Aurora Extends 'MASTER HAROLD'

Critics and audiences agree: "MASTER HAROLD"... and the boys are magnificent. Aurora Theatre Company announces that it will add an additional 7 performances of Athol Fugard's (Blood Knot, My Children! My Africa!) modern classic "MASTER HAROLD"... and the boys. Former San Jose Repertory Theatre Artistic Director Timothy Near makes her Aurora directing debut with "MASTER HAROLD"... and the boys, featuring L. Peter Callender (Breakfast With Mugabe, The Soldier's Tale and Permanent Collection), AdrIan Roberts (Breakfast With Mugabe), and Andrew Humann (Shotgun Players, San Francisco Playhouse, Berkeley Playhouse). "MASTER HAROLD"... and the boys now plays through July 24th (added performances: Tuesday, July 19, 7pm; Wednesday, July 20, 8pm; Thursday, July 21, 8pm; Friday, July 22, 8pm; Saturday, July 23, 8pm; Sunday, July 24, 2pm, 7pm) at the Aurora Theatre Company in Berkeley. For tickets ($32-50) and information the public can call (510) 843-4822 or visit auroratheatre.org.

In "MASTER HAROLD"... and the boys, an ordinary rainy afternoon in 1950s South Africa turns into a profound and life-changing experience for a white teenager and his family's two black servants. At once a coming of age drama and a scathing indictment of inequality, this brilliant, searing coming of age story was called "One of those depth charge plays [that] has lasting relevance [and] can triumphantly survive any test of time...The story is simple, but the resonance that Fugard brings to it lets it reach beyond the narrative, to touch so many nerves connected to betrayal and guilt. An exhilarating play...It is a triumph of playmaking, and unforgettable" by the New York Post, and is considered by many to be Fugard's masterpiece. "MASTER HAROLD"... and the boys, premiered on Broadway in 1982 and won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play and was a Tony nominee for Best New Play about which The New York Times said, "Fugard creates a blistering fusion of the personal and the political." Not simply a polemic against the policy of apartheid, "MASTER HAROLD"... and the boys is about human relationships that are put to the test.

About "MASTER HAROLD"... and the boys, Lily Janiak of the San Francisco Chronicle said the Aurora production, "channel[s] an earlier era in acting, when we looked to the stars of our stages to deliver withering indictments of injustice," while Karen D'Souza at the San Jose Mercury News/Bay Area News Group called the production, "[an] exquisitely moving play... [a] sensitive revival," noting ["MASTER HAROLD"... and the boys is] a tragedy that speaks to our time." Emily Mendel at Berkeleyside declared the production, "a brilliant evening of theater... a finely-wrought exploration of the dynamics of apartheid... a not-to-be-missed, outstandingly-acted drama," while Ilana Walder-Biesanz at Stark Insider gave "MASTER HAROLD"... and the boys "5 out of 5 stars," calling the Aurora production, "Outstanding...Go see this play." Leo Stutzin at the Huffington Post agreed, stating, "Few stage works explore and expose so much with such economy, and few deliver such spellbinding, gut-wrenching power as the current revival at Aurora Theatre in Berkeley...A magnificent play, magnificently directed, acted and staged."

Following "MASTER HAROLD"... and the boys, Aurora Theatre Company opens its 25th season in September with a revival of the play that started it all, DEAR MASTER, directed by Joy Carlin. The season continues in November with the West Coast Premiere of Keith Josef Adkins' SAFE HOUSE, helmed by L. Peter Callender, followed by Tom Stoppard's THE REAL THING in January, directed by Timothy Near. Jon Tracy helms the Bay Area Premiere of Sarah Greenman's LENI in March. Steve Waters' TEMPLE makes its' U.S. Premiere at Aurora in April, directed by Artistic Director Tom Ross. Abi Morgan's SPLENDOUR, directed by Barbara Damashek, closes the season in June.

Voted Best Theater Company in 2012 by SF Weekly, Aurora Theatre Company continues to offer challenging, literate, intelligent stage works to the Bay Area, each year increasing its reputation for top-notch theater. Located in the heart of the Downtown Berkeley Arts District, Aurora Theatre Company, declared "one of the best regional theaters around" by 7x7 magazine, has been called "one of the most important regional theaters in the area" and "a must-see midsize company" by the San Francisco Chronicle, while The Wall Street Journal has "nothing but praise for the Aurora." The Contra Costa Times stated "perfection is probably an unattainable ideal in a medium as fluid as live performance, but the Aurora Theatre comes luminously close," while the San Jose Mercury News affirmed Aurora Theatre Company is "arguably the finest small theater in the Bay Area," and the Oakland Tribune stated "it's all about choices, and if you value good theater, choose the Aurora."