Berkeley Repertory Theatre

Berkeley Repertory Theatre is a professional regional theatre company based in downtown Berkeley, California. Founded in 1968 by Michael Leibert as the East Bay's first resident professional theatre, it developed a reputation for combining established modern drama with new American plays, experimental work, musicals, and productions shaped through collaboration with writers, directors, performers, and other cultural institutions. Its programming is presented across two principal stages and has generally been organized around a season of approximately seven productions. The company expanded substantially in the early twenty-first century. In 2001 it opened the 600-seat Roda Theatre beside its original 400-seat thrust-stage venue and established the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre. The school provides instruction in theatrical disciplines for participants of different ages and experience levels, while also supporting community education, teacher engagement, and youth programming. Its Teen Council has been associated with an annual student-created festival in which Bay Area high-school students write, direct, produce, and perform short plays. Berkeley Rep's artistic identity has been closely tied to the creation and presentation of new work. The company has commissioned, premiered, co-produced, or otherwise developed plays and musicals by artists including Tony Kushner, Charles Mee, Culture Clash, Sarah Ruhl, Stew, Jordan Harrison, Naomi Iizuka, Leigh Fondakowski, and others. Its development infrastructure includes The Ground Floor, a center devoted to the creation and development of new work, and a year-long fellowship program intended to train emerging theatre professionals. Several Berkeley Rep productions achieved wider national visibility after their Berkeley engagements. Sarah Jones's Bridge & Tunnel, directed by then-artistic director Tony Taccone, transferred to Broadway in 2006 and received a Tony Award for Jones. Berkeley Rep was also an early home for projects including Stew's Passing Strange, which moved to Broadway in 2008, and the Green Day-inspired musical American Idiot, which began its stage life at the theatre in the 2009-10 season before opening on Broadway in 2010. In 2018, Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations began performances at Berkeley Rep, subsequently transferring to Broadway in 2019. The Temptations musical became the theatre's highest-grossing production according to the cited reference material. The repertory has also included major modern classics and significant recent works. Examples include Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts, Terrence McNally's Master Class, Moisés Kaufman's The Laramie Project, Tony Kushner's Homebody/Kabul, and productions associated with artists such as Rita Moreno, John Leguizamo, and Charles Mee. The company received the Regional Theatre Tony Award in 1997, reflecting its national standing within the American nonprofit theatre field. Johanna Pfaelzer became artistic director in September 2019, and Tom Parrish succeeded longtime general manager Susan Medak in 2022. Berkeley Rep remains an active producing, presenting, educational, and new-work-development organization.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre was established in 1968 as the first resident professional theatre in California's East Bay. Michael Leibert served as its founding artistic director. From its Berkeley base, the company developed a regional-theatre model centered on a regular season, resident artistic activity, and a mixture of established plays and new writing. Sharon Ott became artistic director in 1984, marking an early leadership transition as the organization continued to grow its artistic profile. The company became known for presenting modern classics alongside contemporary American and international work. Its repertoire has included Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts, Terrence McNally's Master Class, Moisés Kaufman's The Laramie Project, and Tony Kushner's Homebody/Kabul. Berkeley Rep has also served as a platform for world premieres and West Coast premieres. Works associated with Charles Mee, Culture Clash, Sarah Ruhl, Stew, Jordan Harrison, Naomi Iizuka, Leigh Fondakowski, and other writers and theatre-makers have formed part of its new-work identity. The company has periodically collaborated with organizations such as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Goodman Theatre, Yale Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Seattle Repertory Theatre, and New York's Public Theater. In 1997 Berkeley Rep received the Regional Theatre Tony Award. The recognition followed years of artistic expansion and helped establish the company as a significant institution within the American nonprofit theatre network. A major physical expansion came in 2001, when the company opened the 600-seat Roda Theatre next to its original 400-seat asymmetrical thrust stage. The same year it opened the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre, extending the organization beyond performance into training, education, and community engagement. Berkeley Rep's development work has produced several projects that moved beyond the regional circuit. Tony Taccone directed Sarah Jones's Bridge & Tunnel, which transferred to Broadway in 2006 and earned Jones a Tony Award. Taccone also directed a production connected with Tony Kushner and Maurice Sendak's Brundibar. Sarah Ruhl's Eurydice and Stew's Passing Strange received extended Off-Broadway exposure after Berkeley presentations, and Passing Strange opened on Broadway in 2008. The company opened its 2009-10 season with American Idiot, a stage musical inspired by Green Day's concept album. The engagement was extended twice and ended in November 2009; the production then moved to Broadway in 2010. Another important musical development was Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations, which began performances at Berkeley Rep in August 2018. Its Berkeley run was extended repeatedly, and the musical opened on Broadway in March 2019. Berkeley Rep identified it as the highest-grossing production in the theatre's history in the cited account. The company has continued to combine production with professional development. The Ground Floor functions as a center for creating and developing new work, while the fellowship program provides year-long training for emerging theatre professionals. The School of Theatre offers classes for varied ages and abilities, and its youth activities include a Teen Council and the student-produced Teen One Acts Festival. Johanna Pfaelzer became artistic director in September 2019. Susan Medak, who served as general manager and was also a board member and former president of the League of Resident Theatres, was succeeded by Tom Parrish in 2022. Berkeley Rep's continuing model is that of an active regional theatre: it presents a multi-production season, commissions and develops new work, provides educational programming, and connects Berkeley audiences with projects that may later circulate nationally.

