For Immediate Release 11/16/2021

TheatreFIRST, Berkeley Announces 2022 Season 

• Return to in-person theatre with four new works to start in January
• “Welcome Home” season explores meaning of home
• Partnerships with Bay Area organizations to drive community support

November, 15, Berkeley, CA – TheatreFIRST today announced its 2022 Season of electrifying, evocative new works that investigates the question What is Home? New Artistic Director Brendan Simon invites audiences to the newly renovated Live Oak Theatre and experience four stories that explore relationships through the people, places and memories, that help us make meaning, define our path, and shape our lives.

“Art has no more important task than amplifying our painful truths, that we may begin to heal ourselves, our communities, our nation, and our world,” said Simon. 

Simon is also committed to making it easy for audiences to access health information and resources when they attend a TheatreFIRST show. “These stories can and should have an impact beyond the stage. That can be made possible through dynamic partnerships with local, health focused organizations.”

Season:

• January – Balikbayan Box by Jeffrey Lo and directed by Michelle Talgarrow: Bethany, a Filipino woman, dreams about immigrating to America. In order to get her there, her family has convinced a Filipino-American to help her obtain citizenship status by arranging a marriage between the two. Will they find a way to support each other and create new dreams together?

• April – All that Matters by Brendan Simon and Robert Moreno and directed by Brendan Simon: A new song cycle unpacks the past two years – the joys, pains, highs, lows, gains and losses – and the implications and opportunities in our new reality. The audience is encouraged to consider what’s truly important in life and explore a shared path forward.

• May – Music of Mothers, written and directed by Victoria Erville: The story follows two childhood friends through adolescence, marriage, childbirth, and death. Yet the outside world filled with politics and division might be the one challenge that opens wounds and changes the dynamics between them. What does it mean to be friends for life? How hard will they fight to keep their bond?

• July – Gaslit: A Drag Parody by Chris Steele and Sean Owens and directed by Richard Mosqueda: An intentionally queer, trans, and feminist takedown of an accidentally impactful theatre classic: ‘Angel Street’. Bella Manlyhands hosts this full-length solo adventure that features drag, lip sync, story-telling, parlour games, murderous intrigue, and edible soap. 

About Artistic Director Brendan Simon

Brendan Simon is an award-winning creative and performing artist who has dedicated three decades to his craft, and performed and directed on local, regional and national stages. Since 2001, Brendan Simon has worked for Kaiser Permanente Educational Theatre (KPET) and is the recipient of Kaiser Permanente’s 2017 Community Health Innovator Award for devising the company’s Resilience Squad programming. Brendan believes the future of theatre exists at the intersection of joyful activism and the visibility of underrepresented communities. 

Every aspect of the organization has been put under the microscope, reimagined, and optimized, all to create a storytelling space for all. Visit theatrefirst.com to learn more, and get involved.

Tickets

Tickets, season memberships and further info available through our website: theatrefirst.com or at 

Please contact boxoffice@theatrefirst.com for all accessibility needs.

Press Inquiries, including opening night tickets, interviews with creative team and any other questions, please contact: Box Office and Patron Services Director Stephanie Prentice at stephanie@theatrefirst.com

Location

Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley CA 94709

Season At A Glance

January 9-30, 2022

BALIKBAYAN BOX 

BY JEFFREY LO 

DIRECTED BY MICHELLE TALGAROW

April 10- May 8, 2022

ALL THAT MATTERS 

BY BRENDAN SIMON AND ROBERT MICHAEL MORENO 

DIRECTED BY BRENDAN SIMON

May 29-June 26, 2022

MUSIC OF MOTHERS

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY VICTORIA ERVILLE 

Developed at Three Girls Theatre 

July 28- August 7, 2022

GASLIT: A DRAG PARODY

BY CHRIS STEELE AND SEAN OWENS

DIRECTED BY RICHARD MOSQUEDSA

Five years ago,TheatreFIRST was reinvented into a theatre lab of community artists dedicated to pioneering new forms of progressive activism. TheatreFIRST is a nationally acclaimed social and economic equity organization that uses the medium of theatre to challenge our world’s traditional constructs. Leading with mandates of a minimum two-thirds people of color, half female-identified, and one-third LGBTQIA2+ in all aspects of infrastructure and production, we explore and exhibit the unwavering promise of representation for all. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 01/24/21

THEATREFIRST ANNOUNCES NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

For too long American Theatre has been centered on white-led hierarchy and storytelling inherent to racist capitalism, but at T1 we strive to make the world we want to see on and off our stages. As announced earlier this season, going forward T1 will become a pipeline for Artistic Directors who understand the BIPOC experience to create, build and ultimately lead larger institutions. The initiative supports a 3.5 year residency for the new leadership, continuously shifting control of the company.

And now, TheatreFIRST is proud to announce their new Artistic Director, Brendan Simon.

