Aurora Theatre Presents PALOMINO, 10/29-12/5

Aurora Theatre Company continues its 19th season with the Bay Area Premiere of acclaimed writer and actor David Cale's new solo play PALOMINO. The San Francisco Chronicle declared Cale "a spellbinder," noting that as "fascinating as he is to watch, and exquisite as his verbal imagery can be, it is Cale's gifts as a storyteller that hold an audience rapt." Written, directed, and starring David Cale, PALOMINO plays October 29 through December 5 at the Aurora Theatre in Berkeley. For tickets ($10-55) and information the public can call (510) 843-4822 or visit www.auroratheatre.org.

Hailed by Variety as "exquisitely moving" and "deeply satisfying, combining the incisiveness of psychological fiction with the immediacy of the theatrical event," PALOMINO is a beautifully-realized play written for one actor about the sexual exploits of a hackney driver turned accidental gigolo. David Cale plays a cast of seven different characters, both male and female, to tell the story of Kieren McGrath, a handsome, literate, Central Park carriage driver who dreams of writing a great novel. When he is offered the opportunity to become an escort to a number of lonely, wealthy women in New York City, he believes he has finally found his subject. Or has he? As McGrath shares his sexual conquests and introduces the women he has met, seduced, and profited from, the theme of bartering for love takes on new meaning. PALOMINO received its World Premiere in 2009 at Kansas City Repertory Theatre after undergoing development at the Sundance Theatre Lab, where Cale was writer-in-residence.
 
A brilliant writer and actor, David Cale is best known for his solo works Somebody Else's House, Deep in a Dream of You, Smooch Music, The Redthroats, and the OBIE-winning Lillian. As an actor, he recently appeared opposite Ryan Gosling and David Morse in the film The Slaughter Rule, on Broadway in The Threepenny Opera, and most recently Off-Broadway in Mouth to Mouth, and will appear with Bernadette Peters in the upcoming film Coming Up Roses. As a writer, Cale's monologues have been featured on Public Radio's "This American Life" and NPR's "The Next Big Thing." He penned the book, lyrics, and co-composed music for the musical Floyd and Clea Under the Western Sky, which received an Outer Critics Circle Nomination for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical; Cale was also featured in the production as a performer. Additionally, Cale was one of the writers for Motherhood Out Loud, which ran at Hartford Stage, and penned scripts for several dances, including the text (and narration) for Chickens, which was choreographed by Charles Moulton and performed by Mikhael Baryshnikov's White Oak Dance Project. As a lyricist, Cale's words have been performed by Elvis Costello, Deborah Harry, The Jazz Passengers, Richard Butler of The Psychedelic Furs, performance artist John Kelly, and jazz singer Jimmy Scott, among others. His songs have been featured on the soundtracks of several films, including Robert Altman's Short Cuts.
 
Following PALOMINO, in January, Aurora Theatre Company presents the second main stage production to develop from its Global Age Project, the World Premiere of Allison Moore's COLLAPSE, directed by Jessica Heidt; as a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere, the play will be produced at Curious Theatre Company (Denver) and Kitchen Dog Theater Company (Dallas) following the Aurora's lead production. In honor of Tennessee Williams' 100th birthday, Aurora Theatre Company Artistic Director Tom Ross helms Williams' rarely-produced stage gem THE ECCENTRICITIES OF A NIGHTINGALE in April; additionally, all of the Script Club selections for the season will be plays by Williams. Closing the season is the first American professional production of British director David Farr and Icelandic actor-director Gísli Örn Gardarsson's thrilling avant garde adaptation of Franz Kafka's METAMORPHOSIS, directed by Bay Area auteur Mark Jackson in June.
 
Nominated for 27 and winner of 7 Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards for 2009, 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 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] lives up to its reputation as a theater that feeds the mind," and the Oakland Tribune declared "it's all about choices, and if you value good theater, choose the Aurora."