THE LUNCHBOX World Premiere and More Set for Berkeley Repertory Theatre 2025/26 Season
The season also features the world premiere of Jacob Ming-Trent’s HOW SHAKESPEARE SAVED MY LIFE and more.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Apr. 23, 2025
Berkeley Repertory Theatre Artistic Director Johanna Pfaelzer and Managing Director Tom Parrish has revealed the seven productions that will make up the organization’s 2025/26 season—Jake Brasch’s THE RESERVOIR; the West Coast premiere of Jez Butterworth’s THE HILLS OF CALIFORNIA; the world premiere of Jessica Huang’s MOTHER OF EXILES; the world premiere of Jacob Ming-Trent’s HOW SHAKESPEARE SAVED MY LIFE; Arthur Miller’s ALL MY SONS; the West Coast premiere of Ngozi Anyanwu’s THE MONSTERS; and the world premiere musical, THE LUNCHBOX, book and co-lyrics by Ritesh Batra, music and co-lyrics by The Lazours. Casting and full creative teams to be announced at a later date.
Kicking off the 2025/26 season, Berkeley Rep will present Jake Brasch’s THE RESERVOIR (September 5–October 12, 2025). Josh is a hot mess of a queer twenty-something. He's dropped out of school to get his life together—but can't manage to stay sober. Struggling with fogginess and memory loss, he finds unlikely allies in his four hilarious grandparents. Desperate for a sense of purpose, Josh sets out to bring them along on his road to recovery. He drags them to Jazzercise at the JCC. He makes them play memory games. He insists they eat spinach by the handful. Eventually, he slams up against the limits of his quest. When he can no longer help his grandparents, they begin to help him. The Reservoir is Jake Brasch's sharply funny and deeply heartfelt new comedy about family, memory, and the path toward healing. Performances of THE RESERVOIR will take place at Berkeley Rep’s Peet’s Theatre. Press night will be held on Wednesday, September 10, 2025.
Next, Berkeley Rep will present the West Coast premiere of THE HILLS OF CALIFORNIA (October 31–December 7, 2025). Internationally renowned Olivier and Tony Award-winning playwright Jez Butterworth (The Ferryman, Jerusalem) weaves the compelling, tender, and savagely funny tale of the Webb sisters' return to their childhood home in an English seaside town. As girls, their fierce and ambitious mother trained them for a singing career à la The Andrews Sisters. Now, past and present collide within the once-vibrant guesthouse, as memories resurface with haunting clarity. The Hills of California explores how sibling bonds both sustain and suffocate, and how songs of youth echo through life. Loretta Greco returns to the Bay Area to direct the West Coast debut of this masterwork, following its acclaimed West End and Broadway productions. The Hills of California is a co-production with The Huntington. Performances of THE HILLS OF CALIFORNIA will take place at Berkeley Rep’s Roda Theatre. Press night will be held on Wednesday, November 5, 2025.
Berkeley Rep will then present the world premiere of Jessica Huang’s MOTHER OF EXILES (November 14–December 21, 2025). In 1898, on Angel Island, a pregnant Eddie Loi faces deportation amid America's tightening immigration laws. A century later, her grandson Braulio, through his role in the Miami border patrol, inadvertently conjures her spirit—unleashing a witty, opinionated ancestor. By 2063, their descendants, beset by climate catastrophe, embark on a perilous oceanic journey seeking sanctuary. From detention to diaspora, Mother of Exiles follows a single family's century-and-a-half odyssey—tracing their flight, fight, and the futures they dare imagine. Jessica Huang's multigenerational triptych blends historical drama with supernatural encounters, weaving moments of surprising humor into a powerful portrait of belonging and resilience. Performances of MOTHER OF EXILES will take place at Berkeley Rep’s Peet’s Theatre. Press night will be held on Wednesday, November 19, 2025.
Kicking off the new year, Berkeley Rep will present the world premiere of Jacob Ming-Trent’s HOW SHAKESPEARE SAVED MY LIFE (January 23–March 1, 2026). In an autobiographical and music-filled tour-de-force, award-winning performer Jacob Ming-Trent dares to rescue himself from the "slings and arrows" of his past. Born with a gift for poetry but rejected as unfit to play the poet, his search for home yields results both hilarious and tragic. Invoking artistic geniuses like Biggie, Tupac, and Basquiat, he takes us on a propulsive ride that reaffirms the power of language and music. Directed by Tony Taccone, How Shakespeare Saved My Life begins with the Bard but becomes a ritual of communal salvation. How Shakespeare Saved My Life is a co-production with Folger Theatre and Red Bull Theater. Performances of HOW SHAKESPEARE SAVED MY LIFE will take place at Berkeley Rep’s Peet’s Theatre. Press night will be held on Wednesday, January 28, 2026.
Next, Berkeley Rep will present Arthur Miller’s ALL MY SONS (February 20–March 29, 2026). The American Dream comes at a price. But who truly pays it? Arthur Miller's searing indictment of moral compromise erupts with new urgency in this groundbreaking production. Reimagined around a Puerto Rican family's hard-won success, a father's fateful decision sends aftershocks that ripple far beyond his own home and community. Berkeley Rep's associate artistic director David Mendizábal reexamines this American classic through a lens of race, ethnicity, and class, honoring Miller's original text while sharpening its existing themes of justice and inequity. This powerful revival reveals a tragedy where the pursuit of prosperity collides with the reality of who America was built to serve. Performances of ALL MY SONS will take place at Berkeley Rep’s Roda Theatre. Press night will be held on Wednesday, February 25, 2026.
In spring 2026, Berkeley Rep will present the West Coast premiere of Ngozi Anyanwu’s THE MONSTERS (March 27–May 3, 2026). For years, LIL has observed her estranged brother from the shadows—watching, waiting, studying every punch he throws. BIG, an aging but respected force in the local Mixed Martial Arts circuit, remains unaware his little sister has been tracking his career from afar... until she appears unexpectedly on his doorstep. Award-winning playwright Ngozi Anyanwu (Good Grief, The Homecoming Queen, The Last of the Love Letters) writes and stars in this West Coast premiere of a sibling love story that grapples with reunion and buried resentments. Raw and riveting, The Monsters delivers an emotional knockout and wrestles with the demons we must face to reconnect, rebuild, and forgive. Performances of THE MONSTERS will take place at Berkeley Rep’s Peet’s Theatre. Press night will be held on Thursday, April 2, 2026.
Closing out the 2025/26 season, Berkeley Rep will present the world premiere musical, THE LUNCHBOX, book and co-lyrics by Ritesh Batra, music and co-lyrics by The Lazours (May 17–June 28, 2026). Rediscover the power of human connection in The Lunchbox—a new musical adaptation of Ritesh Batra's internationally acclaimed film that overflows with heart, humor, and hope. A mistaken delivery in Mumbai's famously efficient lunchbox system connects a lonely housewife to a jaded office worker, setting off an exchange of handwritten notes. Tucked in the folds of fragrant chapatis, amidst the vibrant pulse of Mumbai, their words blossom into a connection that might save them both. Directed by Tony Award-winner Rachel Chavkin (Hadestown) and featuring a both sweeping and intimate score by Daniel and Patrick Lazour, The Lunchbox is a tale of the beauty of small gestures—one that will leave you believing in the bravery of opening your heart to the unexpected. Performances of THE LUNCHBOX will take place at Berkeley Rep’s Roda Theatre. Press night will be held on Wednesday, May 27, 2026.
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