Berkeley Rep: POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive

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THE BERKELEY REP

POTUS

OR, BEHIND EVERY GREAT DUMBASS ARE SEVEN WOMEN TRYING TO KEEP HIM ALIVE

2023/24 | ISSUE 1
MAGAZINE
SEPTEMBER 2023

The Triplets of Belleville Cine-Concert

Benoît Charest, composer and conductor

Le Terrible Orchestre de Belleville

eight-piece orchestra in a live version of his Oscar-nominated score from the charming animated French feature film

The Triplets of Belleville.

“[A] bracing blend of silliness and sophistication…. It’s comic, touching and a visual knockout”

Rolling Stone

Oct 21–22

San Francisco Symphony

Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor Carey Bell, clarinet

BAY AREA PREMIERE

Los Angeles Master Chorale Music to Accompany a Departure

A Cal Performances Co-commission

Grant Gershon, conductor Peter Sellars, director

Peter Sellars, Grant Gershon, and singers of the Los Angeles Master Chorale reunite to perform Heinrich Schütz’s Music to Accompany a Departure, a deeply personal meditation on what it means to say goodbye during times of struggle.

“Art that makes you sad yet grateful for every minute of life” Los Angeles Times

ZELLERBACH HALL

Kristin Chenoweth For the Girls

John Cameron Mitchell and Amber Martin in Cassette Roulette

Tony Award-winning star of stage and screen John Cameron Mitchell teams up with international cabaret powerhouse Amber Martin for Cassette Roulette, an irreverent and hilarious evening of songs and stories—all chosen by the hand of fate and the artists’ unpredictable game of “cassette roulette.”

“Ever the magnetic and dynamic performer, Mitchell held the crowd in the palm of his manicured hand the entire night”

DC Metro Arts

Nov 4

ZELLERBACH HALL

WEST COAST PREMIERE

Taylor Mac & Matt Ray’s Bark of Millions

A Parade Trance Extravaganza for the Living Library of the Deviant Theme

The dynamic and versatile San Francisco Symphony returns to Berkeley with music director Esa-Pekka Salonen in a oneof-a-kind program showcasing the world premiere of a new work by Jens Ibsen, Salonen’s own Kínēma, and Stravinsky’s cinematic and propulsive Symphony in Three Movements.

Nov 10

ZELLERBACH HALL

Musical comedy diva and winner of Emmy and Tony Awards for both her singing and acting, Kristin Chenoweth presents an evening of unforgettable songs made famous by great women singers who have inspired her, from Doris Day’s “When I Fall In Love” to Barbra Streisand’s “The Way We Were,” Peggy Lee’s “I’m a Woman,” and Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.”

Nov 15

ZELLERBACH HALL

Taylor Mac, the MacArthur Fellow, Kennedy Prize winner, and Pulitzer Prize finalist visits with Bark of Millions, an epic four-hour rock opera meditation on queerness. Featuring 54 original songs— one song per year since the Stonewall uprising—this West Coast Premiere is inspired by queer antecedents throughout world history and is performed by a diverse cast of 13 ensemble members and a band of 11 musicians.

“Taylor Mac uses his many talents to get us to listen, think and feel. The effect is heartening, vital and liberating.”

The London Times

Feb 23–25

ZELLERBACH HALL

calperformances.org | 510.642.9988 // 2023–24 Season

WELCOME TO BERKELEY REP!

To ensure the best experience for everyone:

While always encouraged, masks are required for audiences in our theatres on all Sundays (matinees and evenings) and Tuesdays throughout our 2023/24 season.

Food and drink: Beverages in cans, cartons, or plastic cups with lids are welcome in the theatre for Wednesday through Saturday performances only. Food is prohibited in the theatre during all performances.

Courtesy reminder: To avoid disruption to everyone, please turn off your cell phones, beeping watches, and electronic devices, and refrain from unwrapping cellophane wrappers during the performance. For the comfort of all patrons, please avoid wearing strongly scented personal products.

Photos: Photos may be taken in the theatre before and after the performance and during intermission. Photos and videos during the performance are strictly prohibited. Photos posted on social media must credit Berkeley Rep and the show’s designers.

Smoking and vaping: Berkeley Rep’s public spaces are smoke- and vape-free.

One of the joys of live theatre is the collective experience . Audience members respond to the show in many different ways. We invite you to join together and enjoy the show! If there is anything we can do to make your experience more enjoyable, please see a member of the house staff.

Get closed captioning on your smartphone! Closed Captioning is available for the following performances: 9/16 Sat preview, 9/27 Wed, and every matinee. Use your smartphone to scan this QR code: Then, switch your WiFi to the network CCTheaterRoda. Password: cctheater1 When the CC page appears, choose English captions. If you’d like assistance, please see an usher or house manager.

THE BERKELEY REP MAGAZINE | 2023/24 | ISSUE 1 BERKELEY REP MAGAZINE IN THIS ISSUE Contents 8 6 10 22 The Berkeley Rep Magazine is published at least seven times per season. EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Karen McKevitt CREATIVE DIRECTOR DC Scarpelli CONTRIBUTORS Sunshine Deffner Ashley Lim David Mendizábal CONTACT BERKELEY REP Box Office: 510 647-2949 Groups (10+): 510 647-2918 Admin: 510 647-2900 School of Theatre: 510 647-2972 info@berkeleyrep.org 5 A Welcome from the Artistic and Managing Directors 6 Theatre for Change 7 In Dialogue Goes Public 8 Selina Fillinger’s Comedy Canon 10 Farce and the House 12 Show Program: POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great D umbass Are Seven Women T rying To Keep Him Alive 14 The Artists 18 Donors 21 Staff, Board of Trustees, and Sustaining Advisors 22 Making Theatre Connect with us at berkeleyrep.org @berkeleyrep
Captions powered by CCTheater, from AccessTech, LLC. (info@getaccesstech.com)

To access this program on your phone, scan the QR code above. Plus, be sure to register to save your digital program.

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BRIEANNA HANSEN

Vice President of Sales

SHAUN SWICK

Brand & Creative Manager

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Marketing & Communications Manager

GENAY GENEREUX

Accounting & Office Manager

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Encore—Connecting Arts, Culture and Community.

Encore Media Group acknowledges that we are on the lands of the Duwamish People, and their other Coast Salish relations—past and present. We recognize that these lands are unceded and we support the Duwamish Tribe in their struggle to gain Federal Tribal Recognition. We honor with gratitude the land itself. This acknowledgement does not take the place of authentic relationships with Indigenous communities, which we seek to build. We hope that this step of honoring these lands, and the First People of Seattle who remain their stewards, will help us become better neighbors to the Duwamish Tribe and all the people who have called the Pacific Northwest home since time immemorial.

4 | THE BERKELEY REP MAGAZINE
is in your hand. San Francisco Bay Area American Conservatory Theater Berkeley Rep Cal Shakes San Francisco Opera San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus San Francisco Symphony Greater Seattle Area A Contemporary Theatre The 5th Avenue Theatre Intiman Theatre Meany Center for the Performing Arts Seattle Children’s Theatre Seattle Opera Seattle Rep Seattle Theatre Group Seattle Shakespeare Company Taproot Theatre Company Village Theatre Encore+ digital programs are available from these performing arts organizations: 2023/24 | Issue 1
The future

Welcome to POTUS:

Or,

Behind

Every

Great Dumbass

Are

Seven

Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, and the beginning of your 2023/24 season at Berkeley Rep! Given the current widespread challenges in the American theatre, I feel incredibly fortunate to be kicking off such a robust season, full of work of significant theatrical scale, created by world-class artists. We picked each one of these plays with our community in mind, and I hope over the course of the season you will have been delighted, challenged, and surprised.

One of the great privileges of embarking on a season together is the mutual assurance that there will be more nights in the theatre — each one full of promise, and the possibility that at any given moment something truly transformative could occur.

I’m so pleased to have Selina Fillinger’s wickedly funny POTUS launch us into the season. Selina lived here in the Bay Area as a kid, before taking NYC by storm. I’m delighted to welcome her back, especially to do so in partnership with director Annie Tippe, whose production of Dave Malloy’s exquisite Octet was a highlight of the 2021/22 season. Putting together this cast of brilliant actors was a joy, and I can’t wait for you to spend a little time in their midst.

We all really deserve a good laugh right now. Satire is inherently (and notoriously) tricky, but Selina has brought a modern, pointed perspective to the form, with an intentional and grateful nod to Chaplin, Churchill, and Molière. Like the classic works of those lauded artists, POTUS brings us subversive humor, linguistic rigor, and physical style. As Selina says, “With POTUS I wanted to use the structural elements of farce — mistaken identities, life and death stakes, slamming doors — while centering characters often pushed to margins.” Classic structure, contemporary politics, a new generation of artists bringing a fresh and specific point of view? Sounds like Berkeley Rep!

Welcome back. We are so glad to have you with us.

Warmly,

As I celebrate my oneyear anniversary at Berkeley Rep, it seems like yesterday and forever ago that I joined you. It has been such a joy getting to know the many fans of Berkeley Rep.

These are exceptionally challenging times for nonprofit theatres, and we are facing extraordinary headwinds, but your support and patronage puts wind in our sails. We are meeting this moment by investing in bold, theatrical productions like POTUS that reengage and excite audiences, and as a result, we have seen audiences growing and growing, and for many shows, attendance is largely at or exceeding pre-pandemic levels. The rising costs of making live theatre, however, require growing levels of philanthropy, and we are so thankful for those that have stepped up to help.

If you are not yet a subscriber to Berkeley Rep, I encourage you to join us. In addition to guaranteeing yourself the best seats at the best prices for every production before they sell out, you will also be making memorable moments for yourself — nights out with family or friends sharing fantastic stories told by the best artists from the Bay Area, Broadway, and beyond. You will always be in great company. Subscribing is easy, flexible, and affordable — and the best and most popular way to experience all that Berkeley Rep has to offer.

This is an exciting time to be a part of Berkeley Rep, and we’re so glad you are here. Thank you for coming and enjoy the show!

