California's Berkeley Repertory Theatre has revealed its 2018–2019 season programming.
The lineup includes Lucas Hnath's Tony-nominated A Doll’s House, Part 2, the world premiere of Jackie Sibblies Drury's play Fairview, a return of Mary Zimmerman’s Metamorphoses, and a new American history musical featuring the songs of Stephen Foster and a creative team that includes Obie Award-winning director Moisés Kaufman, Tony Award-winning choreographer Bill T. Jones, playwrights Marcus Gardley and Craig Lucas, and Larry Kirwan.
“Since I announced that this would be my final season, people have been asking how I’d like to commemorate that milestone in its programming. My answer is to keep doing what we’ve been doing—that is, to produce audacious work by masterful artists who have something to tell us,” said outgoing Artistic Director Tony Taccone.
Read: TONY TACCONE TO STEP DOWN AS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF BERKELEY REP
The season will kick off in September with A Doll’s House, Part 2 directed by Les Waters, followed by the new play Fairview in October. In Drury's work, a family meets to celebrate a birthday, but they are being watched, and these attitudes and assumptions force them to fight for their identities. Sarah Benson directs the production in association with New York City's Soho Rep.
In December, Berkeley Rep will present the world premiere of Paradise Square: A Musical for America. Drawing on popular music of the 19th century, the musical is inspired by the real-life Five Points community, a group of Black and Irish Americans who co-existed in a 20-block area of Manhattan in 1863, and whose existence was disrupted by the arrival of the Civil War.
The new work is conceived by Kirwarn and features a book by Gardley, Lucas, and Kirwan, additional lyrics by Kirwan and Nathan Tysen, arrangements by Jason Howland and Kirwan, and musical supervision and orchestrations by Howland. Kaufman will direct and Jones will choreograph.
In January 2019, Berkeley will welcome the return of Zimmerman’s acclaimed production of Metamorphoses, which features a 24-foot wading pool, followed by Geoff Sobelle's Home, which arrives on the West Coast following runs at BAM and around the world. Lee Sunday Evans directs with performances set to begin in March.
Rounding out the season will be Denis O’Hare and Lisa Peterson's The Good Book, a new play which looks at the Bible through three interwoven stories. Peterson directs, with performances scheduled to begin in April.
An additional play will be announced at a later date.
For more information visit BerkeleyRep.org.
