Berkeley Rep Blog
Category archive: At the theatre
Returning to Laramie
posted by Chad Jones on Sat, Oct 17, 2009
in At the theatre
Estimates for last Monday night’s audience at The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later are impressive. Somewhere in the realm of 50,000 people (according to the New York Times) attended one of the 150 staged readings of the new play around the world — including at least one in each of the 50 states.
Mina Morita, who directed Berkeley Rep’s sold-out production of The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later, reflects on the events of Monday night: “It was such a cultural moment. The impact of doing something like that on an international scale, to be connected that way, is incredible.”
Tectonic Theater Project, the creators of the original Laramie Project (produced at Berkeley Rep in 2001), a piece of documentary theatre about the murder of 21-year-old college student Matthew Shepard in 1998, hosted a reading in New York City at Lincoln Center’s Tully Hall. Portions of that reading, specifically the pre-show introductions featuring Tectonic’s Moisés Kaufman and actor Glenn Close and the post-show discussion, were streamed over the internet and made available to any theatre company with the technological know-how to tap into it.
The Berkeley Rep audience saw the New York introduction and then took part in a live post-show discussion with Mina, dramaturg, Rachel Viola (Berkeley Rep’s literary/dramaturgy fellow), and Greg Miraglia from the Matthew Shepard Foundation.
For Mina, along with her 10-member cast and stage manager Michael Suenkel (who also stage managed The Laramie Project here eight years ago), the reading turned out to be a whole lot more.
“First of all, it was an event with a cause: proceeds from the evening are being donated to the Matthew Shepard Foundation, and we’re going to be making a donation of approximately $4,000,” Mina says. “This play engages us because of the issues it involves, including the possibility for cultural change, led by the hate crime bill that has taken 10 years to see action on a federal level. The week before the reading, the House passed the bill, and it could be going to the Senate any day now. That combined with President Obama’s weekend speech to the Human Rights Campaign and the gay rights march on Washington created a real sense of momentum leading up to the reading on Monday.”
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More great reviews for American Idiot
posted by Chad Jones on Thu, Oct 15, 2009
in At the theatre
Last weekend, we received another round of fantastic reviews for American Idiot, this time from the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.
Here's a sampling of what Charles Isherwood wrote in the New York Times:
“American Idiot is that rare creature, a true rock opera... directed with polish and precision by Michael Mayer, on a spectacular set by Christine Jones... Green Day's potent gift for irresistible tunes delivers the emotional contours of the story... their lushly melodic music is played with impressive raw power... American Idiot possesses a stimulating energy and a vision of wasted youth that holds us in its grip.”
Here's a sampling of the Los Angeles Times review by Charles McNulty:
"IRRESISTIBLE... visually mesmerizing... aesthetically dazzling and socio-politically stark... Attention, everyone. We have a theatrical bulletin coming in: Music videos have just made an artistic breakthrough. And the form has gone live. The site of this unexpected and, yes, rather loud development is Berkeley Rep, where 'American Idiot,' the show based on Green Day's multi-platinum 2004 concept album, is having its world premiere... Kinetically entertaining in a way that intentionally reflects the shallow, media-saturated culture the album rails against, American Idiot (the musical)
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Laramie Project makes the front page
posted by Chad Jones on Tue, Oct 6, 2009
in At the theatre
Berkeley Rep's October 12 staged reading of The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later was part of a front-page story that ran this week in the San Jose Mercury News and the Contra Costa Times.
Written by Karen D'Souza, the feature includes an interview with Tectonic Theater Project's artistic director, Moisés Kaufman, who is also one of the writers of this epilogue to The Laramie Project, which will be performed in more than 100 cities around the world on October 12.
Kaufman, who returned to Laramie, Wyoming, 10 years after the brutal murder of college student Matthew Shepard to document what had changed in the small town, explained to Karen why he embarked on this ambitious project: "I took a page from the Federal Theater Project because I wanted to explore what the theater is capable of doing. This is an experiment into the power of theater as a communal act where people can come together and recognize their shared humanity."
Berkeley Rep's managing director, Susie Medak, is also part of the story, and she told Karen: "As big and diverse as this country is, it's rare to have an opportunity to create a shared cultural touchpoint ... Anniversaries are markers that make us want to look back. We need to reflect on what has changed. Have we made any progress?"
