Aurora Theatre Company Dedicates Artwork to Barbara Oliver

Aurora Theatre Company celebrated the remarkable life of its founding Artistic Director, Barbara Oliver, with the unveiling of the Barbara Oliver Bas Relief on Tuesday, October 28 in the Nell and Jules Dashow Wing at Aurora Theatre Company. An intimate crowd gathered for a champagne toast and reception to honor Barbara's legacy and to unveil the beautiful bronze sculpture by artist Fred Parhad, which will be placed on permanent display in the entry lobby at the Aurora. The artwork was commissioned and gifted to Aurora by Venus and Narsai David. A veteran actress and director, Barbara Oliver was an instrumental figure in Bay Area theater for more than 40 years. She co-founded Aurora Theatre Company in 1992 and was its Artistic Director until stepping down in 2004. She passed away peacefully in her sleep this past May at the age of 85.

In attendance were Barbara's son Søren, daughter Anna, sister Alda, and brother in law Donn Morgan. Also in attendance were veteran Bay Area actress and director Joy Carlin, former Board presidents Carolyn Weinberger, Alison Teeman, and Grace Fretter, and Berkeley Repertory Theatre Artistic Director Tony Taccone and Managing Director Susie Medak. Aurora Theatre Company Artistic Director Tom Ross read remembrances about Barbara written by Dunbar Ogden, Professor Emeritus of Dramatic Art at UC Berkeley followed by a heartfelt toast from Narsai David, who unveiled the plaque. Guests shared memories about the early days of Aurora Theatre Company and of Barbara as a force in the Berkeley theater community. The event was catered by Berkeley eatery Gecko Gecko with wine provided by Narsai David.

"It was my honor to host this gathering of Aurora friends and Barbara Oliver's friends and family for the unveiling of the Barbara Oliver bas relief plaque," said Aurora Artistic Director Tom Ross. "This generous gift to the theater from Venus and Narsai David is another heart-warming reminder of Barbara's impact on the Bay Area theater community. It was wonderful to listen to so many varied reminiscences from both theater-goers and theater-makers celebrating Barbara and her magnificent legacy."

Born in Ohio in 1927, Barbara Oliver completed her acting and directing training in 1949 at America's oldest theater conservatory, the prestigious Carnegie Tech, now Carnegie Mellon University. In 1950, she married William Oliver, and they moved to Fargo, North Dakota where Barbara was the Artistic Director of the Fargo-Moorhead Community Theatre until 1953. In 1958, she settled in Berkeley, California, where her husband taught in the theater department at University of California, Berkeley. She began acting at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in the late 1960s. In 1991, Oliver made a bold career move: perceiving a dearth of appropriate theatrical roles for older women, she developed, with writer Dorothy Bryant, a play inspired by the literary correspondence between writers Gustave Flaubert and George Sand, entitled Dear Master. The production, in which she played George Sand, led to the founding of Aurora Theatre Company. Barbara, along with Dorothy Bryant, Marge Glicksman, Richard Rossi, and Ken Grantham formed Aurora Theatre Company in 1992. For its first decade, the company occupied an intimate 67-seat drawing room in the Julia Morgan-designed Berkeley City Club, quickly attracting a core of loyal patrons for its high-quality chamber productions; in 2002, the Aurora expanded and moved to its current 150-seat space in the downtown Berkeley Arts District.

Barbara Oliver's Aurora Theatre Company directing credits include the critically acclaimed production of Wilder Times, the World Premiere translation of Arthur Schnitzler's Anatol, Henrik Ibsen's John Gabriel Borkman, George Bernard Shaw's The Devil's Disciple, the Professional World Premiere of Ellen McLaughlin's The Trojan Women, Ibsen's The Master Builder, and McLaughlin's adaptation of The Persians. For Aurora Theatre Company, Oliver also directed Ice Glen, Seascape, The Belle of Amherst, Shaw's The Man of Destiny, Saint Joan, The Philanderer, Candida, Mrs. Warren's Profession, and Widowers' Houses, and World Premieres of Ira Hauptman's Partition, LeClanche Du Rand's Transcendental Wild Oats, and Dorothy Bryant's The Panel. She was the recipient of several Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards, including the first Barbara Bladen Porter Award, as well as two Drama-Logue awards. An accomplished Bay Area actress, Oliver appeared in Aurora Theatre Company productions of The Chairs, The Gin Game, Holiday Memories, Bailegangaire, La Castrata, The Aspern Papers, and Dear Master, as well as productions at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, American Conservatory Theater, California Shakespeare Theater, and Yale Repertory Theatre, among others. She also directed productions for the American Conservatory Theater Master of Fine Arts Program and UC Berkeley's Department of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies.

On stage next at Aurora Theatre Company is the West Coast Premiere of Fraser Grace's BREAKFAST WITH MUGABE, directed by Jon Tracy. Barbara Damashek returns to Aurora Theatre Company in January to direct the Bay Area Premiere of Nicky Silver's viciously hilarious Broadway hit THE LYONS. The company pays homage to Lanford Wilson with "The Talley Trilogy" in April with the Pulitzer Prize-winning TALLEY'S FOLLY, directed by Joy Carlin in Harry's UpStage, followed by FIFTH OF JULY, helmed by Aurora Theatre Company Artistic Director Tom Ross. As a special addition to the 23rd season, and completing the trilogy, Aurora will present readings of Wilson's rarely performed play TALLEY & SON in April, directed by Jennifer King. Aurora Theatre Company closes its 23rd season in June with the Bay Area Premiere of Lisa D'Amour's wicked Obie-winning satire DETROIT, directed by Josh Costello.

Voted Best Theater Company in 2012 by SF Weekly, Aurora Theatre Company continues to offer challenging, literate, intelligent stage works to the Bay Area, each year increasing its reputation for top-notch theater. Located in the heart of the Downtown Berkeley Arts District, Aurora Theatre Company, declared "one of the best regional theaters around" by 7x7 magazine, has been called "one of the most important regional theaters in the area" and "a must-see midsize company" by the San Francisco Chronicle, while The Wall Street Journal has "nothing but praise for the Aurora." The Contra Costa Times stated "perfection is probably an unattainable ideal in a medium as fluid as live performance, but the Aurora Theatre comes luminously close," while the San Jose Mercury News affirmed Aurora Theatre Company is "arguably the finest small theater in the Bay Area," and the Oakland Tribune stated "it's all about choices, and if you value good theater, choose the Aurora."

For tickets or more information about Aurora Theatre Company the public can call (510) 843-4822 or visit auroratheatre.org.

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