BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE ANNOUNCES 2003/04 SEASON Highlights Include Mary Zimmerman’s Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci; David Edgar’s Two-Play Cycle Continental Divide; Dael Orlandersmith’s Award-Winning Yellowman; Charles Ludlam’s Mystery of Irma Vep; and Rita Moreno’s Star Turn in Master Class Acclaimed Artists Mary Zimmerman, Tony Taccone, Moisés Kaufman and Newly Appointed Associate Artistic Director Les Waters to Direct BERKELEY CA, MARCH 31, 2003 Berkeley Repertory Theatre Artistic Director Tony Taccone today announced plans for the Theatre’s 36th season. A selection of projects that he described as “quintessentially Berkeley Rep,” the 2003/04 Season includes: Tony Award-winning artist Mary Zimmerman’s Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci; the continuation of the world premiere of David Edgar’s two-play cycle Continental Divide; Dael Orlandersmith’s award-winning drama Yellowman; Charles Ludlam’s zany romp The Mystery of Irma Vep; and multi-award winner Rita Moreno’s Berkeley Rep debut in Terrence McNally’s Master Class directed by Moisés Kaufman. One additional play title from the American classic canon will be announced at a later date. The five Main Season and two Limited Engagement plays will all be presented at Berkeley Rep’s two-theatre complex. “At a time when so much in our lives is in question,” commented Artistic Director Tony Taccone, “the 2003/04 Season dares to celebrate the human spirit and explore what is possible. I am delighted to be joined by such experienced, intelligent and imaginative directors as Mary Zimmerman, Les Waters and Moisés Kaufman, who are matched with material that is theatrically rich, challenging and socially relevant.” The Main Season opens in September in The Roda Theatre with Mary Zimmerman’s Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci. Audiences familiar with Zimmerman’s creative genius, unique vision and sense of whimsy from previous Berkeley Rep productions of Journey to the West and Metamorphoses (which went on to win Zimmerman a Tony Award) will welcome her return to Berkeley Rep. Inspired by the thoughts and ideas of this Renaissance man, The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci is a multi-media celebration of knowledge and the creative spirit. Originally produced by Chicago’s Goodman Theatre in 1993, Berkeley Rep’s production is jointly produced with New York’s Second Stage, where it opens this summer. The season continues in November with British playwright David Edgar’s (Pentecost) world premiere two-play cycle Continental Divide directed by Tony Taccone. The two plays will be performed in rotating repertory, with Mothers Against on the Thrust Stage and Daughters of the Revolution in The Roda Theatre. Jointly commissioned and produced with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the plays examine both sides of a West Coast gubernatorial campaign—Mothers from the Republican perspective and Daughters from the Democratic. This ambitious two-play cycle opened in Ashland in March 2003 and was described by London’s Guardian as “a tremendous achievement.” Following the OSF run, eight members of the current cast will travel to Berkeley Rep and be joined by eight additional actors. Edgar will be in residence in Berkeley, continuing to refine the work alongside Taccone. Continental Divide inaugurates Berkeley Rep’s Limited Engagement Series (formerly known as the Parallel Season), which provides Berkeley Rep with greater flexibility in scheduling in order to bring our audiences a wider array of theatrical events. In January, Berkeley Rep presents Dael Orlandersmith’s poignant yet hard-hitting drama Yellowman on the Thrust Stage directed by Les Waters. The winner of the 2002 Susan Smith Blackburn award and a Pulitzer Prize Award finalist, Yellowman follows a childhood friendship that grows into something more between Alma, a dark-skinned woman, and Eugene, a lighter-skinned man. A searing portrait exploring issues surrounding racism, and in particular, internal racism, Yellowman marks the first production directed by Les Waters (Suddenly Last Summer, Big Love) in his new capacity as Associate Artistic Director (see press release). Continuing the season on the Thrust Stage in April, Les Waters directs Charles Ludlam’s gothic romp The Mystery of Irma Vep. A tour de force showcasing two extraordinary comic talents, Irma Vep became an Off-Broadway hit when first produced by Ludlam’s Ridiculous Theatre Company in 1984, and has gone on to be produced by theatres around the country. Rounding out the season, Berkeley Rep is delighted that Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award winner Rita Moreno will make her Berkeley Rep debut in Master Class, written by Terrence McNally (Love! Valour! Compassion!), and directed by Moisés Kaufman (The Laramie Project). THE 2003/04 SEASON Main Season Play #1—The Roda Theatre The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci Created and directed by Mary Zimmerman September 5—October 19, 2003 (Press Opening: September 10) Mary Zimmerman’s unique style of theatre thrilled Berkeley Rep audiences with Metamorphoses and Journey to the West. She returns to open our 2003/04 Season with a production that offers a window into one of history’s most original and imaginative minds. Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks are a record of his ideas on far ranging topics from mathematics, anatomy, architecture and engineering to philosophy, the human spirit and love. Zimmerman, whose own vivid imagination, tongue-in-cheek humor and theatrical vision have earned her a MacArthur “genius” grant and a coveted Tony Award, creates a beautiful, beguiling and brilliant canvas on which the mind of Leonardo is illuminated. Main Season Play #2—Thrust Stage Yellowman by Dael Orlandersmith directed by Les Waters January 23—March 7, 2004 (Press Opening: January 28) Yellowman is an edgy and provocative exploration of racism within the Black community. Alma, a dark-skinned African-American woman, and her childhood friend, Eugene, a light-skinned African-American man, have been best friends since childhood—yet when their friendship turns to love, the different colors of their skin raise obstacles that become insurmountable. Orlandersmith’s language is lyrical and explosive, exposing both harsh realities and tender yearnings. Though Orlandersmith focuses her laser-like observations on