Subscription packages for American Idiot and the rest of our 2009/10 Season are available now. Join our e-list and be among the first to know when individual tickets go on sale later this summer.
Tickets > Season tickets > Plays
Season 2009/10 plays
Subscription packages are on sale now.
You can learn about the individual shows in our season here, or use the menu at left to learn about the benefits of subscribing, including better seats and lower prices.
- American Idiot
- Tiny Kushner
- Aurélia’s Oratorio
- Coming Home
- Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West
- Girlfriend
- A new play written by Lisa Kron
Subscribe now and enjoy substantial savings on tickets to all these plays, as well as other benefits, discussed here.
Dates are tentative and subject to change. We promise, if we have to change the performance schedule, to make sure your new date works for you.
american idiot
Book by Billie Joe Armstrong and Michael Mayer
Lyrics by Billie Joe Armstrong
Music by Green Day
Choreographed by Steven Hoggett
Directed by Michael Mayer
Limited Season | Roda Theatre
September 4–October 11, 2009
World Premiere
The play
Green Day won two Grammys for its multi-platinum album American Idiot, which sold more than 12 million copies worldwide. Now those searing songs seize the stage with the director behind Spring Awakening, the groundbreaking musical that earned eight Tony Awards and enthralled audiences from coast to coast. American Idiot follows working class characters from the suburbs to the city to the Middle East, as they seek redemption in a world filled with frustration. This high-octane show features every track from the album, plus several new tunes from Green Day’s newest release, 21st Century Breakdown. With an on-stage band and a cast of 19, American Idiot will take you on an exhilarating journey borne along by Green Day’s electrifying songs.
Please note: This is not a Green Day concert—this is the stage version of American Idiot developed by Green Day and Michael Mayer. Although the band will not appear on stage, the show will definitely rock.
The players
Green Day—vocalist/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tré Cool—were loud, snotty, scrappy kids from working-class backgrounds who came of age in the underground punk scene in Berkeley. American Idiot debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart and raised the bar for modern rock ‘n’ roll.
Michael Mayer earned the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for Spring Awakening. He has directed 11 shows on Broadway, three on London’s West End, two films and many other projects. In 2004, The New Yorker proclaimed him “a great director.”
The buzz
Read the Rolling Stone interview with Michael Mayer and Billie Joe Armstrong
“We are really excited to be working with Michael Mayer on this project. We’d been thinking of bringing American Idiot to the stage, but knew we needed to find the right partners. After meeting with Michael to discuss the possibility, he invited us to see Spring Awakening. We were so impressed with that production, as well as his vision for American Idiot, that we knew we’d found the perfect collaborator. Plus, doing it in our hometown at Berkeley Rep was an obvious bonus. They’re an amazing theatre group, very adventurous, and their willingness to take chances is in keeping with the spirit of the album. The end result will be terrific, and we’re really proud.”—Billie Joe Armstrong, frontman for Green Day
“A masterpiece…A significant part of American Idiot’s charm is that for an album that bemoans the state of the union, it is irresistibly buoyant. Listen closely, and you will hear a story about Jesus of Suburbia, his dangerous friend St. Jimmy and a heroic girl called Whatsername, who are struggling to express their individuality in a mass-media culture. Listen less closely, and you will still nod your head a lot and remember most of the melodies, which veer from surf rock to Motown to Broadway to thrash, usually within the same mad dash of a song.”—Time
“The ambitious American Idiot joins an elite list of albums, such as The Who’s Tommy, Pink Floyd’s The Wall, and The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band, that successfully weave a narrative through music.”—Amp
“It is a fearless and politically astute rock album, a richly melodic song suite that gives voice to the disenfranchised suburban underclass of Americans.”—Rolling Stone
“What most fans—Democrats, Republicans, and anarchists alike—seem to be connecting with is the irresistible passion, intensity, and hookiness of the music…And Idiot’s brash sound has done more than just connect with the public. It’s also struck a decisive blow for rock music—make that loud, butt-kickin’ rock music, the kind that shakes your nerves and rattles your brain.”—Entertainment Weekly
tiny kushner
Written by Tony Kushner
Directed by Tony Taccone
Main Season | Thrust Stage
October 16–November 29, 2009
West Coast Premiere
The play
It’s time for Tiny Kushner, a series of short scripts by the singular Tony Kushner. The legendary playwright returns to Berkeley Rep to team up with Artistic Director Tony Taccone, who also staged Angels in America, Brundibar, Homebody/Kabul and Slavs! Travel to the moon—and to the afterlife—with Laura Bush, Nixon’s analyst, the queen of Albania and a host of real-life tax evaders, all adrift in an increasingly fragile world. Kushner brings his brilliance and humor to bear in a sparkling string of one-act plays—and his gilded language is guided, as always, by an unwavering moral compass. Don’t miss these gems from a theatrical giant. Don’t miss Tiny Kushner.
