Berkeley Repertory Theatre, which has earned a national reputation for developing provocative new plays, has received two prestigious grants of $50,000 each to fund upcoming world premieres. The Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation is supporting the hotly anticipated stage version of Green Day's American Idiot - and, for the second straight year, Berkeley Rep earned The Edgerton Foundation's coveted New American Play Award, this time to support the debut of Naomi Iizuka's new play, Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West.
"At Berkeley Rep, we're continuing our commitment to develop daring new work despite the temptation to play it safe in difficult economic times," remarks Tony Taccone, artistic director of Berkeley Rep. "I'm pleased to see these efforts recognized by noted foundations that share our goal of bringing ambitious and adventurous scripts to the stage. Naomi's new play is further evidence that our commissioning program is succeeding, and American Idiot is clearly an exciting and significant project. We are grateful for the grants that will help us present these shows in our upcoming season."
The Edgerton Foundation presents its New American Play Award to select theatres that have demonstrated a strong and consistent track record of producing new work. This is the second Edgerton Award for Berkeley Rep and the third for a project helmed by its associate artistic director, Obie Award-winner Les Waters. In 2008, the Foundation honored his production of Stephen Greenblatt and Charles Mee's Cardenio at American Repertory Theatre, and this year it recognized his collaboration with Sarah Ruhl on In the Next Room (or the vibrator play) in Berkeley. The award aims to strengthen the first production of a new script and thereby increase the likelihood that it will enjoy continued life and become a mainstay of the American repertoire. Waters' upcoming Broadway production of In the Next Room demonstrates the effectiveness of the program. In the last four years, The Edgerton Foundation has disbursed more than $1.7 million to noted theatres across the nation. In addition to the New Play Award, it supports the environment, global security, and important institutions in Los Angeles.
The Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation, established in 2003, intends to help the Bay Area arts community become - in her words - "four stars, worth the detour." The Foundation supports both the fine arts, including the exhibition of painting and sculpture, and the performing arts, including opera, symphony, and dance, in the cities of San Francisco, Berkeley, and Oakland, as well as in Marin County. The Foundation is most interested in supporting arts organizations that are presenting challenging and cutting-edge works.
American Idiot, the first show in Berkeley Rep's 2009/10 season perfectly fits the bill. Green Day won two Grammy Awards - Best Rock Album and Record of the Year - for the multi-platinum album of that name, which sold more than 12 million copies worldwide. Now those searing songs seize the stage with the director behind Spring Awakening, the groundbreaking musical that earned eight Tony Awards including Best Director and Best Musical. American Idiot follows working-class characters from the suburbs to the city to the Middle East, as they seek redemption in a world filled with frustration - an exhilarating journey borne along by Green Day's electrifying songs. This high-octane show blends an onstage band and an ensemble of 19 young performers with what Newsweek calls "a soundtrack for anyone disillusioned by millennial America." Yet, Time concludes, "For an album that bemoans the state of the union, it is irresistibly buoyant."
Green Day - vocalist/guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tré Cool - were loud, snotty, scrappy kids from working-class backgrounds who came of age in the underground punk scene in Berkeley. American Idiot debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart and raised the bar for modern rock ‘n' roll. Michael Mayer earned the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award for Spring Awakening. He has directed 11 shows on Broadway, three on London's West End, two films, and many other projects. American Idiot debuts at Berkeley Rep, the theatre that launched Passing Strange - and it features every track from the album, as well as several new tunes from Green Day's upcoming release, 21st Century Breakdown. It begins previews in Berkeley Rep's Roda Theatre on September 4 for a limited run ending October 11.
