Tix On Sale 8/29 For Berkeley Rep's AT HOME And ABROAD

This Sunday, tickets go on sale for the new season at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. The Tony Award-winning nonprofit is releasing the remaining seats for its 2010-11 Season to the public starting at noon on August 29 - even as seats go on sale in London for its transatlantic transfer of Tiny Kushner and tickets continue to be snapped up in New York for its Broadway production of American Idiot. The best seats and lowest prices for local shows continue to be available as part of a ticket package, but now everyone has an opportunity to secure seats for hotly anticipated shows from artists like Mike Daisey, Rita Moreno, Mandy Patinkin, Sarah Ruhl, and Lemony Snicket.

Berkeley Rep offers a series of stunning scripts and stellar performers for the coming year. Starting in September, the season features three world premieres: Rinne Groff's compelling Compulsion starring Mandy Patinkin, a delightful new look at Lemony Snicket's The Composer is Dead, and a tantalizing show written by Artistic Director Tony Taccone for legendary actress Rita Moreno. Two West Coast premieres take the stage as well: celebrated collaborators Sarah Ruhl and Les Waters reunite for a refreshing translation of Anton Chekhov's The Three Sisters while Berkeley Rep welcomes The Great Game: Afghanistan, an unprecedented cycle of 12 short scripts that caused a sensation in London. The upcoming season also introduces local audiences to Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Ruined and two audacious new monologues from Mike Daisey: The Last Cargo Cult and The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs. This ambitious, adventurous, and entertaining line-up is supported by season producer Marjorie Randolph; BART and Wells Fargo have also renewed their commitment as official sponsors of Berkeley Rep's season.

Meanwhile, Taccone's production of Tiny Kushner begins a limited three-week run in London this Wednesday. A sparkling string of one-act plays from the renowned Tony Kushner, this show debuted at the Guthrie Theater in May 2009 and played to acclaim at Berkeley Rep last fall. Now, with its original cast and creative team intact, Tiny Kushner meets Big Ben. The show runs from September 1 to September 25 at the Tricycle Theatre, which is located at 269 Kilburn High Road in London. This is Berkeley Rep's second transatlantic transfer. In 2004, Taccone's production of David Edgar's Continental Divide traveled to the Barbican after playing at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Berkeley Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, and England's Birmingham Rep.

In the last five years, five shows have moved from Berkeley Rep to Broadway: Sarah Jones' Bridge & Tunnel (2006), Stew's Passing Strange (2008), Carrie Fisher's Wishful Drinking (2009), Sarah Ruhl's In the Next Room (or the vibrator play) (2009), and Green Day's American Idiot (2010), which continues to rock New York. That show made its world premiere in Berkeley Rep's Roda Theatre last September. Its record-breaking run brought in the biggest advance sale in the Theatre's 42-year history, the biggest day at the box office, 18 of the top 20 days ever, and due to ticket demand had to announce its first extension before it played its first performance. Now it's taken up residence at the St. James Theatre in Manhattan, which is located at 246 West 44th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue. Produced by Tom Hulce and Ira Pittelman in association with Berkeley Rep, the Broadway engagement of American Idiot won two Tony Awards: Best Scenic Design of a Musical for Christine Jones and Best Lighting Design of a Musical for Kevin Adams.

For tickets to local shows, call Berkeley Rep's box office at (510) 647-2949 or toll-free at (888) 4-BRT-tix - or simply click berkeleyrep.org. The box office is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 7 PM.

For tickets to Tiny Kushner in London, call 011 44 20 7328 1000 or visit tricycle.co.uk. For tickets to American Idiot in New York, visit AmericanIdiotOnBroadway.com.

Need more San Francisco / Bay Area Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...