Berkeley Rep Announces 3 New Shows For 2011-12

Today, Berkeley Repertory Theatre completed the line-up for another year of innovative and adventurous work with the announcement of three exceptional shows. In addition to the five plays already scheduled for its Main Season, the Tony Award-winning theatre revealed two premieres that it will showcase in its Limited Season and a special presentation starring legendary performer Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Following its success with Brief Encounter, Britain's celebrated Kneehigh Theatre Company returns to the Bay Area for the American premiere of The Wild Bride. Then Berkeley Rep debuts Black n Blue Boys, a powerful world premiere written and performed by Pulitzer Prize-finalist Dael Orlandersmith which will be staged by Obie Award-winner Chay Yew. To top it off, Baryshnikov performs next spring in a special event at Berkeley Rep: tickets for In Paris, a dazzling romance from visionary director Dmitry Krymov, will go on sale to the Theatre's subscribers before they're available to the general public. These new shows round out an incredible schedule that already includes three world premieres, a classic Molière comedy, and a remarkable script that won the Tony Award for Best Play.

The five-play Main Season begins in September with a delicious series of premieres. First it's Rita Moreno: Life Without Makeup, a captivating show created specifically for this outstanding actress. Next Kent Nicholson directs How to Write a New Book for the Bible, Bill Cain's poignant new play about caregiving, followed by Ghost Light, a haunting fable about San Francisco written by Artistic Director Tony Taccone and staged by Jonathan Moscone. Then Steven Epp returns to unleash another Molière masterpiece with A Doctor in Spite of Himself, and Associate Artistic Director Les Waters takes on John Logan's Tony Award-winning Red. This entire experience is supported by BART and Wells Fargo, who have generously renewed their commitment as Berkeley Rep's official season sponsors.

Taccone spoke enthusiastically about the Theatre's new projects: "Each year at Berkeley Rep, we offer you a compelling collection of plays. We invite artists who inspire us to bring their vision and imagination to our stage. We present work from around the world that we hope will change the way you think about theatre - and the way you think about life. This year is no different. I am honored to announce the addition of some enormously talented people to our line-up for the coming year - Mikhail Baryshnikov and Dmitry Krymov, Dael Orlandersmith and Chay Yew, Emma Rice and her Kneehigh colleagues. And I am delighted to ask Bay Area audiences to join us for these shows."

After triumphing on Broadway and in the Bay Area with Brief Encounter, Kneehigh is back. Britain's extraordinary theatrical troupe returns for the holidays with another stunning show. Adapted and directed by Emma Rice, The Wild Bride is a grown-up fairy tale that follows a girl's journey through a visual wonderland. What happens when your father accidentally sells you to the devil? What do you do when your prince goes off to war? Hearts break, hearts heal, and happily ever after still may be possible. Time Out New York raves, "Kneehigh pulls off one clever and adorable coup de théâtre after another." The London Guardian adds, "Kneehigh has come to be ranked among Britain's most enterprising, idiosyncratic companies." Expect vivid storytelling, devilish humor, and a heady mix of live and found music when Kneehigh unveils The Wild Bride this December in the Roda Theatre.

Then Berkeley Rep invites you to a love story that could only unfold In Paris. Legendary performer Mikhail Baryshnikov takes the stage with Anna Sinyakina and a talented ensemble assembled by visionary director Dmitry Krymov. Based on a story by Nobel Prize-winner Ivan Bunin, In Paris is a dazzling new play set in the 1930s, which mixes movement with a romantic story and spectacular design. This rare international collaboration - told in French and Russian with English supertitles - unites renowned artists born in Russia for a vivid visual experience. Visit the city of light and love with Berkeley Rep, Baryshnikov, and the Dmitry Krymov Laboratory. "Baryshnikov plies his trade with wonder, grace and more than a touch of genius," the San Francisco Chronicle asserts. "The man looks almost as beautiful now as he did a generation ago, and his charisma grows with the passing decades. No one holds the stage with as much ease and command." "Dmitry Krymov is arguably the most critically acclaimed Russian director," declares the Moscow Times. He "is redefining what it means to be a director." Presented in the Roda Theatre, this exciting new show is a production of the Baryshnikov Arts Center, Dmitry Krymov Laboratory, and Russian Century Foundation in association with Korjaamo Theater, Helsinki.

