The title of Tanya Barfield’s play derives from “a belief in Gullah culture that if you paint your door blue, you keep away the evil spirits,” she has said.
Aurora Theatre Company
Aurora Theatre’s ‘Manahatta’ links 17th century’s rapacious capitalists to those who caused the ’08 financial crisis
The same actors play the greedy 17th-century Dutch East India Company bigwigs who “purchased” Manhattan and the power-hungry 21st-century investment bankers about to go under.
‘Born With Teeth’ imagines the relationship when Shakespeare and Marlowe meet
The idea for the production sprang instantly when playwright Liz Duffy Adams learned that the two giants of Elizabethan theater might have collaborated on Shakespeare’s Henry VI.
Greek god takes form of crusading gardener in clever eco-tragicomedy ‘Hurricane Diane’ at Aurora Theatre
Dionysus — in the human form of Diane, a gay East Coast permaculture gardener — is out to stop the climate catastrophe in this smart, creative play from Madeleine George.
Pho-focused play tackles food appropriation
In “Colonialism is Terrible, But Phở is Delicious,” playwright Dustin Chinn offers an oft-comedic take on thorny issues of race, history and dining.
Women through the ages spar comically in Aurora Theatre’s ‘Wives’ but play fails to coalesce
The West Coast premiere of Jaclyn Backhaus’ play tries to jam four skits into one comedic show. The result lacks structure and cohesiveness.
Remembering Carol Suveda, volunteer, community leader, music lover with colorful style
An active volunteer at Freight and Salvage and multiple Berkeley theater companies, Suveda loved attending music festivals, choral singing and participating in Jewish life.
‘Father/Daughter’ bond ripples through time at Aurora Theatre
The world premiere of ‘Father/Daughter’ at Berkeley’s Aurora Theatre twists the parent/child bond in several directions.
‘Civic trauma’ of pandemic brings East Bay arts community together
A new coalition of East Bay arts organizations is making joint funding requests of Alameda County and cooperating on a regional “return to the arts” campaign.
Remembering Dorothy Snodgrass, playwright, activist, radio broadcaster for the blind
Dorothy Snodgrass was an administrative assistant at Boalt Hall School of Law at UC Berkeley, and an active member of the UC Berkeley Retirees’ Board of Directors.
Here’s a look ahead at live performances as local theaters prepare to reopen
After months of being entertained through livestreaming, artists are eager to return to the stage, so pull up a seat, sit back and enjoy.
Four creative and exciting local theater productions to check out in April
Aurora Theatre Company, Those Women Productions, Oakland Theatre Project and TheatreFirst are working hard to stimulate and educate us, despite the challenges of the pandemic.