Sincerely,

WELCOME 2023/24 | ISSUE 1 | 5

THEATRE FOR Change

Berkeley Rep’s Transformational Arts Program serves participants in the carceral system with workshops in storytelling, personal development, and communication, building from themes in Berkeley Rep’s mainstage productions. The goal is to share theatre-based skill-building activities and empower participants to express themselves through creative writing, movement, acting, and other artistic methods. Each 10-week session culminates in the creation of a new original play collectively written and performed by the participants, reflecting their stories in their own voices.

The School of Theatre’s Director (Anthony Jackson) and Associate

Director (Dylan Russell) — who lead curriculum development and serve as teaching artists within the program — each have experience teaching theatre arts within the carceral system and at youth detention centers. They recently completed the first stage of a pilot Transformational Arts curriculum in San Francisco County Jail’s San Bruno facility and are thrilled to begin a second run of the program in the Downtown San Francisco facility. This work would not be possible without the knowledge, compassion, and artistry of our partnering organization, FIPPP : the Formerly Incarcerated People’s Performance Project. Directed and produced by Mark Kenward, FIPPP highlights formerly incarcerated individuals and their stories through workshops and festival performances. In addition to bringing their experience as artists and performers, FIPPP artists engage deeply with participants in the carceral system and provide a dynamic representation of voices while speaking to community-specific issues such as reentry, substance abuse, and housing problems.

Partnered with FIPPP artists, Berkeley Rep teaching artists begin this program by leading physical,

vocal, and imagination-based exercises. From there, participants begin to create their own theatrical pieces, utilizing themes from a relevant Berkeley Rep mainstage production as building blocks. (For our first round of workshops, participants watched Berkeley Rep’s 2022/23 production of Clyde’s by Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage and explored the power of radical imagination.) Participants will then revise and refine their solo work before sharing their completed piece either within the group or with the wider community. In sharing their stories, participants find resilience by regaining their own voice in their narrative, while fostering empathy and a greater sense of connection within their audience.

We at the School of Theatre believe arts education programs give all individuals, regardless of background, the ability to access their creativity and be impactful members of their communities. Our Transformational Arts Program is just one step toward providing arts access to underserved communities, and we invite you to stay tuned as we continue to unlock the transformative power of storytelling both here at Berkeley Rep and in communities beyond.

SCHOOL OF THEATRE
TOP: FIPPP performer Precious Hicks speaking at Berkeley Rep School of Theatre’s Teen Night event. BELOW: Berkeley Rep School of Theatre Associate Director Dylan Russell. BERKELEY REP SCHOOL OF THEATRE’S NEWEST PROGRAM SERVES INCARCERATED INDIVIDUALS BY ASHLEY LIM
6 | THE BERKELEY REP MAGAZINE
PHOTOS: (TOP) TATE LANCASTER; (BOTTOM) CALVIN NGU

In Dialogue GOES PUBLIC

After two and a half years of investigation, research, conversations, listening, and experimentation, Berkeley Rep is proud to officially share with you our newest programmatic initiative: In Dialogue.

In Dialogue places our skills and resources in service of the community. Launched during the 2021/22 season, In Dialogue has facilitated

COMMUNITY SALON An Artist Sharing Series

During the run of POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass

Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, we invite audiences to enjoy a pre-show beverage and poetry and music from Bay Area artists, co-curated with Natalia Neira Retamal, executive director of La Peña Cultural Center. Join us on September 22, September 28, and October 6 starting at 7pm in Michael’s Second Act bar. For more information about La Peña Cultural Center, visit lapena.org.

and supported amplifying the work of social justice organizations focusing on immigration, local indigenous awareness, the afro-cultural experience, food insecurity, youth leadership, and sex trafficking. In Dialogue is an investment in building genuine, long-term relationships with new and existing collaborators, including Afro Urban Society, East Bay Sanctuary Covenant, Sogorea Te’ Land Trust, Asian Art Museum, and Community Works West.

In Dialogue hosts a series of Community Salons, open to the public for free before select performances, featuring artists and others whose work relates to the shows on our stages. We also host post-show Community Dialogues: moderated discussions that feature experts and community resources reflective of the realworld experiences of the stories we tell on stage. We also collaborate with our partners on Cultural Celebration nights for select shows.

Ari'el Stachel speaks at an In Dialogue Community Salon in Michael’s Second Act bar
ELOISE MIDDLETON (510) 386-0547 Eloise@HomesByEloise.com EloiseRealEstateGroup.com Selling Real Estate Is What We Do, Service Is Who We Are.

Selina Fillinger’s COMEDY CANON

Playwright Selina Fillinger drew from a rich canon of satire and farce to create POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive. “I love farces,” she said in an interview with The New York Times, “but they typically rely on sexist and racist tropes.”

Berkeley Rep’s Artistic Department asked Fillinger to share some insights into the literary legends whose works helped shape the wit, language, and aesthetic of her comedy.

CHARLIE CHAPLIN

“My family had a set of 10 vhs tapes of Charlie Chaplin shorts, and they were the first movies I ever saw. His timing, his impishness, and the poignancy he brought to even the silliest antics forged my comedic taste early and gave me a lifelong love of Clown.”

Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977) is perhaps best remembered for his on-screen character The Tramp, who, with his signature look of baggy pants, fitted coat, bowler hat, cane, and mustache, embodied Chaplin’s social commentary critiquing wealth and class amidst industrialization.

SHAKESPEARE & MOLIÈRE

“These days, playwrights rarely write in verse or iambic pentameter. However, when I was an actor studying classical texts, I realized how rhythm, consonants, vowels, alliteration, and breath unconsciously play on our bodies. I do not write in verse, but I am always paying attention to the aural experience of the language. I try to think of each character as an instrument, and their conversations a symphony.”

William Shakespeare (1564–1616), an English poet, actor, and playwright, is largely remembered for his long list of theatrical stage plays, including comedies, tragedies, and histories, as well as his

PHOTOS: (FILLINGER) COURTESY JENNY ANDERSON; (CHAPLIN, SHAKESPEARE, MOLIÈRE) PUBLIC DOMAIN; (WILDE) NAPOLEON SARONY; (CHURCHILL) JANE BOWN; (NOISES OFF) SHUTTERSTOCK Charlie Chaplin
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Selina Fillinger

collection of sonnets.  Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (1622-1673), known by his stage name Molière, was a French poet, playwright, and actor who is considered the founder of modern French comedy. His exploration of comedy includes farces, tragicomedies, comédie-ballets, and more, some of which pushed social and religious boundaries to the point that they were banned by parliament or denounced by the French Catholic Church.

OSCAR WILDE

“The king of wit and subversion. He had the ability to write work like The Importance of Being Earnest — which was, on its surface, just good fun — while skewering the bourgeoisie.”

Oscar Wilde (1854–1900), an Irish poet and playwright whose work

brought wit and levity to stories loaded with subversion and sharp social critiques.  He was famously convicted and imprisoned for “gross indecency for consensual homosexual acts.”

CARYL CHURCHILL

“I believe she remains one of our finest living playwrights. The way she writes gender, sexuality, power, and violence stuns me. Her work is wildly funny and dangerous at the same time.”

Caryl Churchill (1938–) is a British playwright whose work explores gender and sexuality using non-naturalistic techniques. Her acclaimed works include Cloud 9 (produced at Berkeley Rep in 2002), Far Away, Love and Information, Escaped Alone, and Top Girls, where she introduced the ‘/’ signal to indi-

cate when one character begins speaking over another character’s line, a key used widely by contemporary playwrights.

NOISES OFF

“I saw this play for the first time when I was in middle school, and it taught me what a contemporary farce could be. With POTUS I wanted to use the structural elements of farce — mistaken identities, life and death stakes, slamming doors — while centering characters often pushed to margins.”

Noises Off (1982), by English playwright Michael Frayn, theatricalizes a play within a play and is loaded with mishaps, hilarity, and slapstick physical comedy and continues to be frequently produced today.

SCHOOL OF THEATRE
Oscar Wilde Scene from Michael Frayn’s Noises Off William Shakespeare
9
Molière Caryl Churchill

FARCE THE HOUSE

DAVID MENDIZÁBAL: Selina Fillinger’s POTUS calls for a world of heightened physical comedy. How did you approach the play’s needs and the spirit of satire?

ANNIE TIPPE: Selina said to me, “My intention for this play is that it could be done with four chairs and a couple of doorframes.” So, Andrew and I have tried to explore the most creative way to traverse all the locations of the White House in this play and honor Selina’s offering that simplicity

and clarity allow more space for the humor and the wit to live and breathe. We were interested in how we can both lift the most potent comedic elements as well as the harriedness of people coming in and out of different doors.

ANDREW BOYCE: We’ve been on such a journey of wrestling with how to move from place to place within the world. I feel like we’ve maintained, in all the different iterations of the design, that kind of speed and fluidity moving back and forth between the various

places. That sense that people are coming and going and could be around any corner.

Andrew, what’s it like designing the White House?

AB: It’s tricky to honor and think comprehensively about the multitude of perspectives that are going to be engaging with something that has as much baggage as the iconography of this place, institution, and symbol. There is an incredible amount of documentation about the White

AN INTERVIEW WITH ANNIE TIPPE AND ANDREW BOYCE BY DAVID MENDIZÁBAL
10 | THE BERKELEY REP MAGAZINE
Berkeley Rep’s Associate Artistic Director David Mendizábal sat down with POTUS director Annie Tippe and scenic designer Andrew Boyce to discuss their collaborative process bringing 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to the Roda Theatre.

House’s aesthetics and the way it has been built and who it has been built for. We wanted to lean into that. We’ve also talked a lot about how this building has an institutional white supremacist history that has defined its architecture and the experience of people living in it and working from it. In that sense, we’re paying attention to the details of the decor and the paneling on the doors, but then we’re also trying to give a little bit more perspective on the design by subliminally and subtly acknowledging the troubling history of the institution. We’ve been in collaboration with Berkeley Rep’s wonderful props department to find bits and pieces of decor that might live in this space, but decor that points to its colonialist, patriarchal, white supremacist history that is inherently a part of everybody’s understanding of the institution.

