Berkeley Rep presents Shakespeare's dark and violent tragedy on the Roda Stage. This classic exploration of the ominous side of ambition tells the story of a couple bound together in their thirst for the Scottish throne. Driven by an evil prophesy and his scheming wife, Macbeth kills the king and claims his crown, thus beginning a moral descent into a reign of terror. Macbeth starts previews Friday, February 19, 2016 and runs through Sunday, April 10. Press night for Macbeth will be held on Friday, February 26, 2016. Individual tickets for Macbeth will go on sale at noon Wednesday, December 2. Individual tickets start at $35 and can be purchased by phone at 510 647-2949 or online at berkeleyrep.org.
Berkeley Repertory Theatre continues its 2015-16 season with the new emotional family drama AUBERGINE, written by Julia Cho and directed by Michael Leibert Artistic Director Tony Taccone. This will be the first production presented on the newly renovated Thrust Stage and the second world premiere of the 2015 -16 season, following AMELIE, A NEW MUSICAL.
Crowded Fire Theater (CFT) Crowded Fire's newly appointed Artistic Director Mina Morita unveiled the 2016 mainstage season lineup of three contemporary plays that continue to uphold the company's long tradition of producing boundary - pushing, thought-provoking theater. At a season-announcement party on Saturday, November 14th Morita addressed Crowded Fire donors, patrons, and artists saying "At Crowded Fire, we are unafraid of tackling big issues. We commit ourselves to true experimentation of form and content to question, disrupt, or complicate comfortable notions of cultural hierarchy."
The play submission gates were thrown open on November 1 when the Table|Room|Stage (T|R|S) new play development program at Artists Repertory Theatre began accepting submissions for the new Oregon Play Prize.
Berkeley Repertory Theatre today announced that Olivier Award-winning actor Conleth Hill, accomplished on both stage and screen, will play the title role opposite Frances McDormand in a new production of Macbeth directed by Daniel Sullivan, opening in February 2016.
The NFL takes Center Stage in X's and O's, a new, ripped-from-the-headlines play about America's love of football and the often traumatic impact the sport has on many of its players and families. X's and O's is the final production at Center Stage before building-wide renovations move the company's last two productions of the season to a temporary residency at Towson University.
Berkeley Repertory Theatre today announced that Michael Liebert Artistic Director Tony Taccone will direct the upcoming production of Aubergine, by Julia Cho, which is scheduled to have its world premiere performances at the Theatre in February 2016. Liesl Tommy, Berkeley Rep's former associate director, has had to withdraw from the production following the just-announced Broadway transfer of Eclipsed, which Tommy is directing at the Public Theater in New York.
Artists Repertory Theatre names ambitious new play development program Table|Room|Stage (T|R|S). This wide-ranging program is led by Director of New Play Development & Dramaturgy Luan Schooler. Artists Rep welcomes playwright Yussef El Guindi to develop his play The Talented Ones as the first project of this notable program.
Berkeley Repertory Theatre proudly welcomes Chicago theatre rebels The Hypocrites for the West Coast premiere of Pirates of Penzance. Join the party in the Theatre's Osher Studio on Center Street for a delightfully and fantastically eccentric take on Gilbert and Sullivan's preposterous topsy-turvy world. Presented promenade-style, this unique production allows the audience to move around the space with the actors for a more immersive experience. Directed and adapted by Sean Graney, artistic director of The Hypocrites, Pirates of Penzance follows the adventures of Frederick, who was mistakenly apprenticed as a young boy to a band of sentimental pirates. Now 21, he falls head-over-heels for the Major-General's daughter and forswears the buccaneer's life forever, or so he thinks. This buoyant, award-winning production is a 'spirited, affectionate, and nearly irresistible,' says the Boston Globe.
California Shakespeare Theater continues its 2015 season with groundbreaking playwright Charles Ludlam's high-camp homage to the horror genre, The Mystery of Irma Vep. Directed by Jonathan Moscone in his final production as Cal Shakes Artistic Director, and featuring Danny Scheie and Liam Vincent, The Mystery of Irma Vep plays at the Bruns Amphitheater from tonight, August 12 through September 6.
California Shakespeare Theater continues its 2015 season with groundbreaking playwright Charles Ludlam's high-camp homage to the horror genre, The Mystery of Irma Vep. Directed by Jonathan Moscone in his final production as Cal Shakes Artistic Director, and featuring Danny Scheie and Liam Vincent, The Mystery of Irma Vep plays at the Bruns Amphitheater from August 12 through September 6.
Berkeley Repertory Theatre today announces key casting for three highly anticipated productions of its 48th season. Tony and Academy Award winner Frances McDormand will star in Macbeth, actor Steven Epp will make his seventh Berkeley Rep appearance in Treasure Island, and award-winning actress Kathleen Chalfant will play the lead role in the West Coast premiere of For Peter Pan on her 70th birthday. The Theatre previously announced the casting of award-winning British actress Samantha Barks in the title role in the world premiere of Amélie, A New Musical, set to begin its run in August.
Berkeley Repertory Theatre has announced that award-winning British actress Samantha Barks will star in the world premiere of AMELIE, A NEW MUSICAL directed by Tony Award winner Pam MacKinnon (Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?).
California Shakespeare Theater opens its 2015 season with Shakespeare's comic masterpiece, Twelfth Night, directed by Christopher Liam Moore. Twelfth Night plays at the Bruns Amphitheater from tonight, May 27 through June 21.
This month Berkeley Repertory Theatre proudly welcomes four exceptional new hires: General Manager Theresa Von Klug; Director of Marketing, Communications, and Patron Engagement Polly Winograd Ikonen; Associate Managing Director Sarah Williams; and Artistic Associate Sarah Rose Leonard. Together they bring to the award-winning Theatre a wealth of knowledge and extensive experience working in the arts and not-for-profit performing arts sectors.
Berkeley Repertory Theatre will conclude its 48th season with Richard Bean's internationally acclaimed One Man, Two Guvnors, a sassy update of Carlo Goldoni's classic knee-slapper, The Servant of Two Masters. Set in 1963 Brighton, England, One Man, Two Guvnors is a brilliantly delicious mash-up of splendid comedy, British pantomime, and music-hall revues. The uproarious plot features a disarming and doltish Francis Henshall who finds himself trapped by farce into working for two bosses - who are connected in wildly improbable ways. He just has to keep them from discovering each other. Inspired insanity, high-low antics, and nimble wordplay ensue - all backed by live musicians paying homage to rockabilly and a certain Fab Four. Directed by David Ivers - artistic director of the Utah Shakespeare Festival - and with songs by Grant Olding, One Man, Two Guvnors is a riotous blast complete with a colorful cast of characters in a topsy-turvy world of love triangles and mistaken identities. It previews today May 8, 2015, opens today, May 15, 2015, and plays through Sunday June 21, 2015. Press night for One Man, Two Guvnors will be held today, May 15, 2015. Individual tickets start at $29 and can be purchased by phone at (510) 647-2949 or online at berkeleyrep.org.
Since it's inception in 2012, Deborah Slater's Studio 210 Summer Artist Residency Program has offered space, mentorship, and performance opportunities to talented experienced & emerging artists in the Bay Area. It's a time to delve into artistic practice without the concerns of paying for rehearsal rental or creating a marketable product for funders and the public... a true chance to focus on the development of artistic work.