evelyn Apte · Jerry & Seda Arnold · Gay & Alan Auerbach · Steven & Barbara Aumer-Vail · Todd & Diane Baker · Celia Bakke · Steve Benting & Margaret Warton · Richard & Kathy Berman · Robert Berman & Jane Ginsburg · Caroline Beverstock · Steve Bischoff · The Blackman Family · Gun Bolin · Ellen Brackman & Deborah Randolph · Diane Brett · Eric Brink & Gayle Vassar M · Jill Bryans · Wendy Buchen · Barbara & Robert Budnitz · Don Campbell and Family · Dr. Paula Campbell · Robert & Margaret Cant · Bruce Carlton · John Carr · Carolle J. Carter & Jess Kitchens · Laura Chenel · Kim & Dawn Chase · Karen Clayton & Stephen Clayton · Dennis Cohen & Deborah Robison · Robert & Blair Cooter · Philip Crawford · Sharon & Ed Cushman · Jill & Evan Custer · Dr. & Mrs. John Damron · Robert & Loni Dantzler · Pat & Steve Davis · Jacqueline Desoer · Noah & Sandra Doyle · Kristen Driskell · Linda Drucker & Lawrence Prozan · Burton Peek Edwards & Lynne Dal Poggetto · Roger & Jane Emanuel · Meredith & Harry Endsley M · Gini Erck & David Petta · Michael Evanhoe · James Finefrock & Harriet Hamlin · Brigitte & Louis Fisher · Martin & Barbara Fishman · Patrick Flannery · Robert Fleri, in
We gratefully recognize the following members of the Annual Fund whose contributions were received in February and March 2016:
Gloria J.A. Guth · Suzanne Pierce, in honor of Carol D. Soc · Fred & Judy Porta · Sara Rahimian · Susan Robertson · Nancy Saldich · Barbara & Steve Segal · Renee Simi · Camilla Soghikian · Julie Stahl · Susan Tulis, in honor of John & Gina Hook · Dorothy Walker · Emily & Bob Warden · Ms. H. Leabah Winter, in memory of Barry Dorfman, MD · Susan & Harvey Wittenberg
S U PP O R T E R S
$ 15 0 –2 49
$ 2 5 0 –49 9
Anonymous (9) · Mark & Bonnie Andersen · Laurence Anderson · Dorothy & Ervin Behrin · Gail Berger · Beverly Blatt & David Filipek · James & Elizabeth Branson · John H. Buckman · Fran Burgess · Sophia & Virginia Cafaro-Mirviss · Lawrence & Marilyn Capitelli · Catherine Corison · Jane & Tom Coulter · Philip & Carolyn Cowan · Jeff & Laura Critchfield · Dennis T. De Domenico & Sandra Brod · David Drubin · Kathy & Leonard Duffy · Michael Ehrenzweig & Josh Bettenhausen · Caryll Farrer · Stephen Follansbee & Richard Wolitz · Beverlee French & Craig L. Rice · Arlene Getz · Dr. & Mrs. Arnold Goldschlager · Mr. & Mrs. Ervin Hafter · Carol & Don Hardesty · Dr. & Mrs. Alan Harley · Dee Hartzog · Paula Hawthorn & Michael Ubell · Laurin Herr & Trisha Gorman-Herr · Robert Jacob & Diane Penn · Marty & Ellen Jaffe · Katharine Jennings · Karen Johanson · Ann L. Johnson · Marcia Kadanoff · Lisa & David Kaplan · Kenneth Kulander · Sally A. Lewis · Marcia C. Linn · Jeffrey Livingston, in honor of John & Gina Hook · Martha & Arthur Luehrmann · Jane & Bob Lurie · Paul Mariano · Paul McCabe · Robert McDowell · John G. McGehee · Steven McGlocklin · Yael & Gavriel Moses · Barbara Mowry · Teresa & Mike Olson · David Pasta, in memory of
CO N T RIB U TO R S
Anonymous (14) · Claire Allphin · David Arpi & Natalie Gubb · Susan Avila · Karlotta Bartholomew & Aubrey Cramer · Mary Ann & Len Benson · Thomas G. Bertken · Constance Boulay · Pat & Mary Boyle · Aida Brenneis · Monroe & Kate Bridges · Howard Brownstein & Janna Ullrey · June & Michael Cohen · Mick & Kay Cooke · Harley Cooper · Jeanne M. Cox · Faith & Bob Cushman · Marc Davis and Nancy Turak · Allan Defraga · Sue & Peter Elkind · David & Denise English · Barry & Cheri Feiner · Matthew Finch · Mrs. Robert Force · Jean M. Furgerson · Keith Goldstein & Donna Warrington · Barbara & Barry Gross, in memory of Norma Louise Combs · Christina Halsey · Lori Hanninen & Jeff Wheaton · Kathy Hasten · Austin & Lynne