BERKELEY REP PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF JORDAN HARRISON’S FINN IN THE UNDERWORLD “Psychosexual horror story” features four OBIE Award winners as director, designer and cast BERKELEY CA, AUGUST 28, 2005Fact Sheet Berkeley Repertory Theatre continues its 2005/06 season with the world premiere of Finn in the Underworld, a scintillating play from one of America’s most gifted young writers. Twenty-seven-year-old Jordan Harrison is a Stanford graduate who leapt to national notice when his first script, Kid-Simple, premiered at the renowned Humana Festival in 2004. His haunting new play will be staged by Berkeley Rep’s associate artistic director, OBIE Award-winner Les Waters, who delves back into the underworld from which he unearthed last season’s soulful Eurydice. This chilling story—a theatrical heir to “The Haunting of Hill House” by San Francisco author Shirley Jackson—features four accomplished actors: Reed Birney, Randy Danson, Clifton Guterman and Lorri Holt. Expect ghosts and mystery this October when Waters and Harrison spin their tale of family secrets. Performed on Berkeley Rep’s intimate Thrust Stage, Finn in the Underworld begins previews on October 6, opens on October 11 and closes November 6, 2005. The Theatre proudly welcomes Wells Fargo as an official sponsor of the 2005/06 Season, along with returning Season Sponsor BART. There are three executive producers for this production: Richard Hoskins and Lynne Frame, Helen and John Meyer and the Strauch Kulhanjian Family. “I felt compelled to stage this premiere because it’s a truly remarkable ghost story,“ Waters says. “It’s extremely difficult to write something for the theatre that actually leaves you with a sense of unease, and Jordan has accomplished it with intense and precise psychological insight. As a director, I appreciate the challenge of creating suspense and dread without the close-up control of a movie camera. I don’t want to ruin the surprise, but our production does have a few tricks up its sleeve.” In Finn in the Underworld, the mystery begins when Gwen and Rhoda must clean out their dead father’s house. Little remains, other than the grandfather clock, until they literally bring the building’s ghosts to life. That’s when Gwen’s son, Finn, encounters Carver, a neighbor who holds the key to the family’s secrets. Harrison’s sparse, poignant writing is in perfect harmony with this haunting tale of heredity. As they pack up the house and unpack its secrets, his characters discover that the memories we never talk about grow larger…and the rooms we create to keep our families safe are the very places we must avoid. Don’t miss this daring new play and its provocative questions about family, safety, sexuality and subterranean lifestyles. “Usually I start by researching, but when I set out to write this play, I was at a secluded writers’ colony,” Harrison explains. “So I thought, ‘This time, I’ll just write what’s in my head.’ And it turned out to be this psychosexual gothic horror story. I remember being surprised that this thing was coming from me. I genuinely appreciate that Les and Berkeley Rep are willing to invest in a work that felt like a real departure—more sinister, but also more heartfelt.” Jordan Harrison grew up on an island near Seattle. He earned his B.A. in English from Stanford University and his M.F.A. from Brown University, where he studied under Paula Vogel. His play Kid-Simple premiered in the 2004 Humana Festival at Actors Theatre of Louisville and has been produced in Chicago, Los Angeles, Providence, San Diego, Seattle and Off Broadway at the first Summer Play Festival. His other plays, which include The Museum Play and Act a Lady, have been developed at the McCarter Theater, Playwrights Horizons, Portland Center Stage, Seattle Rep, Signature Theatre Company, Soho Rep, Theatre de la Jeune Lune and the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Harrison is the recipient of the Heideman Award, two Jerome Fellowships and a McKnight Grant from The Playwrights’ Center and a 2005 NEA/TCG Playwright-in-Residence Grant with the Empty Space Theatre. He is a resident playwright at New Dramatists and has written commissions for the Guthrie