Central Works' ROAN @ THE GATES Extended Through August 25

Central Works 2019 Season's summer production Christina Gorman's political thriller, Roan @ The Gates, has EXTENDED THROUGH AUGUST 25th (originally scheduled to close August 18). Described at its opening as "fast-paced and exhilarating...," a "riveting play" about the "intricacies of whistle-blowing..." and the "illegal and indiscriminate breach of privacy."

As "marked people-under FBI and CIA scrutiny...," the characters in Roan @ The Gates show how "whistleblowers (and their loved ones) pay for their transparency..." Yet the play "goes beyond the Snowden story [and] makes us question what it means to be moral and to be loyal."

The production is directed by M. Graham Smith, positing in Gorman's words "If our government can access information from your present or your past, they can use it to get you to do what they want. What's being collected and stored is not information, it's leverage."

In Roan @ The Gates, Gorman takes the story of Edward Snowden and turns it inside out. Nat is an outspoken civil rights attorney. Roan is an NSA Analyst who isn't even allowed to tell her wife the location of her next business trip. They experience questions about their marriage that they never thought to ask - as their personal relationship collides with national security. #MyWifeIsAWhistleBlower
The production ensemble features Lauren Hayes (Roan) and Jeunée Simon* (Nat); with stage management by Michelle Chesley, costume design by Tammy Berlin, lighting design by Gary Graves, sound design by Gregory Scharpen, and prop design by Debbie Shelley. *member AEA

"I was fascinated by the idea of being 29 years old and blowing up your life. Because he [Edward Snowden] seemed to know nothing would be the same," remarks playwright Cristina Gorman. "I don't know if I've ever felt so strongly about anything in my life that I'd walk away from everyone and everything for it."

Central Works Company co-directors Jan Zvaifler and Gary Graves remain steadfast in their mission to develop and produce new works. "New plays are the lifeblood of the theater," says Ms. Zvaifler. "We look at current events, politics, classic literature and traditional storytelling to bring our audience face to face with the challenges of our lives everyday, juxtaposed against the reflections of history, both recent and far-reaching. Given our current harrowing times, we all need an opportunity to pause, feel, think and act."

The special intimacy of Central Works 50-seat theater offers this in a truly unique package. Now approaching its 30th season, Central Works has filled a special niche for theater artists in the San Francisco Bay Area, producing more new plays by local playwrights than any other company in the region. "The New Play Theater" utilizes three basic strategies: some are products of the Central Works Method, some are developed in the Central Works Writers Workshop, and some come to the company fully developed.

Central Works Method Plays bring together the writer, actors and director at the very outset of the playwriting process. In a supportive workshop environment, group research and collective brainstorming contribute to the entire development of the script.

The Central Works Writers Workshop is an ongoing commissioning program established in 2012. Twice a year, in 12-week sessions, 8 local playwrights are selected to develop projects through informal readings and carefully directed discussions. This season, both Cristina García's The Lady Matador's Hotel and Patricia Milton's The Victorian Ladies' Detective Collective emerged from this program, following two last season. For more information, visit our website: www.centralworks.org

Central Works 2019 Season
Roan @ The Gates written by Christina Gorman A political thriller EXTENDED FOR ONE WEEK ONLY! THRU SUN AUG 25
The Lady Matador's Hotel Oct 12-Nov 10 by Cristina García adapted from her novel
At: The Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Avenue, Berkeley. Performances: Thurs. and Fri. 8pm, Sat. 7pm, Sun. 5pm
Subscriptions Start At ONLY $59 Use any ticket anytime!
Performing at the Berkeley City Club, 2315 Durant Avenue, Berkeley Tickets: $22 - $38 online at centralworks.org or $38 - $15 sliding scale at the door. Previews and Thursdays are always pay-what-you-can at the door! For more information call 510.558.1381 or visit centralworks.org

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