Anna Deavere Smith Returns To Berkeley Rep With LET ME DOWN EASY

It's been 15 years since she's performed on a Bay Area stage - now Anna Deavere Smith is returning. The beloved artist will bring her latest solo show to Berkeley Repertory Theatre, the same theatre that presented sold-out runs of her previous hits: Fires in the Mirror and Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992. Conceived, written, and performed by Anna Deavere Smith and staged by esteemed director Leonard Foglia, Let Me Down Easy is an electrifying one-woman show that explores the depths of human strength. Berkeley Rep presents Let Me Down Easy as part of Arena Stage's national tour of Second Stage Theatre's production. The show starts previews in the state-of the-art Roda Theatre on May 28, opens June 1, and runs through June 26.

"Anna Deavere Smith is one of the great purveyors of modern culture," says Tony Taccone, artistic director of Berkeley Rep. "I see her as a civic shaman, someone who channels the currency of opinion about huge social issues - in this case healthcare - and inspires us to think and feel in new ways. We are thrilled to welcome her back to our stage."

"The Let Me Down Easy journey began when I was invited to be a visiting professor at the Yale School of Medicine," Smith remarks. "My first thought was, 'Really, me, a clown, to create something in such a serious elite environment?' I walked away from the experience with an increased compassion for doctor and patient alike. The stories stayed in my heart and became the basis of this play."

Let Me Down Easy examines the body and the body politic, as only Anna Deavere Smith can. Called "the most exciting individual in American theater" by Newsweek, Smith conducted 320 interviews on three continents to create this show - and now she paints indelible portraits of more than 20 unforgettable individuals. Using her unique performance style, she introduces you to a rodeo rider, a prize fighter, and an altruistic doctor - as well as legendary cyclist Lance Armstrong, supermodel Lauren Hutton, and former Texas Governor Ann Richards. Together, their voices tell a stunning story about the vulnerability of the human body, the resilience of the spirit, and the price of care. Don't miss the latest work from this unparalleled performer.

NBC's Today raves, "Run - do not walk - to see this play! Watching Anna Deavere Smith on stage is magical. One minute you are laughing, the next you are crying. It is truly brilliant and stunning." Variety heralds the work as "a totally vital piece of theater, mixing a standup comic's instincts with a great reporter's keen eye." The New York Times calls it "a continually engaging and engrossing collection of testimonials," and Entertainment Weekly placed Let Me Down Easy among the Top 10 of 2009.

In 1994, Anna Deavere Smith set the Bay Area ablaze with her historic solo show Fires in the Mirror - the first production in Berkeley Rep's history to sell every ticket before it opened. The SF Weekly "recalls driving by the Rep at 7 AM and seeing folks camped out like Deadheads in hopes of landing seats." This revolutionary work, which examined a race riot in Brooklyn between black and Jewish neighbors, received an Obie Award, many other awards, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.

Two years later, Smith was back with Twilight: Los Angeles. During its Broadway and off Broadway runs, the show - which looked at the Rodney King riots in LA - earned numerous honors including two Tony nominations, an Obie Award, the Drama Desk Award, and a Special Citation from the New York Drama Critics Circle. It was staged in Berkeley by Sharon Ott, the artistic director of the Theatre at that time. This production shattered the attendance record at Berkeley Rep before touring to Boston, Houston, New Haven, Seattle, and Washington, DC, where it culminated in a performance for President Clinton, Mrs. Clinton, and Vice President Gore.

Smith has performed both of these shows across the country and around the world, as well as on PBS. Now she returns to Berkeley Rep with Let Me Down Easy. The creative team for this show includes Riccardo Hernandez (set designer), Ann Hould-Ward (costume designer), Dan Ozminkowski (lighting designer), Ryan Rumery (sound designer), Zachary Borovay (projection designer), and two Berkeley natives: Joshua Redman (original music elements) and Joseph Smelser (stage manager).

Let Me Down Easy concludes Berkeley Rep's 2010-11 Season in place of Rita Moreno: Life Without Makeup, which has been rescheduled to September so that its star can recuperate from a knee replacement. The executive producer of this local run is the Strauch Kulhanjian Family. BART and Wells Fargo continue their commitment as season sponsors at Berkeley Rep. The 2010-11 season producers are Marjorie Randolph and Wayne Jordan and Quinn Delaney.

