As We Like It: All of Berkeley's A Stage - Theater

Like so many unexpected things in this town, Berkeley manages to fit a whole lot of theater into a relatively small city. When walking down a Berkeley street, you can never be too sure that you're not passing a secret basement theater, packed with a jovial crowd and costumed actors prancing about to 17th century prose.

In fact, that's exactly what was happening if you were walking down Euclid Avenue last spring, where Impact Theater company performs plays beneath La Val's Pizza. Putting on several shows each year, this venue is particularly popular because the theater is combined with pizza and beer.

In a more conventional setting, Berkeley theatergoers can enjoy the Tony Award-winning Berkeley Repertory Theatre on their two stages at 2025 Addison Street. The Berkeley Rep performs seven shows from September to July, from classic plays to brand new works by local playwrights. The current show is "Yellowjackets," by Berkeley native Itamar Moses. Other Shows include "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" and "The Arabian Nights."

Though not technically in Berkeley, it's worth making the drive up into the hills of Orinda for an Elizabethan experience with the California Shakespeare Theater in their beautiful outdoor Bruns Amphitheater. They're not exclusive to Shakespeare, as the current show is Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya," playing until August 31. Cal Shakes recommend their audience dress as if for an outdoor sporting event, and you should beware of the wild turkeys.

The Actors Ensemble of Berkeley will produce the work of Shakespeare's contemporary Christopher Marlowe at the 143-seat Live Oak Theatre on Shattuck. "Doctor Faustus" will open October 24.

The Julia Morgan Center can be found up on College Avenue, named for and designed by the famous Cal graduate who paved the way for women architects in the 19th century. The Julia Morgan Theater hosts plays for children and adults, as well as a magic show and a comedy night in October dubbed "The 5th (and Final) George Bush Going Away Party."

The biggest and closest venue to campus is Zellerbach Auditorium on Lower Sproul. Zellerbach is home to Cal Performances, who offer UC Berkeley students a 50% discount on tickets for all its shows. Adjacent to the auditorium is Zellerbach Playhouse, where the Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies presents most of its mainstage shows. Other TDPS performance spaces include the very intimate Room 7, found deep within the maze of corridors and staircases that is Zellerbach Hall, and the Durham Studio Theater, located in the rear of Dwinelle Hall.

Of course, these designated theaters are not the only places that students put on shows. Lecture halls somewhere on campus are often turned into the makeshift stages for student clubs like Theater Rice, the modern Asian American Theater group, or Theater for Charity, the raunchy group which donates revenues to charities.

Other important ensembles to check out are the Shotgun Players at the Ashby Stage, the Aurora Theatre Company on Addison Street and the Central Works Theater Ensemble. There are always new theater companies and venues to discover. On any night of the week in Berkeley, there is never an excuse to be sitting at home. Whether in the basement of a pizza parlor, or in the open air of Orinda, there will always be somebody, somewhere making theater.