Mikhail Baryshnikov Comes To Berkeley Rep in Dmitry Krymov's IN PARIS, 4/25 - 5/18

Berkeley Repertory Theatre invites audiences to a love story that could only unfold In Paris. This spring – for 20 performances only from April 25 through May 18 – legendary performer Mikhail Baryshnikov takes the stage with Anna Sinyakina and a talented ensemble assembled by visionary director Dmitry Krymov.

Based on a story by Nobel Prize-winner Ivan Bunin, In Paris is a dazzling new play set in the 1930s, which mixes movement with a romantic story and design. This rare international collaboration – told in French and Russian with English supertitles – unites renowned artists born in Russia for a vivid visual experience. Visit the city of light and love with Berkeley Rep, Baryshnikov, and the Dmitry Krymov Laboratory.

In Paris features set and costume design by Maria Tregubova and original music by Dmitry Volkov. The cast includes Baryshnikov and Sinyakina alongside Maxim Maminov, Maria Gulik, Dmitry Volkov, and Polina Butko with Ossi Makkonen and Lasse Lindberg. The production also showcases the work of Damir Ismagilov (lighting designer), Andrey Shchukin(movement coach), Alexei Ratmansky (choreographer), and Tei Blow (audio and video designer).

"We are delighted to welcome Mikhail Baryshnikov and this enormously talented company to the Bay Area," says Tony Taccone, artistic director of Berkeley Rep. "It's an honor to host a performer who has continuously sought to challenge himself by creating sophisticated and difficult work. It is simply thrilling to see an artist of his caliber in fierce pursuit of complicated truths, and we look forward to sharing that experience with our audience."

"Dmitry Krymov is a painter, theatre director, and scenic designer. His productions for the Krymov Laboratory have appeared in Estonia, Finland, France, Great Britain, Hungary, Poland, Russia, and beyond. Krymov earned the Stanislavsky Prize for Innovation and the Crystal Thurandot Award for Best Director. Along with his students, he won the Grand-Prix of the Prague Quadrennial, and their productions have twice been awarded the Golden Mask. As a designer, Krymov has worked on productions in Bulgaria, Japan, and throughout Russia, including more than 90 shows with the Moscow Art Theatre and Taganka Theatre. His paintings are included in the collections of the Vatican Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the State Russian Museum and the State Theatre Museum in St. Petersburg, and the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, as well as in numerous private collections. Krymov currently teaches at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts (RATI-GITIS) in Moscow, where he is also head of the artistic course in the department of dramatic directing.

Mikhail Baryshnikov, a native of Riga, Latvia, was born in 1948 and began studying ballet at the age of 9. As a teenager, he attended the Vaganova Academy in Leningrad, graduating from student to principal dancer of the Kirov Ballet in 1969. In 1974, he left the Soviet Union to dance with major ballet companies around the world including the New York City Ballet, where he worked with George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. In 1980 he began a 10-year tenure as artistic director of American Ballet Theatre, nurturing a new generation of dancers and choreographers. From 1990 to 2002, Baryshnikov was director and dancer with the White Oak Dance Project, which he co-founded with choreographer Mark Morris to expand the repertoire and visibility of American modern dance. In 2005, he opened the Baryshnikov Arts Center in Manhattan, a creative home for local and International Artists to develop and present work. Under his leadership as artistic director, BAC programs serve approximately 500 artists and more than 20,000 audience members each year. Baryshnikov's many awards include the Chubb Fellowship, The Commonwealth Award, the Jerome Robbins Award, the Kennedy Center Honors, and the National Medal of Honor. Most recently he was awarded the rank of Officer of the French Legion of Honor.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre has grown from a storefront stage to a national 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. With two stages, a school, and a Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, Berkeley Rep is proud to premiere exhilarating new plays. In the last six years, the company has helped send six shows to Broadway.

Tickets range from $45 to $125 and are available at (510) 647-2949 or click berkeleyrep.org.