Les Waters Bids Berkley Rep Adieu With Production of RED, 3/22 - 4/29

The Broadway play Red comes to Berkeley Repertory Theatre in March, staged as a valedictory by Obie Award-winner Les Waters as he departs the Bay Area to take the reins at Actors Theatre of Louisville. John Logan, the Oscar-nominated author of Aviator and Gladiator, won Tony and Drama Desk Awards for this feverish 90-minute drama. Now Waters and two exceptional actors bring this powerful play to local audiences. Red begins previews on the intimate Thrust Stage on March 16, opens March 22, and runs through April 29.

“John’s script for Red is expressive, taut, intense and the stage is set simply – for a tour de force by only two actors,” Waters said. “Red immerses us in art, color and questions. It’s a play about work, about mentoring, about the intersection of art and commerce. It’s a play about the ecstasy of creation and the inevitability of death. It’s a play about craft. I’m looking forward to collaborating with this superb team of performers and designers and can’t wait to share the results with everyone in the Bay Area who provided me with a perfect artistic home over the last eight years.” 

At the height of his fame, Mark Rothko struggles in his studio to finish a major series of murals. The brilliant master wrestles with his new apprentice in a battle of wits over a bucket of paint. Logan’s sizzling script spans the spectrum of human emotion. From grief and fury to joy and hope, it’s all covered in Red. 

The executive producer of Red is the Strauch Kulhanjian Family, and the show’s co-sponsor is Genstar Capital. For the seventh straight year, BART and Wells Fargo are official sponsors of Berkeley Rep’s season. The season producers are Wayne Jordan and Quinn Delaney, Marjorie Randolph, and Jack and Betty Schafer.

John Logan received the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Drama League Awards for Red. It premiered at the Donmar Warehouse in London and played at the Golden Theatre on Broadway where it won five other Tony Awards, as well. Logan is the author of more than a dozen plays, including Hauptmann and Never the Sinner. His adaptation of Ibsen’s The Master Builder premiered on the West End in 2003. As a screenwriter, Logan had three movies released in 2011: Coriolanus, Hugo, and Rango. His previous film work includes Any Given Sunday, The Aviator (Oscar, Golden Globe, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and Writers Guild of America nominations), Gladiator (Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and WGA nominations), The Last Samurai, RKO 281 (WGA award and Emmy nomination), and Sweeney Todd (Golden Globe Award).

Les Waters served as associate artistic director of Berkeley Rep for eight years. Now he has taken over as artistic director of the renowned Actors Theatre of Louisville. Waters has a history of collaborating with prominent playwrights like Caryl Churchill, Charles Mee, and Wallace Shawn, and champions important new voices such as Will Eno, Jordan Harrison, Sarah Ruhl, and Anne Washburn. In 2009, Waters made his Broadway debut with In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play), which began in Berkeley. His other productions at Berkeley Rep included the world premieres of Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West, Fêtes de la Nuit, Finn in the Underworld, Girlfriend, and To the Lighthouse; the American premiere of TRAGEDY: a tragedy; the West Coast premieres of Ruhl’s Eurydice and Three Sisters; and extended runs of The Glass Menagerie, The Lieutenant of Inishmore, The Pillowman, and Yellowman. Waters also has numerous credits in New York, his native England, and at theatres across America.

Two actors paint each other into a corner at every performance of Red. David Chandler (Mark Rothko) previously performed at Berkeley Rep in Waters’ production of Heartbreak House. His Broadway credits include American Clock, Death of a Salesman, and Lost in Yonkers, and he was seen in A Question of Mercy at London’s Bush Theatre. He also appears frequently on film and television, at regional theatres, and at prestigious off-Broadway venues such as La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club, MCC Theater, New York Shakespeare Festival, New York Theatre Workshop, Playwrights Horizons, and Second Stage Theatre. John Brummer (Ken) is a recent graduate of the University of North Carolina’s MFA program. He was a company member at PlayMakers Repertory Company where he played Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest and George in All My Sons, among many other roles.

Four designers have pulled out their palates to work on Red: Louisa Thompson (scenic design), Anna Oliver (costume design), Alexander V. Nichols (lighting design) and Bray Poor (sound design). The stage manager for this show is Michael Suenkel, Berkeley Rep’s resident production stage manager.

During the run of Red, audiences can color their experience with 32 special events:

• Low-cost previews take place on Friday, March 16; Saturday, March 17; Sunday, March 18; and Tuesday, March 20.
• Teen Night begins at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, March 16 and includes a presentation by a member of the artistic team, dinner provided by Phil’s Sliders, and a performance of the show. Tickets are only $10 for high-school students. For details, call (510) 647-2973 or e-mail teencouncil@berkeleyrep.org.
• Opening-night festivities are held on Thursday, March 22 with the generous support of Bistro Liaison, the Hotel Shattuck Plaza, Raymond Vineyards, and TCHO.
• Free 30-minute docent presentations about the show take place at 7:00 p.m. on the following Tuesday and Thursday evenings: March 20, March 27, March 29, April 3, April 5, April 10, April 12, April 17, April 19, April 24 and April 26. Docent talks are also held in three local communities: at the Orinda Library on Tuesday, March 27 at 7:00 p.m., at the Moraga Library on Wednesday, March 29 at 2:00 p.m., and at the Lafayette Library on Wednesday, April 4 at 7:00 p.m..
• Post-play discussions moderated by theatre professionals follow the 8:00 p.m. shows on Thursday, April 5; Tuesday, April 10; and Friday, April 20.
• A student matinee for high-school groups will be held at noon on Thursday, April 19. Tickets are $10 each, and a chaperone is admitted free for every 10 students. For details, call (510) 647-2918 or e-mail groups@berkeleyrep.org.
• 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 Ecology Center on Sunday, March 25; the Bread Workshop on Saturday, March 31; Dr. Kracker on Friday, April 6; Ladera Wintery on Saturday, April 28; Peterson Winery on Friday, March 30; Raymond Vineyards on Friday, March 23; Semifreddi’s on Sunday, April 1; and Urbano Cellars on Friday, April 13.

Individual tickets to Red and other shows in the season start at only $29. Additional savings are available for groups, seniors, students and anyone under 30 years of age – meaning discounted tickets can be obtained for as little as $14.50.

The Thrust Stage is located at 2025 Addison Street, half a block from BART and near bus lines, bike routes and parking lots. For tickets or information, call (510) 647-2949 or simply visit www.berkeleyrep.org.