Three additional projects have been added to Berkeley Rep’s virtual fall season, including a digital work by Raúl Esparza and Lisa Peterson based on the stage adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s The Waves. Also joining the slate are works by Pulitzer Prize finalist Eisa Davis, New Yorker cartoonist Tom Toro, and performer-playwright Hershey Felder.
The works join the previously announced radio play It Can’t Happen Here, starring Oscar nominee David Strathairn, and the streaming presentation of Emma Rice’s Romantics Anonymous.
Live streaming November 22 at 8 PM ET will be Hershey Felder: A Paris Love Story, featuring the music of Claude Debussy. The work is written and performed by Felder, directed by Stefano de’ Carli, and based on the stage play helmed by Trevor Hay. Following the live stream, the performance will be available to watch on demand through November 29.
Esparza and Peterson’s The Waves in Quarantine: A Theatrical Experiment in 6 Movements features a book by Peterson, music and lyrics by David Bucknam, and additional music and lyrics by Adam Gwon (Scotland, PA). Based on the stage adaptation by Peterson and Bucknam, the digital production transports Woolf’s novel to the COVID era. Four-time Tony nominee Esparza will star with Obie winner Peterson directing.
Ten writers—including Davis, Toro, Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket), and Adam Mansbach—will present short works inspired by events in their own personal histories in Place/Settings: Berkeley. Audience members will receive a mailed package to accompany an audio presentation that will bridge the gap between virtual and immersive theatre. Casting and dates for The Waves in Quarantine and Place/Settings: Berkeley will be announced at a later date.
READ: Cambodian Rock Band, Sanctuary City, More Set for Berkeley Repertory’s 2021 Season
Berkeley Rep Managing Director Susie Medak will join Artistic Director Johanna Pfaelzer for a live Q&A about the virtual productions and upcoming in-person season September 24 at 4 PM and 9 PM ET on Facebook. Questions can be submitted in advance by clicking here.
