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Rita returns! Daisey blooms again! Snicket (de)composes! And more in 2010/11 season

posted by Chad Jones on Wed, Mar 3, 2010
in At the theatre

It's a big day here at Berkeley Rep.

In addition to celebrating tonight's official world premiere of Naomi Iizuka's Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West, we also announced the 2010/11 season — and not just part of the season or shows "under consideration." It's the whole, glorious season.

You can explore the season on our website. We are also happy to provide links to stories about the new season in

• the San Francisco Chronicle
• the San Jose Mercury News / Bay Area News Group
• Playbill
• TheaterMania

Rob Hurwitt's Chronicle story ends with a funny quote from Tony Taccone, Berkeley Rep's artistic director. Tony is talking about his debut as a playwright with a script for Rita Moreno's autobiographical show that ends the season. Shortly after that world premiere, he'll be dashing up to Ashland, Oregon to work on Oregon Shakespeare Festival's world premiere of Ghostlight, another play he has written — this one developed with Jonathan Moscone, artistic director of California Shakespeare Theater.

Rob quotes Tony as saying: "I realize this is artistic suicide, the height of arrogance. The way the schedules worked out, I open Rita's show here and go up the next day for rehearsals on Jon's play. Unreal, huh? I should just slit my wrists now."

Check out the comments at the bottom of the story where a reader has written: "Don't slit 'em, Tony! Call Geoff first! You guys are Bay Area treasures." Geoff, of course, is Geoff Hoyle, whom Tony will be directing in the world premiere of Lemony Snicket's The Composer Is Dead next season.

Above photo, from left: The Great Game: Afghanistan, Rita Moreno, Mike Daisey, and Lynn Nottage are all part of the 2010/11 Berkeley Rep season.