Annie, what about Andrew made him the right match for you?

AT: I admire Andrew’s work, which is, above everything, elegant. I feel like you have clarity of ideas, and in all the work that I’ve seen, you let the play live and breathe on stage. This play is extremely hard to design, and you need someone with clarity of vision, flexibility, a willingness to be collaborative. Andrew has a great sense of humor, and he knows how to make magic happen. That is what this play requires to be successful – humor, elegance, and a little bit of cheekiness, which I think we have.

AB: That’s very generous of you. Thank you, Annie.

Andrew, how did your design process begin?

AB: I really love diving into research and exploring the world of the play, and trying to wrap my head empathetically around what the writer is saying with their work. Then we begin to have wonderful conversations where we layer in other folks’ points of view, and I begin to think about how to support that. That’s where Annie comes in, and she’s been extraordinary to work with. Then I do a lot of structural work in terms of making sure I really understand what the action on stage might need to be. From there, I eventually move into a three-dimensional form. But it always comes back to those preliminary conversations and the text. At the end of the day, I’m there to support other people doing the work that connects with an audience.

Annie, your roots are in design. How does this inform or shape the way you approach collaborations with designers?

AT: I grew up in the dressing room getting to watch fittings with

iconic performers. The design is where, with the choice of a painting or a high-heeled Croc shoe, we get to say, “We have a point of view on this, and we’re not shy about it.”

We want the audience to feel intellectually and emotionally what they are receiving on stage. To me, clothing is an extension of the script. It is writing. The set is also an additional piece of writing that exists in conversation with the play.

Andrew, having designed for the Roda before, are there any peculiarities or tricks you’ve learned about the space?

AB: The Roda has a real breadth to it. It is an open space, and yet it’s a very present space. A lot of my time is spent thinking about how to focus the audience on the actors and on the action on stage. How do you dial in to the things you want people to pay attention to and the language and the action? I also acknowledge and give huge thanks to the wonderful production team there. It’s an incredible group of artists that have been extraordinarily generous with helping us think through certain problems and challenges and guide us through the process. There’s a strong sense of community there, which I love!

Any final words from you, Annie, about this design?

AT: Our intention is to surprise and delight the audience. I think people can expect bold gestures that lift the play’s messages about how we are both complicit in the system and how we can come together to change the way that our system works. That and get a bathroom on stage in under seven seconds!

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DESIGN RENDERINGS BY ANDREW BOYCE

BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE

Johanna Pfaelzer, Artistic Director | Tom Parrish, Managing Director presents

POTUS:

OR, BEHIND EVERY GREAT DUMBASS ARE SEVEN WOMEN TRYING TO KEEP HIM ALIVE

DIRECTED BY ANNIE TIPPE

SCENIC DESIGN ANDREW BOYCE

CASTING WHITLEY THEATRICAL BENTON WHITLEY, CSA MICAH JOHNSON-LEVY

COSTUME DESIGN HAYDEE ZELIDETH

WIG DESIGN EARON NEALEY

FIGHT DIRECTOR DAVE MAIER

LIGHTING DESIGN YI ZHAO

INTIMACY COORDINATOR

CHELSEA PACE

SOUND DESIGN PALMER HEFFERAN

PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER

KARYN MEEK*

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER

CHRISTINA HOGAN*

Originally produced on Broadway by Seaview 51 Entertainment Glass Half Full Level Forward

Salman Al-Rashid Runyonland Productions Sony Music Masterworks One Community Jay Alix and Una Jackman

Jonathan Demar Imagine Equal Entertainment Lucas Katler David J. Lynch Leonid Makaron Mark Gordon Pictures

Liz Slager Ted Snowdon Natalie Gorman/Tish Brennan Throop and The Shubert Organization

Mark Shacket, Executive Producer

POTUS is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com

Sep 16-Oct 22, 2023

Roda Theatre

THIS SHOW HAS A 15-MINUTE INTERMISSION

SHOW PROGRAM: POTUS
12 | THE BERKELEY REP MAGAZINE

CAST

(IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE)

Harriet – His chief of staff. Deirdre Lovejoy*

Jean – His press secretary Kim Blanck*

Stephanie – His secretary. Susan Lynskey*

Margaret – His wife. The First Lady. Stephanie Pope Lofgren*

Chris – A journalist. Dominique Toney*

Dusty – His dalliance. Stephanie Styles*

Bernadette – His sister. Allison Guinn*

UNDERSTUDIES

Harriet, Stephanie Deborah Offner*

Jean, Bernadette Renee Rogoff*

Stephanie, Dusty Luisa Frasconi*

Margaret, Chris Rolanda D. Bell

*Indicates a member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States

The videotaping or making of electronic or other audio and/or visual recordings of this production and distributing recordings or streams in any medium, including the internet, is strictly prohibited, a violation of the author(s)’s rights and actionable under United States copyright law. For more information, please visit: https://concordtheatricals.com/resources/protecting-artists

SEASON SPONSORS

Stephen & Susan Chamberlin

Bruce Golden & Michelle Mercer

Frances Hellman & Warren Breslau

Wayne Jordan & Quinn Delaney

Gisele & Kenneth F. Miller

Jack & Betty Schafer

The Strauch Kulhanjian Family

Gail & Arne Wagner

ASSOCIATE SPONSORS

Martin & Margi Celluci McNair

Gary & Noni Robinson

SHOW PROGRAM: POTUS
This theatre operates under agreements with the League of Resident Theatres, Actors’ Equity Association (the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States), the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society, and United Scenic Artists.
2023/24 | ISSUE 1 | 13

Jean

Berkeley Rep: Octet.

New York and regional: Octet (Signature Theatre, winner of the Drama Desk Ensemble Award), The Best We Could ( MTC ), Alice by Heart ( MCC ), The Tattooed Lady (Philadelphia Theatre Company), Moby-Dick (ART), Twelfth Night (Alley Theatre), among others. TV: East New York (CBS), New Amsterdam (NBC), WeCrashed (Apple TV+), Dr. Death (Peacock). Film: Call Jane, Friday Afternoon, Women Who Kill, Gloria (upcoming, as writer/director). Training: BFA, NYU Tisch; MFA, UC San Diego. Public speaking & communication coach and proud Bay Area native! kimblanck.com

Allison Guinn

Bernadette

Berkeley Rep debut!

Broadway: On the Town, Hair. National

Tour: Les Misérables, Hair. Television: Only Murders in the Building (Hulu), The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Amazon), Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central), The Knick (Cinemax). Education: Circle In The Square Theatre School & East Tennessee State University (BA in Theatre). Social Media: @allison.guinn (she/her)

Stephanie Pope

Lofgren

Margaret

Stephanie Pope Lofgren is thrilled to be making her Berkeley Rep debut! Broadway and touring credits include Chicago (Velma Kelly), the revival of Pippin (Astaire Award nomination, an ACCA Award, and the beloved Legacy Robe), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Muzzy Van Hossmere), Fosse (Leading Player), Smokey Joe’s Café (Brenda), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Gymnasia), Kiss of the Spider Woman (Standby for Ms. Chita Rivera), Jelly’s Last Jam (The Hunnies), and The Will Rogers Follies, just to name a few. She sends

love to her husband, Aarne Lofgren, and daughter, Mari. Proud member: AEA, SAG-AFTRA, SDC stephaniepope.com

Deirdre Lovejoy

Harriet

Berkeley Rep: Tony Kushner’s The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures directed by Tony Taccone. Broadway: Lucky Guy starring Tom Hanks, Six Degrees of Separation (original production), The Gathering, Getting and Spending, How I Learned to Drive (original production), and over four decades of theatre. Deirdre has played murderous moms, crooked cops, mourning mothers, crackerjack lawyers, and serial killers on The Blacklist, Raising Dion, Girls, Bones, Law & Order and dozens of other television series. She is best known as Rhonda Pearlman on HBO’s critically acclaimed series The Wire. Upcoming film: Lilly. BFA, University of Evansville; MFA, NYU. Complete bio at deirdrelovejoy.com. Social: @ddlovejoy. For John David.

Susan Lynskey

Stephanie

Berkeley Rep: Imaginary Comforts, Roe (w/OSF/Arena Stage). Off-Broadway: Handbagged (59E59th St), Jewish Wife (NewLight). Recent regional: performing Gloria Steinem in Gloria: A Life (Theater J), Indecent (Arena/CenterStage), Intimate Apparel (Theatre J), Steel Magnolias (CPIP/IRT), A passionate new play developer, Susan’s Ground Floor collaborations: w/Ryan Haddad (Good Time Charlie), Sarah Ruhl (Becky Nurse), and Dustin Chinn (Colonialism Is Terrible, But Pho Is Delicious); w/Magic Theatre (VirginPlays); and as a regular at The Kennedy Center. Season 2 (EPIX), Susan went toe-toe with Vincent D’Onofrio on the award-winning Godfather of Harlem. Lynskey is a multiple Helen Hayes Award Nominee recipient for Outstanding Lead/Supporting Actress. POTUSLOVE and gratitude for her Parents, Susie, Berkeley Rep, KFox, AnnieleadswithjoyTippe, SelinasobrilliantFillinger,

thisFabulouslyFunnyFeminstEnsembleCast&Crew, and “for any woman who’s ever found herself the secondary character in a male farce.” Rep: HCKR Agency. susanlynskey.com

Stephanie Styles

Dusty

Broadway: Kiss Me, Kate (Roundabout Theatre). Off-Broadway: The Bobby Darin Story (92Y Lyrics and Lyricists), Kingdom Come (Roundabout Theatre), The Little Prince (New York City Opera). Regional/ national tours: Roman Holiday, Newsies, The Sound of Music. Film/TV: Bombshell, Loot, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, BONDiNG, Pretty Smart, Country Comfort, American Vandal. Graduate of The University of Michigan. Love to JWW

Dominique Toney

Chris

Dominique is elated to be in her first Berkeley Rep production!

