Berkeley Rep Adds Performances To DAN HOYLE'S THE REAL AMERICANS 6/27

Tickets for its new Fireworks Festival are selling so well that Berkeley Repertory Theatre has added an extra performance of Dan Hoyle's The Real Americans on Sunday, June 27 at 2:00 PM. A series of colorful and explosive performances, this summer's Fireworks display set off new solo solo shows from John Leguizamo and David Sedaris, which have already sold out their runs. But seats are still available for sparkling shows by two beloved local artists: Dan Hoyle and Wes "Scoop" Nisker. Experience the passion and intelligence of incendiary storytelling when Berkeley Rep lights the match on Fireworks.

All performances take place on Berkeley Rep's intimate Thrust Stage, a favorite home for renowned solo artists like Mike Daisey, Danny Hoch, Sarah Jones, Anna Deavere Smith, and Nilaja Sun. Here is the schedule:

· June 24 - 27: Dan Hoyle immerses himself in a subject, and then crafts a riveting show from the people he meets and the places he visits. "In the spirit of theatrical journalism exemplified by Anna Deavere Smith, Mr. Hoyle is both a first-rate reporter and actor," raves the New York Times. In his latest work, The Real Americans, Hoyle leaves the liberal bubble of San Francisco on a 100-day odyssey that explores America's culture wars. With humor and sympathy, he introduces audiences to the small-town residents he encounters as he searches for a bridge between the Obama Nation and Palin Country.

· June 30 and July 1: In Tings Dey Happen, which he researched as a Fulbright scholar, Hoyle examines the complexities of Nigerian oil politics in a tale fueled by fascinating, real-life characters, including ambassadors, warlords, and prostitutes. The show won the Glickman Award for best new play in the Bay Area and has been performed off Broadway, at colleges across the country, and on a Nigerian tour sponsored by the US State Department.

· July 2 and 3: Friends! Earthlings! Humans! Who are we, why are we here and how did we get into the mess we're in? Is there any hope for us and our species? Find out at Crazy Wisdom Saves the World Again. In this widely acclaimed comic monologue, "Scoop" Nisker explores the foolish human condition and the joys and sorrows of living in the modern age. Nisker is an author, radio commentator, Buddhist meditation teacher, and performer. His books include the bestselling classic Essential Crazy Wisdom and Buddha's Nature. He is also the founder and co-editor of the international Buddhist journal Inquiring Mind. For over 35 years, he has worked in radio, first as a news anchor, and more recently as a commentator. Wes has studied Buddhist meditation for more than three decades with teachers in Asia and America, and for the past 20 years has been leading his own retreats and workshops in Buddhist insight meditation and philosophy at venues internationally.

Tickets for Dan Hoyle and Wes "Scoop" Nisker are $25 each. Seats are half price for anyone under 30 years of age, and Berkeley Rep subscribers save $5 on every ticket. Berkeley Rep's Thrust Stage is located at 2025 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 five shows to Broadway: American Idiot, Bridge & Tunnel, In the Next Room (or the vibrator play), Passing Strange, and Wishful Drinking. Come see tomorrow's plays today at Berkeley Rep.

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