Aurora Extends 'MASTER HAROLD' Once More

Critics and audiences agree: "MASTER HAROLD"... and the boys are magnificent. Aurora Theatre Company announces that it will add an additional 4 performances of Athol Fugard's (Blood Knot, My Children! My Africa!) modern classic "MASTER HAROLD"... and the boys to the previously announced 7 performance extension. Former San Jose Repertory Theatre Artistic Director Timothy Near helms "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 31st (added performances: Thursday, July 28, 8pm; Friday, July 29, 8pm; Saturday, July 30, 8pm; Sunday, July 31, 2pm) at the Aurora Theatre Company in Berkeley. For tickets 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, John Wilkins of KQED Arts said, "beautifully acted and directed... ["MASTER HAROLD"... and the boys] take[s] us back to the moment when a play like this felt necessary," while Jeffrey Edalatpour of SF Weekly called the production, "devastating... transcendent... [playwright Athol] Fugard deftly manages to shift our sympathies." Charles Brousse at the Pacific Sun concurred, stating, " "MASTER HAROLD"... and the boys is one of the 20th century's greatest works for the stage...Aurora's brilliant revival should educate the unknowing, quiet the skeptics (if there are any) and remind the rest of us what a wonderfully useful instrument live theater can be."

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."