Brendan Simon is an award-winning creative and performing artist. He is a proud member of the Actor’s Equity Association (AEA) who has dedicated over 25 years to his artistic crafts, and directed and performed on local, regional and national stages. He has worked for Kaiser Permanente Educational Theatre (KPET) since 2001, and currently leads the Northern California region’s Learning and Development efforts. Brendan is the recipient of Kaiser Permanente’s 2017 Community Health Innovator Award for directing and co-devising the company’s Resilience Squad programming for high schools. He also co-created RISE UP, a national program for educators to foster resilience in school environments despite the adverse childhood experiences and traumas affecting students. Brendan recently began working to transform Educational Theatre’s middle school programming to address racism and include messages of equality and social justice. Brendan believes the future of theatre exists at the intersection of joyful activism and the visibility of underrepresented communities. Says Simon, “art has no more important task than amplifying our painful truths, that we may begin to heal ourselves, our communities, our nation, and our world.”

The current Artistic Facilitator, Jon Tracy, will finish planning and executing the 20-21 season programming through June 2021. At the same time, Brendan will join as Incoming Artistic Director to develop his own programming for the following three seasons. By June 2021, Jon Tracy will transition to Company Facilitator, working under Brendan’s leadership. Brendan Simon’s 21 – 22 season will be announced this May.

Five years ago,TheatreFIRST was reinvented into a theatre lab of community artists dedicated to pioneering new forms of progressive activism. TheatreFIRST is a nationally acclaimed social and economic equity organization that uses the medium of theatre to challenge our world’s traditional constructs. Leading with mandates of a minimum two-thirds people of color, half female-identified, and one-third LGBTQIA2+ in all aspects of infrastructure and production, we explore and exhibit the unwavering promise of representation for all. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  09/4/20

THEATREFIRST ANNOUNCES 20 -21 ONLINE SERIAL SEASON

Beginning this fall, TheatreFIRST’s new season responds to the world of the “remote,” mirroring the reality of our overlapping communities’ current lived experience. During our 20-21 season, audiences will digitally join characters and artists over the course of months as intimate, episodic stories are developed and presented in a serialized format.  All involved in the season — artists and the characters they create — can’t know if and when they will be able to publicly ‘share air’ with each other. Each story will be told in parts over many months, and all will culminate in a full viewing of the full productions in late spring.

Whether we engage in person or digitally, we aim, as always,  to create experiences that explore the relationship between our art and our world, and how both will have changed us all.

Our episodic season starts in October and will include:

………..

MAGIC FRUIT

BY ALEJANDRA MARIA RIVAS AND KIMIYA SHOKRI

DEVELOPED AND DIRECTED BY SUSANNAH MARTIN

VISUAL DESIGN BY ERIN GILLEY

A chef and a food critic fail to communicate on all fronts. During quarantine, Amaya and Tara attempt to “meet” online for a high-profile interview. After months of inconsistent communication, their relationship comes to a standstill. With both of their livelihoods on the line, it seems that the only way forward is to speak through their only shared language: food. The story will be told in four parts over the season, culminating in a full production in the Spring.

  ………..

AFFINITY

BY CLEAVON SMITH

DEVELOPED AND DIRECTED BY CATHLEEN RIDDLEY

VISUAL DESIGN BY TROY ROCKETT

A group of activists have a major problem: their leader, Affinity, has abandoned them just when the group was about to launch a major initiative. Their Zoom planning sessions disintegrate into fights over who’s responsible for Affinity’s departure, threatening the success of the initiative and making it less likely they will ever work with Affinity again. The story will be told in three parts over the season, culminating in a full production in the Spring.

  ………..

DELANO

BY CARLOS AGUIRRE, JEFFREY LO, AND LISA RAMIREZ

DEVELOPED AND DIRECTED BY SEAN SAN JOSE

VISUAL DESIGN BY KRISTOFFER BARERRA

Delano explores the lead up to the Delano Grape Strike, through the perspectives of Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta, and Larry Itliong, three humans that clashed, broke and dismayed each other, but ultimately changed the world. In the spirit of this intersecting movement and its challenges, each character is to be written by a different playwright – Jeffrey Lo (continuing the work he started on Itliong in T1’s 7 FINGERS), Carlos Aguirre (Chavez), and Lisa Ramirez (Huerta). The story will be told in three documentaries about the relationship each artist has to their character, culminating in a full production in the Spring.

  ………..

A MARRIAGE

BY TOM SWIFT

DEVELOPED AND DIRECTED BY BRENDAN SIMON

VISUAL DESIGN BY BEN EUPHRAT

On a quiet, lonely night, two unlikely men make the unlikely decision to fall in love. The play tells the story of that night and the thirty years that follow. The story will be told with two documentaries from the playwright and director about how their lived experiences inform the work, culminating in a full production in the Spring.

………..

YOU REALLY SHOULD SIT LIKE A LADY

BY LISA EVANS

DEVELOPED AND DIRECTED BY ASHLEY SMILEY

Using music and sound as a mixtape as framework, this solo piece is an exploration of the hilarious, perplexing and sometimes infuriating contradictions in the process of gender identity formation. The story will be told in three parts over the season, culminating in a full production in the Spring.

