Tag Archives: Berkeley Rep
Berkeley Rep audiences give Mike Daisey some cash
At the end of every performance of “The Last Cargo Cult” at Berkeley Rep, monologist Mike Daisey invited the audience to return to him some of the cash that had been handed out at the beginning of the show.
As members of the audience had walked in, they had been handed crisp $1, $5, $10, $20 or $100 bills.
The money represented what Berkeley Rep had paid him for each performance. Daisey challenged the audience to decide how much his show was worth. They were informed they could keep the money, give it back, or even add a little extra. … Continue reading »
Eight Berkeley firefighters promoted at pinning ceremony
A row of parked fire engines made an impressive sight on a rainy Friday afternoon on Addison Street as, inside the Berkeley Repertory Thrust Theatre, eight Berkeley firefighers were promoted in a badge-pinning ceremony which also served to remind the audience what an honorable group of men and women serve and protect the Berkeley community.
Led by Fire Chief Debra Pryor, the February 18 ceremony saw close friends and family members — wives, children, mothers — proudly pinning new badges onto the lapels of the newly promoted firefighters.
Several of the firefighters being honored spoke of the sacrifices being made by their families, but the camaraderie of the force, and its ability to act as a second family to many of those who serve, was also in evidence.
Berkeley Rep’s Taccone: “three shows from the abyss”
Tony Taccone, artistic director of the Berkeley Repertory Theater, had a particularly engaging and revealing interview with KQED’s Dave Iverson on this morning’s Forum program.
Under Taccone the Rep has established a strong record of originating works that go on to great acclaim in New York, including the current double-Tony winner American Idiot. In the interview, Taccone spoke frankly about the Rep’s constant struggle to focus on its local audiences rather than the lure of New … Continue reading »
Mike Daisey recounts our obsession with cash
At the end of Mike Daisey’s solo show “The Last Cargo Cult,” now playing at Berkeley Rep, all I could do was sit back and gape.
For more than two hours I had watched Daisey shout, scream, murmur, and sweat as he spun a tale about the mysteries of a South Pacific island and the mysterious devotion Westerners have to cash. With little more than a few sheets of notes, a glass of water, a table, a handkerchief to wipe off his brow, and a backdrop of dozens of cardboard boxes featuring every conceivable type of consumer product, Daisey had managed to keep the audience captivated.
Starting with the chilling tale of how he almost died in a island puddle-hopper, and continuing through with stories of his (almost) middle class childhood in Maine, his rude awakening as a freshmen in college that some of his classmates had a lot cooler gadgets than he would ever be able to afford, and on to tales of our obsession with objects, Daisey was a force-field, drawing the audience further and further into his orbit.
Granted, not all the stories he told were engrossing. I didn’t really care for his recounting of the nine-hour dance pageant performed in the honor of one John Frum on the island of Vanuatu. And while he tries to make “The Last Cargo Cult,” a piece that calls into question the centrality of possessions and the willingness of Americans to bow to the mighty dollar, he doesn’t quite succeed. Yet I had a very good time going along for the ride.
(Warning: spoiler coming up)
The Berkeley Wire: 01.07.11
DA warning puts hold on Berkeley pot farm plans [Berkeley Voice]
How The New Yorker ate Berkeley Rep’s shorts [Berkeley Rep]
Lifelong learning thrives at UC Berkeley in Osher Institute [UCB NewsCenter]
Berkeley nuclear scientist Albert Ghiorso dies, aged 95 [Chronicle]
Photo: Tunnel by JAR/Berkeleyside Flickr pool.
The Berkeley Wire: 12.21.10
Nordic Windpower moves HQ from Berkeley to Kansas City [Mercury News]
The dismissal of Stephen Buel, long-time editor of East Bay Express [SFWeekly]
New dates for Berkeley Rep’s The Composer is Dead [Stark Insider]
Lawrence Berkeley Lab reports price of solar continues to decrease [Clean Energy]
Avian enthusiasts brave rain at Aquatic Park for annual bird count [Chronicle]
Photo by fom/Berkeleyside Flickr pool.
Berkeley Rep acquires new pre-production base
Berkeley Repertory Theater has acquired a new campus in West Berkeley to house all of its pre-production activities, including offices, costume, prop and scene shop, and storage. The 62,000 sq. ft. building at 999 Harrison will give the Rep approximately 50% more space than it currently uses for these activities at roughly half the current cost of the five sites it currently uses in Berkeley and Oakland.
“It’s been a necessity for a couple of decades but it became really … Continue reading »
Berkeley Rep’s Great Game is powerful
The New York Times ran a front-page story Saturday that said Iranian officials had been slipping money secretly to Afghan President Hamid Karzai. The Iranians wanted to try and counter the influence of the west – and make sure they had a foothold when the Americans depart.
This comes as no surprise to those who attended Berkeley Rep’s all-day Friday marathon of Great Game: Afghanistan, a three play production of the history of Afghanistan. For almost 200 years, … Continue reading »
The Berkeley Wire: 08.16.10
Berkeley man on trial for attempted murder of mother [Oakland Tribune]
UC Berkeley’s admissions head takes up new post at Stanford [Palo Alto Online]
Hearst anthropology museum looks for funds and to open collection to public [NYT]
Rent a book concept arrives at UC Berkeley [Contra Costa Times]
American Idiot actress sues over use of images taken at Berkeley Rep [ABC News]
Berkeley border shooting is one of three in three hours in Oakland Sunday [SF Chronicle]
Photo: bobcrazybear/Berkeleyside Flickr pool.
Berkeley Rep “roasts” Susie Medak
Susie Medak has served as Berkeley Rep‘s Managing Director for 20 years. In this video produced by the theater company — more of a roast than a celebration — artistic director Tony Taccone compares his relationship with Medak as akin to the one between Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton from The Honeymooners. They were famously combative. Rita Moreno, Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates, and State Senator Loni Hancock also share their thoughts.