TV/film: series regular on Puppy Place (Apple TV+), Lethal Legacy (BET+), Killer Cheer Mom (Lifetime), Why Women Kill (CBS All Access), Supergirl (The CW), Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (The CW), Family Reunion (Netflix), and most recently in the HBO comedy special John Early: Now More Than Ever. You can find her debut album A Love Like Ours on all streaming platforms. Graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Love and gratitude to my family, friends, and DDO Artists Agency. dominiquetoney.com

Deborah Offner

U/S Harriet/ Stephanie

Berkeley Rep debut! NY Theatre: Act One (Lincoln Center, dir: James Lapine), Rebel Women, Merry Wives of Windsor, Don Juan, Poets from the Inside, The Maids (CSC), Hair (Broadway), The Job (WPA). Bay Area and regional: Sideman (San Jose Rep), Indiscretions (Marin Theatre Company), Sisters Rosenzweig (Huntington Theatre), A Grave Undertaking (McCarter Theatre),

Kim Blanck
THE ARTISTS SHOW PROGRAM: POTUS 14 | THE BERKELEY REP MAGAZINE

Seattle Rep, Guthrie, Yale Repertory, O’Neill Playwright’s Conference. Film and TV : Shiva Baby, The Good Fight, Divorce, Medium, Six Feet Under (recurring), Law & Order (recurring).

Renee Rogoff

U/S Bernadette/ Jean

Renee is delighted to make her Berkeley Rep debut. Other appearances include Mrs. White, Clue (SF Playhouse), Ellen/Mrs. Saunders/Lin, Cloud 9 (Custom Made Theatre Company), The Voice, Ways To Leave a Body (Cutting Ball), Alice Paul, Strange Ladies (Central Works), Josie, A Moon for the Misbegotten (Roustabout Theater), and Hannah, When We Were Young and Unafraid (CMTC), for which she won the Bay Area Critics Circle Award for Best Featured Performance in a Play. She also recently played Tracy in the major motion picture Asian Persuasion, which will be released in 2024. Renee Rogoff is an alumnus of The Lee Strasberg Acting Studio, Stella Adler, Repertory Philippines, and The American Academy of the Dramatic Arts. (she/they).

Luisa Frasconi

U/S Dusty/ Stephanie

Luisa happily returns to Berkeley Rep after understudying for The White Snake and Three Sisters. Most recent credits include White at Shotgun Players and the world premiere of Cow Pie Bingo by Larissa Fasthorse at Alter Theater. Marin Shakespeare Company: Measure for Measure, Three Musketeers, Othello, Romeo & Juliet, All’s Well That Ends Well, As You Like It, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Additional Bay Area credits: The Liar and The Taming of the Shrew at Livermore Shakespeare Festival, Mechanics of Love at Crowded Fire, and Detroit at Aurora Theatre Company. Training: Shakespeare & Company. (she/her),

Rolanda D. Bell

U/S Margaret/Chris

Rolanda D. Bell is an actress, model, singer, and overall storyteller born and raised

Oakland, California who is very excited to be returning to Berkeley Rep! Theatre credits: Is God Is, Oakland Theater Project; Paradise Blue, Aurora; Cinderella, African American Shakes; Passing Strange, Shotgun Players; Judy Moody & Stink and Last Stop on Market Street, BACT; I, Too, Sing America, SFBATCO; and is a company member of Oakland Theater Project. Screen credits: All Day and A Night, Netflix; Blindspotting, Starz; Erica Campbell’s “Positive” music video; and deleted scenes of Pixar’s Lightyear. Bell is a former student of Laney College under Michael Torres and is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA represented by JE Talent. IG/Twitter: @Rolandadene Facebook: Rolanda D. Bell-Actress (she/her)

Selina Fillinger Playwright

Selina Fillinger is an internationally produced playwright. In 2022, her feminist farce, POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, debuted on Broadway, earning three Tony Award nominations. Other plays include The Collapse, Something Clean, and Faceless. She has developed work at Roundabout Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, McCarter Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Old Globe Theatre, Alley Theatre, and Northlight Theatre. She wrote for the third season of Apple TV’s The Morning Show, and, prior to going on strike with the Writers Guild of America, was developing a pilot with Hulu/Hunting Lane. (she/her)

Annie Tippe Director

Annie Tippe is a director and creator of new work, film, and music theatre. Berkeley Rep: Dave Malloy’s Octet, for which she also directed the NY premiere (Signature; Lortel Award for Best Direction, SDC Callaway Finalist). She directed the premiere and subsequent tours of Malloy’s award-winning Ghost Quartet. Recent: Your Own Personal Exegesis (LCT), Life After (Goodman; Jeff Award Nominee), Cowboy Bob (Alley Theatre), Cult of Love (premiere; IAMA), The Hombres (Two River), and The Conversationalists (Bushwick Starr). Her film Help Me

Compass is a real estate broker licensed by the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. License Number 01527235. Andrea Gordon 510.421.6818 andrea@andreagordon.com DRE 01233563 Making the Difference Between a Good Sale and a Great One.

Mary won Best Narrative Short at the L.E.S. Film Festival. Former Ars Nova Director-in-Residence, Drama League Directing Fellow, Williamstown Directing Corps. Upcoming: premiere, Malloy’s Three Houses. annietippe.com

Andrew Boyce

Scenic Design

Berkeley Rep: A Doll’s House, Part 2; Dana H. Broadway: Dana H. Off-Broadway credits with Lincoln Center Theater, Roundabout Theatre Company, Atlantic Theater Company, New York Theatre Workshop, Vineyard Theatre, Primary Stages, Playwrights Realm, Lucille Lortel, Barrow Street, Rattlestick. Regional credits with most major regional and LORT theatres across the U.S. Opera credits include Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Boston Lyric Opera, Kentucky Opera, Curtis Opera, Philadelphia Orchestra, and San Francisco Conservatory of Music. MFA: Yale School of Drama. Assistant Professor of Design at Northwestern. andrewboycedesign.com

Haydee Zelideth

Costume Design

Haydee is a Chicana artist and costume designer. Clothes carry on public conversations with others and share stories about who we are, who we are not, and who we wish to be. They are a means of exploring how image can open up perceptions of race, class, socioeconomic status, and more — all of which is what most interests her. She grew up on both sides of the Mexican border and these experiences inform her point of view and how she approaches her work, giving depth, dimension, and color to the specificities of someone’s life. haydeezelideth.com

Yi Zhao

Lighting Design

Berkeley Rep: A Doll’s House, Part 2; A Doctor in Spite of Himself. Regional: American Conservatory Theater, Guthrie Theater, Yale Repertory Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Dallas Theater Center, Wilma Theater, Huntington Theatre Company, Mark Taper Forum, Shakespeare Theatre (DC), Goodman Theatre,

Steppenwolf Theatre, McCarter Theatre Center. Broadway: The Skin of Our Teeth (Tony nomination). Off Broadway: Lincoln Center Theater, Signature Theatre, New York Theatre Workshop, Soho Rep., Manhattan Theatre Club. Opera: Norwegian National Opera, Opera Colorado, Detroit Opera, Opera Omaha. Dance: Sasha Waltz & Guests (Germany), Ballet de Lorraine (France). Upcoming: I Need That (Broadway), El Niño (Metropolitan Opera). yi-zhao.com

Palmer Hefferan

Sound Design

Select credits include Broadway: Alex Edelman: Just For Us (Hudson Theatre), The Skin of Our Teeth (Tony nomination, Lincoln Center), Grand Horizons (Second Stage), The Lifespan of a Fact (Studio 54). Off-Broadway: Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine; The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World (Signature Theatre), what the end will be, Something Clean, Bobbie Clearly (Roundabout Theatre), Merry Wives, shadow/ land, Shipwreck, Wild Goose Dreams (The Public), Fefu and Her Friends (TFANA), Flex, Becky Nurse of Salem, Marys Seacole (Lincoln Center), Nollywood Dreams, BLKS, Collective Rage: A Play in Five Betties, Charm, School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play (MCC). Awards: 2019 Obie Award (Sustained Excellence in Sound Design). MFA : Yale School of Drama palmerhefferan.com

Earon Nealey Wigs Design

Broadway: Fat Ham . Other design: Hamlet, shadow/land, The Harder They Come, Cullad Wattah, Mojada (The Public Theater), Joe Turner’s Come and Gone (The Huntington), Dames at Sea, Kinky Boots (Bucks County Playhouse), Last Supper (SOPAC), Twelfth Night (Marcus Garvey Park), On Killing (Soho Rep), Little Girl Blue (Goodspeed, New World Stages), Meet Vera Stark, Matilda (Colorado University), On Sugarland (NYTW), Nina Simone: Four Women (Berkshire Theatre Group), Little Women (Dallas Theater Center), Oklahoma!, Patsy Cline (Weston Playhouse), Memphis, Dream Girls (Cape Fear Regional Theater), Cadillac Crew, Twelfth Night (Yale Rep).

Dave Maier Fight Director

Dave is a prolific fight director with over 300 professional credits. He has choreographed violence for 19 Berkeley Rep productions, including Becky Nurse of Salem, Macbeth, and The Lieutenant of Inishmore. He is a Master Fight Director with Dueling Arts International and the resident fight director at San Francisco Opera and Oakland Theatre Project. He is a five-time recipient of the Theatre Bay Area Award for Outstanding Fight Choreography. Recent credits include Poor Yella Rednecks (ACT), Hamlet and Twelfth Night (Marin Shakespeare Co.), Private Lives (Arizona Theatre), King Lear and Taming of the Shrew (Santa Cruz Shakespeare), and Cyrano (Aurora Theatre). Dave teaches stage combat-related classes at Berkeley Rep School of Theatre.