Henderson · Dr. & Mrs. Charles E. Jackson · Margaret E. Jones · Kimberley Kahler · Cynthia Koenigsberg & Harry Patsch · John Kruse & Gary Beuschel · Nancy Lumer · Steve & Linda Lustig · Gail MacGowan · Mike & Linda Madden · Lisa Manning · Chris & Sarah Martiniak · Judith Maurier · Ben McClinton & Karen Rosenbaum · Judeth McGann · Beatrice McIntosh · Steve Merlo · Karin Meyer & John Woodfill · Sandra Miyahara · Mary & Dennis Montali · Robert & Mia Morrill · Lisa Nestore · Dr. & Mrs. Ernest Newbrun · Wendy Niles · Karl Francis Nygren · Howard & Charlene Okamoto · Ruy Pereira &
memory of Carole S. Pfeffer · Midge Fox K · Nancy H. Francis · Harvey & Deana Freedman · Paul & Marilyn Gardner · David Gaskin & Phillip McPherson · Tim Geoghegan · Robert Goldstein & Anna Mantell · Susan & Jon Golovin · Jane Gottesman & Geoffrey Biddle · Priscilla Green · Don & Becky Grether · Dan & Linda Guerra · John G. Guthrie · Ken & Karen Harley· Janet Harris· Dan & Shawna Hartman Brotsky M · Geoffrey & Marin-Shawn Haynes · Irene & Robert Hepps · Steven Horwitz K · Helmut H. Kapczynski & Colleen Neff · Patricia Kaplan · Marjorie & Robert Kaplan, in honor of Thalia Dorwick · Natasha Khoruzhenko & Olegs Pimenovs · Mary S. Kimball · Sue Fisher King · Beverly Phillips Kivel · Jeff Klingman & Deborah Sedberry · Judith Knoll · Joan & David Komaromi · Yvonne Koshland · Jennifer Kuenster & George Miers · Natalie Lagorio · Jane & Michael Larkin · Almon E. Larsh Jr · Henry Lerner · Ray Lifchez · Renee M. Linde · Mark & Roberta Linsky · Bruce Maigatter & Pamela Partlow · Joan & Roger Mann · Sue & Phil Marineau · Caroline McCall & Eric Martin · Marie S. McEnnis · Sean McKenna · Christopher McKenzie & Manuela Albuquerque · Brian McRee · Ruth Medak · Jamie Miller, in memory of Helene Sabin · Jeff Miner · Geri Monheimer · Ronald Morrison · Patricia Motzkin & Richard Feldman · James & Katherine Moule · James Musbach · Ron Nakayama · Kris & Peter Negulescu · Jeanne E. Newman · Pier & Barbara Oddone, in memory of Michael Leibert · Peggy O'Neill · Carol J. Ormond · Mary Papenfuss & Roland Cline · Nancy Park · Brian D. Parsons · James Pawlak · Kyle Peacock · P. David Pearson · Bob & Toni Peckham, in honor of Robert M. Peckham, Jr. · Lewis Perry · Suzanne Pierce, in honor of Carol
D. Soc · F. Anthony Placzek · Gary F. Pokorny · Charles Pollack & Joanna Cooper · Susie & Eric Poncelet · Roxann R. Preston · Rich Price · Linda Protiva · Laurel & Gerald Przybylski · Dan & Lois Purkett · Kathleen Quenneville · David & Mary Ramos · Sheldon & Catherine Ramsay · Adam Rausch K · Arthur Reingold & Gail Bolan · Helen Richardson · Wesley Richert · Paul & Margaret Robbins · Gary Roof & Douglas Light · Ronald & Karen Rose · Geri Rossen · Jirayr & Meline Roubinian · Eve Saltman & Skip Roncal, in honor of Kerry Francis & John Jimerson · Dorothy R. Saxe · Joyce & Kenneth Scheidig · Laurel Scheinman · Bob & Gloria Schiller · Mark Schoenrock & Claudia Fenelon · Dr. David Schulz M · Cynthia Sears · John & Lucille Serwa · Lyman Shaffer · Margaret Sheehy · Steve & Susan Shortell · Margaret Skornia · William & Martha Slavin · Carra Sleight · Suzanne Slyman · Jerry & Dick Smallwood · Sigrid Snider · Louis & Bonnie Spiesberger · Robert & Naomi Stamper · Herbert Steierman · Lynn M. & A. Justin Sterling · Monroe W. Strickberger · Dr. & Mrs. Joseph Terdiman · Prof Jeremy Thorner & Dr. Carol Mimura · Karen Tiedemann & Geoff Piller · Sharon Ulrich & Marlowe Ng · Mark Valentine & Stacy Leier-Valentine · Gerald & Ruth Vurek · Jon K. Wactor · Adrian & Sylvia Walker · Louise & Larry Walker · Kate Walsh & Dan Serpico · Buddy & Jodi Warner · Dena & Wayne Watson-Lamprey · Mike Weinberger & Julianne Lindemann · Harvey & Rhona Weinstein · William R. Weir · Robert & Sheila Weisblatt · Dr. Ben & Mrs. Carolyn Werner · Elizabeth Werter & Henry Trevor · Jill Wild · Fred Winslow & Barbara Baratta · Laura & Ernest Winslow · Carol Katigbak Wong · Caroline Wood · Evelyn Wozniak · Margaret Wu & Ciara Cox · Sandra Yuen & Lawrence Shore