Theater/Children’s Theatre Company and the National New Play Network. Les Waters won an OBIE Award for his production of Charles Mee’s Big Love. He directed its world premiere at the Humana Festival and subsequent runs at Berkeley Rep, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Goodman Theatre and Long Wharf Theater. He became associate artistic director of Berkeley Rep in 2003, where he has also staged Eurydice, Fêtes de la Nuit, The Mystery of Irma Vep, Suddenly Last Summer and Yellowman. Waters’ work has been seen at theatres across the United Kingdom and the United States. In addition to Big Love, his New York credits include the Manhattan Theatre Club, The Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival, Signature Theatre and—in keeping with the ghostly theme—the Connelly Theatre’s upcoming Apparition by Berkeley writer Anne Washburn. Elsewhere in America, he has directed for American Conservatory Theater, Goodman Theatre, Guthrie Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse and Steppenwolf Theatre Company. In his native England, Waters has staged work with the National Theatre, Royal Court Theatre, Hampstead Theatre Club, Bristol Old Vic, Traverse Theatre Club and Joint Stock Theatre Group. His many other honors include a Dramalogue Award, an Edinburgh Fringe First Award, a KPBS Patte and several awards from the Bay Area Critics’ Circle, Connecticut Critics’ Circle and Tokyo Theatre Critics. The suspense in this tense four-character drama is masterfully built by the four-person cast. With experience on Broadway, Off Broadway, at regional theatres and on film, Reed Birney won an OBIE for his performance as the mysterious Dr. Sweet in the Off-Broadway smash Bug. He makes his Berkeley Rep debut in the role of the enigmatic neighbor, Carver. In recognition of her extensive stage work, Randy Danson earned an OBIE for Sustained Excellence in 1992. Her past collaborations with Waters include Suddenly Last Summer at Berkeley Rep and Wintertime at La Jolla Playhouse and Long Wharf Theatre. She returns to Berkeley Rep to play Finn’s aunt, Rhoda. Clifton Guterman is on the artistic staff of Actor’s Express in Atlanta, where he has many credits with local theatres, and recently made his Bay Area debut in Nicholas Nickelby at the California Shakespeare Theatre. He fills the title role in this new show: Finn, the wayward son. Finally Finn’s mother, Gwen, is played by Lorri Holt. An award-winning performer, Holt is a veteran of Bay Area stages, most recently seen at Berkeley Rep in the world-premiere productions of David Edgar’s Continental Divide and Charles Mee’s Fêtes de la Nuit. A skilled team of designers has been assembled to create the claustrophobic atmosphere of the play and the decaying house in which it’s set. David Korins (scenic designer) has many credits in film, television and theatre, including the recent New York hits Orange Flower Water, Stone Cold Dead Serious and Thom Pain (Based on Nothing). Annie Smart (costume designer) has created sets and costumes for theatres throughout the U.S. and U.K., including last season’s productions of Fêtes de la Nuit and Honour at Berkeley Rep. Matt Frey (lighting designer) has designed shows for BAM’s Next Wave Festival and the Lincoln Center Festival, as well as with noted companies such as La Jolla Playhouse, Playwright’s Horizons, Signature Theatre and Soho Rep. Darron West (sound designer) is a company member of Anne Bogart’s SITI Company and the former resident sound designer at Actors Theater of Louisville, where he directed Harrison’s Kid-Simple for the Humana Festival. Among his many honors is a 1998 OBIE for the soundscape to SITI’s production of Bob at the New York Theatre Workshop. The stage manager for this production will be Kevin Johnson. There will be six special events associated with this show: • Target® Teen Night begins at 6:00 PM on Friday, October 7 and includes dinner, a preview performance and a behind-the-scenes discussion with a member of the artistic team. Tickets are $5 for members of Berkeley Rep’s Teen Council, $20 for all other teens. For more information, call 510.647.2978 or e-mail school@berkeleyrep.org. • Opening night festivities take place on Tuesday, October 