Chelsea Pace Intimacy Coordinator

Berkeley Rep debut. Broadway: A Strange Loop, Leopoldstadt, K-POP. Off-Broadway: HELP, Bundle of Sticks. Regional: La Jolla: Sumo*, As You Like It; Signature: Bridges of Madison County, Into the Woods, Rent, Detroit ’67; Woolly Mammoth: Incendiary, A Strange Loop; Studio Theatre: Fun Home, John Proctor is the Villain, White Noise; Folger: Midsummer; Philadelphia Theatre: Tattooed Lady. Film: Tender Bar, Drive Away Dolls*. TV: League of Their Own, Harlem, Best Man, Wu-Tang, Dr. Death*, American Sports Story* (*upcoming). Co-Founder, Theatrical Intimacy Education. Author: Staging Sex: Best Practices, Tools, and Techniques for Theatrical Intimacy. Awards: Kennedy Center Gold Medallion. chelseapace.com @professorpace (she/her)

WHITLEY THEATRICAL Casting

Benton Whitley CSA & Micah Johnson-Levy. Current Broadway/NY: How to Dance in Ohio, Hadestown (Artios Award). Previous Broadway/NY: Life of Pi, Chicago the Musical, Paradise Square, Rock of Ages, Lightning Thief, Great Comet of 1812, Elf, On the Town, Pippin, La Cage aux

THE ARTISTS SHOW PROGRAM: POTUS 16 | THE BERKELEY REP MAGAZINE

Folles, Radio City Christmas Spectacular. TV/film: Netflix, 20th Century Fox, NBC, Lionsgate, Disney Channel. West End/UK: Hadestown, Thriller Live, Menier Chocolate Factory. U.S. tours: Hadestown, Hairspray, Waitress, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory, Finding Neverland, Into the Woods, We Will Rock You. Regional: American Rep, Berkeley Rep, Alley, Shakespeare Theatre Co, Bay Street, For The Record, TUTS, Hollywood Bowl, McCarter, Signature. Follow: @whitleytheatrical and whitleytheatrical.com

Karyn Meek*

Production Stage Manager

Broadway: Paradise Square; Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812; Elf; Fiddler on the Roof; Rent; Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Tours: The Lion King; Hello, Dolly!; The Drowsy Chaperone; Chicago; 9 to 5; La Cage Aux Folles. Off Broadway/regional: Hamlet (NYSF), Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (Kazino, ART), The Royale, Preludes (LCT), as well as Classic Stage Company, Primary Stages, Playwrights Horizons, The Vineyard Theatre, Dallas Summer Musicals, TUTS, TOTS, Pantages Theatre, and Starlight Theatre. Six seasons at Pittsburgh CLO Proud AEA member.

Christina Hogan*

Assistant Stage Manager

Christina returns to Berkeley Rep after working on English, Sanctuary City, and It Can’t Happen Here. Other theatre credits include The Headlands, Fefu and her Friends, Gloria, Top Girls, and Men on Boats (American Conservatory Theater), Two Trains Running by August Wilson, Pass Over, and Georgiana and Kitty (Marin Theatre Company), Lear (Cal Shakes), Josephine’s Feast, In Old Age, and The Baltimore Waltz (Magic Theatre), The Road to Mecca and Ripped (Z Space). Hogan has a BA in theatre arts from Saint Mary’s College of California. (she/her)

Johanna Pfaelzer

Artistic Director

Johanna joined Berkeley Rep in 2019 as its fourth artistic director, following 12 years as artistic director of New York Stage and Film (NYSAF), a New York City-based developer of new works for theatre, film, and television. Johanna is

proud to have developed work by notable established and early career writers like Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda; Goddess by Saheem Ali, Michael Thurber, and Jocelyn Bioh; The Humans by Stephen Karam; Hadestown by Anaïs Mitchell; The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe; The Invisible Hand by Ayad Akhtar; A 24-Decade History of Popular Music by Taylor Mac; The Homecoming Queen by Ngozi Anyanwu; The Great Leap by Lauren Yee; Doubt by John Patrick Shanley; The Fortress of Solitude by Michael Friedman and Itamar Moses; The Jacksonian by Beth Henley; and Green Day’s American Idiot. Johanna previously served as associate artistic director of American Conservatory Theater and is a graduate of Wesleyan University and the Actors Theatre of Louisville Apprentice Program. She lives in Berkeley with her husband, Russell Champa, and their son, Jasper.

Tom Parrish Managing Director

Tom has served as a theatre leader and arts administrator for over 20 years, with experience in organizations ranging from multi-venue performing arts centers to major Tony Award-winning theatre companies. Prior to Berkeley Rep, he served as executive director of Trinity Repertory Company, Geva Theatre Center, and Merrimack Repertory Theatre and as associate managing director/general manager of San Diego Repertory Theatre. His work has been recognized with a NAACP Theatre Award for Best Producer and “Forty Under 40” recognition in Providence, Rochester, the Merrimack Valley, and San Diego. He received his MBA/MA in Arts Administration from Southern Methodist University; BA in Theater Arts and Economics from Case Western Reserve University; attended the Commercial Theater Institute, National Theater Institute, and Harvard Business School’s Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management; and is certified in Leading Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion by Northwestern University. He and his husband live in Berkeley.

ADDITIONAL PRODUCTION CREDITS

REBECCA CHAN (PETER F. SLOSS ARTISTIC FELLOW) ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

TIFFANY HERNANDEZ ALBERTO

SOPHIA LYND (LIGHTING FELLOW)

ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNERS

BELLE ALATORRE

(HARRY WEININGER SOUND FELLOW) ASSISTANT SOUND DESIGNER

COURTNEY AUGUSTE HORRY WIG ASSISTANT

EMILY BETTS

ANTHONY LOPEZ (STAGE MANAGEMENT FELLOW) PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS

JAMES MCGREGOR

AUTOMATION

ISAAC JACOBS | ANTHONY MARTIN

CHRIS RUSSELL | SIOBHÁN SLATER

DECK CREW

BARBARA BLAIR (SUPERVISOR)

CAZ HIRO | EMILY MILLS

WARDROBE CREW

KENNETH COTÉ

LIGHT BOARD PROGRAMMER/OPERATOR

AKARI IZUMI

SOUND BOARD OPERATOR

ADAM CLAY | JESSICA LONEY

CARL MARTIN | SEAN MILLER

MAGGIE WENTWORTH | ZACH WZIONTKA

LAUREL CAPPS (SCENIC CONSTRUCTION FELLOW) SCENE SHOP

KENZIE BRADLEY | JULIE ANN BROWN

FLAVIA BUSTAMONTE SMITH | NEENA HOLZMAN

ALEXANDRA KRANYAK | CAYLA RAY-PERRY

E WAYMAN-MURDOCK (SCENIC ART FELLOW) SCENIC ART

KRISTINA FOSMIRE | ROBIN MAEGAWA-GOESER

BRITTANY WATKINS | KATIE OWEN (PROPS FELLOW) PROPS

JANET CONERY | NELLY FLORES | MILENA GEARY COSTUMES

SHY BANIANI | ASH BROWN | BRITTANY COBB

ZAID DAWSARI | RICHARD FONG | JACK GRABLE

TIFFANY HERNANDEZ ALBERTO | JASON JOO

RILEY RICHARDSON | TAYLOR RIVERS

C. SWAN-STREEPY | BEN VISINI | KIRA WEFERS LIGHTING

COURTNEY JEAN | CAMILLE RASSWEILER

C. SWAN-STREEPY SOUND

KAYLA BADIA

(PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT FELLOW) ASSISTANT PRODUCTION MANAGER

FAITH ELDER

(COMPANY MANAGEMENT FELLOW)

ASSISTANT COMPANY MANAGER

LARRY TASSE

PRODUCTION DRIVER

MEDICAL CONSULTATION FOR BERKELEY REP PROVIDED BY AGI E. BAN DC, JOHN CARRIGG MD, CINDY J. CHANG MD, CHRISTINA COREY MD, NEIL CLAVERIA PT, PATRICIA I. COMMER DPT, KATHY FANG MD PHD, STEVEN FUGARO MD, OLIVIA LANG MD, ALLEN LING PT, LIZ NGUYEN, DPT, CHRISTINA S. WILMER OD, AND KATHERINE C. YUNG, MD

SPECIAL THANKS TO JENNY ANDERSON, MALEK NAJJAR, RANA NAJJAR

SHOW PROGRAM: POTUS 17

THANK YOU to our supporters!

We thank the many organizations, companies, and individuals who enrich our community by championing Berkeley Rep’s artistic, education, and community engagement programs. We gratefully recognize these supporters of Berkeley Rep who made their gifts between September 1, 2022 and August 3, 2023.

Institutional Funders

FOUNDATION

Anonymous (3)

Civic Foundation, Inc.

Davis/Dauray Family Fund

The William H. Donner Foundation, Inc.

Edgerton Foundation

The Ira and Leonore S. Gershwin

Philanthropic Fund

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

JEC Foundation

Koret Foundation

Laurents/Hatcher Foundation

Jonathan Logan Family Foundation

The Maurer Family Foundation

The Bernard Osher Foundation

The Shubert Foundation

Taube Philanthropies

Woodlawn Foundation

Corporate & Hospitality Sponsors

SEASON SPONSORS

SPONSORS

Donkey & Goat Winery

PUBLIC FUNDING

Alameda County Arts Commission ARTSFUND

Berkeley Civic Arts Program and Commission

California Arts Council

National Endowment for the Arts

State of California

EXECUTIVE SPONSORS

First Republic Foundation

The Resilience Campaign

Mechanics Bank Wealth Management

Semifreddi’s Wells Fargo Foundation

CORPORATE PARTNERS

Armanino LLP

Aurora Catering Bank of Marin

Comal

Hugh Groman Catering

The Morrison & Foerster Foundation

BENEFACTOR SPONSORS

Gallagher Risk Management Services

Heroic Italian

Kermit Lynch

Lucia’s Berkeley

Picante

Residence Inn Downtown Berkeley

Revival Bar + Kitchen

PERFORMANCE SPONSORS

Andrea Gordon Real Estate

Bayer

Berkeley Repertory Theatre gratefully recognizes the following contributors for their transformational contributions to The Resilience Campaign that support the Theatre’s future.

