Central Works' THE AHAB PROJECT Runs Now thru 8/23

Central Works 25th anniversary season continues with THE AHAB PROJECT; or Eye of the Whale, a new musical about how a band of hippies, mystics and visionaries changed the world, opening with a press night tonight, July 18, and running through August 23 at the historic Berkeley City Club. Set in 1973, in the formative years of the ecology movement, The Ahab Project converts Melville's classic story of a man bent on killing a whale, to that of a man determined to stop the killing of whales; or, "Ahab goes after the whalers."

Building on the success of the company's 2013 musical epic, Red Virgin, writer Gary Graves and director John Patrick Moore team up with musical director Ben Euphrat. "Ahab" taps into the rich reservoir of folk and pop tunes from the period with a cast of actor/singer/musicians, while also drawing upon a diverse body of classical and traditional sea-faring music.

THE YELLOW WALLPAPER is Central Works World Premiere #48, and features Michael Barrett Austin*, Ben Euphrat* (also performing), Sam Jackson, Caitlyn Louchard and Clive Worsley (*members AEA), with stage management by Vanessa Ramos, costumes by Tammy Berlin, sound by Gregory Scharpen, and props by Debbie Shelley.

The script was created using the Central Works Method of collaborative play development. In a supportive workshop environment, group research and collective brainstorming contribute to the development of the script. The play emerges as a rich mix of group research, dramaturgical analysis and shared imagination.