11. • Free Night of Theatre, a program that aims to attract new audiences to theatre, takes place on Thursday, October 20. Fifty free tickets will be made available to the public as part of this pilot event by Theatre Bay Area and Theatre Communications Group. To make reservations, visit TBA’s website, tixbayarea.com, or the TIX booth in San Francisco’s Union Square. • Three post-play discussions moderated by theatre professionals follow the performances on Thursday, October 13; Friday, October 21; and Tuesday, October 25. Tickets and subscriptions for Berkeley Rep’s 2005/06 Season are on sale now. Seats for Finn in the Underworld are priced from $30 to $55, and subscriptions begin as low as $72. Discounted seats are available for groups of 15 or more, as well as half-price rush tickets for students and seniors. For every weekday performance, 20 half-price HotTix go on sale that day at noon at the Berkeley Rep box office (cash only). Berkeley Rep also offers half-price tickets for anyone under 30; this discount is subject to some restrictions, and valid identification is required. Berkeley Rep’s Thrust Stage and its box office are located at 2025 Addison Street, one block from Berkeley’s downtown BART station and close to AC Transit bus lines. The theatre is accessible to the handicapped, offering wheelchair seating and special services for those with hearing- or vision-impairment. For tickets or information, call 510.647.2949 or toll-free at 1.888.4BRTTix—or simply click berkeleyrep.org. ABOUT BERKELEY REP Founded in 1968, the Tony Award-winning Berkeley Repertory Theatre has established a national reputation for its ambitious programming and dynamic productions. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Tony Taccone and Managing Director Susan Medak, Berkeley Rep seeks to engage its audience in an ongoing dialogue of ideas. Through its bold choice of material and vivid style of production, Berkeley Rep reflects a commitment to diversity, excitement and quality. The company is especially well known for its presentations of important new dramatic voices and its fresh adaptations of seldom-seen classics. In 2001, Berkeley Rep opened The Roda Theatre, a 600-seat proscenium theatre that complements the 400-seat Thrust Stage, and the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, housed in the Nevo Education Center. The addition of these two buildings has transformed what was once a single stage into a vital and versatile performing arts complex. FINN IN THE UNDERWORLD WHO written by Jordan Harrison directed by Les Waters designers: David Korins (sets), Annie Smart (costumes), Matt Frey (lights) and Darron West (sound) featuring Reed Birney, Randi Danson, Clifton Guterman and Lorri Holt WHAT Finn in the Underworld, the world premiere of a psychosexual horror story WHERE Berkeley Rep’s Thrust Stage / 2025 Addison Street / Berkeley WHEN Previews October 6–9, 2005 / performances October 11–November 6, 2005 • Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 8 PM • Wednesdays, 7 PM • Saturdays, 2 PM and 8 PM • Sundays, 2 PM and 7 PM • No matinees during previews • No performance on Wednesday, October 12 SPECIAL EVENTS • Target® Teen Night: Friday, October 7, 6 PM • Opening night: Tuesday, October 11, 8 PM • Free Night of Theatre: Thursday, October 20, 8 PM (reserve at www.tixbayarea.com) • Post-play discussions: Thursday, October 13; Friday, October 21; Tuesday, October 25 TICKET PRICES Preview Performances (Fri/Sat/Tue 8PM, Sun 7PM) $30.00 Tuesday and Thursday evenings 8PM $45.00 Wednesday evening 7PM $45.00 Saturday matinee 2PM $45.00 Sunday matinee 2PM $48.00 Sunday evening 7PM $48.00 Friday evening 8PM $53.00 Opening Night (Wed 8PM) $59.00 Saturday evening 8PM $59.00 DISCOUNTS Half-price tickets available to those under 30 (some restrictions apply) 20 half-price HotTix go on sale at NOON Tuesday–Friday Student/Senior half-price RUSH tickets sold one-half hour before curtain Groups of 15+ contact 510.647.2918 or groups@berkeleyrep.org TICKET INFO 510.647.2949 or 1.888.4BRTTix (toll free) or www.berkeleyrep.org For photos, interviews, etc. contact: Terence Keane, Director of Public Relations 510.647.2917, tkeane@berkeleyrep.org BACK TO TOP