Berkeley Rep Blog
Category archive: At the theatre
Arabian Nights crowned Homecoming Queen of Berkeley Rep
posted by Elana McKernan on Fri, Jan 16, 2009
in At the theatre
I come from a small suburb of San Diego where the biggest theatrical hit each year is the community theatre's production of Annie. Sure, the little orphan's rendition of "Tomorrow" sends dogs counties over into howling fits. Sure, Daddy Warbucks seems caught in a state of perpetual puberty--every year his voice cracks a little more, his patchy sprouting of facial hair grows a little more sporadic and awkward, and his baby fat cells seem to multiply voraciously...but there is something comfortable about going down to the old converted movie house, paying 10 bucks for a general admission ticket, and having my pick of a house that is, at best, two-thirds of the way full (counting small children, pets, the spirits of lost loved ones, and unborn fetuses).
That's why it is simultaneously heartwarming, odd, and even a little magical to see the popularity of The Arabian Nights in the wake of these troubled economic times. Not only did The Arabian Nights sell out completely nearly two weeks before the end of its run, but the fact that it is now completely sold out has only ignited people's desire to see the show. At the box office we field anywhere from 50 to 200 phone calls a day from people desperate to see the show. Not only do we get phone calls, but we have some particularly dedicated people who show up in person throughout the day to check in about tickets.
And while I sincerely wish that everybody who wanted to see the show could (because, well, it's a fantastic play), I can't help but smile inside at the extreme outpouring of support for Berkeley Rep, Mary Zimmerman, and good art. I feel lucky to be a part of a community that chooses to support the arts so avidly and gets so passionate about the opportunity to experience theatre.
There are some people who make dozens of phone calls a day on the off chance that somebody might have called in and donated back their tickets, and the crowds of theatregoing hopefuls outside our box office an hour before the show starts have grown so much that we had to make an impromptu Arabian Nights waiting line to keep fights from breaking out (ok, perhaps not fights, per se...more like very-tense-but-vaguely-polite disagreements). Megan Wygant of the marketing department even pointed out to me that there are currently 26 entries that come up on Craigslist when you search for Arabian Nights. Sorry, folks--all of the entries are from people asking to purchase tickets, not sell them. One guy even posted a request for an Arabian Nights "miracle" ticket.
If Arabian Nights were in high school, it would be, like, the totally popular girl who all the guys want to date and all the girls want to be friends with. Not the head cheerleader type who makes you feel bad about yourself and spreads nasty rumors about you, but the one who is so pretty and genuine that you would have to hate her if she weren't so darned nice. So: the polls are closed, the votes have been cast, and you the people have voted overwhelmingly to crown The Arabian Nights as homecoming queen of Berkeley Rep. May she continue to succeed as she moves forward with her life (on to Kansas City and Chicago).
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Happy new (book, film, comedy) year!
posted by Terence Keane on Fri, Jan 9, 2009
in At the theatre
In my last post, I talked about the old year -- how the critics looked back at 2008 and praised our shows. Well, what about the new year? Let's look forward to 2009...
This year, Berkeley Rep is all over the place -- with new books, movies, comedies. It's not just shows here on Addison St. I think it's pretty cool all the things we're connected to this year:
- We're gonna be in pictures! Spike Lee fell in love with Passing Strange, and saw it again and again in New York. So, at the end of the show's Broadway run, he filmed two performances. I flew back east to be in the audience for this, and it totally rocked! The theatre was packed, the cast was pumped, the band was tearing it up, and the audience was on its feet for much of the show. Next Friday, Spike debuts the film at Sundance -- the first time he's ever showed a film at the festival. Unfortunately I can't go to Park City for the premiere, but I'm dying to see the movie... and to sing along with a 30-foot-tall Stew on screen.