California Wellness Foundation

Stephen & Susan Chamberlin

Robin & Rich Edwards

David & Vicki Fleishhacker

Kerry Francis & John Jimerson

Jill & Steve Fugaro

Karen Galatz & Jon Wellinghoff

Bruce Golden & Michelle Mercer

Marcia Grand

Frances Hellman & Warren Breslau

Dugan & Philippe Lamoise

The Jonathan Logan Family Foundation

Sandra & Ross McCandless

Gisele & Kenneth F. Miller

Jack & Betty Schafer

Pat & Merrill Shanks

Michael & Sue Steinberg

The Strauch Kulhanjian Family

Kelli & Steffan Tomlinson

Gail & Arne Wagner

Linda & Steve Wolan

DONORS 18 | THE BERKELEY REP MAGAZINE

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 people every year. We gratefully recognize our donors at the Champion level and above, who made their gifts between September 1, 2022 and August 7, 2023. We also express our deep gratitude to all of the Friends of Berkeley Rep that we are unable to recognize here due to space limitations.

Sponsors Circle

SEASON SPONSORS

Stephen & Susan Chamberlin

Bruce Golden & Michelle Mercer

Frances Hellman & Warren Breslau

Wayne Jordan & Quinn Delaney

Gisele & Kenneth F. Miller

Jack & Betty Schafer

The Strauch Kulhanjian Family

Kelli & Steffan Tomlinson

Gail & Arne Wagner

LEAD SPONSORS

Anonymous

Barbara Bass Bakar

Kerry Francis & John Jimerson

Marcia Grand

Mary Ruth Quinn & Scott Shenker

Allan Smith/Peet's Coffee

Michael & Sue Steinberg

EXECUTIVE SPONSORS

Anonymous

Anne & Anuj Dhanda

Bill Falik & Diana Cohen

Scott & Sherry Haber

Melanie Maier

Sandra & Ross McCandless

Pat & Merrill Shanks

Christopher Doane & Neal Shorstein, MD

Jean & Michael Strunsky

Steven & Linda Wolan

SPONSORS

Shelley & Jonathan Bagg

David & Vicki Cox

Christina Crowley

Robin & Rich Edwards

Jill & Steve Fugaro

Karen Galatz & Jon Wellinghoff

Melinda Haag & Chuck Fanning

Paul Haahr & Susan Karp

Ms. Wendy E. Jordan

Rosalind & Sung-Hou Kim

Jack Klingelhofer

Susan & Moses Libitzky

Ed Messerly & Sudha Pennathur

Jack & Valerie Rowe

Artistic Directors Circle

PARTNER

Anonymous (4)

Edward D. Baker

Italo & Susan Calpestri

Jennifer Chaiken & Sam Hamilton

Karen & David Crommie

Richard DeNatale & Craig Latker

Thomas W. Edwards &

Rebecca Parlette-Edwards

Merle & Michael Fajans

Cynthia A. Farner

Linda Jo Fitz

Lisa Franzel & Rod Mickels

Dennis & Susan Johann Gilardi

Rico & Maya Green

Karen Grove & Julian Cortella

Richard N. Hill & Nancy Lundeen

The Jackson Family Foundation

Duke & Daisy Kiehn

Peggy Kivel

Randy Laroche & David Laudon

Joel Linzner & Teresa Picchi

Rosa Luevano & Charles Marston

Elsie Mallonee

Marymor Family Fund

Peter Pervere & Georgia Cassel

Pure Dana Fund

Sue Reinhold & Deborah Newbrun

Barbara Sahm & Steven Winkel

Jaimie Sanford & Ted Storey

Emily Shanks

Shirlen Fund, in memory of

Shirley & Philip Schild

Ed & Ellen Smith

Deborah & Bob Van Nest

Elizabeth Werter & Henry Trevor

Sheila Wishek

BENEFACTOR

Anonymous

Norman Abramson, in memory of David Beery

Eric Allman & Kirk McKusick

George & Marcia Argyris

Michelle L. Barbour

Ashvini Bhave & Kishore Bopardikar

Becky & Jeff Bleich

Broitman-Basri Foundation

Ronnie Caplane

Constance Crawford

Dr. Jim Cuthbertson

Barbara & Tim Daniels

Richard & Anita Davis

Ilana DeBare & Sam Schuchat

Chris & Mike Rupp, Descendant Cellars

Joan Sarnat & David Hoffman

Felicia Woytak & Steven Rasmussen

ASSOCIATE SPONSORS

Anonymous

Edith Barschi & Robert Jackson

Lynne Carmichael

Cindy J. Chang, MD & Christopher Hudson

Narsai & Venus David

William T. Espey & Margaret Hart Edwards

David & Vicki Fleishhacker

Steven Goldin

Dr. Daniel F. Goodman

Elise Haas

Earl & Bonnie Hamlin

Lynda & Dr. J. Pearce Hurley

Fred Karren, in memory of Beth Karren

Sy Kaufman & Kerstin Edgerton

Suzanne LaFetra Collier

Bill DeHart

Corinne & Mike Doyle

Linda Drucker

Sandra & Ken Eggers

William & Susan Epstein

Jerry Falk

The Flatows

Dean Francis

Sharon & Tom Francis

Herb & Marianne Friedman

Mio & Johni Good

Mary Graves

Robert & Judith Greber

Migsy & Jim Hamasaki

Dan & Shawna Hartman Brotsky

Tamra C. Hege

Ruth Hennigar

Thomas & Elizabeth Henry

Elaine Hitchcock

Bill Hofmann & Robbie Welling

Paula Hughmanick & Steven Berger

Marilyn & Michael Jensen-Akula

Bill & Lisa Kelly

Dana Kirkland

Stephen F. Kispersky

Michael H. Kossman

Jane & Mike Larkin, in memory of

Lynn & Gerald Ungar

Dugan & Philippe Lamoise

Eileen & Hank Lewis

Ali Long, In Honor of T. Dixon Long

Helen M. Marcus, in memory of David J. Williamson

Phyra McCandless & Angelos Kottas

Erin McCune

Martin & Margi Cellucci McNair

Juan Oldham & Deborah Morgan

Tom Parrish & Steve Dow

Johanna Pfaelzer & Russell Champa

Gary & Noni Robinson

Arthur & Toni Rembe Rock

Leonard X & Arlene B. Rosenberg

David S. H. Rosenthal & Vicky Reich

Patricia Sakai & Richard Shapiro

Cynthia & William Schaff

Sarah E. Shaver

Audrey & Bob Sockolov

Salomon Strategic Development

Susan West

Wendy Williams

Jay & Eileen Love

Susanna & Brad Marshland

Rebecca Martinez

Henning Mathew & Michelle Deane

Miles & Mary Ellen McKey

Susie Medak & Greg Murphy

Stephanie Mendel

Andy & June Monach

Muriel Mora

Pam & Mitch Nichter

Carol J. Ormond

Janet & Clyde Ostler

Sandi & Dick Pantages

Barbara L. Peterson

Richard A. Rubin & H. Marcia Smolens

Monica Salusky & John K. Sutherland

Jeane & Roger Samuelsen

Jon and NoraLee Sedmak

David & Lori Simpson

Karen Stevenson & Bill McClave

Alison Teeman & Michael Yovino-Young

Henry Timnick

Larry Vales

Kimberly Webb & Richard Rossi

Beth Weissman

Patricia & Jeffrey Williams

Mark Zitter & Jessica Nutik Zitter

2023/24 | ISSUE 1 | 19

Friends of Berkeley Rep

CHAMPION

Anonymous (5) • Michael Barnett and Judith Bloomberg • Don & Gerry Beers • Caroline Beverstock • Eric Brink & Gayle

Vassar • Jon Carr • Paul Feigenbaum & Judy Kemeny • Donald & Dava Freed • Sally Freedman • Marjorie Ginsburg & Howard

Slyter • Anne & Peter Griffes • Henry L. Hecht • Alan Karras & David Schulz • Janet Kornegay & Dan Sykes • Woof Kurtzman & Liz Hertz • Shirley Langlois • Sherrill Lavagnino & Scott

McKinney • Andrew Leavitt & Catherine Lewis • Ellen & Barry

Levine • Marcia C. Linn • Tom Lockard & Alix Marduel • Lois & Gary Marcus, in memory of Ruth Weiland, Mose & Selma

Marcus • Geri Monheimer • Jane Neilson • Shanna O'Hare & John Davis • Judy O'Young, MD & Gregg Hauser • Bob & MaryJane Pauley • Teresa L. Remillard • John & Jody Roberts

Mitzi K. Sales • Dorothy Saxe • Jackie Schmidt-Posner & Barry

Posner • Amrita Singhal & Michael Tubach • Suzanne Slyman

Cherida Collins Smith • Lisa Salomon • Valerie Sopher • Henry

Spencer & Nicky Cass • Gary & Jana Stein • Trevor & Anne-

Marie Strohman • Sam Test • William van Dyk & Margi Sullivan

Brian Watt & Daisy Nguyen • Jonathan & Kiyo Weiss

ADVOCATE

Anonymous (13) • Philip Arca & Sherry Smith • Berit Ashla & Aron Cramer • Anne M. Baele • Linda & Mike Baker • Celia Bakke

Deborah Barrera & John Steinbuch • Patti Bittenbender • John Brennan & Stephanie McKown • Cathy Bristow • Tracy Brown & Greg Holland • Jane V. Buerger • Fran Burgess • Robert & Margaret Cant • Bruce Carlton • Laura Chenel • John Clawson & Teri Behm • Barbara & Rodgin Cohen • Bart Connally • Pam & Mike Crane • Lynne Dal Poggetto • Harry & Susan Dennis

Jacqueline Desoer • Dr. Donald J. Dodelson • Adrienne M. Edens • Ben & Mary Feinberg • Martin & Barbara Fishman • Mary & Stan Friedman • Chris R. Frostad • Ellen Geringer & Chris Tarp • Jane Gottesman & Geoffrey Biddle • Karen Greig & Mike

Frank • Don & Becky Grether • Ellen Haddock • Al Hoffman & David Shepherd • Rick Hoskins & Lynne Frame • Barbara & Peter

