Berkeley Rep Blog
Category archive: News
Congratulations Daniel, Eric, and Ed!
posted by Kate Vangeloff on Tue, Mar 8, 2011
in News
Who are these people, you ask? Why, they're our survey winners from the Mike Daisey post-show surveys of course! I have composed a limerick in their collective honor.
ahem.
Survey-winners three: Daniel, Eric, and Ed
Told us their thoughts, left nothing unsaid
We picked them at random
Gave them tickets in tandem
Next time you could win them instead!
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Rhapsodizing about Ruined
posted by Karen McKevitt on Mon, Mar 7, 2011
in News , Our shows
Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about resilient women in the war-torn Congo opened last Wednesday and earned rave reviews from our local critics. In fact, this production has been wowing audiences and critics around the country, and tickets here in the Bay Area are going fast, so don't miss this brutal yet beautiful play.
Here are some choice excerpts:
“Nottage finds hope for us all in the resilience of a few… Ruined seethes with the brute energy of combat and soars with hard-won compassion and love… Nottage's Pulitzer Prize winner and a dynamic cast make the drama as engrossing as it is thought-provoking… More remarkably, Nottage finds a ray of hope, even joy, for the women and men trapped in this ongoing nightmare. The pain and the glory make an indelible impression in director Liesl Tommy's richly textured staging.” – San Francisco Chronicle
“Undeniable… Randy Duncan's choreography is explosive. The cast is uniformly riveting. Each actress sensitively delivers her own aria of suffering [and] for her part, Patano captures Mama's gentleness as well as her steel. She's tough enough to suggest a diamond hardened under pressure but soft enough so that the play's rare moments of uplift ring true. Sophie's singing has a transcendent quality that suggests the healing power of art. Christian's mockery of the butchers that plague the land is unexpectedly funny. And an unexpected romance has tearful charm.” – San Jose Mercury News / Bay Area News Group
“Emotionally gripping… The wonder of Ruined emerges in moments of beauty – whether in a song performed by Sophie (backed by musicians Adesoji Odukogbe and Alvin Terry), an athletic dance performed by the male patrons of Mama Nadi’s (choreographed by Randy Duncan) or a flash of brave compassion from a surprising source. In the face of mankind at its worst, there can be sparks of beauty and enlightenment, of fleeting joy amid horror. Those sparks – much like extraordinary pieces of theater – are what we aim for.” – Chad Jones’ Theater Dogs.Net
Photo of Oberon K.A. Adjepong (left) and Tonye Patano in Ruined courtesy of kevinberne.com
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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
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Taking a bite out of Apple
posted by Karen McKevitt on Fri, Feb 18, 2011
in News , Our shows
Have you seen the cover of Wired's March 2011 issue? Check it out:
Thanks to Cult of Mac for posting it.
Yep, it looks like the media finally caught up with the story -- at least, in a more substantial way. On Monday, Huffington Post reported on Apple's 2011 supplier reports, which revealed (shock!) "child workers, bribes, unsafe conditions," and quoted COO Tim Cook as commending Foxconn for, among other suicide prevention tactics, "even attaching large nets to factory buildings." Mike Daisey already pointed out in his show that anyone who goes to the length of throwing themselves off a building will probably climb out of the net. Mike, too, has seen the nets.
And the San Jose Mercury News published this AP article on Wednesday detailing the reports' findings and Apple's response.
It's interesting -- even, as Mike might say, "awkward" -- that these articles are surfacing the week that Steve Jobs and other Silicon Valley gurus are meeting with President Obama to discuss "how to innovate," and a week before the Apple shareholders meeting, which is scheduled for February 23 -- not to mention Steve Jobs' birthday, which is February 24.
Mike Daisey's The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs plays for one more week, Tuesday, February 22 to Sunday, February 27.
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Room for thought: the arts funding discussion continues
posted by Karen McKevitt on Wed, Feb 16, 2011
in News
The perennial conversation about arts funding locally and nationally has really heated up over the last month, and NEA Chairperson Rocco Landesman’s remarks at Arena Stage’s new play convening was akin to firing up the flamethrower. It seemed only a matter of time before the economic argument turned to the question of supply and demand. The debate hit the New York Times, and Rocco herded the conversation back to the NEA’s blog with a post aptly titled #SupplyDemand – the Twitter hashtag that soon joined “#newplay” in the discussions. You could spend hours bouncing from Arena Stage’s blog to the Times to Twitter, and even to 2AMt – and all the assorted comments.
