City of Berkeley Proclaims September 30, 2014 'Tony Taccone Day' in Honor of Berkeley Rep's Artistic Director

Berkeley Repertory Theatre announces that the City of Berkeley has proclaimed Tuesday, September 30, 2014 Tony Taccone Day. This day will honor Berkeley Rep's Michael Leibert Artistic Director Tony Taccone as a pioneer in contemporary American theatre. Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates will host a ceremony to present Taccone an official proclamation between 7:00 PM and 7:30 PM in the City Council Chambers at 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The ceremony will be broadcast on local radio through KPFB Radio 89.3 and on television through Cable B-TV, Channel 33.

"Tony has been a formidable force here at Berkeley Rep," remarks Managing Director Susie Medak. "His vision for the theatre and strong emphasis on new and challenging work has made Berkeley Rep one of the best places for an American theatre artist to work. His generosity and dedication to the craft is truly unmatched and it is largely the reason Berkeley has become a destination for art lovers and theatre enthusiasts worldwide. We couldn't be more thrilled for Tony. He shares and honors the values that make Berkeley a phenomenal city."

During Taccone's tenure as artistic director of Berkeley Rep, the Tony Award-winning nonprofit has earned a reputation as an international leader in innovative theatre. He oversaw the construction of the 600-seat Roda Theatre and the creation of The Ground Floor: Berkeley Rep's Center for the Creation and Development of New Work. In those 18 years, Berkeley Rep has presented more than 70 world, American, and West Coast premieres and sent 23 shows to New York, two to London, and one to Hong Kong. Tony has staged more than 35 plays in Berkeley, including new work from Culture Clash, Rinde Eckert, David Edgar, Danny Hoch, Geoff Hoyle, Quincy Long, Itamar Moses, and Lemony Snicket. He directed the shows that transferred to London, Continental Divide and Tiny Kushner, and two that landed on Broadway as well: Bridge & Tunnel and Wishful Drinking. Tony also has a longstanding partnership with Tony Kushner, and while at the Eureka he commissioned the legendary Angels in America and co-directed its world premiere. He has collaborated with Kushner on eight plays at Berkeley Rep, including last season's The Intelligent Homosexual's Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures.

Prior to working at Berkeley Rep, Tony served as artistic director of Eureka Theatre, which produced the American premieres of plays by Dario Fo, Caryl Churchill, and David Edgar before focusing on a new generation of American writers. Tony's regional credits include Actors Theatre of Louisville, Arena Stage, Center Theatre Group, the Eureka Theatre, the Guthrie Theater, the Huntington Theatre Company, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the Public Theater, and Seattle Repertory Theatre. As a playwright, he debuted Ghost Light, Rita Moreno: Life Without Makeup, and Game On, written with Dan Hoyle. In 2012, Tony received the Margo Jones Award for "demonstrating a significant impact, understanding, and affirmation of playwriting, with a commitment to the living theatre."

ABOUT BERKELEY REP - 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 nearly 400 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 -- which include the 400-seat Thrust Stage, the 600-seat Roda Theatre, the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, the Osher Studio, and a spacious new campus in West Berkeley -- are helping revitalize a renowned city. Learn more at berkeleyrep.org.

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