Berkeley Rep's staged reading of The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later is at 8pm, Monday, October 12 in the Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison St., Berkeley.
The cast includes original members of Berkeley Rep's 2001 production of The Laramie Project, and the evening will include video presentations from the Tectonic reading at Lincoln Center, including their pre- and post-show discussions, as well as an onstage post-show discussion with director Mina Morita, Greg Miraglia, a board member of the Matthew Shepard Foundation, and Berkeley Rep's literary manager and dramaturg, Madeleine Oldham.
Tickets are $8 for students, $10 general admission, and $15 for reserved seating closer to the stage.
Proceeds benefit the Matthew Shepard Foundation.
Call 510 647-2949 for ticket information or visit our website for information. Tickets are only available by phone or in person at the box office, 2025 Addison St., Berkeley.
Visit the Laramie Project online community
Above photo: Amy Resnick, who appeared in the 2001 Berkeley Rep production of The Laramie Project, returns for the staged reading of The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later. Photo by Ken Friedman
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Read the writing on the wall
posted by Chad Jones on Fri, Oct 2, 2009
in At the theatre
Four weeks into the run of Green Day’s American Idiot, the graffiti wall in the lobby of the Roda Theatre continues to make for fascinating reading. Fans of the band, the actors, the show, or all of the above feel compelled to scrawl their thoughts in silver and gold ink on the black paper-covered wall. After filling completely, the wall was recently re-papered, but some of the comments live on here.
The geography report: the wall had messages in German, Italian, and Spanish. Scrawlers reported coming from Venezuela, Philadelphia, and Detroit just to see the show. One joker penned: “All the way from Rockridge.”
Here are some other inky entries of interest:
“Hella f*#ing awesome.”
“I can’t really say how much the American Idiot album means to me, and you did a fantastic job making it even better. And I mean it.” – Vivi
“Thank you for being my voice.”
“I never thought I could love the American Idiot album more. Tonight I do. Wow! Just wow!” – Kelly
“Dude, it was a Saturday matinee and NO ONE FELL ASLEEP!”
“21st-century theatre! Great job, Berkeley Rep.” – The Hanscoms, Rep faithful since 1976
“Are we we are absolutely blown away!”
“Any emotion that cannot be expressed with Green Day lyrics is not worth feeling.”
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A return to Laramie
posted by Chad Jones on Thu, Sep 24, 2009
in At the theatre
From Mina Morita, director of The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later
It is hard to imagine that more than 10 years have passed since Matthew Shepard’s life was taken with hate in Laramie, Wyoming.
As a nation, we were shocked that such a thing could happen. The violence was immediate and personal. And yet, where do we stand as a country today, 10 years later? And how has Laramie changed?
Without the wave of media coverage, how often does the average American think of 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina? Memory is ephemeral, and when the media forgets, so do we.
Judy Shepard, Matthew’s mother, has not forgotten. Neither has Tectonic Theater Project, creators of the play (and later movie) The Laramie Project. Tectonic returned to Laramie to see what has changed after a decade.
On October 12th, Berkeley Rep will be participating with over 100 theatre companies in all 50 states, Canada, Great Britain, Spain, Hong Kong, and Australia to present a play reading of The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later.
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The need is constant...
posted by Megan Wygant on Tue, Sep 22, 2009
in At the theatre
We interrupt your regularly scheduled blogging about American Idiot and Tiny Kushner (actors arrive in JUST TWO WEEKS!) to talk about a more serious matter.
Every two seconds, someone in these United States receives a blood transfusion. This often life-saving act is only possible because someone in that person’s community took the time to donate their own blood for use.
If everyone who was eligible to give blood did so regularly, many more lives could be bettered – or even saved. However, our hospitals are currently suffering from a severe blood shortage, and important medical needs are going unmet.
That’s why we need your help.
Next Tuesday, Berkeley Repertory Theatre and the American Red Cross are hosting a blood drive in the Roda Theatre from 11-4pm. Please join us as we work to save lives in our community!
