Cast and Creative Team Set for MOTHER ROAD at Berkeley Rep

Berkeley Repertory Theatre has revealed the full cast and creative team for Mother Road, Octavio Solis' 21st-century tale inspired by John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, performing at Berkeley Rep's Peet's Theatre June 14–July 21, 2024.  Single tickets (starting at $22.50, plus a $9 order fee) are on sale now and can be purchased online or by phone at 510-647-2949 (Tue–Sun, 12–7 p.m.). Ticket prices are subject to change without notice.
 
“When I heard the first public reading of Mother Road at the 2015 Latinx Theatre Commons Carnaval, I remember being captivated by the musicality of Octavio's writing and the epic scale of this story which was inspired by John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath,” said director David Mendizábal. “By taking something so iconically American and continuing the legacy of the Joad family through the lens of a Mexican American migrant worker, Octavio's play is a reminder of the many people, cultures, and stories that define what it means to be an American. I am elated to get to bring this beautiful story to my artistic home, Berkeley Rep, and to welcome Octavio back to the Bay Area.”
 
In Mother Road, William Joad has no heir to bequeath the family farm to—until he learns about Martín Jodes, a young Mexican American migrant worker descended from Steinbeck's protagonist Tom Joad. In a reversal of the Joads' mythic journey, William and Martín embark on a road trip from California's migrant farm camps back to Oklahoma, where they reckon with their brutal pasts and forge an unlikely bond. Along their journey on the Mother Road, they gather a chorus of travelers. Witness Solis' soaring poetry, gritty realism, and mythic scope as he captures the intersection of people, cultures, and migration in the American West.
 
Directed by Berkeley Rep Associate Artistic Director David Mendizábal, the cast of Mother Road includes James Carpenter as William Joad and Emilio Garcia-Sanchez as Martín Jodes. Rounding out the cast are (in alphabetical order) Cher Alvarez, Scott Coopwood, Daniel Duque-Estrada, Branden Davon Lindsay, Marilet Martinez, Michael Moreland Milligan, Lindsay Rico, Kenny Scott, Benny Wayne Sully, Angel Villalobos, Courtney Walsh, and Kenneth Watkins.
 
The creative team for Mother Road includes Tanya Orellana (Scenic Design), Rodrigo Muñoz (Costume Design), Cha See (Lighting Design), Jake Rodriguez (Sound Design), Ritmos Tropicosmos (Original Music), Taylor Williams (Casting), Elisa Guthertz (Stage Manager), and Christina Hogan (Assistant Stage Manager).