The players
Tony Kushner is one of the most important and thought-provoking voices in American theatre. His many honors include a Pulitzer Prize, two Tony Awards, three Obies, a Golden Globe, an Emmy and the LAMBDA Literary Award for Drama.
Tony Taccone has two hit shows touring the nation, which both began at Berkeley Rep: Taking Over and Wishful Drinking. With Tiny Kushner, he generates the same mix of intense emotion and timely politics that electrified shows like Continental Divide, Culture Clash’s Zorro in Hell and Yellowjackets.
The buzz
“Tony [Taccone] is one of my oldest friends. We’ve done seven shows now, and I love the theatre he’s built. Any chance I get to work at Berkeley, I take it.”—Tony Kushner
“Mr. Kushner has a curious gene for prophecy…His plays transcend their specific historical time frames because he rides their anxiety at full throttle, resisting the American impulse to invoke closure and wrap things up after they’ve been cracked open…Kushner moves us, instead, by burrowing right into the open wounds of our cataclysmic modern America even as he memorializes the dead and mines the ashes for hope.”—New York Times
“Kushner takes an almost carnal glee in tackling the most difficult subjects in contemporary history…His attempt to see all sides of their predicament has a sly subversiveness. He forces the audience to identify with the marginalized—a humanizing act of the imagination.”—The New Yorker
“A slam-bang series of five plays providing kaleidoscopic windows into the recesses of the artist’s fertile mind…Tiny Kushner exists in its own imaginative realm, engaged in the process of working out the American experience without approval or condemnation.”—Variety
“One of the best playwrights in the history of American theatre.”—The London Independent
aurÉlia’s oratorio
Written and directed by Victoria Thierrée Chaplin
Main Season | Roda Theatre
December 4, 2009–January 24, 2010
The play
Celebrate the holidays with Aurélia’s Oratorio, where the impossible happens before your eyes. Aurélia Thierrée literally grew up in the circus and has charmed audiences around the world with this dazzling display of stage illusion. Behind her velvet curtain lies a surreal world of surprises, a topsy-turvy time of tricks and transformations. “She does wonder wonderfully,” gushes the London Guardian. With dancing, puppetry, acrobatics and more, Aurélia’s Oratorio is an inventive adventure set to a quirky score of chamber music and gypsy jazz. Berkeley Rep unveils this 90-minute spectacle, a concoction of mystery and fantasy for the whole family.
The players
Aurélia Thierrée grew up in show business, performing with her parents in intimate troupes that introduced the idea of cirque nouveau. She works as an actor, acrobat and illusionist in film, theatre and cabaret—most recently collaborating with the Tiger Lillies—and has given sold-out shows from London to Hong Kong.
Victoria Thierrée Chaplin, along with her husband Jean Baptiste Thierrée, created Cirque Bonjour, Cirque Imaginaire and Cirque Invisible, innovative troupes that inspired Cirque du Soleil. They toured the world, and trained their children in the exquisite art of the intimate circus.
The buzz
“She balances whimsy and wit, childlike wonder and adult elan, throughout her quietly magical show…Her grace, her inventive and fluid movement, and above all her humor simply invite our delight.”—Boston Globe
“An absolute spellbinder…an enchanting dream, and like most vivid reveries, it momentarily colors the way you see the waking world.”—London Daily Telegraph
“Touching and funny…As she pushes the boundaries of ‘normal’ theatre, Aurélia’s Oratorio provides a refreshing reminder that the best circus tricks are timeless.”—London Independent
“Awesome…It’s been a long time since I sat through a show with my mouth literally agape.”—Boston Herald
coming home
Written by Athol Fugard
Directed by Gordon Edelstein
Main Season | Thrust Stage
January 15–February 28, 2010
The play
Time magazine calls Athol Fugard “the greatest active playwright in the English-speaking world.” Now South Africa’s master dramatist comes back to Berkeley Rep with a new show: Coming Home. Ten years after running off to the city to pursue her dreams, Veronika returns in rags. Among her meager belongings, she carries a desperate secret—and determination to plant the seeds of a new life for her son. It’s a “sad, sweet, and gently moving” show, says the New York Times, “a beautifully acted production directed by Gordon Edelstein.” In Coming Home, Fugard once again confronts the hard truths of his homeland while celebrating the power of hope.
