Berkeley Rep Managing Director Susan Medak Celebrates 20 Years

With one show on Broadway, another headed to London, and a new season of ambitious plays on the way, Berkeley Repertory Theatre pauses for a moment to salute Susan Medak, who has served as managing director of the nonprofit for 20 years. During those decades, Berkeley Rep - and Ms. Medak - have become national leaders in innovative theatre.

Now prominent community leaders toast and roast "Susie" in honor of her anniversary: http://blog.berkeleyrep.org/2010/07/toasting-and-roasting-susan-medaks-20th.html. This short video includes humorous and loving commentary from her partner in crime, Artistic Director Tony Taccone, as well as legendary performer Rita Moreno, renowned producer Tom Hulce, local politicians like Tom Bates and Loni Hancock, and philanthropists such as Marjorie Randolph of Walt Disney Studios and Bernard Beaudraux of Target ® Corporation.

Susan Medak has guided the Theatre through tough times and boom times, forging on after fires and floods. On her watch, Berkeley Rep has grown its budget threefold by repeatedly setting new box-office records and attracting support from generous individuals, influential firms, and philanthropic foundations. She helped lead Berkeley Rep to a Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre in 1997 and supervised construction of the 600-seat Roda Theatre and Berkeley Rep's School of Theatre in 2001. Ms. Medak's efforts have ensured that local residents have access to adventurous and intelligent plays, and she has worked to bring these plays to audiences across America through tours, co-productions, and other partnerships. That commitment has come to fruition in the last five years as five shows developed at Berkeley Rep have reached Broadway. From The Woman Warrior to American Idiot, Susan Medak has been one of the secrets behind Berkeley Rep's success.

Locally, Ms. Medak played a key role in the creation of the Downtown Arts District, which has helped revitalize Berkeley and become a model for cities across America. She serves as president of the Downtown Berkeley Association and chairs the Down­town Berkeley Business Improvement District. She is also the founding chair of the Berkeley Arts in Education Steering Commit­tee for Berkeley Unified School District and the Berkeley Cultural Trust.

Nationally, Ms. Medak has become one of the most respected leaders in the industry. She is president of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT), the management association that represents 75 of the nation's largest nonprofit theatres. She served two terms on the board of Theatre Communications Group, including three years as the organization's treasurer, and sat on panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Arts Council. Ms. Medak also serves on the faculty of Yale School of Drama, and has mentored countless young professionals over the years.

To see a list of Susan Medak's favorite shows from the last 20 years, visit Berkeley Rep's blog at http://blog.berkeleyrep.org/2010/05/susan-medak-recalls-a-few-favorite-shows.html.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre has grown from a storefront stage to a national leader in innovative theatre. Known for its core values of imagination and excellence, as well as its educated and adventurous audience, the nonprofit has provided a welcoming home for emerging and established artists since 1968. The Theatre welcomes an annual audience of 180,000, serves 20,000 students, and hosts dozens of community groups, thanks to 1,000 volunteers and more than 400 artists, artisans, and administrators. With two stages, a school, and a Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, Berkeley Rep is proud to premiere exhilarating new plays. In the last five years alone, the company has helped send five shows to Broadway: American Idiot, Bridge & Tunnel, In the Next Room (or the vibrator play), Passing Strange, and Wishful Drinking.

Susan Medak's 21st year at Berkeley Rep includes a series of stunning scripts and stellar performers. Starting in September, the season features three world premieres: Rinne
Groff's compelling Compulsion, a delightful new look at The Composer is Dead, and a tantalizing show written by Artistic Director Tony Taccone that stars legendary actress Rita Moreno.
Two West Coast premieres take the stage as well: celebrated collaborators Sarah Ruhl and Les Waters reunite for a refreshing new translation of Anton Chekhov's The Three Sisters while Berkeley Rep welcomes The Great Game: Afghanistan, an unprecedented cycle of 12 short scripts that caused a sensation in London. The upcoming season also introduces local audiences to Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Ruined and two audacious new monologues from Mike Daisey: The Last Cargo Cult and The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs. This ambitious, adventurous, and entertaining line-up is supported by BART and Wells Fargo, the official sponsors of Berkeley Rep's 2010-11 Season. Meanwhile, following in the footsteps of Continental Divide, Berkeley Rep's production of Tiny Kushner is headed to London this fall - even as American Idiot continues to rock Broadway.

Come see tomorrow's plays today at Berkeley Rep. Subscriptions are now on sale for the upcoming season, and individual tickets go on sale August 29. For details, call (510) 647-2949 or toll-free at (888) 4-BRT-tix - or simply click berkeleyrep.org.

Photo Credit: Lisa Keating

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