Rough and Tumble Ends Run of A HISTORY OF HUMAN STUPIDITY, 4/25

The Bay Area's award-winning Rough and Tumble will end its production of the World Premiere of A HISTORY OF HUMAN STUPIDITY, an intellectual vaudeville in three acts and a roast, on April 25th.

This examination of world history through the lens of helpful beliefs gone bad is Rough and Tumble's first commission for the stage, and second collaboration with acclaimed playwright and former Neo-Futurist Andy Bayiates (43 Plays for 43 Presidents). You lock your keys in the car. Stupid. You forget to close the refrigerator. Stupid. This kind of stupidity is everywhere. It's probably what we most often think of when we think of "stupidity." But that's because we're stupid. Real stupidity afflicts us when we make choices based on our beliefs, when we're sure we're right, yet we're incredibly misguided. Rough and Tumble founding Artistic Director Cliff Mayotte helms this hilarious journey through stupid human behavior, featuring Louise Chegwidden, Eowyn Mader, Carolyn Doyle, and Charisse Loriaux, with original music composed and performed by renowned Bay Area jazz composer Phillip Greenlief.

About the production, playwright Andy Bayiates says, "When we start with something massive like the most stupid moments in human history, we begin identifying with the significance of stupidity from the outside; it's the essence of comedy to laugh at someone else's pain. But history can also be a gateway to human understanding. It provides distance and hindsight. I want the audience to come to the show expecting to laugh at history, but wind up laughing and looking at themselves."

A company of artists dedicated to the performance and preservation of comedy from ancient times to the present, Rough and Tumble explores serious issues using comedy and satire as a method of delivery. Rough and Tumble aims to expose folly and provide its audience with professionally-produced comedy executed with precision, grace, and plenty of nerve.

LaVals Subterranean Theatre, 1834 Euclid Ave, Berkeley, CA