Berkeley Rep Blog
Category archive: Events
Hot nights, cool parties
posted by Cari Turley on Thu, Jun 23, 2011
in At the theatre , Events
Last Friday was the season's final 30-Below, AKA the coolest theatre afterparty for people in their 20s. And it was a blast! We had the good folks at Picante on hand making fresh tortillas in our courtyard (after four salmon tacos, I am a fan for life), a keg of delicious Triple Rock Bug Juice Ale, wine courtesy of Raymond Vineyards, and even a pre-show maragarita tasting with the always-fabulous Tres Agaves. And as for entertainment? Our old friend DJ Ome was back to spin tunes while we waited for our turn in the Magbooth. That's right, I told you the photo booth would be back!
For those of you who missed it, here's a few snaps we took at the event. And those of you who were there, see if you can spot yourself in the crowd! Leave us a comment if you find yourself or a friend.
Thanks to David Trease for the photos! Click on the pictures to open a larger size in a new window.
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partygoers enjoying 30-Below |
the collectable Triple Rock coasters |
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Picante's fresh tortillas were a huge hit |
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(Looking for the full set of photo booth pictures? Check out the album here.)
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You look fabulous!
posted by Cari Turley on Mon, Jun 6, 2011
in Events
Last Thursday was our final night/OUT event for the LGBT community of the season (don't worry, we'll be back in September!), and it was a blast. Right after Anna Deavere Smith's brilliant new show, Let Me Down Easy, the audience filled the courtyard for a couple hours of food, drinks, and music. We had a delicious spread courtesy of Bistro Liaison, wine from Raymond Vineyards, and the guys from Ale Industries were on hand to pour beer all night (you've gotta try their Orange Kush!). Meanwhile, DJ Pauline kept the music coming, and we even had a special live performance by genre-bending queer musician Maia Papaya.
But the final touch was a photo booth courtesy of our friends at Magnolia Photo Booth. They brought a suitcase full of props and let our partygoers take as many pictures as they wanted, even printing out free strips of photos to take home and treasure forever (in duplicate, no less!). If you missed it--or if you didn't, and you're looking for your new Facebook profile photo--here's a gallery of our fabulous friends. Check out a few of our favorites below!
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Missed out? Don't worry, you'll get a second chance at 30-Below, coming up on June 17. If you're under 30 (and old enough to drink), join us for the party! Get a half-price ticket to Let Me Down Easy with the code 30BELOW, or call the box office at 510-647-2949 and mention 30-Below. Tickets to the show start at just $23.50, and you'll get to enjoy the post-show party for free! We'll have snacks from Picante, beer from Triple Rock Brewery, more wine from Raymond Vineyards, DJ Ome playing all your favorite music (she takes requests!), and of course another fabulous photo booth. 30-Below is sponsored by the San Francisco Bay Guardian, so be sure to say hi to those guys when you drop by, too. See you there!
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Teens fill 24 hours with dramatic fundraising!
posted by School of Theatre on Fri, Jun 3, 2011
in Events , School of Theatre , Teen Council
by Ben Hanna, Community Programs Manager
In May, 18 teens from Teen Council gathered at the School of Theatre for a 24-hour fundraising "Dramathon." Yes, you read that right. Noon to noon, a nonstop theatre extravaganza! Here’s just a taste of this fundraising excursion of epic proportions:
Saturday, May 21
12pm - Teens sign up for play readings and warm up their bodies and voices in prep for 24 hours of performance.
1:15pm – Teens near the end of The Importance of Being Earnest, with a twist: a cross-gender cast!
3:11pm - Teen Council member Gideon Lazarus performs a monologue from Macbeth, sparking a series of monologue performances from the teens.
5:20pm – Participants delve into the world of one-acts, including works by playwrights Anton Chekhov, John Patrick Shanley, and David Ives.
6:47pm – Students scarf down a pizza dinner in prep for the Chicago sing-a-long. Peet’s coffee and tea are served, giving everyone a much-needed boost of energy.