- Berkeley Rep bestseller? If you enjoyed watching Carrie Fisher dishing dirt in Wishful Drinking last year (and lots of people did, judging by the box-office records she broke), then you'll want to know that she just released the script in book form. In fact, it's at #17 on the New York Times bestseller list! I think it would be phenomenal if a script from our stage topped that particular list, so consider buying a copy. If that show doesn't do it for you, other books with Berkeley Rep roots are on the way: this year, TCG will publish Culture Clash's Zorro in Hell and the stage version of Tony Kushner's Brundibar.
- On the road again: Carrie continues her tour this year, taking Wishful Drinking to Seattle Rep in April. Danny Hoch is headed to Los Angeles this month with Taking Over, and The Arabian Nights is off to Kansas City and Chicago as soon as it finishes its run here. I really have to thank Tony (our artistic director) for simplifying my Christmas shopping over the last few years. With our shows traveling so much, I just pick up the phone and buy a couple of tickets to one of our plays as they pass through the places where my relatives live.
Plug in: We're in the midst of our commissioning project, our pledge to create 50 new plays by 2013. It's a pretty bold goal, and one of the reasons I'm proud to work here. As our literary manager, Madeleine, says in the program for our next play, "It seems like a no-brainer. If you don't write any new plays, there won't be any new plays. And without them, theatre will get stuck in the past and lose its potency as a catalyst for contemporary dialogue." So don't miss our next show. It's a world premiere, and it's called In the Next Room (or the vibrator play). Sarah Ruhl and Les Waters -- the playwright and director, respectively -- also worked together on one of my favorite shows of the last decade, if not all time: Eurydice. I started here just before we opened that show, and it reassured me I was in the right place. (We just finished the photo shoot for In the Next Room yesterday. That's the campy image at right.)
- Other new shows: I'm also eager to see two other comedies we've got on tap this spring: The Lieutenant of Inishmore, which is another totally twisted story by the guy who wrote The Pillowman, and You, Nero.
So it's a new year, indeed -- full of new plays and new ways of bringing our work to a larger audience. Who knows? Maybe the next big thing will be the Super Susie comic book about the business adventures of our boss, or maybe the Carrie Fisher action figure.
Um... wait a second...
Photo of Paul Niebanck and Maria Dizzia by KevinBerne.com
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Happy Old Year!
posted by Terence Keane on Mon, Jan 5, 2009
in At the theatre
Happy New Year! Although right at the moment, we're looking back at the old year with pride and satisfaction. The critics have released their annual Top 10 lists, and we certainly have a lot to celebrate.
For the third straight year, a show that originated at Berkeley Rep made the Top 10 list in the New York Times! Our work also ranks among the year's best in USA Today, Newsday, the San Francisco Chronicle, and more.
In 2008, we repeatedly broke box office records here in Berkeley, even as our shows enjoyed runs both on and off Broadway. We sent two shows on tour -- Danny Hoch's Taking Over and Carrie Fisher's Wishful Drinking -- and they played to sold-out houses in Boston, Hartford, Montreal, New York, San Jose, Santa Fe, and Washington, DC.
So there was a lot to choose from when trying to select the year's highlights. Here's how we looked in the local papers:
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This year, we're the only theatre to have two shows selected for the Top 10 list in the San Francisco Chronicle: The Arabian Nights and Figaro.
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The same goes for the Mercury News, which put TRAGEDY: a tragedy and Wishful Drinking among the year’s best.
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Three of our shows made the Top 10 list in the East Bay Express: Figaro, Taking Over, and TRAGEDY: a tragedy. (The Arabian Nights and Joe Turner's Come and Gone also got honorable mentions -- but I suppose it would've been unsporting of us to take five of the top 10.)
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Joe Turner made the list in the Marin Independent Journal, and the Bay Area Reporter included The Arabian Nights in its Top 10.
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And Chad Jones included TRAGEDY: a tragedy in his lists for Theater Dogs and Examiner.com. (And perhaps this is an appropriate time to acknowledge Chad's wonderful work as a critic in the Bay Area. He's moved up Highway 80 to take a job as an editor at the Sacramento Bee, and his insightful writing and sweet personality will be sorely missed in these parts.)