Linda Zweig · Barbara Peterson · Meshulam Plaves · Danilo Purlia & Catherine Kuss · Danielle Rebischung · Karen & Jeff Richardson · Margaret Riley & Kevin Depew · Craig F. Robieson · Kim Rohrer · Robert & Winnie Sayre · Peter Schmitz · Richard J. Schoofs · Dana & Peggy Shultz · Sandy Shin · Christine Silver · Gail Smith-Pratt & Jeff Pratt · Patricia Sparkman · Alan & Charlene Steen · Ingrid Stephen · Cecilia Storr & Mark Chaitkin · Christy Story · Suzanne & Svend Svendsen · Dana Swisher · Margaret Takahashi · Marion Taylor · Jason Thomas & Marco Aurelio · Rick Trautner · Grace Ulp · Mary Wadsworth M · Patricia Walsh · Karen & Stephen Wiel · G. Geoffrey Wood
Gex · Steven Goldberg · Gayle & Steve Goldman · Ian M. Goldstein · Bill & Chris Green · Nancy J. Greenberg · Sheldon & Judy Greene · Marjorie Hamm & Angela Bottum · Neil Handelman & Karyn O'Mohundro · Anthea Hartig · Henry L. Hecht · Carolyn Hedgecock · Derek & Christina Heins · Mary Kay Henderson · Kristi Hernandez · Dr. Robert R. Herrick & Ms. Willma Zinser · Donald E. Hershman, DPM · Nancy Higham · Susan L. Hill · Dolores Hiskes · Patsy Hom · Frances Hopson · Marcia Huberman · Sandra Iwamoto · Jane Kadner · Gerald Kaminski · Ray Kaplan · Marlene & Ilan Keret · Bonnie McPherson Killip · Susan Kinloch · Joel H. Kreisberg · Gloria Kwei · Nancy Larson · Ragna A. Larusdottir · Joyce Lashof · Paula Lavine · William Leach · Lannon Leiman & Frederick Seil · David Leinbach · Donald Leonard · Diane Levy · Ken & Judy Linhares · Trudy Lionel · Lawrence Litt · Lorena Liu Lee · Kerri & Mark Lubin · Gerry Mack · Gordon & Carol Manashil · Patrick McCleskey · Kathryn McGeorge · David & Wendy McGrath · Debra & David McMahon · Alrie Middlebrook · Ms. Peggy Mihm · Patrick & Jane Miller · Robert Moench · Gerald T. Moran · Brad Mulvey · Linda Nakell & Robert Dawson · Haggai Niv · Donna Norquist, in memory of Carl Norquist · Bruce Nunley · Peter Nussbaum & Aleta Wallace · Linda & Gregory Orr · Joan & Allen Perlof · Mr. & Mrs. William Plageman · Steven Potter · Sheila & Myron Puckett, in memory of Jean Murphy · Marilyn Radisch · Mahendra Ranchod· Dave Richanbach · Katie Riemann K · The Rev. Dr. Bonnie Ring · Geraldine Riordan · Mary Rooney-Zarri & Philip Zarri · John G. Rosenberg & Diane Gerstler · Kathy Rosselle · Tracie E. Rowson · Priscilla Royal · Daniel & Gail Rubinfeld · Larry E. Ruff · Eleanor Rush & Jim Puskar · John & Melanie Sandler · Roland & Aase Schoen · Steven Schultz & Nancy Ulmer ·
FRIE N D S
$ 75 –149
Anonymous (22) · Michael Alef · Elinor Armer · Esther Arnold · Julie Baeder · Catherine Bailey & Jack Telian · Barbara Barer · Cathryn W. Barrett · Carol & Michael Bartlett · Gale Bataille · Joan Baylie & James Mullins · Jim & Donna Beasley · Lucy Bernholz & Paula Fleisher · Jennifer & Frank Block · Jennifer Boehler & Mark Anderson · William C Bourke · Craig Broscow M · Marc Beam & Paul Burwick · Katherine Byrne · Laura Call · W. Bradford Carson · Helene & Norman Cavior · Jean Comer · Doug & Rosemary Corbin · Susan & Don Couch · Thomas & Suellen Cox · Rich Craig · Catherine Crystal & Eric Crystal · Erin E. Cullnan · Dr. General Scott Davie · Hardy & Judi Dawainis · Richard A. Denton · Char Devich & Alana Devich · Helen Edelman · Anne & Hal Eisenberg · Linda Esquivel · Peter Ewell & Helga Recke · Mimi Felson · Maureen Fitzgerald & Douglas Dohrer · Carolyn Foland · Marvin Freid · Christine Frick · Carol Gadas · Jeannette A. Gape · Janice & Chuck Gebhardt · George Gemignani · Sandra Gerstel · Marian
