Photo Flash: World Premiere of 'Yellowjackets' at Berkeley Rep

Berkeley Repertory Theatre kicks off its 2008/09 Season with the world premiere of a provocative new play set in Berkeley and written by a Berkeley native: renowned playwright Itamar Moses returns to his hometown with Yellowjackets, a script set just around the corner in the halls of his alma mater. Artistic Director Tony Taccone directs a multicultural cast of young local actors in an incisive new play commissioned by Berkeley Rep. Yellowjackets begins previews on August 29, opens September 3, and closes October 12 on the intimate Thrust Stage. The executive producers are Wayne Jordan and Quinn Delaney and Eddie and Amy Orton, the education sponsor is Bank of America, and the co-sponsor is Seagate Properties. BART and Wells Fargo are the season sponsors for Berkeley Rep’s 41st year of fearless theatre.

When the school newspaper publishes an insensitive story, students at Berkeley High suddenly find themselves embroiled in a volatile controversy – and even their teachers seem unprepared to deal with the repercussions. It’s a sting that’s worthy of the school mascot: the sports teams at Berkeley High are called the Yellowjackets, and The Jacket is the name of the student-run paper. Taccone workshopped this script in September 2007 with many of the same actors at the University of California, Berkeley – and it generates the same mix of intense emotion and timely politics that electrified shows like Continental Divide, Culture Clash’s Zorro in Hell, and Taking Over.

The cast includes Shoresh Alaudini, Jahmela Biggs, Alex Curtis, Ben Freeman, Lance Gardner, Amaya Alonso Hallifax, Kevin Hsieh, Adrienne Papp, Craig Piaget, Brian Rivera and Erika Salazar. Tickets are $13.50 - $71. For tickets and further info, go to www.berkeleyrep.org.