Berkeley Rep Awards Fellowships to 16 Artists

Today Berkeley Repertory Theatre announces that 16 young professionals - including seven California natives - have been awarded fellowships for the 2013-14 season. Each year, the brightest and best young minds from across the country are selected through a rigorous application process to take part in Berkeley Rep's Fellowship program. This prestigious training program provides hands-on practical experience with educational seminars that offers insight into the operation and inner workings of an award-winning theatre.

"Berkeley Rep's Fellowship program has existed for more than 30 years. It's very important for us to nurture and shepherd the best emerging talent. We have high hopes that they will, over time, make huge contributions to the theatre profession," says Susan Medak, the Theatre's managing director. "It's thrilling to watch the way this very diverse group of young professionals makes their mark on our organization. We look forward to a fruitful year of mentorship as we launch another exhilarating season."

The program, sponsored by American Express, is one of the nation's most esteemed and extensive, offering training in more than a dozen different disciplines. Fellows make an 11-month commitment to the Theatre, starting in July and concluding in June. The partnership between Berkeley Rep and the fellowship recipient offers invaluable experience and professional contacts, easing the pathway to employment. Many of Berkeley Rep's employees are former fellows, and a full two-thirds of past fellows continue to work professionally in the industry. Fellowships for the 2013-14 season have been awarded to the following:

• Annalise Baird, a native of Philadelphia, PA and graduate of the University of Rochester, will serve as the development fellow under the mentorship of Director of Development Lynn Eve Komaromi.
• Bernadette Bascom, a native of Santa Barbara, CA and graduate of UC Berkeley, will serve as the company management fellow under the mentorship of Company Manager Jean-Paul Gressieux.
• Sam Basger, a native of Sydney, Australia and graduate of both the University of New South Wales and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, will hold the Peter F. Sloss Literary/Dramaturgy Fellowship under the mentorship of Director of The Ground Floor / Resident Dramaturg Madeleine Oldham.
• Emily Fassler, a native of Bellevue, WA and graduate of the University of Washington, will serve as the production management fellow under the mentorship of Production Manager Tom Pearl. She was previously the Harry Weininger Sound Fellow.

· Jacob Harvey, a native of Los Angeles, CA and graduate of Marymount Manhattan College, will hold the Bret C. Harte Young Director Fellowship under the mentorship of Artistic Director Tony Taccone.

· Jack Horwitch, a native of Highland Park, IL and graduate of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will serve as the lighting/electrics fellow under the mentorship of Master Electrician Fred Geffken.

· Sarah Renee Jacquez, a native of Gilbert, AZ and graduate of Arizona State University, will hold the Harry Weininger Sound Fellowship under the mentorship of Sound Supervisor James Ballen.

• Franzesca Mayer, a native of Palo Alto, CA and graduate of Knox College in Galesburg, will serve as a costume fellow under the mentorship of Costume Director Maggi Yule.
• Gabriella Mingoia, a native of Sebastopol, CA and graduate of Southern Oregon University, will serve as education fellow under the mentorship of Director of the School of Theatre Rachel Fink.
• Sofie Miller, a native of Los Angeles, CA and graduate of UC, Santa Cruz, will serve as the stage management fellow under the mentorship of Production Stage Manager Michael Suenkel.
• Ashley Nguyen, a native of Randolph, MA and graduate of Northwestern University, will serve as the properties fellow under the mentorship of the Theatre's Interim Properties Supervisor Jill Green.
• Jared Oates, a native of Jacksonville, FL and graduate of Clark Atlanta University, will serve as the graphic design fellow under the mentorship of Art Director Nora Merecicky.
• Claudia Peterson, a native of Geneva, IL and graduate of the Theatre Technology program at Theatre School at DePaul University, will serve as the scenic construction fellow under the mentorship of the Technical Director Jim Smith.
• Telma Sheppard, a native of Scottsville, VA and graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of Virginia McIntire Business Institute, will serve as the marketing fellow under the mentorship of Director of Marketing and Communications Robert Sweibel.
• Gena Whitman, a native of Davis, CA and a graduate of UC Berkeley, will serve as the scenic art fellow under the mentorship of Charge Scenic Artist Lisa Lázár.
  Alexandra Williams-Fleck, a native of Richmond, CA, graduate of Wellesley College, and degree candidate at University of San Francisco, will serve as an education fellow under the mentorship of Director of the School of Theatre Rachel Fink.

In addition to being mentored by the experienced staff of a Tony Award-winning theatre, this new class of fellows will collaborate on an incredible array of productions. Berkeley Rep's 2013-14 season begins in September with winner of the 2013 Tony Award for Best Play,Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, by Obie-winner Christopher Durang. October offers up The Pianist of Willesden Lane, a poignant story of a girl's survival in war-torn Europe from Mona Golabek and Hershey Felder. Then Kneehigh comes back for the holidays with the irresistible West Coast premiere of Tristan & Yseult. The new year kicks off with the world premiere of The House that will not Stand, a captivating script commissioned from Oakland native Marcus Gardley and staged by Patricia McGregor. Next Steven Epp and Christopher Bayes reunite for a criminally funny take on Dario Fo's Accidental Death of an Anarchist. Then Jonathan Moscone directs an emotional production of Nina Raine's Tribes, and Artistic Director Tony Taccone teams up with longtime collaborator Tony Kushner for the West Coast premiere of an epic play called The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures. The 2013-14 season is supported by BART and Wells Fargo, who have generously renewed their commitment as Berkeley Rep's official season sponsors. This season Berkeley Rep is proud to welcome San Francisco Chronicle/SFGate as a first-time season sponsor.

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