2 0 1 5 –1 6 · I S S U E 7 · T H E B E R K E L E Y R E P M AG A Z I N E · 43
BE R K E L E Y R E P T H A N K S Donors to the Annual Fund Margaret Scott & Kathleen Slobin · James L. Seeman · Boris Shekhter · Carol Shen and Larry Dodge · Lillian Shiiba · Wendy Silvani · Neil Sitzman · Tim & Lucy Smallsreed · Fred Sperber · Alice Steiner · Alan Stern · Marc Sternberger · Jay Streets · Renee Swayne · Charlene Tung · Harvey Tureck & Susan Tait · Wilbur Tusler · Sayre Van Young & Diane Davenport · Maureen Vavra · Stanyan Vukovich · Edwin A. Waite · Phyllis Weber · Peter Weiser & John Hudson · Thomas Weston · Susan Whitman & Mark Gergen · Alice Wilkins · Barbara Williams · Wilma Wool · Dr. & Mrs. Mark J. Yanover · Marjorie Yasueda & Dale Knutsen · Al Zemsky
PAT RO N S
$ 1 –74
Anonymous (18) · Roberta Abel · Noliwe Alexander · Aurelia Alston · Miriam Amado · Kathy Armstrong · Norman Bailiff & Fran Cooper · Blythe Baldwin · Helen Barbato · Cris Bautista · Jennifer Bell · Linda J Benton · Laurence J. Berger · Maryanne Berry · Kyle Biehle · Millard Billings · Elaine Binger · Diana
Black-Kennedy · Mary & Frederick Blume · Lauren Boas Hayes · Joan Bodway · Amy Boyd · Nancy Broderick · Marilee Brooks · Susan Browne · Julie & Stan Burford · Judith Burns · Donna Calame · Sharon Calkin Family · Heather D. Cann · Hector Cardenas · Samantha Cardenas · Jennifer & Dan Cavenaugh · Leslie Chalmers · Darlene Chan · Christy Chung · Eurie Chung · R. Arlene Coleman · Judith Collier · Jeanne Cooper · Kimberly Cress · Catherine Dahlstrom · Darby's Dad · Vincent DeNave · Irene Desonie · Maria Drake · Mari-lynne Earls · Chandra Easton · Roberta Fanning · David Faulkner · Nicole C. Fee · Richard K. Feldman · Michelle Ferguson · Michael Fink · Ann Finlayson · Nancy Fitzmaurice · Sabrina Folsom · Elton Fong · Shira Freehling · Nancy M. Friedman & Terry Hill · Kelli M. Frostad · Charles Goetzl & Eric Fine · Barry & Erica Goode · Lauren M. Goodrich · Tracy Green · Zachary & Carolyn Griffith · Dr. & Mrs. Robert & Margaret Grosse · Judy Grossman · Jody Hahn · Elna Hall · Garrison Hall · Patricia A. Hare · Peter Hobe & Christina Crowley · Elizabeth Hodder · Kay Hogan · Lena Hwang ·
Sustaining members as of March 2016:
The Society welcomes the following new members: Kevin Shoemaker
Anonymous (6) Norman Abramson & David Beery Sam Ambler Carl W. Arnoult & Aurora Pan Ken & Joni Avery Nancy Axelrod Edith Barschi Neil & Gene Barth Susan & Barry Baskin Carole B. Berg Linda Brandenburger Broitman-Basri Family Bruce Carlton & Richard G. McCall Stephen K. Cassidy Paula Champagne & David Watson Andrew Daly & Jody Taylor M. Laina Dicker Thalia Dorwick Rich & Robin Edwards Thomas W. Edwards & Rebecca Parlette-Edwards Bill & Susan Epstein William Espey & Margaret Hart Edwards Carol & John Field Dr. Stephen E. Follansbee & Dr. Richard A. Wolitz Kerry Francis
Ruth Ichinaga · Allison Janoch · Mark Jarrett · Josephine Jarvis · Susan Jergesen · Dale F Johnson · Nick Kazaglis · Vera Kerekes · Hong Jik Kim · Jang Ock Kim · Sophia Kim & Dominic Wang · Mr. & Mrs. Troy Kitchens · Ruth & Jay Koch · Michael Kohane · Michele Koning · Martin Kosina · Al Kwak · Katherine Land · Amelia Langston · Laura Larkin · Pauline Layer · Jenny Lee · Maria & Jan Leeman · Catherine Lewis · Joyce Liu-Countryman · Dr. Bruce R. Locke · Robert S. Lord · Nicholas D. Manfredi · Jose Martinez · Paul & Claire Maxwell · David May · Don Mayou · Brandon McDonnell · Jacqueline C. McMahan · Grace McMahon · Harry J. Mersmann · Michele Mont-Eton · Claudia Moore · Mary Jean Moore · Penelope More · Doryanna M. Moreno · Cindy Morris · Deirdre Moy · Katherine K. Murphy · Joyce Murray · Haruko Nagaishi · Gloria O'Dell · Richard Page & Susan Audep-Page · Milton Palmer · John R. Petrovsky · Ken Pinhero · John & Carol Pitts · Tony Politopoulos · Randall Pollard · Christy Ponte · Carol Possin · Becky Potter · Linda Quaintance · Katherine Randolph · Eun Rhee · Helen Rosen · David