The players
Athol Fugard’s scripts have earned countless accolades, including the Academy Award, Obie Award and Tony Award. Berkeley Rep produced three of his previous plays: A Lesson in Aloes, The Road to Mecca and Valley Song.
Gordon Edelstein is artistic director of Long Wharf Theatre, where this show had its world premiere. He has staged acclaimed productions in London, New York and across America.
The buzz
“The greatest playwright writing in English since Shakespeare.”—New York Times
“As one might expect from a writer of fierce commitment to political and social justice, Coming Home quietly condemns the shameful policies of the South African government, which failed to confront the reality of AIDS or to offer the necessary drugs to its impoverished citizens as they became available, resulting in untold thousands of unnecessary deaths. But as always with Mr. Fugard, censure of policy comes only through careful observation of its human costs. Mr. Fugard doesn’t need to raise his voice, or even have Veronika raise hers, to make his points.”—New York Times
“This great writer has given us another unforgettable glimpse into modest lives of unfathomable grandeur…It’s a tribute to Fugard’s skill as a playwright that the play manages to skirt the shoals of bathos while boldly, methodically, and often humorously charting a course for certain heartbreak.”—Theatermania
concerning strange devices from the distant west
Written by Naomi Iizuka
Directed by Les Waters
Main Season | Roda Theatre
February 26–April 11, 2010
World Premiere
The play
Well before the digital age, the camera selected, filtered and obscured the truth—even as it promised to provide an authentic look at distant lands. Naomi Iizuka explores the intersection of art and authenticity in a haunting new play commissioned by Berkeley Rep: Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West. In this world premiere directed by Les Waters, wealthy Americans invade Yokohama in the 1880s with a weird new technology. Their cameras capture images of geishas, monks and shrines and send them to the future in a flash—where we continue to seek meaning through lenses of exoticism and xenophobia. Follow an insatiable appetite for intrigue through three centuries in this intricate new show.
The players
Naomi Iizuka’s plays have been seen at major theatres in Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle. Berkeley Rep also presented the world premiere of her 36 Views before it played off Broadway.
Les Waters, our associate artistic director, won an Obie Award for Big Love. His shows have ranked among the 10 best plays of 2007 in Time, 2006 in the New York Times and 2005 in TimeOut New York.
The buzz
“Brash, tender, and metaphysical by turns, her writing is pervaded with the sense of melancholy beauty that the Japanese call mono no aware—the knowledge that all things change.”—Village Voice
girlfriend
Book by Todd Almond
Music and lyrics by Matthew Sweet
Directed by Les Waters
Limited Season | Thrust Stage
April 9–May 9, 2010
World Premiere
The play
Romance unfolds in a new musical wound around the tender love songs of Matthew Sweet’s landmark album, Girlfriend. Meeting in homeroom. Cruising through town. Holding hands. Cheering from the stands. That awkward first kiss. In the world premiere of Girlfriend at Berkeley Rep, boy meets boy. It’s an eternal story turned upside down, a dual-Romeo duet directed by Les Waters that’s innocent—and Sweet. “Girlfriend is the breathless testimony of a fool for love,” raves Rolling Stone, “a rock ‘n’ roll valentine that delivers subtle wisdom with an exhilarating kick.” Fall in love with the boy next door at Girlfriend.
The players
Matthew Sweet became a star when the title track from Girlfriend hit the Billboard Top 10—and today it’s a tune on Guitar Hero 2. A protégé of Michael Stipe, Sweet left his native Nebraska in the ‘80s to become part of the music scene in Athens, Georgia.
Todd Almond has performed at New York City’s top venues, including Ars Nova, Joe’s Pub and the Zipper Factory. As a composer, his shows have been seen at Julliard, the New York Musical Theatre Festival, New York Theatre Workshop and the Skirball Cultural Center.
Les Waters, our associate artistic director, won an Obie Award for Big Love. His recent hits here at home include The Pillowman and In the Next Room (or the vibrator play), which he’s taking to Broadway in the fall.