9:07pm - Bay Area actress and School of Theatre teaching artist Elena Wright arrives as a special guest to read Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard with the teens. In Elena's words, "One of the hardest reads I've ever done -- three hours of Stoppard cold from nine to midnight!"
Sunday, May 22
12:45am – Over 12 hours down, 12 to go. Students are clad in pajamas, and Christopher Durang’s The Idiots Karamazov has begun. Lots of hysterical laughter all around, perhaps due to the late-night giggles!
2:30am - Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” is blaring over our sound system, and a five-minute theatrical dance party ensues!
3:07am – Let’s do the time warp again! Eyes are drooping and the second round of Peet’s coffee is served! A cult classic is in order! Rocky Horror Picture Show is projected on our classroom wall for a read-through and sing-a-long!
6:45am - Martin McDonagh’s The Lieutenant of Inishmore has begun -- for those of you who saw it at Berkeley Rep, you can imagine the dramatic action all throughout the School!
9:03am - Improv games are played to wake-up the crowd. Education Fellows Candice McDowell and Allison Whorton pump up the energy, leading some intense “dance-offs.”
11:45am - The top three teen fundraisers for the Dramathon are announced and given great Berkeley Rep prizes in appreciation of their hard work!
Over the course of the evening, teens read 8 full-length plays, 10 one-acts, and 10 monologues as well as participated in 3 sing-a-longs and numerous improv games. Major kudos to these diehard theatre-lovers who raised over $3,500 for the Berkeley Rep Teen Council's programming next year.
Weren't able to sponsor a teen but want to help support Teen Council programming? Donate to the Teen Conference Fund and help send seven teens to represent the youth voice of American theatre at the TCG Conference this June.
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Taking the spotlight ONSTAGE
posted by Karen McKevitt on Wed, Apr 27, 2011
in Events
More than 360 Berkeley Rep supporters gathered at the Four Seasons San Francisco last Saturday night for ONSTAGE, a gala celebrating the Theatre's 43rd birthday. Daniel Handler, also known as Lemony Snicket, presided as master of ceremonies, and the evening raised $587,000 to support the Theatre, including $115K for our arts education outreach programs (see a video on how theatre changes lives). Here are some highlights from photographer Cheshire Isaacs:
Berkeley Rep's Managing Director Susan Medak with master of ceremonies Daniel Handler.
Development Director Lynn Eve Komaromi with Narsai David, Michael Yovino-Young, Venus David, and Jean Strunsky.
The legendary Rita Moreno sang selections from her upcoming show.
William Tucker and Deborah Romer meet the Honorable Willie Brown after scoring the winning bid on an exclusive dinner party with the former mayor of San Francisco.
Paul Wattis flashes his bidder card after winning a World Series commemorative bat signed by Tim Lincecum.
Cal Shakes' Artistic Director Jonathan Moscone with Berkeley Rep's Artistic Director Tony Taccone and MC Daniel Handler auctioning off the Ghost Light lot.
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Countdown to the BIG warehouse sale
posted by A Susskind on Wed, Apr 13, 2011
in Events , News
Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
If you missed the last post about our giant warehouse sale, or if you're just looking for an unusual place to take a first date this weekend, keep in mind 937 Carleton in Berkeley (not in Oakland). On Friday and Saturday (April 15 and 16) from 10am to 4pm our staff will be on hand to hook you up with some great deals on some unusual wares. Today I swung by to take some photos of the awesome items we have for sale. Keep in mind, many of the items pictured are props and costumes that have been on our stage -- you could even walk away in the shoes worn by Laura Bush!* The coolest items go fast and everything is cash only. Come early for the selection, come late for the deals!
Take home a poster from BRT's archives
Upscale chairs for your upscale home
A mountain to spruce up your H.O. Gauge Train Set
Hats!
Hats!
And more hats!
Assorted awesomeness
Costumes
A piano costume! (You gotta see it to believe it)
Bert won't bite!
Something fishy?
Find the perfect gift for all types
See you this weekend!
*As played by Kate Eifrig in Tiny Kushner.
