THE GATHERING to Open at Berkeley's Live Oak Theater

The West Coast revival of the critically acclaimed Broadway play THE GATHERING by playwright Arje Shaw, directed by Joy Carlin, opens on Saturday July 23 at 8pm at the Live Oak Theatre in Berkeley.

For its 1999 Off-Broadway debut THE GATHERING opened with a cast that featured the legendary Theodore Bikel as Gabe, and the 13 year old Jesse Eisenberg as Gabe's grandson Michael. At the play's debut the New York Times remarked "THE GATHERING re-examines an awesome human and theological enigma as an old century prepares to give way to a new millennium...thoughtful and provocative new play." NY Times. ''The Gathering'' subsequently opened on Broadway at The Cort Theater in 2001, starring Hal Linden.

Joy Carlin (Director) has appeared on Broadway, on television, and in films. A leading actress, director, and teacher, Ms. Carlin has worked with the American Conservatory Theater since 1969 and served as Associate Artistic Director from 1987 until 1992. She was the Associate Artistic Director at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 1984, and has directed for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Aurora Theatre, The San Francisco Playhouse, Theatreworks, and The Shanghai Youth Drama Troupe.

Arje Shaw (PLAYWRIGHT, GABE) is a playwright, author, and actor. Mr Shaw wrote his first play A Catered Affair in 1994 after a career in social work. His 2004 Off-Broadway hit Magic Hands Freddy was voted the number one play in The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Shaw's novel "The Fix", based on his life, was published in 2011, and his latest play, Moolah, is scheduled to open Off-Broadway in 2016. Mr.Shaw was born in Russia, emigrated to New York from a German displacement camp and dedicates his work to his family and the memory of the martyrs.

Tracy Camp* (DIANE) Past projects include Show Boat at San Francisco Opera, Big River, A Civil War Christmas, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Caroline, or Change at Theatre Works, The Snow Queen 2.0 at San Jose Rep, Caroline, or Change at Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, Jerry Springer, the Opera at Ray of Light Theatre, and The Amen Corner at AlterTheater Ensemble. Tracy is a recipient of a Theater Bay Area Titan Award and is a proud member of Actors Equity and the American Guild of Musical Artists.

Aaron Kitchin (EGON) Has performed in Twelfth Night (Sacramento Theatre Company), MollFlanders (Pacific Repertory Theatre), Real Talk! (New Conservatory Theatre Center), As You Like It & Sense & Sensibility (Livermore Shakespeare Festival, Othello (Arabian Shakespeare Festival), and The Liar (The Western Stage). Other companies Aaron has worked with include The Breadbox, Naked Empire Bouffon, and the Playwrights Center of San Francisco. A recipient of the Mask and Dagger Memorial Prize, Aaron holds two degrees from UC Berkeley where his play To The Heartland was co-produced last year.

Kahlil Leneus (MICHAEL) has performed in the Duke Ellington Opera Queenie Pie with Oakland Opera Theater, Caroline, or Change at Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts, Show Boat at San Francisco Opera, and The Amen Corner at AlterTheater Ensemble. Kahlil is in the seventh grade and is in his second year at Oakland School for the Arts with an emphasis in theater.

Edward Nattenberg (STUART) has worked in many venues somewhere in NYC, not many venues in Los Angeles, and a number of venues in the San Francisco Bay Area, both as an actor and director. He holds a BFA in Theater from NYU and an MFA in Theater from ACT.

The Gathering by Arje Shaw is a play set against President Reagan's 1985 visit to a German military cemetery as a family wrestles with the legacy of the past and how this affects present relationships and influences the future. This production of THE GATHERING follows the 1999 Off-Broadway debut and subsequent transfer and primere On Broadway. Under the direction of Joy Carlin THE GATHERING features a biracial cast that includes Tracy Camp*, Edward Nattenberg, Aaron Kitchin, Kahlil Leneus, and Arje Shaw. (*AEA Go to http://www.thegatheringplay.com/