Jensen • May Johnston • Jeanne Killian • Robert Kinosian • Susan Kolb • The Komoroske Family • Andrea & Kenneth Krueger

Susan Carol Ledford • Jennifer S. Lindsay • Steve & Judy Lipson • Paulette Lueke & Robert McCully • Gerry & Kathy MacClelland

Paul Mariano & Suzanne Chapot • M. Mathews & K. Soriano • Christopher McKenzie & Manuela Albuquerque • Steven & Patrece Mills • Judy Minor • Ron Nakayama • Thomas Nelson • Judy Ogle • Patti Oji Haas • Judith & Richard Oken • Geraldine

Paddock • Lynne Parode & Sterling Lim • Tina & Thomas Parrish • Regina Phelps • Susie & Eric Poncelet • Kathleen Quenneville & Diane Allen • Daniel & Barbara Radin • Elizabeth Raffin • Lisa Regul & Rand Hawkins • Orna Resnekov & David Tennenhouse

Maxine Risley, in memory of James Risley • Deborah Dashow Ruth, in memory of Leo P. Ruth • Gretchen Saeger • Dan Scharlin & Sara Katz • Helen Schulak • Teddy & Bruce Schwab • Deborah Sedberry & Jeff Klingman • Jacob Sevart • Steve & Susan Shortell • Christine Silver • Betsy Smith • George & Camilla Smith • Linda Snyder • Monroe W. Strickberger • Ragesh Tangri & Daralyn Durie • Fred & Kathleen Taylor • Ruthann Taylor • John & Christine Telischak • Karen Tiedemann & Geoff Piller

Dana Tom & Nancy Kawakita • Sarah Van Roo • Liz Varnhagen • Marcia & David Vastine • Rhona & Harvey Weinstein • Peter Wiley • H. Leabah Winter

The Michael Leibert Society

Berkeley Rep gratefully acknowledges the following individuals who have generously provided for the theatre in their estate plans:

Anonymous (9)

Norman Abramson & David Beery*

Sam Ambler

Carl W. Arnoult & Aurora Pan

Ken & Joni Avery

Nancy Axelrod

Edie Barschi

Neil & Gene Barth

Susan & Barry Baskin

Linda Brandenburger

Broitman-Basri Family

Bruce Carlton & Richard G. McCall*

Victoria Carter*

Stephen K. Cassidy

Paula Champagne & David Watson

Terin Christensen

Sofia Close

Andrew Daly & Jody Taylor

Narsai & Venus David

M. Laina Dicker

Thalia Dorwick

Robin & Rich Edwards

Thomas W. Edwards & Rebecca Parlette-Edwards

Bill & Susan Epstein

William Espey & Margaret Hart Edwards

Bill Falik & Diana Cohen

Dr. Stephen E. Follansbee & Dr. Richard A. Wolitz

Kerry Francis

Dr. Harvey & Deana Freedman

Joseph & Antonia Friedman

Paul T. Friedman

Laura K. Fujii

David Gaskin & Phillip McPherson*

Marjorie Ginsburg & Howard Slyter

Mary & Nicholas* Graves

Elizabeth Greene

Sheldon & Judy Greene

Don & Becky Grether

Richard & Lois Halliday

Barry* & Micheline Handon

Julie & Paul Harkness

Linda & Bob Harris

Fred Hartwick

Ruth Hennigar

Daria Hepps

Douglas J. Hill

Peter Hobe & Christina Crowley

Hoskins/Frame Family Trust

Lynda & Dr. J. Pearce Hurley

Robin C. Johnson

Janice Kelly & Carlos Kaslow

Bonnie McPherson Killip

Lynn Eve Komaromi

Nancy Kornfield

Michael H. Kossman

Woof Kurtzman

Scott & Kathy Law

Jim Lillienthal*

Dot Lofstrom

Helen M. Marcus

Dale* & Don Marshall

Rebecca Martinez

Sarah McArthur LeValley

Sandra & Ross McCandless

Suzanne & Charles McCulloch

John G. McGehee

Miles & Mary Ellen McKey

Ruth Medak

Susie Medak & Greg Murphy

Stephanie Mendel

Toni Mester

Shirley & Joe Nedham

Jane & Bill Neilson

Pam & Mitch Nichter

Sharon Ott

Fr. David Pace

Amy Pearl Parodi

Barbara L. Peterson

Regina Phelps

Margaret Phillips

Marjorie Randolph

Gregg Richardson

Bonnie Ring Living Trust

David Rovno, M.D.

Tracie E. Rowson

Deborah Dashow Ruth

Patricia Sakai & Richard Shapiro

Brenda Buckhold Shank, M.D., Ph.D.

Emily Shanks

Kevin Shoemaker

Theresa Nelson & Bernard Smits

Valerie Sopher

Michael & Sue Steinberg

Dr. Douglas & Anne Stewart

Jean Strunsky

Mary, Andrew & Duncan Susskind

Jim Tibbs & Philip Anderson

Henry Timnick

Guy Tiphane

Dana Tom & Nancy Kawakita

Phillip & Melody Trapp

Janis Kate Turner

Gail & Arne Wagner

Dorothy Walker*

Barry & Holly Walter

Weil Family Trust - Weil Family

Susan West

Steven & Linda Wolan

The Woolfson Blumenfeld

Living Trust

Karen & Henry Work

Anders Yang, JD

Martin & Margaret Zankel

*deceased

GIFTS RECEIVED BY

BERKELEY REP

Estate of Suzanne Adams

Estate of Pat Angell, in memory of theater

architect Gene Angell

Estate of Nina Auerbach

Estate of Helen C. Barber

Estate of Fritzi Benesch

Estate of Carole B. Berg

Estate of Nelly Berteaux

Estate of Jill Bryans

Estate of Paula Carrell

Estate of Nancy Croley

Estate of John & Carol Field

Estate of Ralph Garrow

Estate of Audrey J. Lasson

Estate of Zandra Faye LeDuff

Estate of Ines R. Lewandowitz

Estate of John E. & Helen A. Manning

Estate of Richard Markell

Estate of Sumner & Hermine Marshall

Estate of Margaret D. & Winton McKibben

Estate of Robert S. Newton, in honor of John T. & Jean Knox

Estate of Sheldeen G. Osborne

Estate of Timothy A. Patterson

Estate of Gladys Perez-Mendez

Estate of Margaret Purvine

Estate of Guy T. Roberts, Jr.

Estate of Leigh & Ivy Robinson

Estate of Stephen C. Schaefer, in honor of Jean and Jack Knox

Estate of Peter Sloss

Estate of Harry Weininger

Estate of Grace Williams

berkeleyrep.org/give 510-647-2905 MAKE YOUR GIFT | DONORS
20 | THE BERKELEY REP MAGAZINE
As of August 2023. Berkeley Rep makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of these listings. If there is an error or you would like to adjust your listing, please call 510 647-2905.

BERKELEY REP STAFF

ARTISTIC

Karina Fox

ASSOCIATE CASTING DIRECTOR & ARTISTIC ASSOCIATE

David Mendizábal

ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Todd Almond · Christina Anderson