• 2022

  General management transition

  [1]Berkeley Repertory Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  Tom Parrish succeeded Susan Medak as general manager.

• 2019

  Johanna Pfaelzer becomes artistic director

  [1]Berkeley Repertory Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  Pfaelzer took over the artistic director role in September.

• 2018

  Ain't Too Proud begins its Berkeley run

  [1]Berkeley Repertory Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The Temptations musical began performances at Berkeley Rep before its Broadway transfer.

• 2009

  American Idiot premieres at Berkeley Rep

  [1]Berkeley Repertory Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The Green Day-inspired musical began its original Berkeley Rep engagement.

• 2008

  Passing Strange opens on Broadway

  [1]Berkeley Repertory Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  After Berkeley and Off-Broadway engagements, Stew's Passing Strange opened on Broadway.

• 2006

  Bridge & Tunnel transfers to Broadway

  [1]Berkeley Repertory Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The Berkeley-associated production transferred to Broadway, where Sarah Jones received a Tony Award.

• 2001

  Roda Theatre and School of Theatre open

  [1]Berkeley Repertory Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  Berkeley Rep opened its 600-seat Roda Theatre and launched the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre.

• 1997

  Regional Theatre Tony Award

  [1]Berkeley Repertory Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  The company won the Regional Theatre Tony Award.

• 1984

  Sharon Ott becomes artistic director

  [1]Berkeley Repertory Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  Sharon Ott succeeded Michael Leibert as artistic director.

• 1968

  Company founded

  [1]Berkeley Repertory Theatreen.wikipedia.org

  Berkeley Repertory Theatre was founded as the East Bay's first resident professional theatre, with Michael Leibert as founding artistic director.

A nationally recognized nonprofit regional theatre that combines adventurous new-work development with productions of modern classics, contemporary plays, and ambitious musicals, while maintaining substantial education and community programs.

• Professional theatre · 1968

  Mainstage theatrical seasons

  Berkeley Rep produces a recurring season of plays and musicals across its two Berkeley venues. The repertoire combines modern classics, contemporary drama, experimental theatre, major new works, and productions developed with resident and visiting artists.

• New-work development

  The Ground Floor

  The Ground Floor is Berkeley Rep's center for the creation and development of new work. It supports artists while projects are being researched, written, rehearsed, and refined, reinforcing the company's role as both producer and creative laboratory.

• Theatre education · 2001

  Berkeley Rep School of Theatre

  Opened in 2001, the School of Theatre offers training in theatrical disciplines for people of different ages and abilities. It also provides a base for community education, teacher-related outreach, and youth theatre activities.

• Professional training

  Berkeley Rep Fellowship Program

  The fellowship program is a year-long professional-development initiative intended to train the next generation of theatre practitioners through participation in the company's artistic and operational environment.

• Youth theatre

  Teen Council and Teen One Acts Festival

  The Teen Council serves Bay Area high-school students interested in theatre. Its associated Teen One Acts Festival is student-led, with participants writing, directing, producing, and performing the work.

• 2018Ain't Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations

  Berkeley · United States

  The jukebox musical about the Motown group the Temptations began performances at Berkeley Rep in August 2018. Its engagement was extended multiple times.

  Outcome. The musical transferred to Broadway and opened at the Imperial Theatre in March 2019. It was described in the reference material as Berkeley Rep's highest-grossing production.

  Source
• 2009American Idiot

  Berkeley · United States

  Berkeley Rep launched its 2009-10 season with the original stage production inspired by Green Day's concept album American Idiot. The engagement was extended twice because of demand.

  Outcome. The production later opened on Broadway in 2010.

  Source

• 2018

  Develop Ain't Too Proud for a Berkeley premiereProduct launch

  Background

  The company presented a new jukebox musical centered on the history of the Temptations.

  Action taken

  Berkeley Rep began performances in August 2018 and extended the run more than once.

  Aftermath

  The production moved to Broadway in 2019 and became the theatre's highest-grossing production according to the cited reference.

  Source

• 2009

  Launch American Idiot as a stage musicalProduct launch

  Background

  Berkeley Rep pursued a new musical based on Green Day's concept album.

  Action taken

  The company opened the production as the first show of its 2009-10 season and extended the Berkeley engagement twice.

  Aftermath

  American Idiot subsequently transferred to Broadway in 2010.

  Source

• 2001

  Expand into a second venue and formal theatre educationStrategy

  Background

  The company sought to expand its producing capacity and broaden its role in the community.

  Action taken

  Berkeley Rep opened the 600-seat Roda Theatre and established the Berkeley Rep School of Theatre beside its existing 400-seat thrust-stage venue.

  Aftermath

  The organization gained a larger proscenium space and a permanent platform for classes, outreach, and youth programming.

  Source

1. 1Berkeley Repertory Theatreen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Berkeley Repertory Theatre official websiteberkeleyrep.org