The season concludes in June with a show co-commissioned and co-produced by Berkeley Rep and Goodman Theatre. Big, bold, beautiful, and fierce - Dael Orlandersmith delivers a riveting performance in Black n Blue Boys. This world premiere introduces us to children and adults forging identities in families fractured by alcohol, drugs, and abuse. Each relates a story that transforms these challenges into a celebration of our capacity to survive. Orlandersmith created this show after becoming a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize with Yellowman - and she brings these characters roaring to life with the help of Obie Award-winning director Chay Yew. "Orlandersmith is a charismatic actress whose poetical language flows hot and fast like lava," raves Back Stage. She has "an ear for a cadenced language steeped in both sweet melody and earthy physicality," agrees the New York Times. With Black n Blue Boys, Orlandersmith takes to the intimate Thrust Stage, a favorite home for solo performers such as Mike Daisey, Danny Hoch, Sarah Jones, and John Leguizamo. In the tradition of No Child... and Taking Over, this show illuminates the intricacies of an experience shared by every ethnicity.

Get the best seats for all these shows at the lowest prices by subscribing to Berkeley Rep. The five-play package includes all of the Main Season productions, and the seven-play Full Season also guarantees tickets for The Wild Bride and Black n Blue Boys. Subscribe to five or more shows and get an opportunity to buy seats for Baryshnikov before anyone else - In Paris may sell out before it becomes available to the general public! Ticket packages begin as low as $81, meaning subscribers can save as much as 30% on every ticket. Berkeley Rep also offers generous discounts for senior citizens, theatregoers under 30, and employees of nursery, elementary, and secondary schools. Purchase a subscription now, because individual seats don't go on sale until August.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre has grown from a storefront stage to a national leader in innovative theatre. Known for its core values of imagination and excellence, as well as its educated and adventurous audience, the nonprofit has provided a welcoming home for emerging and established artists since 1968. The Theatre welcomes an annual audience of 180,000, serves 20,000 students, and hosts dozens of community groups, thanks to 1,000 volunteers and more than 400 artists, artisans, and administrators. With two stages, a school, and a Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, Berkeley Rep is proud to premiere exhilarating new plays. In the last six years alone, the company has helped send six shows to Broadway: American Idiot, Bridge & Tunnel, Ghetto Klown, In the Next Room (or the vibrator play), Passing Strange, and Wishful Drinking.

See tomorrow's shows today at Berkeley Rep. The Roda Theatre and the Thrust Stage are both located on Addison Street in downtown Berkeley, near bus lines, bike routes, and parking lots - and only half a block from BART. For more information, call (510) 647-2949 or (888) 4-BRT-Tix (toll-free) - or just click berkeleyrep.org.

2011-12 SEASON SCHEDULE

Rita Moreno: Life Without Makeup
Main Season Play #1 - Roda Theatre
World premiere
Written by Tony Taccone
Directed by David Galligan
September 2 - October 30, 2011
Opening night: September 7, 2011

How to Write a New Book for the Bible
Main Season Play #2 - Thrust Stage
World premiere
Written by Bill Cain
Directed by Kent Nicholson
October 7 - November 20, 2011
Opening night: October 12, 2011

The Wild Bride
Limited Season Play #1 - Roda Theatre
American premiere
Adapted and directed by Emma Rice
December 2, 2011 - January 1, 2012
Opening night: December 7, 2011

Ghost Light
Main Season Play #3 - Thrust Stage
World-premiere production
Conceived and developed by
Jonathan Moscone and Tony Taccone
Written by Tony Taccone
Directed by Jonathan Moscone
January 6 - February 19, 2012
Opening night: January 11, 2012

A Doctor in Spite of Himself
Main Season Play #4 - Roda Theatre
Written by Molière
Adapted by Christopher Bayes and Steven Epp
Directed by Christopher Bayes
February 10 - March 25, 2012
Opening night: February 15, 2012

Red
Main Season Play #5 - Thrust Stage
Written by John Logan
Directed by Les Waters
March 16 - April 29, 2012
Opening night: March 22, 2012

In Paris
Special Presentation - Roda Theatre
Adapted from the short story by Ivan Bunin
Directed by Dmitry Krymov
April 25 - May 13, 2012
Opening night: April 25, 2012

Black n Blue Boys
Limited Season Play #2 - Thrust Stage
World premiere
Written and performed by Dael Orlandersmith
Directed by Chay Yew
May 25 - June 24, 2012
Opening night: May 30, 2012

 

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