Even more exciting, our Broadway production of Passing Strange topped some important lists:
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USA Today proclaimed it the Best Original Musical of 2008, Charles Isherwood included it in his Top 10 for the New York Times, and Gothamist named it the #1 show of the year!
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Strange also made the Top 10 in Newsday and NY1, and NY Press put Stew and Heidi on its list of “who was nice” (as opposed to naughty) in 2008.
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Plus, one of the songs from the show, "Working the Wound," was ranked 14th when the New York Post chose the 208 Best Songs of 2008.
Wishful Drinking didn’t make any official lists, but it did get some love from critics at the Washington Post, Hartford Courant, and Boston Globe. Shows by Sarah Ruhl, the playwright who penned our upcoming premiere of In the Next Room (or the vibrator play), placed among the year’s best in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Hartford Courant, New Haven Advocate, and Seattle Post-Intelligencer, as well as weeklies in Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, San Diego, and Sarasota.
And it was definitely a good year for Martin McDonagh. We'll return to the work of this Academy Award-wining author when Les Waters directs The Lieutenant of Inishmore in April. Here's how 2008 ended for the bad boy of Broadway:
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His debut feature film, In Bruges, made a lot of Top 10 lists, especially by people counting the ones that “slipped under the radar.”
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The film was nominated for three Golden Globes -- and he took home the British Independent Film Award (BIFA) for Best Screenplay and the ZeBBie Award for Best Film Script from the Irish Playwrights and Screenwriters Guild.
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He was named Best New Filmmaker of 2008 by the Boston Society of Film Critics and grabbed the award for Breakout of the Year from the Florida Film Critics Circle.
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And Martin McDonagh must be extremely versatile, because he also recently saved a game against Ulster while goal-tending for the Heart of Galway. (Well, someone by that name did.)
If you want to see how all of this compares to past years, check out the Best of 2006 and Best of 2007. And drop by the blog later this week, to see what we're cooking up for 2009. Hint: it includes a film, several books, a CD, more touring shows, and the premiere of several hot comedies right here at home.
Phew! At Berkeley Rep, we're as busy as a hyperactive beaver.*
* Extra points for anyone in the theatre community who gets this obscure joke, which connects Berkeley Rep to one of our industry's most controversial shows from 2008.
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You think you've got holiday shipping hassles?
posted by Terence Keane on Mon, Dec 22, 2008
in At the theatre
At this time of year, lots of people worry about how much it will cost to ship gifts and if their packages will arrive on time. So this odd little office moment seemed apropos...
The other day our bookkeeper, Kristin, sent out an e-mail with the subject line "Fed-Ex mystery." When I read the message, I just had to laugh. Kristin was hoping that someone in the company could claim responsibility for an overnight package that had been billed to us, but she didn't have much to work with.
The package came from someone named Wileyuk Thessen at a business called CATCU in Ohio. Even better, according to Fed Ex, it was addressed to FJ Croeleng c/o Entucthen at Byhley R-perlviy. With admirable understatement, Kristin wrote, "I have a feeling some of these words are horribly misspelled. See if you can decipher."
It's fairly obvious that "Byhley R-perlviy" is scrawl for "Berkeley Repertory," but beyond that?
Well, incredibly, someone did break the code. The crucial bit was "CATCU," which turns out to be a theatre called Catco in Ohio. That's the usual artistic home for TJ Gerckens, the lighting designer who created the beautiful blend of lanterns, stars, and moonlight for The Arabian Nights. I guess TJ is also known to his friends as "FJ Croeleng."
And what about "c/o Entucthen"? I've studied a few foreign languages, and that looks vaguely like the German word for "duckling." Perhaps the package was sent via passenger pigeon? The best guess comes from Fred Geffken, our master electrician, who suspects the sender meant to write "c/o Electrics," since that's the department where TJ was working. While Fred is remarkably skilled at what he does, I think his brilliance in cracking the Duckling Code qualifies him for a high-level intelligence job doing cryptanalysis for the Obama administration.