The buzz
“Sweet is one sharp fool. While quivering at times like a teenager gripped by a fearsome crush, he’s actually a knowing lover—the spirit of his songs suggests a grown-up Everly Brothers, straining still to be starry-eyed but savvy enough to have survived love’s disenchantments…Musically, Sweet is equally adept at balancing the tough and the tender…This is popcraft raised to the level of artistry—a rock & roll valentine that delivers subtle wisdom with an exhilarating kick.”—Rolling Stone
“Girlfriend, the 1991 album by Matthew Sweet, is considered by many people to be one of the most memorable pop records of the past decade: a simple, earnest, yet occasionally gorgeous collection of hook-laden songs about over-the-moon love and bittersweet heartache. Also known for its photograph of fur-wrapped Tuesday Weld on its cover, Girlfriend was the pretty record that everyone played when they were pretending to be listening to Nirvana—and its success immediately made Mr. Sweet, an apple-cheeked Nebraskan, a most unlikely rock star.”—New York Observer
a new play written by lisa kron
Directed by Leigh Silverman
In association with Center Theatre Group
Main Season | Roda Theatre
May 14–June 27, 2010
World Premiere
The play
Berkeley Rep and Center Theatre Group present a powerful world premiere from the creators of Broadway’s Well. After an idyllic Thanksgiving filled with food, football, family and friends, a woman discovers how one kiss, one passionate act, can affect everything—her faith in love, her faith in country, her faith in herself. This tale of heartache and hope unfolds amidst the turmoil of American politics in the 21st century. Obie Award-winners Lisa Kron and Leigh Silverman reunite for a searing show which questions whether we as Americans appreciate our freedom.
The players
Lisa Kron’s plays have been performed on Broadway, off Broadway and around the world. The recipient of many grants and awards, she teaches playwriting at Yale and helped begin an award-winning theatre group called the Five Lesbian Brothers.
Leigh Silverman has staged premieres of many important plays, including Neena Beber’s Jump/Cut, Eve Ensler’s The Treatment, David Henry Hwang’s Yellow Face and Lisa Kron’s Well. She works at renowned theatres throughout the United States and directed Wit on London’s West End.
The buzz
“Ms. Kron is on a level with sterling monologists like Spalding Gray, autobiographers who combine novelistic complexity with stage smart impudence…Wonderfully evocative and often seriously funny, she sets off emotional vibrations that just won’t stop.”—New York Times
Subscribe now and enjoy substantial savings on tickets to all these plays, as well as other benefits, discussed here.
Green Day—the Grammy Award-winning band comprised of (l to r) Tré Cool, Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt—are collaborating with Berkeley Rep to bring their multiplatinum album American Idiot to the stage.
(Photo by Phil Mucci)
Michael Mayer, the Tony Award-winning director of Spring Awakening, brings Green Day’s American Idiot to the stage at Berkeley Rep.
(Photo courtesy of Berkeley Rep)
A tale of two Tonys: Taccone (left) and Kushner have collaborated on six previous shows.
(Photo by Cheshire Dave)
Aurélia Thierrée literally grew up in the circus and brings her magical holiday show, Aurélia’s Oratorio, to Berkeley Rep.
(Photo by Richard Haughton)
Colman Domingo stars in Athol Fugard’s Coming Home at Berkeley Rep.
(Photo by T. Charles Erickson)
Elaine Tse (left) and Rebecca Wisocky performed in the world premiere of Naomi Iizuka’s 36 Views at Berkeley Rep.
(Photo by Kevin Berne)
Our associate artistic director, Obie Award-winner Les Waters, will stage two world premieres for next year: Girlfriend and Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West.
(Photo by Rebecca Martinez)
Romance unfolds with the world premiere of Girlfriend, a new musical wound around the tender love songs of Matthew Sweet’s landmark album.
(Photo courtesy of Berkeley Rep)
Todd Almond turned his favorite album into a musical by setting the songs from Matthew Sweet’s Girlfriend to a story of tender teenage love between two boys.
(Photo courtesy of Berkeley Rep)
The team behind Broadway’s Well—Leigh Silverman (left) and Lisa Kron—reunites for a world-premiere production at Berkeley Rep.
(Photo by Joan Marcus)
box office contact info
Location
2025 Addison Street
Berkeley, CA 94704
Hours
Tuesday–Sunday, noon–7pm
CLOSED MONDAY
Telephone
510 647–2949
1 888 4BRT Tix (1 888 427–8849)
Fax
510 647–2975
Special needs?
Both our theatres are wheelchair-accessible, and we offer free assisted-listening devices at all performances. We also offer audio descriptions of the performances for the visually-impaired and scripts for the hearing-impaired through our box office. We are happy to work with you to accommodate any other needs you may have.
For more information on these services call us at 510 647–2949.
season sponsors