  ………..

WHAT’S IN A NAME

WRITTEN, DEVELOPED AND PERFORMED BY LADY ZEN

VISUAL DESIGN BY ALI ARDI & GERALDO CHARRETON

This hybrid, one-person play based on true events in the life of entertainer and storyteller Lady Zen. A South American orphan adopted by a missionary couple from Arkansas running a boarding school in Maringá, Brazil. A story of emotional turmoil and radical acceptance to become an international queer performing artist. Coming to us from San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, the story will be told with two documentaries about the making development process, culminating in a full production in the Spring.

Subscriptions to the season are $60 and will include all episodes. Each month, segments of three of the stories, as well as extensive dramaturgical and action packets, will be delivered to your inbox. Your subscription will also include access to the culminating full performances, whether they be online or in person. All stories, live or online, will include ASL interpretation.

Subscribe now at www.theatrefirst.com

Questions about the season: info@theatrefirst.com

For Immediate Release 11/16/2021

TheatreFIRST, Berkeley Announces 2022 Season 

• Return to in-person theatre with four new works to start in January
• “Welcome Home” season explores meaning of home
• Partnerships with Bay Area organizations to drive community support

November, 15, Berkeley, CA – TheatreFIRST today announced its 2022 Season of electrifying, evocative new works that investigates the question What is Home? New Artistic Director Brendan Simon invites audiences to the newly renovated Live Oak Theatre and experience four stories that explore relationships through the people, places and memories, that help us make meaning, define our path, and shape our lives.

“Art has no more important task than amplifying our painful truths, that we may begin to heal ourselves, our communities, our nation, and our world,” said Simon. 

Simon is also committed to making it easy for audiences to access health information and resources when they attend a TheatreFIRST show. “These stories can and should have an impact beyond the stage. That can be made possible through dynamic partnerships with local, health focused organizations.”

Season:

• January – Balikbayan Box by Jeffrey Lo and directed by Michelle Talgarrow: Bethany, a Filipino woman, dreams about immigrating to America. In order to get her there, her family has convinced a Filipino-American to help her obtain citizenship status by arranging a marriage between the two. Will they find a way to support each other and create new dreams together?

• April – All that Matters by Brendan Simon and Robert Moreno and directed by Brendan Simon: A new song cycle unpacks the past two years – the joys, pains, highs, lows, gains and losses – and the implications and opportunities in our new reality. The audience is encouraged to consider what’s truly important in life and explore a shared path forward.

• May – Music of Mothers, written and directed by Victoria Erville: The story follows two childhood friends through adolescence, marriage, childbirth, and death. Yet the outside world filled with politics and division might be the one challenge that opens wounds and changes the dynamics between them. What does it mean to be friends for life? How hard will they fight to keep their bond?

• July – Gaslit: A Drag Parody by Chris Steele and Sean Owens and directed by Richard Mosqueda: An intentionally queer, trans, and feminist takedown of an accidentally impactful theatre classic: ‘Angel Street’. Bella Manlyhands hosts this full-length solo adventure that features drag, lip sync, story-telling, parlour games, murderous intrigue, and edible soap. 

About Artistic Director Brendan Simon

Brendan Simon is an award-winning creative and performing artist who has dedicated three decades to his craft, and performed and directed on local, regional and national stages. Since 2001, Brendan Simon has worked for Kaiser Permanente Educational Theatre (KPET) and is the recipient of Kaiser Permanente’s 2017 Community Health Innovator Award for devising the company’s Resilience Squad programming. Brendan believes the future of theatre exists at the intersection of joyful activism and the visibility of underrepresented communities. 

Every aspect of the organization has been put under the microscope, reimagined, and optimized, all to create a storytelling space for all. Visit theatrefirst.com to learn more, and get involved.

Tickets

Tickets, season memberships and further info available through our website: theatrefirst.com or at 

Please contact boxoffice@theatrefirst.com for all accessibility needs.

Press Inquiries, including opening night tickets, interviews with creative team and any other questions, please contact: Box Office and Patron Services Director Stephanie Prentice at stephanie@theatrefirst.com

Location

Live Oak Theater, 1301 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley CA 94709

Season At A Glance

January 9-30, 2022

BALIKBAYAN BOX 

BY JEFFREY LO 

DIRECTED BY MICHELLE TALGAROW

April 10- May 8, 2022

ALL THAT MATTERS 

BY BRENDAN SIMON AND ROBERT MICHAEL MORENO 

DIRECTED BY BRENDAN SIMON

May 29-June 26, 2022

MUSIC OF MOTHERS

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY VICTORIA ERVILLE 

Developed at Three Girls Theatre 

July 28- August 7, 2022

GASLIT: A DRAG PARODY

BY CHRIS STEELE AND SEAN OWENS

DIRECTED BY RICHARD MOSQUEDSA