So we can all sleep soundly now, with visions of Catcos and Croelengs dancing in our heads... Yet let this be a lesson to all of you elves out there: Santa can easily read millions of letters every year, but postal workers and bookkeepers really prefer if you write neatly when shipping those seasonal packages. (And it doesn't hurt to leave them some milk and cookies either.)
Happy holidays, everyone, from all of us at Berkeley Rep.
And Froehliche Weihnachten, Wileyuk Thessen, wherever you are.
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The best gift...
posted by Lynn Eve Komaromi on Thu, Dec 18, 2008
in At the theatre
It's interesting how this economy is affecting the psychology of gift-giving -- whether it's exchanging holiday gifts or making financial contributions to charitable organizations. Everyone is feeling like there is less money in their pocketbooks and there's almost a sense of apology people are making when they aren't able to make as (financially) generous a gift as they were in the past.
My son taught me something valuable this year, when for my birthday he composed a little ditty about my life, recorded using a computer program (Garage Band, I think), and giving me a DVD of it. It was funny, touching, and struck me to the core. That he put so much effort into it, that he actually knew some of the details of my life (which confirmed that he has indeed been paying attention!), was so moving to me. I was simply blown away.
So Christmas and the other present-exchange holidays have arrived and we're all trying to figure out what to do this year. My own family has long purchased a single gift for one member of the family (we exchange names randomly at Thanksgiving), but even this year we felt it was so burdensome financially that we are limiting the exchange to stocking-stuffers with a $5-$10 limit.
But a wonderful thing happened today for our Devo Department get-together. I had proposed a couple of weeks ago that instead of playing Secret Santa that we draw names and come up with a "performance piece" to do for "our" person. It could be a limerick, a haiku, a song, a dance, anything -- just something special for our person.
Oh my god. I know that I work with truly special people, but yesterday's holiday tea and performance "gift exchange" was proof positive of how extraordinary the Devo staff is.
Angele, our intern, wrote a beautiful piece about Jane, our database coordinator. Angele captured everything we love about Jane -- from having been a career woman who has transitioned into retirement, raised two beautiful daughters, and has an infectious laugh that everyone can hear from down the hall. Siobhan wrote a series of haikus about Angele that had us rolling with laughter (and which even included some facts captured from Angele's Facebook bio). Elisabeth used a Celtic brogue to recite a poem about the beautiful Siobhan and the light she brings to our office. Jane had a great limerick about the fabulous grant-writing Elisabeth -- including a factoid Jane picked up on Elisabeth through the internet! Rachel pulled out her Blackberry to sing lyrics to Catrina, using the famous Maria tune from West Side Story. Laura and Margo had each other's names, and Laura movingly read a poem about Margo, who simply is marvelous. Margo harkened back to all of our youths when she presented Laura with a "cootie catcher" (remember those?), a childhood paper origami fortune telling game which Laura can use in the office when it's time to take a break (Get a gelato, reads one of the random choices). Catrina belted out a Ry Cooder-esque song about me and the "Devo Chicks" that had us laughing so hard that we now want to adopt it as our official department anthem. And I got everyone singing a song to Rachel based on the 12 Days of Christmas, only it was the 8 Nights of Hannukah...and there were Five Drama Queens. The only thing missing from this was having Sara, my former co-director of devo who very recently moved down to the Southland, there. But we thought about her nonetheless.
Maybe only an all-female department could pull off something like this. I don't know. But what I do know is how everyone seemed to feel so appreciated and it was evident how each of us values the other. In times like this, we need those moments that money can't buy. And maybe I'm thankful we don't have the money for presents. Because really, these are the best gifts.
What artistic and creative ideas are you using to celebrate your family and friends this year?
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What keeps me up at night...
posted by Lynn Eve Komaromi on Mon, Dec 8, 2008
in At the theatre
You could say I’ve been on edge lately. Ever since the Dow started taking wild swings a few months ago, the economy has been top of mind for any of us who deal with the financial matters of the Theatre. How will this recession impact ticket sales? Will people still make donations? What choices should we be making about this season’s budget and next?
