Berkeley Rep Announces Annual Teen Writers For Annual Fest

At Berkeley Repertory Theatre, artists don't just earn national awards like the Tony and the Grammy: today the nonprofit's School of Theatre announced local winners in its annual Teen One-Acts Festival. This year's winning scripts are Speak Like This: The Prayer Play by 16-year-old Naomi Zingman-Daniels of Oakland, a junior at Oakland Technical High School, and Nothing Happens and Nobody Knows What They're Talking About by 17-year-old Andrew Moorhead of Piedmont, a senior at Piedmont High School.

These original plays will be directed, performed, designed, and produced entirely by teens, with 24 youth from 10 local communities participating. At 8:00 PM on April 1, 2, 8, and 9, performances take place in Berkeley Rep's School of Theatre at 2071 Addison Street in downtown Berkeley. Tickets, available only at the door, are $8 for students and $12 for adults.

"We're proud that we can provide so much one-on-one mentoring for teens in our community," remarks Rachel Fink, director of the School of Theatre. "But honestly every year, we learn as much from the teens as they learn from us. This is such a wonderful laboratory for teamwork and leadership."

Funny, sad, and often ironic, Speak Like This is a poetic look into the daily prayers of five characters from different walks of life. The play is directed by 17-year-old Shanice Caruthers of Danville, a senior at Dougherty Valley High School, and produced by 17-year-old Regina Fields of Oakdale, a recent graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy. The stage manager is Matthew Bunker of Berkeley, a 16-year-old sophomore at Berkeley High School.

Nothing Happens and Nobody Knows What They're Talking About is a realistic comedy about dating that features an awkward boy, his overconfident best friend, an annoying jock, and the irresistible girl that's too mature for all their drama. The show is directed by 17-year-old Peter Bowman of Pittsburgh, a senior at Pittsburgh High School, and produced by 16-year-old Darcy Davis of Lafayette, a sophomore at Acalanes High School. Sierra Baggins of Berkeley, a 16-year-old junior at Berkeley High, serves as stage manager.

The ensemble for each show is comprised of talented local teens:

Speak Like This features 18-year-old Victoria Bolden of Berkeley, a senior at Berkeley High; 15-year-old Misha Brooks of Berkeley, a freshman at Berkeley High; 16-year-old Emma Goodfield of Berkeley, a junior at Berkeley High; 17-year-old Alexander Michels of Walnut Creek, a senior at Las Lomas High School; and 16-year-old Jack Sadler of Piedmont, a junior at Piedmont High.

The cast of Nothing Happens includes 15-year-old Negi Esfandiari of Berkeley, a sophomore at Berkeley High; 18-year-old Zac Goldstein of Alameda, a junior at Alameda High School; 16-year-old Augie Grahn of Piedmont, a junior at Millennium High School; and 17-year-old Lawrence Ma of Piedmont, a junior at Piedmont High.

The assistant production manager for the festival is 16-year-old Bowen Bethards of El Cerrito, a sophomore at Albany High School. The creative team also includes three teens from Berkeley High: 15-year-old sophomore Oscar Peña of Berkeley is designing scenery, 15-year-old freshman Miranda Taylor of Berkeley is helping create costumes, and 17-year-old junior Katharine Khamhaengwong of Berkeley is serving as sound designer. The assistant props master is Gisela Feied of Berkeley, a 16-year-old sophomore at Oakland School for the Arts, and the assistant lighting designer and board operator is 17-year-old Ian Billings of El Cerrito, a senior at El Cerrito High School.

To guide them toward a final product that is as polished and professional as possible, the teens have been paired with mentors from Berkeley Rep's fellowship program. This year's mentors include Daniela Becerra, Amy Bobeda, Samantha Budd, Lindsay Cramond, Champagne Hughes, Margot Leonard, Candice McDowell, Jamaica Montgomery-Glenn, Leandro Marques, Krys Ritchie, Rachel Steinberg, Kate Vangeloff, Amanda Warner, and Jennifer Wills.

The Berkeley Rep Teen Council is a theatre youth group organized by teens for teens. Its goal is to foster the theatre audiences and theatre professionals of tomorrow by opening channels of communication between teens, theatre professionals, and the community at large while building a base for lifelong learning. Through a variety of interactive programs, the Teen Council provides an opportunity for youth to participate in all aspects of the dramatic process: on stage, backstage, and in front of the stage through its affiliation with the Tony Award-winning Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Currently, the Council has more than 100 members including youth from numerous local high schools. For more information, call (510) 647-2973, visit berkeleyrep.org, or e-mail teencouncil@berkeleyrep.org.

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