It has been said that Anna Deavere Smith created a new form of theatre. When granted the prestigious MacArthur Award, her work was described as "a blend of theatrical art, social commentary, journalism, and intimate reverie." She has performed in film and TV as well as on stage. She currently plays Gloria Akalitus on Showtime's hit series Nurse Jackie and is probably most recognizable in popular culture as Nancy McNally, national security advisor on NBC's former hit The West Wing. Smith also has a vibrant career in theatre. Her work looks at current events from multiple points of view and combines the journalistic technique of interviewing her subjects with the art of interpreting their words through performance. Fires in the Mirror, Twilight: Los Angeles, and Let Me Down Easy are part of a series she began in the early 1980s called On the Road: A Search for American Character. Her goal has been to learn as much about America as she can, by interviewing individual Americans from diverse backgrounds, and putting herself in other people's words the way you might think of putting yourself in another person's "shoes." Other works in the series include House Arrest, which deals with the American presidency, and Hymn, a collaboration with world-famous choreographer and dancer Judith Jamison for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Smith has been featured in several films, among them The American President, The Human Stain, Life Support, and Rachel Getting Married. She was recently featured in a full-hour segment of Bill Moyers Journal for PBS and has written for The Drama Review, Elle, Essence, Newsweek, New York Times, The New Yorker, and O Magazine, as well as other publications. Smith has been the inaugural artist in residence at the Aspen Institute, the Ford Foundation, MTV Networks, and currently the Center for American Progress in Washington, DC. She is director and founder of Anna Deavere Smith Works, Inc., a place for artistic excellence and social change. ADS Works is based at New York University and convenes artists whose work focuses on the pressing social problems of our time. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a professor at New York University, she serves on the boards of the Aspen Institute and the Museum of Modern Art.

Leonard Foglia directed the Broadway productions of Master Class (as well as the national tour and London production), On Golden Pond (also for the Kennedy Center and the national tour), Thurgood, and Wait Until Dark. His off-Broadway work includes By the Sea for Manhattan Theatre Club and Bay Street Theatre, If Memory Serves for Promenade Theater and Pasadena Playhouse, Lonely Planet for Circle Rep, One Touch of Venus for City Center, and The Stendhal Syndrome for Primary Stages. His regional credits include A Coffin in Egypt, Seascape, Things Being What They Are, and The Woman in Black for Bay Street; Dinner with Friends and God's Man in Texas at The Globe Theatres; Distracted at the Mark Taper Forum; Let Me Down Easy at Zach Theatre; Paper Doll and The Secret Letters of Jackie and Marilyn for Pittsburgh Public Theater; Revelers for New York Stage and Film; Southern Comforts at Coconut Grove; The Subject Was Roses at the Kennedy Center; and Unusual Acts of Devotion at Philadelphia Theatre Company. Foglia has also directed numerous operas including Dead Man Walking at New York City Opera; The End of the Affair for the Houston, Madison, and Seattle Operas; and Three Decembers for the Houston and San Francisco Operas. He is co-author, with David Richards, of four mystery novels: 1 Ragged Ridge Road, Face Down in the Park, El Sudario, and its sequel to be published this year, La Sangre del Sudario.

Tickets to Let Me Down Easy start at only $34. Additional savings are available for groups, seniors, students, and anyone under 30 years of age - meaning discounted seats can be obtained for as little as $17.

During the run of Let Me Down Easy, theatregoers can enjoy 17 special events:

· Press night takes place on Wednesday, June 1 with a pre-show dinner for donors at the Hotel Shattuck Plaza and a post-show party for the audience catered by Bistro Liaison and Raymond Vineyards.

· night/OUT on Thursday, June 2 welcomes the LGBT community. This post-show dance party features food from Bistro Liaison and beverages provided by Raymond Vineyards.

· Teen Night begins at 6:30 PM on Friday, June 3 and includes dinner, a behind-the-scenes discussion with a member of the artistic team, and a performance of Let Me Down Easy. Tickets are only $10 for high-school students. For details, call (510) 647-2972 or e-mail school@berkeleyrep.org.

· Free 30-minute docent presentations about the show take place at 7:00 PM on the following Tuesday and Thursday evenings: May 31, June 2, June 7, June 9, June 14, June 16, June 21, and June 23.

· Post-play discussions moderated by theatre professionals follow the 8:00 PM shows on Thursday, June 2; Friday, June 3; and Tuesday June 7.

· And, on select evenings, patrons can whet their palates for the play with free tastings from these culinary artisans one hour before curtain: the Berkeley Farmers' Market on Friday, June 10; Bullion Creek on Saturday June 4; and Semifreddi's on Saturday, May 28.

It's easy to get to Let Me Down Easy. The Roda Theatre is located at 2015 Addison Street, near bus lines, bike routes, and parking lots - and only half a block from BART. For tickets or information, call (510) 647-2949 or toll-free at (888) 4-BRT-Tix - or simply click berkeleyrep.org.

ABOUT BERKELEY REP

Berkeley Repertory Theatre has grown from a storefront stage to a national leader in innovative theatre. Known for its core values of imagination and excellence, as well as its educated and adventurous audience, the nonprofit has provided a welcoming home for emerging and established artists since 1968. The Theatre welcomes an annual audience of 180,000, serves 20,000 students, and hosts dozens of community groups, thanks to 1,000 volunteers and more than 400 artists, artisans, and administrators. With two stages, a school, and a Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, Berkeley Rep is proud to premiere exhilarating new plays. In the last five years alone, the company has helped send six shows to Broadway: American Idiot, Bridge & Tunnel, Ghetto Klown, In the Next Room (or the vibrator play), Passing Strange, and Wishful Drinking. Come see tomorrow's plays today at Berkeley Rep.