Berkeley Rep to Host Bi-Annual Playwrights' Salon Next Month

The Ground Floor:Berkeley Rep's Center For Creation and Development of New Work invites local playwrights to its bi-annual Playwrights' Salon. The event will be held on Monday, April 4, 2016, from 7:30pm to 9:00pm at Berkeley Rep's bar (Michael's Second Act) at 2025 Addison Street.

"This is an opportunity for writers at all stages of their careers to meet each other and engage with Berkeley Rep's literary staff," says The Ground Floor's director, Madeleine Oldham. "It's my hope the attendees will walk away feeling energized about making theatre in our community." For the spring salon, Oldham and Literary Manager Sarah Rose Leonard will talk through The Ground Floor Summer Residency Lab's selection process and discuss factors that go into decision making, what The Ground Floor looks for in a proposal, and what make a compelling application.

The event is free, but space is limited. Writers can register in advance here. For those unable to attend, an autumn salon will be held later in 2016.

As the umbrella for all new play activity at Berkeley Rep, The Ground Floor is a bold initiative designed to raise the bar on the Tony Award-winning nonprofit's already successful record of artistic innovation. Think of it as an incubator for theatrical start-ups or a top-notch R&D facility for artists. The Ground Floor was launched with seed funding from the James Irvine Foundation's Artistic Innovation Fund, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and ArtPlace. This year's program is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, ArtWorks, Bank of America, the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, and individual supporters of Berkeley Rep's Create Campaign. For more information on each project, and for future announcements or opportunities to interact, visit berkeleyrep.org/groundfloor.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre has grown from a storefront stage to an international 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. In four decades, four million people have enjoyed more than 300 shows at Berkeley Rep. These shows have gone on to win five Tony Awards, seven Obie Awards, nine Drama Desk Awards, one Grammy Award, and many other honors. In recognition of its place on the national stage, Berkeley Rep received the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre in 1997. Its bustling facilities - the 600-seat Roda Theatre, the 400-seat Peet's Theatre, the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, the Osher Studio, and a spacious new campus in West Berkeley -- are helping revitalize a renowned city.