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Ruined opens, Wozniak cries, and more news

posted by Karen McKevitt on Wed, Mar 2, 2011
in News , Our shows

The highly anticipated production of Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Ruined opens tonight! It's already played to critical acclaim, awards, and enthusiastic audiences at La Jolla Playhouse and the Huntington Theatre in Boston -- where people even braved the blizzards to see it! So, we hope to see you at our Roda Theatre.

On Sunday, the San Francisco Chronicle ran an interview with Lynn Nottage conducted by theatre critic Robert Hurwitt. The topics in Ruined have really inspired Berkeley Rep's staff to hook up with local human rights organizations to put together post-show discussions, panels, and more. We even put together a resource list for all of you who would like to help those surviving the war in the Congo. And keep watching this blog for more posts about these organizations and more inspired by the play.

Berkeley Rep has been in the news quite a bit over the last few days. The Chronicle ran a feature profile on Managing Director Susan Medak, who celebrates 20 years here. And, if you haven't been on Facebook lately (or aren't a friend, or haven't liked us, or whatever), you've missed news that Steve Wozniak came to Mike Daisey's The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs -- and cried. And now the Woz is talking about trying to affect change.

Between Ruined and The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs, we're heartened to see that theatre really can shine a light on issues happening around the globe, issues that are now directly affecting us -- and we're affecting them.

Photo of Carla Duren and Pascale Armand in Ruined by kevinberne.com