Tarea Hall Pittman is hosting another series of Berkeley Rep Docent Talks for the 2024-2025 season! Join an enthusiastic docent from the Berkeley Repertory Theatre as they lead a discussion on a currently playing production. Attending the play is not a requirement to participate in this docent talk.
Schedule of Docent Talks:
Tues, Sep 17, 6pm: MEXODUS
History meets hip-hop in Mexodus, an electrifying live-looping musical, composed in real-time by multi talented writer/performers Brian Quijada and Nygel D. Robinson. Mexodus explores the often-untold stories of the Underground Railroad that led south into Mexico. Don’t miss this groundbreaking, theatrical experience of resilience and resistance, celebrating the power of Black and Brown solidarity.
Tues, Oct 22, 6pm: THE MATCHBOX MAGIC FLUTE
Theatrical powerhouse Mary Zimmerman (Metamorphoses, The Arabian Nights, The White Snake) triumphantly returns to Berkeley Rep with a mesmerizing adaptation of Mozart’s iconic Magic Flute, using only 10 singers and five musicians. Join Tamino on a daring quest to rescue the captive princess Pamina. Encounter dragons, birdmen, and trials by fire in this enchanting microcosm of wonder where magic and music intertwine. Hailed as “a box of treasures, a haze of marvels, a banquet of dreams,” by The Chicago Reader, The Matchbox Magic Flute will transport you to realms of imagination and wonder.
Tues, Nov 12, 6pm: JAJA’S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING
Step into the vibrant world of Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, a beloved Harlem hotspot where West African immigrant braiders work their magic on the locals’ locks. Amidst the lively buzz of a scorching summer, love ignites, dreams soar, and secrets unravel. But beneath the surface lies a current of uncertainty, pushing this close-knit community to confront the challenges of being outsiders in their own neighborhood. From the pen of acclaimed Ghanaian American playwright Jocelyn Bioh (Goddess, School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play) and directed by Obie winner Whitney White, Jaja’s African Hair Braiding is “a play that is equally affecting as it is hilarious,” hails Entertainment Weekly.
Tues, Feb 4, 6pm: THE THING ABOUT JELLYFISH
During the last week of summer vacation, 12-year-old Suzy Swanson learns that her best friend Franny has drowned. Desperate to make sense of Franny’s death, Suzy immerses herself in her own imagination, where she can circumnavigate the globe, plunge into the terrifying depths of the ocean, explore the collapsed stars of the most distant galaxies, and perhaps even solve the mysteries of the universe. Adapted from the best-selling novel, The Thing About Jellyfish is a visually stunning and deeply emotional coming-of-age tale about love, loss, friendship, and the profound expansiveness of the human spirit.