BERKELEY REP CELEBRATES 9 PARTS OF DESIRE WITH night/OUT Free LGBT party follows acclaimed solo show about women’s experience in Iraq WHO: Theatre-lovers in the LGBT community WHAT: night/OUT, a performance of 9 Parts of Desire followed by a post-show party WHERE: Berkeley Rep’s Thrust Stage / 2025 Addison Street at Shattuck / Downtown Berkeley WHEN: Thursday, January 26 / 8:00 PM HOW MUCH: Free with a ticket to that night’s performance ($22.50–$45) INFO & TIX: 510.647.2949 or berkeleyrep.org BERKELEY CA, JANUARY 3, 2006 Berkeley Repertory Theatre is pleased to announce night/OUT, an event for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community on Thursday, January 26 at 8:00 PM. The evening starts with a performance of 9 Parts of Desire, the runaway off-Broadway hit that played nine sold-out months in Manhattan, and the festivities continue late into the night. The post-play party features hors d’oeuvres, drinks and music mixed by a cutting-edge Bay Area DJ. Admission to the party is free with a $45 ticket to that evening’s performance. Discounts are available for students, seniors and those under 30 years of age, as well as for groups of 10 or more. “Now in its fifth year,” remarks Berkeley Rep Artistic Director Tony Taccone, “night/OUT mixes Tony Award-winning theatre with fabulous parties for the LGBT community—giving audience members the opportunity to mingle with our artists, catch up with friends or meet someone new.” A portrait of the extraordinary—and ordinary—lives of a cross-section of Iraqi women, 9 Parts of Desire lifts the veil on women in the war zone. “The voices are a study in contrasts: vivid and subdued, sophisticated and naïve, seductive and standoffish. But they cohere to form a powerful collective portrait of suffering and endurance.” So begins the New York Times’ radiant review of this remarkable show, which was the paper’s pick of the week for 24 straight weeks. 9 Parts of Desire is a work so compassionate that it reveals our shared humanity in a way that CNN never can. “A triumph,” raves the New Yorker, “an example of how art can remake the world.” The play’s title refers to a famous Muslim quote from Imam Ali, founder of the Shia sect: “God created sexual desire in ten parts; then He gave nine parts to women and one to men.” Directed by Joanna Settle, who also staged the play’s triumphant runs in New York and Los Angeles, 9 Parts of Desire is written by Heather Raffo and stars Mozhan Marnò. The executive producer is the Strauch Kulhanjian Family, the production sponsor is the Contra Costa Times and Berkeley Rep’s season sponsors are BART and Wells Fargo. According to the Wall Street Journal, 9 Parts of Desire “is persuasive precisely because it is beautiful. See it soon. See it tonight.” Each season, night/OUT is held for select productions at Berkeley Rep. You can also join the party on Thursday, April 13 for The Glass Menagerie, starring the legendary Rita Moreno. For tickets to night/OUT, visit the box office at 2025 Addison Street in Berkeley, visit the Theatre online at berkeleyrep.org or call 510.647.2949 or 1.888.4BRTTix (toll-free). For photos, interviews, etc. contact: Terence Keane, Director of Public Relations 510.647.2917, tkeane@berkeleyrep.org BACK TO TOP