As the director of development for the Theatre, I’m responsible, along with the development staff, for procuring over $6 million in contributions each season. It’s a job I love -- one that some might see as an onerous task (“I could never ask anyone for money!” a friend tells me), but that I see as a way to give people who believe in the importance of the arts an opportunity to become more engaged with the Theatre. But these are challenging times. And I wonder if the conviction to be charitable will remain strong when people are wincing at the sight of their 401(k) statements.
I'll find out soon, when we send out our end-of-the-year appeal to our patrons. Artistic Director Tony Taccone makes a strong case for why making a contribution to Berkeley Rep is a good investment. Berkeley Rep is a vibrant part of the Bay Area cultural fabric. We’re being prudent with our budget and have already made cuts. In times like this, we need art to sustain us. As much as we need food in our bellies, we also need nourishment for our minds and souls.
I’ve been at Berkeley Rep for 11 years now. It’s not just a job; this institution is my family. And so I feel a deep level of personal investment in the work and with my colleagues -- I don’t want to let them down. Ticket sales account for only half of our budget, and we're dependent on contributions to make up the rest. I want to ensure that my colleagues can work unimpeded. That the quality of the work on our stage doesn’t suffer. That our audience’s experience remains high. And it can only happen by maintaining our level of Annual Fund support.
It’s been interesting to watch the trends in fundraising for the arts over the past few years. Contributions from corporations peaked about two years ago and have since been on a decline. That the financial services sector accounts for the largest giving to performing arts doesn’t help. With companies like Lehman Brothers going the way of the dodo, we can’t count on corporate support the way we used to. And while grants from foundations represent more than 20% of our annual support, we expect some shrinkage over the next three years as their own dwindling assets prevent them from making as generous gifts as in the past.
Which leads us to individual gifts, our most vital source of support for the Theatre. Last season, more than 35% of our subscribers made contributions to the Annual Fund –- each gift as important as the next, whether it was just a few dollars tacked on to a ticket purchase to being a “producer” for one of our shows. I know that people have many reasons for giving -– that they like the work we do, that they want to support our education programs, that they know their ticket really only covers 50% of the cost of making theatre. Some may know that their gift is important. Others may think it doesn’t matter that much –- what difference does, say, $20 make?
I can tell you it makes a huge difference, and that every single gift matters. It takes an entire community to make great theatre. Not just the actors, or the director, or the stage manager –- or even me as an administrator. It takes all of us.
You can learn more about the Annual Fund here.
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Recap: The Arabian Nights 30 Below
posted by Elissa Dunn on Thu, Dec 4, 2008
in At the theatre
On Friday, November 21st, we hosted the second 30 Below event of the season, and it was a smashing success! This is our party for (and by) those under the age of 30--and the goal of the event is to cultivate attendance now and in the future with young audiences. This was one of my favorite 30 Belows for all of the following reasons:
- Three little letters: B. B. Q. More than generously provided by our friends at the San Francisco Bay Guardian and Everett & Jones! Have you had the ribs? Oh wow...those ribs...that sauce...delicious!
If you're under the age of 30 and haven't had a chance to join us for a 30 Below yet, or if you know someone who'd like to attend, please help us celebrate the next one: In the Next Room (or the vibrator play) on January 30!
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Arabian Nights Extends to January 11!
posted by Elana McKernan on Wed, Dec 3, 2008
in At the theatre
It's never fun telling people that they can't get tickets to a great show. As great as it is to see the Berkeley Rep sell tickets like MSG pancakes, it's pretty sad for those of us in the box office when we go through performance after performance with patrons issuing the same message: "Sorry, that one's sold out as well." That's why I'm excited to share that Mary Zimmerman's latest fantastical creation, The Arabian Nights, has extended for one week, through to January 11th.
What does this mean for you? It means that most of the performances after Christmas (and especially in January) have some great tickets available.
