Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Berkeley Repertory Theatre is a regional theater company located in Berkeley, California. Founded in 1968 as the East Bay’s first resident professional theatre. Michael Leibert was the founding artistic director, who was then succeeded by Sharon Ott in 1984. The company runs seven productions each season from its two stages in Downtown Berkeley. The company won the Regional Theatre Tony Award in 1997. The theater added the 600-seat proscenium Roda Theatre next door to its existing 400-seat asymmetrical thrust stage in 2001, as well as opening its Berkeley Rep School of Theatre the same year. Its current artistic director is Tony Taccone who has been the artistic director since 1997. Managing Director Susan Medak is the current president of the League of Resident Theatres.

Productions are a mix of classic modern plays such as Henrik Ibsen's "Ghosts" and Terrence McNally's "Master Class", the latter featuring Rita Moreno as opera diva Maria Callas, significant recent plays with many West Coast premieres such as Moisés Kaufman's "The Laramie Project" and Tony Kushner's "Homebody/Kabul" and even world premieres such as Kushner's "Hydriotaphia" and Charles Mee's "Fetes De La Nuit".

In the past decade alone, Berkeley Rep has premiered new works by Culture Clash, David Edgar, Francesca Faridany, Leigh Fondakowski, Lillian Groag, Jordan Harrison, Geoff Hoyle, Naomi Iizuka, Charles Mee, and Stew. The Theatre has recently created a string of successes that transferred from Berkeley to Manhattan: Artistic Director Tony Taccone staged Sarah Jones’ Tony Award-winning "Bridge & Tunnel" on Broadway in 2006, and helmed Tony Kushner and Maurice Sendak’s "Brundibar" in 2007. That summer, Sarah Ruhl’s "Eurydice" and Stew’s "Passing Strange" both enjoyed extended off-Broadway runs. "Passing Strange" opened on Broadway in March 2008.

In 2001, the Theatre opened Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, which offers training in various theatrical disciplines for all ages and abilities. [cite web | author= | title=School of Theatre: Classes | url=http://www.berkeleyrep.org/school/classes_index.asp | publisher=Berkeley Repertory Theatre | date=2008 | accessdate=2008-05-30] Located next door to Berkeley Rep’s two stages, the School of Theatre also provides a home base for the company’s outreach education programs with local teachers and classes. [cite web | author= | title=School of Theatre: Classroom Visits | url=http://www.berkeleyrep.org/school/educator_classvisits.asp | publisher=Berkeley Repertory Theatre | date=2008 | accessdate=2008-05-30] The Berkeley Rep School of Theatre also has a Teen Council made for bay area high school students interested in theatre. The Berkeley Rep Teen Council is most noted for its annual Target Teen One Acts Festival, completely written, directed, produced, and acted by students. [cite web | author= | title=School of Theatre: Teen Council! | url=http://www.berkeleyrep.org/school/teencouncil_index.asp | publisher=Berkeley Repertory Theatre | date=2008 | accessdate=2008-05-30]

ee also

*American Conservatory Theatre, San Francisco
*Marin Theatre Company, Mill Valley, California
*San Jose Repertory Theatre
*TheatreWorks (Silicon Valley), Palo Alto, California

References

External links

* [http://www.berkeleyrep.org/ Berkeley Repertory Theatre official website]
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* [http://www.theatrebayarea.org/ Theatre Bay Area website]