By Oxford Lewis, member of the Berkeley Rep’s Teen Council
Some teens find their community in sports, some in dance, others in bands or Dungeons and Dragons campaigns. For as long as I can remember, I’ve found mine in the theater. I started off, as many Bay Area kids do, in one of the many fantastic local children’s theater companies after watching the highly age-appropriate Laurence Olivier Hamlet (I was only 4). From there, I haven’t been able to stop. After seeing Berkeley Rep’s Angels in America, what was once extracurricular fun became something I wanted to dedicate my life to. Thus began my journey with Berkeley Repertory Theatre.
Teen Night performance of Galileo tickets May 10, $10. Learn about Berkeley Rep’s Teen Council. Support the students’ conference trip by April 15.
My first experience with Berkeley Rep’s teen programming was through Teen Night, an event hosted for every show in the Berkeley Rep’s season that opens during the school year. These nights are open to all local high schoolers and include a complimentary meal, a ticket to the show, and an interview with artists involved in the production, all for $10. We also get quite competitive over trivia games and other fun pre-show activities. The energy at this event is infectious. (Not to brag, but the actors say we bring the best audience.) From the first time I attended, I knew I wanted to get involved.
The Teen Nights are organized by the Rep’s Teen Council: a group of particularly (some might say overly) theater-invested teenagers who act as leaders at these events, advocate for teen audiences, encourage teen engagement with theater, and learn from professionals across every department of Berkeley Rep.
I’m currently a senior in high school, and this is my first year on the Berkeley Rep Teen Council. Being with this year’s Teen Council cohort has brought some of the most valuable, educational, and fun experiences of my time in school. Socially, the group has given me the opportunity to bond with other teenagers dedicated to theater — some of them, like me, interested in pursuing it professionally, advocating for the arts in schools and other educational settings, and curious about what power the art holds and can extend to our communities.
On the council, we learn to think critically about what theater means and how it impacts the Bay Area. We also work on how we can extend our art to schools where arts education is underfunded or does not represent the school’s and community’s population. This aspect of Teen Council has given me the tools to be more than a theater artist, but also a theater advocate. My passion for my art has grown exponentially. I believe in continuing the tradition and amplifying the unique ways it allows us to examine our lives.
This year, Teen Council has the incredible opportunity to send a few members of our cohort to the Theater Communications Group Conference in Chicago! This is one of the biggest theater conferences in the world and will be an incredible opportunity for us to network and learn from professionals, discuss the current state of the theater industry as both an art and a profession, and gain valuable skills to share with our own communities back home in the Bay.
As with all student trips, we need the community’s help in raising funds for us to experience this amazing event. Our goal is to raise $10,000, to cover travel, room, and board, and we’re already more than 61% of the way there at the time of my writing this. Our fundraising deadline is April 15. Anything from $5 to $5,000 would help us get closer to our goal of attending this incredible conference and launching us all further towards our futures as active members of the theater community and advocates for the arts.
