Berkley Rep Presents Talk Backs With Moses After 'Yellowjackets'

Theatres are usually dark on Mondays, but several times each season Berkeley Repertory Theatre makes Monday night glow with Page to Stage, a series of talks which engage brilliant guests in sparkling conversation. Today, the Tony Award-winning theatre announced the first of this year’s free events: an onstage conversation with renowned playwright Itamar Moses. On Monday, September 22 at 7:00 PM, Mr. Moses discusses his prominent career on the national stage – as well as his experiences growing up in Berkeley and how they relate to the premiere of his latest play, Yellowjackets.

“Yellowjackets is a political play, one that raises a lot of sensitive issues about race, socioeconomics, and education,” Moses remarks. “But it's also a very personal play, in that all of the events are based on things that really happened while I was a student at Berkeley High. So to share my work with Berkeley for the first time, in a play that is actually about Berkeley, is quite special.”

Every year, hundreds of people enjoy Page to Stage, a series of discussions sponsored by Peet’s Coffee and Tea. Past programs have featured luminaries such as David Edgar, Will Eno, Danny Hoch, Sarah Jones, Tony Kushner, Delroy Lindo, Terrence McNally, Charles Mee, Rita Moreno, and Salman Rushdie. No tickets are necessary for these free events, but seating is limited. Each event begins at 7:00 PM, and doors open at 6:45 PM for general-admission seating. Donors in Berkeley Rep’s Supporter Circle also enjoy an exclusive reception with Mr. Moses, catered by Tomatina.

After graduating from Berkeley High in 1995, Itamar Moses attended Yale and New York Universities – and later taught playwriting at both schools. Although only 30 years old, he’s penned popular plays like Bach at Leipzig, Back Back Back, Celebrity Row, Completeness, The Den, The Four of Us, Outrage, and the musical Reality! (with Gaby Alter). His work has appeared off Broadway, on other New York stages, and at regional theatres throughout the United States and Canada. A member of the Dramatists Guild of America, Naked Angels, and the Playwrights’ Coalition at MCC Theater, he is also one of the New York Theatre Workshop’s Usual Suspects. His plays are published by Faber & Faber and Samuel French.

Berkeley Rep’s season takes flight with the world premiere of Yellowjackets, an incisive play set just around the corner in the halls of Berkeley High. When the school newspaper publishes an insensitive story, students suddenly find themselves embroiled in a volatile controversy – and even their teachers seem unprepared for the repercussions. Artistic Director Tony Taccone directs a compelling collision of race and class that forces us to examine familiar surroundings with fresh eyes. Yellowjackets runs from August 29 through October 12 on Berkeley Rep’s intimate Thrust Stage. For more information about Page to Stage or tickets to the show, call 510.647.2949 or 888-4-BRT-tix (toll-free) – or simply click berkeleyrep.org.

Photo Credit Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

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