Our own Managing Director Susan Medak joined the conversation in her comment on the Times blog. Here’s an excerpt:
“Let’s be realistic about the issues, let’s be open to the discussion of these issues but not beat ourselves up for something that is about so much more than whether people do or don't like the arts. It is about large scale changes in social behavior.”
In the meantime, funding cuts threaten the NEA yet again, with the House Appropriations Committee calling for a $22.5 million reduction for fiscal year 2011. If you would like to tell your senators and representatives to support the NEA, the Performing Arts Alliance has a handy form letter that you can personalize and send.
In related news, in case you hadn’t already heard, the Republicans budget proposal includes zeroing out the budget for NPR/PBS. MoveOn.org has an online petition encouraging Congress to protect public television and radio.
As we mentioned earlier, state funding for the arts is also under fire, and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies has posted a publication entitled Why Should Government Support the Arts?
Many of these debates and conversations are nothing new, but they’ve certainly taken on an intensity within the context of the continuing recession and high unemployment rates. Stay tuned.
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Anna Deavere Smith returns to Berkeley Rep!
posted by Karen McKevitt on Fri, Feb 11, 2011
in News , Shows on tour
The first time Anna Deavere Smith came to Berkeley Rep in 1994 with Fires in the Mirror, people were camped out on the sidewalk, hoping to get tickets to what became the first show in the Theatre's history to sell out before it opened.
Now, we're thrilled to announce that she's returning to Berkeley Rep with her new one-woman show, Let Me Down Easy, as part of Arena Stage's national tour of Second Stage Theatre's production. It starts previews in the state-of-the-art Roda Theatre on May 28, and plays through June 26. It's been 15 years since she's performed on a Bay Area stage, so don't miss out!
Tickets go on sale to the general public this Sunday, February 13 at around 10am, so check out the show page for the buzz and for the link to buy tickets!
Photo of Anna Deavere Smith by Joan Marcus.
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Mike Daisey goes against the grain
posted by Karen McKevitt on Tue, Feb 8, 2011
in News
In half an hour (at noon), Mike Daisey will be on KPFA's "Against the Grain." That's at 94.1FM or online at kpfa.org, so tune in!
If ya miss it, listen to the archive!
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Tony Taccone in the first person
posted by Karen McKevitt on Thu, Jan 20, 2011
in News
Did you happen to catch Artistic Director Tony Taccone last Friday on KQED Radio's "Forum with Michael Krasny"? No? Well, you're in luck -- there's still time to download the mp3 and hear him talk about sending shows to Broadway, working with artists like Tony Kushner and Rita Moreno, creating new work -- and hear him field calls from passionate listeners.
Photo of Tony Taccone with Tony Kushner by Cheshire Isaacs.
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"It is almost impossible to imagine..."
posted by Terence Keane on Tue, Jan 18, 2011
in News , Our shows
This Thursday, we begin performances of The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs. Mike Daisey’s monologues always comment on cultural trends and current events, yet no one anticipated that Steve Jobs would announce a leave of absence this week.
Mike wrote about this news in his blog today: "It is almost impossible to imagine Apple without him, and there's a palpable sense of loss and change as the tech industry struggles to know what this will mean for its future."
Read all of Mike's thoughts on what he calls "the best work I have ever created" by clicking here.
Photo by Ursa Waz
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Some money reviews for The Last Cargo Cult!
posted by Karen McKevitt on Fri, Jan 14, 2011
in News , Our shows
The critics agree: Only Mike Daisey can turn the recession into a hilarious, provocative, and incisive adventure story. Check out these money reviews!
"Scintillating... Daisey applies his robust comic style and challenging insights to the aftermath of the banking meltdown [and] plunges into thought-provoking looks at the artificial value of money and the 'pyramid scheme' of international finance... No other monologist rants as captivatingly." -- SF Chronicle
"Hilarious, provocative... Not only does he know where to find a story, but he knows how to tell is better than just about anyone... Sometimes laconic, occasionally folksy and full to the brim with killer-cogent observations... with rafter-rattling screams and strings of world-class profanity... Amazing!" -- San Jose Mercury News / Contra Costa Times
"His story has to do, among many other things, with a live volcano, and that's what he's like on stage. He erupts in ways that are frightening and so dazzling you just can't turn away... When Mike Daisey talks, I buy it. I completely buy it." -- Chad Jones' TheaterDogs.net
And check out these videos! Watch excerpts from The Last Cargo Cult and get the skinny on Mike Daisey's shows.