Dr. Harvey & Deana Freedman Joseph & Antonia Friedman Paul T. Friedman Dr. John Frykman Laura K. Fujii David Gaskin & Phillip McPherson Marjorie Ginsburg & Howard Slyter Mary & Nicholas Graves Elizabeth Greene Jon & Becky Grether Richard & Lois Halliday Julie & Paul Harkness Linda & Bob Harris Fred Hartwick Ruth Hennigar Douglas J. Hill Hoskins/Frame Family Trust Lynda & Dr. J. Pearce Hurley Robin C. Johnson Lynn Eve Komaromi Bonnie McPherson Killip Scott & Kathy Law Zandra Faye LeDuff Ines R. Lewandowitz Dot Lofstrom Dale & Don Marshall Sumner & Hermine Marshall Rebecca Martinez Suzanne & Charles McCulloch
Ross · Laurie Rucker · Darius I. Rudominer · Peter Rudy · Fred Runner · Kathleen Russell · Linda Russell · M. Ryce · Karen Schiller · Melissa Schoen · Judith & Peter Schumacher, in honor of Jessica Broitman · Karen Schwartz · Ellen & Mike Shaler, in memory of Mrs. Bernice Rothberg · Sophie Shang · Irwin & Annette Shapiro · Ruth Shapiro · Michael Sherman · Deborah Sherwood & Davis Ja · Candice Shibata · Ms. Michelle W Shieh · Shirley & Ron Shiromoto · Marian Shostrom · Alan Silverman · Janice Sinclaire · Bridget Smith · Susan Sniderman · Andrea Sohn · Howard Sohn · Mark & Etai Sondag · Phyllis Sorensen · Joan Sperans, in honor of Steve Flint · Anitra Squires · Lydia Stack · Larue Stephens · Mary Steward · Dorian Stull · Douglas Styles · Matyas Sustik · Kai-Yao To · Shirley R. Trimble · Nancy Vandell · Irina Vaysberg · Edward Vine · Virginia Warnes · Wendy Watling · Janice Wenning · Nessa & Robert Wilk · Gail Wilkinson · Lewis M. Williams · Travis Winfrey · Susana Winkel · Zee Wong · Hildred Yost · Donald Zimmerman · Pamela D. Zucker
John G. McGehee Miles & Mary Ellen McKey Margaret D. & Winton McKibben Susan Medak & Greg Murphy Stephanie Mendel Toni Mester Shirley & Joe Nedham Pam & Mitch Nichter Sheldeen G. Osborne Sharon Ott Amy Pearl Parodi Barbara L. Peterson Regina Phelps Margaret Phillips Marjorie Randolph Bonnie Ring Living Trust Tom Roberts David Rovno Tracie E. Rowson Deborah Dashow Ruth Patricia Sakai & Richard Shapiro Betty & Jack Schafer Brenda Buckhold Shank, M.D., Ph.D. Valerie Sopher Michael & Sue Steinberg Dr. Douglas & Anne Stewart Jean Strunsky Henry Timnick Guy Tiphane
Phillip & Melody Trapp Janis Kate Turner Dorothy Walker Weil Family Trust—Weil Family Karen & Henry Work Martin & Margaret Zankel
Gifts received by Berkeley Rep:
Estate of Suzanne Adams Estate of Helen Barber Estate of Fritzi Benesch Estate of Nelly Berteaux Estate of Jill Bryans Estate of Nancy Croley Estate of John E. & Helen A. Manning Estate of Richard Markell Estate of Gladys Perez-Mendez Estate of Margaret Purvine Estate of Peter Sloss Estate of Harry Weininger Estate of Grace Williams
Members of this Society, which is named in honor of Founding Director Michael W. Leibert, have designated Berkeley Rep in their estate plans. Unless the donor specifies otherwise, planned gifts become a part of Berkeley Rep’s endowment, where they will provide the financial stability that enables Berkeley Rep to maintain the highest standards of artistic excellence, support new work, and serve the community with innovative education and outreach programs, year after year, in perpetuity. For more information on becoming a member, visit our website at berkeleyrep.org/mls or contact Daria Hepps at 510 647-2904 or dhepps@berkeleyrep.org.
