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Sullivan Jones (BIG) and Ngozi Anyanwu (LIL) in The Monsters. Photo: Kevin Berne

The Monsters

Fri, Mar 27 - Sun, May 3

By Ngozi Anyanwu
Directed by Tamilla Woodard
Choreography by Adesola Osakalumi
A co-production with La Jolla Playhouse
West Coast premiere
Peet’s Theatre

For years, LIL has observed her estranged brother from the shadows — watching, waiting, studying every punch he throws. BIG, an aging but respected force in the local mixed martial arts circuit, remains unaware his little sister has been tracking his career from afar…until she appears unexpectedly on his doorstep. Award-winning playwright Ngozi Anyanwu (Good Grief, The Homecoming Queen, The Last of the Love Letters) writes and stars alongside Sullivan Jones (HBO’s The Gilded Age) in this West Coast premiere of a sibling love story that grapples with reunion and buried resentments. Raw and riveting, The Monsters delivers an emotional knockout and wrestles with the demons we must face to reconnect, rebuild, and forgive.

The Monsters was developed in The Ground Floor: Berkeley Rep’s Center for the Creation and Development of New Work.

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“Hits hard and hugs harder.”
San Francisco Chronicle
“‘The Monsters’ is a winner in every sense.”
BroadwayWorld
“A story that sizzles and soars.”
Theatre Eddys
“As moving as it is hopeful.”
Theater Dogs
“Ngozi Anyanwu is a Muhammad Ali of the stage.”
San Francisco Chronicle
“An intense, beautifully written sibling love story.”
Theatrius
“A brilliant battle from beginning to end.”
Talkin’ Broadway
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Sullivan Jones (BIG) in The Monsters. Photo: Kevin Berne
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Sullivan Jones (BIG) in The Monsters. Photo: Kevin Berne
Zoom in
Sullivan Jones (BIG) and Ngozi Anyanwu (LIL) in The Monsters. Photo: Kevin Berne
Zoom in
Sullivan Jones (BIG) and Ngozi Anyanwu (LIL) in The Monsters. Photo: Kevin Berne
Zoom in
Sullivan Jones (BIG) and Ngozi Anyanwu (LIL) in The Monsters. Photo: Kevin Berne
Zoom in
Ngozi Anyanwu (LIL) and Sullivan Jones (BIG) in The Monsters. Photo: Kevin Berne
Zoom in
Sullivan Jones (BIG) in The Monsters. Photo: Kevin Berne
Zoom in
Sullivan Jones (BIG) in The Monsters. Photo: Kevin Berne
Zoom in
Ngozi Anyanwu (LIL) and Sullivan Jones (BIG) in The Monsters. Photo: Kevin Berne
Zoom in
Ngozi Anyanwu (LIL) and Sullivan Jones (BIG) in The Monsters. Photo: Kevin Berne
Zoom in
Ngozi Anyanwu (LIL) and Sullivan Jones (BIG) in The Monsters. Photo: Kevin Berne
Zoom in
Ngozi Anyanwu (LIL) in The Monsters. Photo: Kevin Berne
Zoom in
Ngozi Anyanwu (LIL) in The Monsters. Photo: Kevin Berne
Zoom in

Production information

  • Runtime: Approximately 85 minutes, no intermission
  • Age recommendation: Suitable for ages 13 and up
  • Stage effects advisory: Use of haze and flashing lights
  • Content advisory: Contains adult language, mentions of domestic violence and substance abuse, and theatricalized depictions of mixed martial arts combat

 

Important dates

  • Masks required: Mar 29, Apr 5 (matinee and evening), Apr 7, and Apr 12 (matinee)
  • Closed captioning: evenings Apr 1, 3, 5, 7, and 8; and every matinee through Apr 30
  • Audio description: May 2 matinee
  • Theatre Explorers: Apr 18 matinee — K–5 workshop for families
  • Postshow discussions: Apr 10, Apr 16, and Apr 21 — guided by members of Berkeley Rep’s artistic team
  • Docent-led postshow discussions: after all matinees

Who’s who

Cast

Ngozi Anyanwu* | LIL
Sullivan Jones* | BIG
Jamal James* | Understudy BIG
Carol J. McKenith | Understudy LIL

 

Creative team

Ngozi Anyanwu | Playwright
Tamilla Woodard | Director
Adesola Osakalumi | Choreographer
Nina Ball | Scenic Design
Celeste Jennings | Costume Design
Reza Behjat | Lighting Design
Bailey Trierweiler/UpTownWorks | Sound Design
Karina Fox | Casting
Sijara Eubanks | Mixed Martial Arts Consultant
Chelsea Pace | Fight Consultant
Kristy Bodall* | Stage Manager
Lucas Bryce Dixon | 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

Season sponsor

I Fly OAK

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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.

Health and safety

In the 2025/26 season, masks are encouraged for all performances, but are required in our theatres on select Sunday and Tuesday performances.

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