What does it mean for us in the box office? It means that rather than being bearers of bad news ("Sorry, no tickets left"), we get to say things like "Yes! We have a fantastic pair of seats on that day. Would you like to be third row center or fifth row center?" or "We have great seats for both Thursday and Friday. Which date would you prefer?" Most importantly, it allows us to spread the joy rather than disappointment. So if you haven't partaken of Mary Zimmerman's lush phantasmagoria of live music, dancing, hillarious and insightful stories, and the world's classiest (and most intricate) fart joke, give us a call! Or better yet, head to our website--and keep in mind, the best (and in some cases, only) tickets are found in January. Get them while you can!
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Joe Turner Playlist
posted by Robert Sweibel on Fri, Nov 14, 2008
in At the theatre
If you follow this blog regularly, you may have noticed that blogging was light this week. It's been busy at the Theatre: we very rarely have two shows opening so close together. The cast and crew of Joe Turner's Come and Gone are enjoying their first week post-opening, as across the way, in the Thrust, Mary Zimmerman's The Arabian Nights has been been gearing up for previews--the first of which was held last night.
For now, though, audiences have been really responding to Joe Turner--they've been quiet and thoughtful, yet laughing in all the right places. And everyone seems to really love the pre-show playlist compiled by our music director, Dwight Andrews. It's a great mix of blues and gospel that really sets the tone for the world of the show. The music is really great--I might even add a few of these to my personal playlist. I highly recommend you check them out.
Pre-show music:
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“Joe Turner”
Mississippi John Hurt / Memorial Anthology Vol.1
“12 Gates to the City”
Reverend Gary Davis
“My Jack Don’t Drink Water No More”
Shortstuff Macon / Classic Blues--Smithsonian Folkways (CBSF)
“Been in the Storm So Long”
Mary Pinckney / Classic African American Gospel from Smithsonian Folkways (CAAGGSF)
“Blow Gabriel”
Reverend Gary Davis
“Crossroads Blues”
Robert Johnson
“Clog Dance (Stomping Blues)”
Champion Jack Dupree / CBSF
“Shake It and Break It”
Charlie Patton / The Best of Charlie Patton
“Hallelujah, It Is Done”
Elizabeth Cotten / CAAGGSF
“If I Had My Way”
Reverend Gary Davis / There is No Eye
“High Water Everywhere”
Charlie Patton / The Best of Charlie Patton
Intermission playlist
“I Belong to The Band” Reverend Gary Davis / “Black Woman” Rich Amerson “Jesus Going to Make up my Dying Bed” Horace Sprott / CAAGSF “Soon, One Mornin” Willie Gresham / CAAGSF “Been in the Storm So Long” Mary Pinckney / CAAGSF “Low Down Death Right Easy” Dock Reed / CAAGSF
“Black Woman” Vera Hall / CAAGSF
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An historic performance
posted by Megan Wygant on Wed, Nov 5, 2008
in At the theatre
Last night, I'm assuming that you, like me, were glued to the TV and watching the election. However, at the theatre, there was a performance taking place -- the final preview for August Wilson's play, Joe Turner's Come and Gone.
After each performance, the stage manager creates a performance report that is emailed to all members of the staff. This report keeps us all on the same page about what happened during any particular performance -- including the show's exact run time, info on any injuries or illnesses, or acting and technical notes which require attention. There is also a field at the bottom called "special notes," which encompasses the truly unusual, and is often left blank.
Here was stage manager Cynthia Cahill's final note in last night's performance report:
An historic evening everyone! As Obama was making his acceptance speech tonight, Dan Hiatt (as Selig) was onstage talking about how his Grandfather and his Father used to bring slaves over from Africa, and how they used to find runaway slaves for the plantation owners, and I looked over at Obama on TV and looked down at Dan on the stage and was so struck by the contrast and by how profound this day is for the history of America, and I felt privileged to witness it, this evolution of our society. Happy Day.
Indeed.