this internalized prejudice, the play also explores how easily we become what we most dislike about our parents, and the pain that arises when our bodies do not match our desires. Main Season Play #3—To Be Announced Main Season Play #4—Thrust Stage The Mystery of Irma Vep By Charles Ludlam Directed by Les Waters April 9—May 23, 2004 (Press Opening: April 14) This long-running hit show, which put the late writer/director/performer Charles Ludlam and his Ridiculous Theatre Company into the spotlight after it’s original 1984 production, finally makes its way to the Berkeley Rep stage. Featuring characters such as a werewolf, a vampire and an Egyptian mummy, The Mystery of Irma Vep is a comic send-up of Victorian melodrama and a spoof of classic horror films. However, Ludlam’s witty literary allusions and subversive political jabs take the play far beyond campy slapstick comedy. Main Season Play #5—The Roda Theatre Master Class by Terrence McNally directed by Moisés Kaufman May 21—July 18, 2004 (Press Opening: May 26) Berkeley Rep is extremely pleased that the inimitable Rita Moreno will seize the stage as Maria Callas, the opera diva for whom “art is domination.” Based on transcripts of Callas’ legendary master classes at Juilliard in the early ‘70s, McNally (Love! Valor! Compassion!) exposes the vulnerability and doubt that are hidden under the remorseless ego and sparkling humor of this most gifted woman. With a dazzling combination of cattiness and canniness, Callas exposes her life, loves and artistry for the benefit of her students in her “Master Class.” Rita Moreno is an artist of immense talent, the only female entertainer to have won four major awards: the Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony. Under the direction of Moisés Kaufman, Master Class promises to be one of the theatrical events of the year! LIMITED ENGAGEMENT Continental Divide A Two-Play Cycle by David Edgar Directed by Tony Taccone November 6—December 28, 2003 (Press Opening: November 16) Internationally acclaimed playwright David Edgar (Pentecost, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby) turns his attention to American politics with this two-play cycle examining both sides of a gubernatorial campaign. These two plays, which can be seen in either order, explore what has happened to the revolutionary fervor that took hold of both the Right and the Left in the 1960s, and how it has been transmuted and carried on in politics today. A joint commission by Berkeley Rep and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Mothers Against—Thrust Stage Sheldon Vine, the Republican candidate for governor of a fictitious western state, prepares to debate his Democratic opponent. Vine’s own leanings are distinctly libertarian, and he must battle with his associates over whether to run an honest and forthright campaign and risk alienating the voters, or to avoid declaring his ideas and beliefs and possibly win. Daughters of the Revolution—The Roda Theatre Michael Bern, a former campus radical, discovers years later that the group he was involved with to spring a Black Panther from prison in the ‘60s had been infiltrated and betrayed to the FBI—a betrayal that has impacted Michael’s career and marriage long after he left his radical past behind. He sets out on a journey to find the traitor, meeting with his old comrades who include the campaign manager and Democratic candidate for governor opposing Sheldon Vine. Berkeley Rep Main Season productions run for at least 6 weeks and have a minimum of 51 performances. There are four reduced-price preview performances prior to the opening night of each production. The regular performance schedule is Tuesdays at 8PM; Wednesdays at 7PM (except opening nights at 8PM); Thursdays through Saturdays at 8PM; and Sundays at 2PM and 7PM, with additional matinees on alternate Thursdays and Saturdays. There are no Thursday matinees for Limited Engagement shows. Season subscriptions are on sale now in packages of seven, five (Main Season productions) and three (Continental Divide plus one Main Season) plays, ranging from $97.00—343.00 (season subscribers receive up to a 22% discount off single-ticket prices.) Single tickets, priced between $39.00 and $55.00, depending on the day of the week, go on sale in August. Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s Box Office is located at 2025 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA 94704. For schedule and ticket information call 510.647.2949, or toll free 1.888.4BRTTIX, Noon—7PM Tuesday—Sunday (closed Monday) or visit the website at www.berkeleyrep.org. Founded in 1968, Berkeley Repertory Theatre is now one of the largest performing arts organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area and has established a national reputation for the quality of its productions and the innovation of its programming. The Theatre recently received a prestigious Leading National Theatre Programs grant and was awarded the 1997 Tony Award for regional theatre. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Tony Taccone and Managing Director Susan Medak, Berkeley Rep’s choice of material and bold, vivid style of production reflect a commitment to diversity, excitement and quality. In March 2001, Berkeley Rep opened The Roda Theatre, a 600-seat proscenium theatre that complements the existing 400-seat thrust stage, creating a vital and versatile performing arts complex. In December 2001, Berkeley Rep opened the Nevo Education Center next door, home of Berkeley Rep’s new School of Theatre. 2003/04 SEASON SCHEDULE The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci created and directed by Mary Zimmerman Main Season Play #1—The Roda Theatre September 5—October 19, 2003 (Press Opening: September 10) Yellowman by Dael Orlandersmith directed by Les Waters Main Season Play #2—Thrust Stage January 23—March 7, 2004 (Press Opening: January 28) TBA Main Season Play #3 The Mystery of Irma Vep by Charles Ludlam directed by Les Waters Main Season Play #4—Thrust Stage April 9—May 23, 2004 (Press Opening: April 14) Master Class by Terrence McNally directed by Moisés Kaufman Main Season Play #5—The Roda Theatre May 21—July 18, 2004 (Press Opening: May 26) Continental Divide: Mothers Against and Daughters of the Revolution a two-play cycle by David Edgar directed by Tony Taccone Limited Engagement—Thrust Stage and The Roda Theatre November 6—December 28, 2003 (Press Opening: November 16) BACK TO TOP