Berkeley Rep Reveals 2025 GROUND FLOOR SUMMER RESIDENCY LAB Lineup

Berkeley Repertory Theatre has revealed the full lineup for its 2025 Ground Floor Summer Residency Lab, welcoming over 120 local and national artists to develop 24 cutting-edge theatrical projects. Running June 16–July 13, 2025, the annual lab returns to Berkeley Rep’s West Berkeley campus for its 13th year as one of the nation’s most vibrant incubators for new work.

“This year’s cohort represents a thrilling spectrum of voices and forms,” said Artistic Director Johanna Pfaelzer. “The Summer Lab remains a vital space for creative risk-taking and collaborative exploration—nurturing the future of the American theatre in real time.”

The four-week residency brings artists to Berkeley for one- to two-week stays, offering them space, time, and support to develop works-in-progress. Projects are selected through an open application process and curated invitations, with nearly 800 submissions received for the 2025 cycle. Final sharings may occur for some projects, though the emphasis remains on process over product.

“This year’s artists are exploring everything from intergenerational land legacies to drag-infused queer histories, immersive music installations, and migrant clown odysseys,” added Victor Cervantes Jr., Associate Producer – New Work. “Together, they embody the transformative possibilities of the theatrical form.”

Highlights from the 2025 Residency Lab include:

41: A Queer Ball

A genre-defying reclamation of a 1901 queer scandal in Mexico, created by Richard A. Mosqueda, Dr. Karina Gutiérrez, and Christopher Cortez. The piece blends music, dance, drag, and spoken word to celebrate queer, brown identities and resist historical erasure.

African Moms’ Book Club

A sharp Tanzanian dark comedy by Gloria Majule, this play confronts queerphobia and religious orthodoxy through the story of four devout women whose Bible study group is turned upside down.

Dragon Baby

The third installment of Sara Porkalob’s acclaimed Dragon Cycle, this musical-in-development explores queerness, academia, and the artist’s evolving identity as a Filipino American storyteller.

I Love This Song

A new musical from Daniel Handler, Torquil Campbell (Stars), and Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie), following a decades-spanning love story between two teens bonded by a pop song—and the way music shapes our perceptions of romance.

Sweet Canaan

Developed by Eric Emauni, a.k. Payne, Ashley Thomas, and others, this intergenerational musical traces the legacy of a Black woman who acquired land in 1930s Arkansas and used it to empower her family across generations.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape

A theatrical reimagining of the beloved novel, adapted by a team of actor-musicians in collaboration with original author Peter Hedges. The musical centers a neurodivergent Arnie and a complex, plus-size Momma while exploring caregiving, grief, and love through an indie/folk lens.

These projects join a cohort of bold and diverse new works spanning solo performances, historical dramas, immersive ritual, physical theatre, and politically urgent narratives. Also featured in this year’s lineup are works from Daniel Alexander Jones, Jessica Huang, Ricardo Pérez González, Nissy Aya, Reza Salazar, and Ato Blankson-Wood, among many others.

Since its founding in 2012, The Ground Floor has supported more than 1,000 artists and over 200 new works, many of which have gone on to productions across the country. Past Lab projects include Fairview by Jackie Sibblies Drury, Hadestown by Anaïs Mitchell, and Notes From the Field by Anna Deavere Smith.