STAGE TUBE: Director Richard E.T. White Talks Berkeley Rep's 'VANYA AND SONIA'

Director Richard E.T. White Introduces Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike at Berkeley Rep from Berkeley Repertory Theatre on Vimeo.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre kicks off its 46th season this September with Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, winner of the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play. The hilarious Broadway blockbuster from three-time Obie Award-winner Christopher Durang begins previews in the Roda Theatre on September 20, opens September 25, and runs through October 20. Click below to watch Director Richard E.T. White introduce the show!

Durang, the renowned author of rollicking comedies such as Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You and The Marriage of Bette & Boo, turns Chekhov on his head with this witty and incisive farce. In bucolic Bucks County, Vanya and Sonia fritter their lives away in their family's farmhouse amid regret, angst, and the alarming prophecies of an addled housecleaner. Enter their sister Masha, a self-absorbed movie star with her prized boy toy Spike, and the stage is set for an absurd weekend of hilarity and global warming. Acclaimed director Richard E.T. White returns to Berkeley Rep to stage the laugh-inducing Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, a loving homage to Chekhov's themes of heartbreak and hope.

Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike is brought to life by an ensemble featuring six of the Bay Area's most accomplished comic actors and gifted newcomers: Anthony Fusco (Vanya), Lorri Holt (Masha), Mark Junek (Spike), Caroline Kaplan (Nina), Sharon Lockwood (Sonia), and Heather Alicia Simms (Cassandra).

The creative team for Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike includes longtime Berkeley Rep collaborators: Kent Dorsey (scenic designer); Beaver Bauer (costume designer); Alexander V. Nichols (lighting designer); and Composer Rob Milburn and sound designer Michael Bodeen.

Individual tickets to Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike start at $29. Additional savings are available for season subscribers, groups, seniors, students, and anyone under 30 years of age - meaning discounted tickets can be obtained for as little as $14.50. For details, call (510) 647-2949 - or simply click berkeleyrep.org.