4 4 · T H E B E R K E L E Y R E P M AG A Z I N E · 2 0 1 5 –1 6 · I S S U E 7
BOA R D OF T RU ST E E S
BE R K E L E Y R E P STA F F Michael Leibert Artistic Director Tony Taccone ARTISTIC Director of Casting & Artistic Associate Amy Potozkin Director, The Ground Floor/ Resident Dramaturg Madeleine Oldham Literary Manager Sarah Rose Leonard Ground Floor Visiting Artistic Associate SK Kerastas TCG Artist-in-Residence Reggie D. White Associate Artist Liesl Tommy Artists under Commission David Adjmi · Todd Almond · Christina Anderson · Glen Berger · Jackie Sibblies Drury · Rinne Groff · Dave Malloy · Lisa Peterson · Sarah Ruhl · Joe Waechter P R ODUC T ION Production Manager Peter Dean Associate Production Manager Amanda Williams O’Steen Company Manager Jean-Paul Gressieux S TAG E M A NAG E M E N T Production Stage Manager Michael Suenkel Stage Managers Leslie M. Radin · Karen Szpaller · Julie Haber · Kimberly Mark Webb Production Assistants Amanda Mason · Sofie Miller · Betsy Norton S TA G E OP E R AT ION S Stage Supervisor Julia Englehorn P R OP E R T I E S Properties Supervisor Jillian A. Green Associate Properties Supervisor Gretta Grazier Properties Artisan Viqui Peralta S C E N E S HOP Technical Director Jim Smith Assistant Technical Director Matt Rohner Shop Foreman Sam McKnight Master Carpenter Jamaica Montgomery-Glenn Carpenter Patrick Keene SCENIC ART Charge Scenic Artist Lisa Lázár COSTUMES Costume Director Maggi Yule Associate Costume Director/ Hair and Makeup Supervisor Amy Bobeda
Managing Director Susan Medak
Draper Alex Zeek Tailor Kathy Kellner Griffith First Hand Janet Conery Wardrobe Supervisor Barbara Blair
Box Office Manager Richard Rubio Ticket Services Supervisor Samanta Cubias Box Office Agents Sophia Brady · Christina Cone · Carmen Darling · Jordan Don · Julie Gotsch · Eliza Oakley
ELECTRICS Master Electrician Frederick C. Geffken Production Electricians Christine Cochrane Kenneth Coté
M A R K E T I NG & C OM M U N I C AT ION S Director of Marketing, Communications, and Patron Engagement Polly Winograd Ikonen Director of Public Relations Tim Etheridge Marketing Director Peter Yonka Art Director Nora Merecicky Communications Manager Karen McKevitt Webmaster Christina Cone Video & Multimedia Producer Christina Kolozsvary Program Advertising Ellen Felker Front of House Director Kelly Kelley Senior House Manager Debra Selman Assistant House Managers Jessica Charles · Steven Coambs · Aleta George · Mary Cait Hogan · Ayanna Makalani · Sarah Mosby · Tuesday Ray Concessions Manager Hugh Dunaway Concessionaires Jessica Bates · Samantha Burse · Steven Coambs · Nina Gorham · Daron Jennings · Sarah Mosby · Benjamin Ortiz · Sandy Valois
S OU N D A N D V I DE O Sound Supervisor James Ballen Sound Engineers Angela Don Annemarie Scerra Video Supervisor Alex Marshall A DM I N I S T R AT ION Controller Suzanne Pettigrew General Manager Theresa Von Klug Associate General Manager/ Human Resources Manager David Lorenc Director of Technology Gustav Davila Associate Managing Director/ Manager, The Ground Floor Sarah Williams Executive Assistant Andrew Susskind Bookkeeper Kristine Taylor Payroll Administrator Rhonda Scott Systems & Applications Director Diana Amezquita Systems Assistant Debra Wong Yale Management Fellow Adam Frank DE V E L OPM E N T Director of Development Lynn Eve Komaromi Associate Director of Development Daria Hepps Director of Individual Giving Laura Fichtenberg Director of Special Events Julie Cervetto Special Events Manager Kelsey Hogan Individual Giving Manager Joanna Taber Development Database Coordinator Jane Voytek Development Operations Associate Beryl Baker Executive Assistant Emma Nicholls B OX OF F I C E Ticket Services Director Destiny Askin Subscription Manager Laurie Barnes