The number one excuse for not donating is that you don't have the time. But, by giving less than 30 minutes of your time, you're giving another person so much more time. For life. Plus, you can easily save your valuable time by making an appointment to give blood. Sign up at HelpSaveALife.org. Use the sponsor code REP to be sure you’re registering to donate with us!
All donors will be entered in a raffle drawing for a free, limited-edition American Idiot poster. A second lucky donor will win a free meal at La Pinata Mexican Restaurants. And all donors will receive a coupon for a free appetizer at Mimi’s Café!
Thanks for reading. And thanks for participating!
Now if only the stage blood we used for The Lieutenant of Inishmore could be recycled for actual use...
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What an opening, what a party
posted by Chad Jones on Mon, Sep 21, 2009
in At the theatre
In the history of opening-night parties, last week’s bash for American Idiot will go down as one of the greats. Now that the frenzy and excitement has calmed somewhat, we can look back with clear heads on a night that was, from beginning to end, an absolute blast (Photo above: Green Day's Tré Cool hangs out with cast member Matt Caplan).
Levi’s®, the lead sponsor of American Idiot, organized the opening-night party and sent their crews in days before to begin setting up. That’s how big and elaborate this event was.
With a true sense of theatricality, party organizers blacked out the windows in the Roda Theatre lobby so that patrons arriving for the opening-night performance of American Idiot would not be able to see into the courtyard and beyond at the treats that waited for them after the show.
As if the anticipation over American Idiot itself wasn’t enough, audience members knew something big and something good was brewing for the post-show festivities.
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Critics rave about the American spirit!
posted by Chad Jones on Fri, Sep 18, 2009
in At the theatre
The Friday after an opening night is always a big deal because that's the day the reviews come out. In this modern, online world, reviews actually begin to seep out on Thursday, but Friday's still THE BIG DAY.
While the true test of a show is the audience's resonse, it can be gratifying when a critic agrees that what you're doing is pretty wonderful. So here's a little tour through some of the American Idiot reviews and some coverage of the incredible opening-night festivities. Click on the underlined links to read the full story.
Robert Hurwitt of the San Francisco Chronicle raves that American Idiot is "wildly entertaining." He writes: "The music of Green Day practically blasts the lid off Berkeley Rep's Roda Theatre. The cast and creative crew match the pulsating wall of sound for sheer energy and pump it up with Broadway-quality pipes, stage-rattling, thrashing choreography, flying bodies and walls crammed with pulsating video and projected images. Never has the Roda appeared more expansive yet bursting with images and action."
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A toast to the opening of American Idiot
posted by Chad Jones on Thu, Sep 17, 2009
in At the theatre
This week has seen one thrill after another with the festive opening, at long last, of Green Day's American Idiot. The world premiere of this extraordinary rock-and-roll event was greeted with standing ovations and an incredible level of audience enthusiasm.
To share the excitement, here are a couple video peeks into the world of American Idiot.
First we have a passionate toast made by Tony Taccone, Berkeley Rep's artistic director, to Green Day, the cast, creative team after a recent performance of the show.
Next up is a piece from KGO-TV San Francisco about American Idiot featuring some great interviews with Green Day and the creative team along with footage from the show.
And finally, the post-show party on opening night was, as the kids say (or used to say, anyway), off the hook. Among the flavored-vodka snow cone stations, rock-and-roll photo booths, and Rock Band video game stations there was a Mohawk hair-trimming booth.
At one point during the party, Green Day front man Billie Joe Armstrong jumped into the fun and gave Alice morning DJ Ickys an appropriately punk look, as seen in the photo at right. You can see more photos on the Alice website.
Photo by Cheshire Isaacs
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Great press for American Idiot
posted by Chad Jones on Tue, Sep 15, 2009
in At the theatre
Tonight's performance of Green Day's American Idiot is what we're calling "Green Night." It's the beginning of opening-week festivities, and we're all thrilled.
On top of that, we woke up to a great story in the Bay Area News Group papers, which include the Oakland Tribune, the Contra Costa Times, and the San Jose Mercury News.
Read Karen D'Souza's front-page story and check out the online slide show.
And then, just to keep the opening-week excitement bubbling, take a behind-the-scenes peek at American Idiot in Berkeley Rep's exclusive video featuring director Michael Mayer.