Photo Flash: First Look at THE GREAT WAVE at Berkeley Rep

In a Japanese coastal town in 1979, teenage sisters Hanako and Reiko run onto the beach during a tremendous storm on a dare. Hanako is tragically swept out to sea, while Reiko survives - but recalls seeing three mysterious men on the shoreline. The authorities determine that Hanako has drowned, but her mother insists that her missing daughter is still alive. Spanning over 20 years and the two vastly different countries of Japan and North Korea, The Great Wave by Francis Turnly is at once a riveting geopolitical thriller and a powerful story of the unshakable bonds between a mother, a daughter, and a sister who refuse to give up hope.

"Berkeley Rep has long been championing playwrights like Francis Turnly who offer us access to stories and worlds that aren't often explored onstage," says Artistic Director Johanna Pfaelzer. "The Great Wave illuminates a gripping story of international intrigue told through an intensely personal lens. Seeing it is like experiencing a propulsive page-turner, which I find rare in the theatre."

Check out the photos below!

Jo Mei (Hanako) in the American premiere of The Great Wave at Berkeley Rep, directed by Mark Wing-Davey.

Jo Mei (Hanako) and Paul Juhn (Official) in the American premiere of The Great Wave at Berkeley Rep, directed by Mark Wing-Davey.

Julian Cihi (Tetsuo), Yurié Collins (Reiko), and Sharon Omi (Etsuko) in the American premiere of The Great Wave at Berkeley Rep, directed by Mark Wing-Davey.

(center) Grace Chan Ng (Hana); (l to r) David Shih (Soldier One) and Cindy Im (Soldier Two) in the American premiere of The Great Wave at Berkeley Rep, directed by Mark Wing-Davey.

Jo Mei (Hanako) in the American premiere of The Great Wave at Berkeley Rep, directed by Mark Wing-Davey.

Jo Mei (Hanako), Grace Chan Ng (Hana), and Stephen Hu (Kum-Chol) in the American premiere of The Great Wave at Berkeley Rep, directed by Mark Wing-Davey.

Paul Nakauchi (Jiro), Yurié Collins (Reiko), Sharon Omi (Etsuko), and Julian Cihi (Tetsuo) in the American premiere of The Great Wave at Berkeley Rep, directed by Mark Wing-Davey.

Paul Juhn (Official), Cindy Im (Soldier Two), and Jo Mei (Hanako) in the American premiere of The Great Wave at Berkeley Rep, directed by Mark Wing-Davey.

Sharon Omi (Etsuko) in the American premiere of The Great Wave at Berkeley Rep, directed by Mark Wing-Davey.

Photos courtesy of Kevin Berne/Berkeley Repertory Theatre