Rafael Casal · Daveed Diggs

Dipika Guha · Richard Montoya

Nico Muhly · Lisa Peterson

Sarah Ruhl · Tori Sampson

Jack Thorne Joe Waechter

ARTISTS UNDER COMMISSION

GENERAL AND PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT

Sara Danielsen

GENERAL MANAGER

Kali Grau

ASSOCIATE PRODUCTION MANAGER

Audrey Hoo

DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION

Peter Orkiszewski

COMPANY MANAGER

STAGE OPERATIONS

Julia Englehorn

STAGE SUPERVISOR

Gabriel Holman

ASSOCIATE STAGE SUPERVISOR

James McGregor

HEAD STAGE TECHNICIAN

PROPERTIES

Amelia Burke-Holt

ASSOCIATE PROPERTIES SUPERVISOR

Lisa Mei Ling Fong

PROPERTIES ARTISAN

Jillian A. Green

PROPERTIES SUPERVISOR

SCENE SHOP

Patrick Keene

SCENE SHOP SUPERVISOR

August Lewallen

SCENIC CARPENTER

Matt Rohner · Jim Smith

CO-TECHNICAL DIRECTORS

Read Tuddenham

HEAD CARPENTER

Grant Vocks

DRAFTSPERSON

SCENIC ART

Lisa Lázár

CHARGE SCENIC ARTIST

COSTUMES

Barbara Blair

WARDROBE SUPERVISOR

Kiara Montgomery

RESIDENT DESIGN ASSOCIATE

Star Rabinowitz

DRAPER

Maggi Yule

COSTUME DIRECTOR

ELECTRICS

Desiree Alcocer

PRODUCTION ELECTRICIAN

Kenneth Coté

SENIOR PRODUCTION ELECTRICIAN

Frederick C. Geffken

LIGHTING SUPERVISOR

Sarina Renteria

ASSOCIATE LIGHTING SUPERVISOR

SOUND AND VIDEO

Angela Don

SENIOR SOUND ENGINEER

Lane Elms

SOUND AND VIDEO SUPERVISOR

Akari Izumi

SOUND ENGINEER

Chase Nichter

ASSOCIATE SOUND AND VIDEO SUPERVISOR

ADMINISTRATION

Jared Hammond

FINANCE DIRECTOR

Kate Horton

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Jennifer Light

PAYROLL ADMINISTRATOR

Alanna McFall

BOOKKEEPER

Katie Riemann

ASSOCIATE FINANCE DIRECTOR

Modesta Tamayo

DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES AND DIVERSITY

DEVELOPMENT

Marcela Chacón

INDIVIDUAL GIVING MANAGER

Laura Fichtenberg

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Elaina Guyett

STEWARDSHIP AND EVENTS MANAGER

Ari Lipsky

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

Andrew Maguire

PHILANTHROPY OFFICER

Cassidy Milano

DEVELOPMENT OPERATIONS COORDINATOR

Kelsey Scott

INSTITUTIONAL GRANTS MANAGER

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Lindsey Abbott

AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Voleine Amilcar

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Beatriz Hernandez

MARKETING ASSOCIATE

Kevin Kopjak, Prismatic

Communications

PUBLIC RELATIONS CONSULTANT

Karen McKevitt

COMMUNICATIONS AND DIGITAL CONTENT DIRECTOR

Calvin Ngu

VIDEO AND MULTIMEDIA CONTENT CREATOR

Heather Orth

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

DC Scarpelli

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

OPERATIONS

Destiny Askin

CRM PROJECT MANAGER

Christina Cone

WEB AND DATABASE SPECIALIST

Theresa Drumgoole · Wendi Lau

Sophie Li

FACILITIES ASSISTANTS

Adam Johnson

FACILITIES MANAGER

Mark Morrisette

FACILITIES DIRECTOR

Amanda Williams O’Steen

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Nicole Peña

BUILDING MANAGER

Jesus Rodriguez

BUILDING TECHNICIAN

Thomas Tran

BUILDING ENGINEER

PATRON SERVICES

Emma Allen-Landwehr

Alicia Battle · Megan Bedig

Steven Cole · Matthew Hayden

Latasha Hayes · Armando Herrera

Caitlyn Lee · Jennifer Light

Maura Oliverira · Angela Phung

Tuesday Ray · Anna Riggin

Alana Scott · Debra Selman

Sloane Sim · Anna Vorobyev

PATRON EXPERIENCE REPRESENTATIVES

Derik Cowan

DIRECTOR OF TICKETING AND SALES

pan ellington · Joelle Joyner-Wong

Alanna McFall · Aya Newman

Em Parker · Dom Refuerzo

Christy Spence

BOX OFFICE AGENTS

Maddi Gjovik · Nina Gorham

PATRON SERVICES SUPERVISORS

Kelly Kelley FRONT OF HOUSE DIRECTOR

Gianna Francesca Vescio

BOX OFFICE SUPERVISOR

BERKELEY REP SCHOOL OF THEATRE

MaryBeth Cavanaugh

DIRECTOR OF CLASSES AND SUMMER PROGRAMS

Si Mon’ Emmett

CURRICULUM AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS MANAGER

Anthony Jackson

DIRECTOR OF THE SCHOOL OF THEATRE

Ashley Lim

CLASSES AND COMMUNICATIONS ADMINISTRATOR

Dylan Russell ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

Elizabeth Woolford

INTERIM EDUCATION ASSOCIATE

Bobby August, Jr. · Erica Blue

Diana Brown · Rebecca Castelli

lu-Hui Chua · Jiwon Chung

Robin Dolan · Jim Edgar

Deborah Eubanks · Joshua Feltman

Nancy Gold · Gary Graves

Marvin Greene · William Hodgson

Julian López-Morillas · Eleanor Maples

Carolyn McClandish · Patricia Miller

Hans Probst · Joyful Simpson

Samuel Tomfohr

TEACHING ARTISTS

Matty Bloom · Joy Lancaster

Selma Meyerowitz

DOCENT CO-CHAIRS

Ted Bagaman · Michelle Barbour

Beth Cohen · Miles Drawdy

Alice Galoob · Randi Helly

Muriel Kaplan · Ellen Kaufman

Jim Krampf · Richard Lingua

Mark Liss · Judith O’Rourke

Thomas Sponsler · Susan Wansewicz

Linda Williams

DOCENTS

Eloise Biddle-Gottesman

Kelsey Dougherty · Maelle Griffin

Lalima Gluesenkamp · Harper Iles

Oxford Lewis · Maya Madsen

Jaina Manning · Nakayla Moore

Chance Newby · Billie Nolfi-Makau

Eghosa Otokiti Blue Pascopella

Amy Perez-Soto · Zoe Poyeton-Wolf

Arunima Stroller · Tessa Rosen

Kailamae Sands · Bree Shennum

Jay Trauner

TEEN LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

2023/24 BERKELEY REP FELLOWSHIPS

Belle Alatorre

HARRY WEININGER SOUND FELLOW

Kayla Badia

PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT FELLOW

Gabrielle Bañuelos

COSTUMES FELLOW

Louis Blachman

BRET C. HARTE ARTISTIC FELLOW

Laurel Capps SCENIC CONSTRUCTION FELLOW

Rebecca Chan

PETER F. SLOSS ARTISTIC FELLOW

Rodrick Edwards

DEVELOPMENT/MARKETING FELLOW

Faith Elder

COMPANY MANAGEMENT FELLOW

Anthony Lopez

STAGE MANAGEMENT FELLOW

Sophie Lynd

LIGHTING FELLOW

Katie Owen

PROPERTIES FELLOW

E. Wayman-Murdock

SCENIC ART FELLOW

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

William T. Espey

PRESIDENT

Bruce Golden

VICE PRESIDENT

Juan Oldham

VICE PRESIDENT

Sudha Pennathur

VICE PRESIDENT

Emily Shanks

TREASURER

Scott Haber

SECRETARY

Jill Fugaro

CHAIR OF THE GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE

Steven C. Wolan

CHAIR OF THE AUDIT COMMITTEE

Henning Mathew

CHAIR OF THE INVESTMENT COMMITTEE

Susan Chamberlin

Christopher Doane

Sandra Eggers

Chuck Fanning

Steven Goldin

Jonathan C. Logan

Melanie Maier

Sandra R. McCandless

Anne Nemer Dhanda

Tom Parrish

Johanna Pfaelzer

Leonard X Rosenberg

Alfredo Silva

Allan Smith

Sherry Smith

Brian Watt

BOARD MEMBERS

Rena Bransten

Diana Cohen

Robin Edwards

William Falik

David Fleishhacker

Paul T. Friedman

Karen Galatz

David Hoffman

Richard F. Hoskins

Dugan Lamoise

Helen Meyer

Peter Pervere

Marjorie Randolph

Patricia Sakai

Jack Schafer

William Schaff

Richard M. Shapiro

Michael Steinberg

Roger A. Strauch

Jean Z. Strunsky

Michael S. Strunsky

Gail Wagner

Felicia Woytak

Martin Zankel

SUSTAINING ADVISORS

Helen C. Barber

A. George Battle

Carole B. Berg

Robert W. Burt

Shih-Tso Chen

Narsai M. David

Thalia Dorwick, PhD

Nicholas M. Graves

Richard F. Hoskins

Jean Knox

Robert M. Oliver

Stewart Owen

Marjorie Randolph

Harlan M. Richter

Richard A. Rubin

Emily Shanks

Edwin C. Shiver

Roger A. Strauch

Gail Wagner

Martin Zankel

PAST PRESIDENTS

FOUNDING DIRECTOR

Michael W. Leibert

PRODUCING DIRECTOR, 1968–83

STAFF & BOARD
21

SCENIC VIEWS

Berkeley Rep’s scenic artists are one of several teams tasked with bringing the scenic designer’s vision to life.

Here, they’re reproducing a piece of scenic wallpaper called “Views of North America,” originally created and printed by France’s Zuber Manufactory in 1834, still in existence today.

“Views of North America” was installed in the White House in the 1970s, rescued from a Maryland hotel scheduled for demolition. First, the scenic artists scaled up the scenic designer’s image — in this case, ½ inch equaled one foot — to the 30-foot-wide by 12-foottall painted fabric you see on stage. To match the wallpaper’s colors as accurately as possible, the team created a color palette and mixed the paint from their original formulas.

“Zuber’s wallpaper was printed from hand-carved woodblocks, pre-Industrial Revolution,” says Charge Scenic Artist Lisa Lázár. “Likewise, everything we do is intensely handmade and hand painted. We’re incredibly lucky to employ such talented Bay Area artists.”

MAKING THEATRE
Upper right: Scenic artist Alexandra Kranyak, Charge Scenic artist Lisa Lázár, and scenic artist Cayla Ray-Perry make their plan.
PHOTOS: CALVIN NGU 22 | THE BERKELEY REP MAGAZINE
Center: Scenic artist Alexandra Kranyak carefully details a section of the wallpaper.

BULRUSHER

A CO-PRODUCTION WITH McCARTER THEATRE CENTER

OCT 27–DEC 3, 2023 | PEET’S THEATRE

Berkeley native Eisa Davis’ lyrical coming-of-age story follows a multiracial girl found as an infant floating in a basket on the Navarro River in Mendocino County. It’s 1955, and Bulrusher is 18 and restless, with a gift for clairvoyance that makes her feel like a stranger even amongst the eccentric, dialect speaking folks of her predominantly white enclave of Boonville. When a mysterious Black girl from Birmingham comes to town, Bulrusher discovers new facets of her identity — and uncovers her place in the world. A Pulitzer Prize finalist called “captivating and lushly poetic” by the LA Times, Bulrusher is infused with rhythmic language, passion, and down-home humor.

LEAVE A LEGACY OF ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE

Members of the Michael Leibert Society are dedicated supporters who have included Berkeley Repertory Theatre in their estate plans. These gifts help to secure the Theatre’s future and ensure that for generations to come, Berkeley Rep will be creating ambitious theatre that entertains and challenges its audiences.

For more information, please contact Andrew Maguire, Philanthropy Officer at 510-647-2904 or amaguire@berkeleyrep.org.

35 22 1

CLASSES

TEACHING ARTISTS BERKELEY REP COMMUNITY

Fall Classes for all ages, levels, and abilities now open for registration at the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre

berkeleyrep.org/classes

Dominique Morisseau

MUSIC SUPERVISION, ORCHESTRATIONS, & ARRANGEMENTS BY Kenny

Kamilah Forbes

FEATURING THE MUSIC THAT DEFINED A GENERATION

TONI REMBE THEATER

“MY FAMILY TURNED ON SOUL TRAIN EVERY WEEK EXPECTING NOTHING LESS THAN A HOUSE PARTY . . . WE GOT THAT, AND A WHOLE LOT MORE.” —AHMIR “QUESTLOVE” THOMPSON, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER GET YOUR TICKETS TODAY! ACT-SF.ORG/SOULTRAIN

PARTY

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