THIS IS HOW IT GOES Begins 6/14 at Aurora Theatre Company

Closing Aurora's 21st season is the Bay Area Premiere of Neil LaBute's dark, edgy comic drama THIS IS HOW IT GOES, directed by Aurora Theatre Company Artistic Director Tom Ross (The Shape of Things, A Delicate Balance), and featuring Aldo Billingslea (Collapse), Gabriel Marin (Collapse, Jack Goes Boating), and Carrie Paff (A Delicate Balance, Collapse, Betrayal). THIS IS HOW IT GOES, about which the Chicago Tribune raved "Highly recommended! LaBute's play has a lot of sting and nothing is as it seems!" presents a one-two punch after LaBute's Fat Pig (staged at Aurora in 2009), tweaking perspectives of truth and interpretation to broach sharp questions about race, love, and manipulation.

Belinda and Cody Phipps appear to be a typical Midwestern couple. Typical except that Cody is in almost every respect an outsider - a successful businessman and one of the few black faces in a small white town. When a white, male high school acquaintance returns to town and rents the room over their garage, the fragile balance of Belinda and Cody's relationship is upset, raising questions about who they want to be, who they are, and what made them that way. As a battle for Belinda's affections is waged, Belinda and Cody frankly question the foundation of their initial attraction, opening the door wide to a swath of bigotry and betrayal. THIS IS HOW IT GOES, called "smart and stylish" by New York Magazine when it premiered at The Public Theater in 2005, unblinkingly challenges the notions of gender, ethnicity, and even love itself, exploring the myriad ways in which the wild card of race is played by both black and white America.

DATES: Previews: June 14, 15, 19 at 8pm; June 16 at 2pm; June 18 at 7pm
Opens: June 20, 2013
Friday Forum: Friday, July 7 - Playing the Race Card
Script Club: Monday, July 15, 7:30pm - Ruined by Lynn Nottage
Wicked Wisdom: Friday, July 19 - What We Did for Love
Closes: July 21

SHOWS: Tuesday at 7pm; Wednesday through Saturday at 8pm; Sunday at 2pm and 7pm
WHERE: Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA

TICKETS: For tickets (Previews $35; Regular Performances $32-50; Limited Opening Night Seating $60) the public can call (510) 843-4822 or visit auroratheatre.org. Half-off tickets for Under 30, student, and group discounts available.