OP E R AT ION S Facilities Director Mark Morrisette Facilities Manager Lauren Shorofsky Building Engineer Thomas Tran Maintenance Technician Johnny Van Chang Facilities Assistants Sophie Li · Alex Maciel · Carlos Mendoza · Oliver Sweibel · Jesus Rodriguez · LeRoy Thomas BERKELEY REP S C HO OL OF T H E AT R E Director of the School of Theatre Rachel Hull Associate Director MaryBeth Cavanaugh Program Manager, Training and Community Programs Anthony Jackson Registrar Katie Riemann Community Programs Administrator Modesta Tamayo Faculty Andy Alabran · Bobby August Jr. · Erica Blue · Rebecca Castelli · Jiwon Chung · Sally Clawson · Dex Craig · Laura Derry · Deborah Eubanks ·
Maria Frangos · Nancy Gold · Gary Graves · Marvin Greene · SusanJane Harrison · Andrew Hurteau · Julian López-Morillas · Dave Maier · JanLee Marshall · Patricia Miller · Jack Nicolaus · Slater Penney · Marty Pistone · Diane Rachel · Rolf Saxon · Elyse Shafarman · Arje Shaw · Joyful Simpson · Rebecca Stockley Jan and Howard Oringer Teaching Artists Erica Blue · Carmen Bush · Khalia Davis · Amber Flame · Safiya Fredericks · Gendell Hing-Hernández · Dave Maier · Marilet Martinez · Michelle Navarette · Jack Nicolaus · Carla Pantoja · Marcelo Pereira · Radhika Rao · Salim Razawi · Lindsey Schmelzter · Teddy Spencer · Simon Trumble · Elena Wright · Patricia Wright · Michelle Wyman Teen Core Council Bridey Caramagno · Carmela Catoc · Fiona Deane-Grundman · Lucy Curran · Tess DeLucchi · Devin Elias · Adin Gilman-Cohen · Max Hunt · Michael Letang · Joi Mabrey · Genevieve Saldanha · Christian Santiago · Maya Simon · Chloe Smith Docent Co-Chairs Matty Bloom, Content Joy Lancaster, Recruitment Selma Meyerowitz, Off-Sites and Procedures For Peter Pan on her 70th birthday Docents Michelle Barbour, Lead Docent · Matty Bloom · Ellen Kaufman · Dale Marshall · Joan Sullivan · Rebecca Woolis 201 5–16 B E R K E L E Y R E P FELLOWSHIPS Bret C. Harte Directing Fellow Molly Houlahan Company Management Fellow Emilie Pass Costume Fellow Anna Slotterback Development/Fundraising Fellow Loren Hiser Education Fellow Jamie Yuen-Shore Graphic Design Fellow Itzel Ortuño Harry Weininger Sound Fellow Sam Fisher Lighting/Electrics Fellow Harrison Pearse Burke Marketing & Communications Fellow Lorenz Angelo Gonzales Peter F. Sloss Literary/ Dramaturgy Fellow Katie Craddock Production Management Fellow Katherine DeVolt Properties Fellow Samantha Visbal Scenic Art Fellow Melanie Treuhaft Scenic Construction Fellow Shannon Perry Stage Management Fellow James McGregor
President Stewart Owen Vice Presidents Roger A. Strauch Jean Z. Strunsky Treasurer Emily Shanks Secretary Leonard X Rosenberg Chair, Trustees Committee Jill Fugaro Chair, Audit Committee Kerry L. Francis Immediate Past President Thalia Dorwick, PhD Board Members Carrie Avery Edward D. Baker David Cox Robin Edwards Lisa Finer David Fleishhacker Paul T. Friedman Karen Galatz Bruce Golden David Hoffman Susan Karp Jonathan C. Logan Jane Marvin Sandra R. McCandless Susan Medak Pamela Nichter Richard M. Shapiro Tony Taccone Gail Wagner Felicia Woytak Past Presidents Helen C. Barber A. George Battle Carole B. Berg Robert W. Burt Shih-Tso Chen Narsai M. David Nicholas M. Graves Richard F. Hoskins Jean Knox Robert M. Oliver Marjorie Randolph Harlan M. Richter Richard A. Rubin Edwin C. Shiver Roger A. Strauch Martin Zankel Sustaining Advisors Carole B. Berg Rena Bransten Diana J. Cohen William T. Espey William Falik John Field Nicholas M. Graves Scott Haber Richard F. Hoskins Carole Krumland Dale Rogers Marshall Helen Meyer Dugan Moore Mary Ann Peoples Peter Pervere Marjorie Randolph Pat Rougeau Patricia Sakai Jack Schafer William Schaff Michael Steinberg Michael Strunsky Martin Zankel
