Berkeley Playhouse Presents AVENUE Q, Now thru 10/11

Berkeley Playhouse at the historic Julia Morgan Theater opens its eighth season with Avenue Q. The artistic team will be headed by favorite Bay Area actor Danny Cozart (Assassins with Shotgun Players, Babes in Arms with 42nd Street Moon), in his directorial debut. Avenue Q runs from tonight, September 17 - October 11, with previews on September 17 and September 19. Opening Night is Saturday, September 19, at the Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Avenue in Berkeley. Tickets and Season Passes are available now through the Box Office, call (510) 845-8542 x351 or visit Berkeleyplayhouse.org.

What if Sesame Street was written for adults? What if instead of teaching numbers and letters, the lessons were about relationships, drinking, finding your purpose in life, and Internet porn? Then you'd have Avenue Q. This show beat out Wicked for the award of Best Musical in 2004!

Avenue Q is a big departure from the work that Berkeley Playhouse has done in the past. Explains Founding Artistic Director Elizabeth McKoy, "Our family series and core educational programming will continue exactly as it has for eight years. We are still providing four professional shows for families to come to, and classes for grades K - 12. Berkeley Playhouse is unique in that half of the company is rooted in education and half is rooted in professional theatre. I don't think there is another company like this in the Bay Area. We look forward to adding more programming for adults while maintaining our strong focus on youth."

She continues, "Avenue Q is the perfect show to begin our expanded programming for all ages. It's about adult issues and relationships, is cleverly written, and the use of puppets is a sly wink to the work we've been doing these past eight years."

Cozart's creative team includes Musical Direction by Resident Music Director, Michael Patrick (Berkeley Playhouse, Bay Area Children's Theatre, Center REP, Contra Costa Civic Theatre, Co-Founder/Director, and Musical Director of Center REP's Young Rep Musical Theater Conservatory), Lighting and Scenic Design by Mark Thomas (Barry Manilow at the Las Vegas Hilton; Teatro ZinZanni; Letter from Birmingham Jail with Anna Deavere Smith; Berkeley Playhouse, SF Playground, Box Car Theatre, Broadway By the Bay, ODC), Costume Design by Tammy Berlin (Marin Shakespeare, Saint Mary's College, Bay Area Children's Theatre, and is the resident costumer for Central Works), Sound Design by Taylor Gonzalez (Berkeley Playhouse, San Francisco Mime Troupe's Youth Theater Project), and Prop Design by Debbie Shelley (Berkeley Playhouse, Contra Costa Musical Theatre, Center Stage Theatre Company, New Conservatory Theatre, and Central Works).

THE CAST: The cast of seven includes Isaiah Boyd (Beach Blanket Babylon with Steve Silver Productions, Babes in Arms, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum with 42nd Street Moon, Avenue Q with Willows Theatre Company) as Gary Coleman; Andrea Dennison-Laufer (Ragtime [Evelyn Nesbit], Oklahoma! [Laurie], The Rocky Horror Show [Janet Weiss], Cabaret [Sally Bowles], Lippa's The Wild Party [Queenie], Zanna Don't! [Kate], Little Shop of Horrors [Audrey], and Pride and Prejudice [Charlotte Lucas] at Milwaukee Rep) as Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut; Catherine Gloria (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee [Marcy Park] with Berkeley Playhouse, The Magic School Bus [Wanda] with the national tour, Miss Saigon (Kim) with Broadway By the Bay, Flower Drum Song (Mei Li) and LES MISERABLES (Eponine) with Woodminster) as Christmas Eve; Hayley Nystrom (Avenue Q [Mrs. Thistletwat] with New Conservatory Theatre Company; Gay Bride of Frankenstein [Chloe/Liza] with The Thrillpeddlers; Lend Me A Tenor [Maggie], Grease [Marty]) as Mrs. Twistletwat; Kevin Singer (Hank Williams: Lost Highway [Hank Williams] with Douglas Morrisson Theatre, Yeast Nation with Ray of Light Theatre; Macbeth with We Players'; Shotgun Players, Cinnabar Theatre) as Princeton, Rod; Brandon Thomas (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee [Mitch Mahone], Shrek [Papa Bear], Hairspray [Seaweed] at Berkeley Playhouse; other roles include Avenue Q [Gary Coleman], Wish Upon A Star [Ursula], and Hairspray [Motormouth Maybelle]) as Nicky, Trekkie Monster, Bad Idea Bear; Brian Watson (Mary Poppins [Bert], LES MISERABLES [Enjolras], Inventing van Gogh [Vincent van Gogh], Lend Me a Tenor [Max], Legally Blonde [Emmett], Damn Yankees [Applegate], Passion [Colonel Ricci], and Chess in Concert [Molokov]) as Brian.

SPECIAL YOUTH ACTIVITIES DURING THE PERFORMANCE

Berkeley Playhouse is committed to providing the East Bay community with entertainment the entire family can enjoy. As Avenue Q is not appropriate for young children to attend, Berkeley Playhouse will offer a free evening of theatre enrichment activities and games for youth ages 4 and older to take place concurrently during each performance, for the children of ticket holders. Parents may bring their children to the Berkeley Playhouse studios, located just behind the theatre. Reservations are required and can be made at the same time as your ticket purchase.

ABOUT BERKELEY PLAYHOUSE: Berkeley Playhouse was founded in 2007 by professional theatre actor, director, and teacher for over 25 years, Elizabeth McKoy. With the rapid growth of the company, the Board of Directors brought on Producing Artistic Director Daren A.C. Carollo and Managing Director Lauren Hewitt to partner with McKoy to continue Berkeley Playhouse's development into a professional musical theatre providing our community with a unique and sophisticated experience. Additionally, Berkeley Playhouse offers a range of skill and performance based theatre training for young actors through our thriving School of Musical Theatre. In 2009, Berkeley Playhouse made the historic Julia Morgan Theater its permanent home.

Previews: Thursday, September 17 at 7pm and Saturday, September 19 at 2pm

Opens: Saturday, September 19 at 8pm

Press: Saturday, September 19 at 8pm; Sunday, September 20 at 2pm (Please note the change in our normal curtain times for this production).

Closes: Sunday, October 11 at 2pm

Performances: Due to the unique performance schedule, please check the website for specific dates and times. All performances at Berkeley Playhouse at The Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave., Berkeley, CA 94704.

TICKETS: For tickets ($17 for previews, $23-$60 for regular performances) or more information, the public may call (510) 845-8542 x351 or visit berkeleyplayhouse.org. Group rates available for 10 or more people.

There will be a "Pay What You Can" performance on Thursday, October 8 at 7pm where tickets are sold on a sliding scale from $5-$20.

A special "30 and under" ticket will be available for Avenue Q. The cost is $25 and includes a voucher for one item from our concessions.