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Art: DC Scarpelli

Liberation

Fri, Oct 23, 2026 - Sun, Nov 29, 2026

By Bess Wohl
Directed by Whitney White
A co-production with Geffen Playhouse and Studio Theatre
West Coast premiere
Roda Theatre

It’s 1970s Ohio, and Lizzie has gathered a group of women in a rec center basement to change their lives and maybe the world. Decades later, Lizzie’s daughter delves into her mother’s history to find answers to the feminist revolution’s unanswered questions, reliving those necessary, messy, and impassioned meetings that asked: What does it mean for a woman to be free? Direct from its acclaimed Broadway run, Tony Award nominees Bess Wohl (Grand Horizons) and director Whitney White (Jaja’s African Hair Braiding) bring ferocious wit and emotional precision to this intensely relevant and bitingly funny memory play about what we inherit, what we forget, and what we’re still fighting to understand.

“An unadulterated pleasure. Powerfully moving and funny. When these women talk, we want to hear every word.” — Critic’s Pick, The New York Times

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Production information

  • Phone- and camera-free: To protect the privacy of our performers, this production is phone- and camera-free. Upon arrival, devices must be powered off and locked in secure Yondr pouches. Guests maintain possession of their phones for the duration of the performance. All pouches will be opened at the end of the performance.

 

Important dates

  • Masks required: Oct 25 evening, Nov 3 evening, and Nov 8 matinee
  • Closed captioning: evenings Oct 29 and 30, Nov 1, 3, and 4; and every matinee through Nov 24
  • Audio description: Nov 28 matinee
  • Postshow discussions: evenings Nov 5, Nov 13, and Nov 17 — guided by members of Berkeley Rep’s artistic team
  • Docent-led postshow discussions: after all matinees

 

Events and extras

  • Theatre Explorers: While you enjoy the Nov 14 matinee, your K–5 student can dive into an exciting, age-appropriate workshop just next door at our School of Theatre! Professional teaching artists lead theatre games and hands-on art projects designed to spark imagination. Registration is $35 per child; advance reservation required.

Who’s who

Cast

Felicia Curry* | Celeste
Britt Faulkner* | Dora
Katie Lowes* | Lizzie
Irene Sofia Lucio* | Isidora
Gunnar Manchester* | Bill
Mary Gordon Murray* | Margie
Veronica Otim* | Joanna
Evelyn Spahr* | Susan
Rolanda D. Bell | Understudy Celeste, Joanne
Nancy Carlin* | Understudy Isidora, Margie
Rachel Clausen* | Understudy Dora, Lizzie, Susan
Jeremy Kahn* | Understudy Bill

 

Creative team

Bess Wohl | Playwright
Whitney White | Director
David Zinn | Scenic Design
Qween Jean | Costume Design
Cha See | Lighting Design
Palmer Hefferan | Sound Design
Nikiya Mathis | Wigs and Hair Design
C12 Casting, Jillian Cimini, CSA | Casting
Gigi Buffington | Voice and Dialect Coach
Kelsey Rainwater | Intimacy Consultant
Annabel Heacock | Associate Director
Andie Leigh Burns* | Stage Manager
Kathleen Rose Gallardo* | Assistant Stage Manager

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers in the United States.

Season presenting sponsor

Peet’s Coffee

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Accessibility

Berkeley Rep is wheelchair accessible and offers assistive listening devices (ALDs), closed captioning, and audio description for the hearing-impaired.

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