F OU N DI NG DI R E C T OR Michael W. Leibert Producing Director, 1968–83 2 0 1 5 –1 6 · I S S U E 7 · T H E B E R K E L E Y R E P M AG A Z I N E · 45
FYI
Latecomers
Please arrive on time. Late seating is not guaranteed.
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Emergency exits Please note the nearest exit. In an emergency, walk—do not run —to the nearest exit.
No food or glassware in the house Beverages in cans or cups with lids are allowed.
Accessibility Both theatres offer wheelchair seating and special services for those with vision or hearing loss. Assistive listening devices are available at no charge. Scripts are available in the box office.
No smoking The use of e-cigarettes is prohibited in Berkeley Rep’s buildings and courtyard.
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Tickets/box office Box office hours: noon–7pm, Tue–Sun Call 510 647-2949 Click berkeleyrep.org anytime Fax: 510 647-2975 Under 30? Half-price advance tickets! For anyone under the age of 30, based on availability. Proof of age required. Some restrictions apply. Senior/student rush Full-time students and seniors 65+ save $10 on sections A and B. One ticket per ID, one hour before showtime. Proof of eligibility required. Subject to availability. Group tickets Bring 10–14 people and save $5 per ticket; bring 15 or more and save 20%. And we waive the service charge. Entourage tickets If you can bring at least 10 people, we’ll give you a code for 20% off tickets to up to five performance dates. Learn more at berkeleyrep.org/entourage. Student matinee Tickets are just $10 each. Learn more at berkeleyrep.org/studentmatinees. Sorry, we can’t give refunds or offer retroactive discounts.
Educators Bring Berkeley Rep to your school! Call the School of Theatre at 510 647-2972 about free and low-cost workshops for elementary, middle, and high schools. Call the box office at 510 647-2949 about discounted subscriptions for preschool and K–12 educators.
Ticket exchange Subscribers may exchange their tickets for another performance of the same show— for free (no fees)! Online or by phone. Nonsubscribers may also exchange their tickets, but an exchange fee and reasonable restrictions will apply, by phone or in person only. All exchanges can be made until 7pm the day preceding the scheduled performance. All exchanges are made on a seat-available basis.
Request information To request mailings or change your address, write to Berkeley Rep, 2025 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA 94704; call 510 647-2949; email info@berkeleyrep.org; or click berkeleyrep.org/joinourlist. If you use Gmail, Yahoo, or other online email accounts, please authorize patronreply@ berkeleyrep.org.
Please keep perfume to a minimum Many patrons are sensitive to the use of perfumes and other scents. Phones / electronics / recordings Please make sure your cell phone or watch alarm will not beep. Use of recording equipment or taking of photographs in the theatre is strictly prohibited. Please do not touch the set or props You are welcome to take a closer look, but please don’t step onto the stage. Bringing children to the Theatre Many Berkeley Rep productions are unsuitable for young children. Please inquire before bringing children to the Theatre. All attendees must have a ticket: no lap-sitting and no babes in arms.
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