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It's a warehouse sale!
posted by Karen McKevitt on Tue, Apr 5, 2011
in Costume shop , Events
Hey, have you heard we're having a huge warehouse sale on April 15 and 16? Here's what you might find:
You can get the hat -- you can't get the girl!
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Page to Stage, Monday, April 4: smart, captivating, and free!
posted by Karen McKevitt on Fri, Apr 1, 2011
in Events
Were you incited to action after seeing Ruined? Come to the free Page to Stage panel discussion this Monday! Doors open at 6:30pm, and the 60-minute discussion starts at 7pm. No reservations necessary.
Berkeley Rep’s Madeleine Oldham hosts a conversation with Muadi Mukenge from the Global Fund for Women, Anneke Van Woudenberg from the Human Rights Watch’s Africa division, Heidi Lehmann from the Women’s Empowerment and Protection Unit for International Rescue Committee and Rachel Niehuus from the Cal Human Rights Center.
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Playing with PlayGround
posted by Karen McKevitt on Tue, Mar 29, 2011
in Events , News
PlayGround, a new-play development organization dedicated to local playwrights, has been holding monthly Monday night readings at our Thrust Stage for years. It’s an awesome organization that’s ushered critically acclaimed new plays and even offers grants to local theatre companies to produce a world premiere by a PlayGround playwright. (Full disclosure: my husband is one of those playwrights.)
Well, their annual Benefit & Awards Night is coming up on Monday, April 11 at the elegant Claremont Hotel -- and it features a fireside chat with none other than our own Artistic Director Tony Taccone along with Cal Shakes Artistic Director Jonathan Moscone and local playwright Peter Sinn Nachtrieb (who currently has the most produced play in the country save for Shakespeare and Charles Dickens).
The annual benefit also features a reception and silent auction, dinner, the presentation of the 2011 PlayGround Emerging Playwright Awards, the June Anne Baker Prize, and PlayGround Fellowship. Learn more about the benefit and about PlayGround itself!
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Sock it to 'em
posted by Rachel Steinberg on Thu, Dec 9, 2010
in At the theatre , Events , Our shows , School of Theatre
“We should take a picture of this now,” someone said as we all admired our surroundings. We were in the Helen C. Barber upper lobby of the Roda Theatre, standing amidst an array of Tupperware containers filled with buttons and foam; brightly colored yarn, gingerly placed; scraps of fabric from the costume shop in neat piles; and bowls of vibrant pom-poms all carefully arranged atop five tables covered in crisp, white paper. It was Saturday, just before one o’clock, and we were about to launch Berkeley Rep’s first-ever Sock Puppet Palooza.
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Two free parties this week!
posted by Cari Turley on Tue, Nov 30, 2010
in At the theatre , Events
Want to see a play, have a few drinks, and dance with cute strangers? Of course you do! Which is why you should check out the parties we're throwing at Berkeley Rep this week:
- On Wednesday (December 1), there’s night/OUT, a free party for the LGBT community. Grab a ticket to Lemony Snicket’s The Composer is Dead that night (psst: use the code NIGHT online to get 20% off, or 50% if you’re under 30), then stick around and enjoy the party! We’ll have beer from Triple Rock Brewery, wine from Raymond Vineyards, a pre-show tequila tasting with Tres Agaves, and plenty of sweet and savory snacks from our neighbor Amanda's -- and it’s all free! Berkeley Rep's own DJ Pauline will be spinning records (or, you know, queuing up MP3s), and you’re practically guaranteed a good time.
- On Friday (December 3), come back for 30-Below, a free party for the under-30 crowd sponsored by The San Francisco Bay Guardian. Get a ticket (use the code WEB30 and it’s half-price), see the show, and stick around for drinks, dancing, food, and more. We'll have more treats from Amanda's, pre-show margaritas with Tres Agaves, and beer from local favorite Ale Industries. DJ Ome will be playing the hottest music from nine to midnight, and you don't want to miss it!
If you happen to be under 30 and a member of the LGBT community, I am hereby challenging you to come to both events. If you're up for it, send me an email at [email protected] and I'll prepare some kind of prize for you. No, seriously. I will. See you there!