LOG IN | REGISTER NOW!
Broadway Tours
Off-Bway London
Help, Pick Me a Show
Latest News
CDs/Books/DVDs
Grosses 2/05 
Photos
Reviews
TV/Video
Web Radio
Broadway   Off-topic 
West End   Student 
Auditions - Equity
Auditions - Non Equity
Books Database
BWW Junior
Classifieds
College Center
High School Center
Tony Awards
Upcoming CDs
Videos Database
Event Calendar
NYC Guide
Hotel Finder
Restaurant Guide
Classroom / Education
Photo IQ
Twitter Watch
Your Settings
Advertising Info
Contact Us
Forgot Login?
Logo Archive
Merchandise
RSS/XML Feeds
Submit News

Berkeley Rep Receives Two $50,000 Grants To Fund Upcoming Premieres

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.

Leave Comments



Past Articles by This Author:

More Articles by This Author...

ANYTHING GOES
Save up to 50%!
SEMINAR
Save Over 40%!
Click Here to Register for More Special Offers!
Evita's "Che" is no longer Che Guevera
56
Find out who NY Post's Michael Riedel called a lim...
13
Please recommend a musical for people with limited...
10
Favorite book of a musical?
2
Whitney Houston's Broadway connections
7
Robert Diamond's Blog BWW Launches Non-Equity Audition Center
BWW Joins Google +
2012 Regional Expansion - Find Shows, Restaurants & More
Michael Dale's Broadway Blog
Myths and Hymns & Ballyhoo
BroadwayGirl NYC Blog
Picks for February
Roundabout Theater Company Blog
From the Artistic Director: Look Back in Anger
MamaDrama NYC
FRECKLE FACE THE MUSICAL
Sound Off Broadway Blog
Special Interview: Kim Smith & MISFIT
Submissions Only
Submission's Only on BWW BWW TV Exclusive:
SUBMISSIONS ONLY
Season 2
jakewil - @rilaws WHAT?!? it is the best thing ever created... more...
Now Playing:
Now Playing on Broadway Web Radio Rich Man's Frug from Sweet Charity on 2005 Broadway Revival Cast.
Photo Coverage: THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Celebrates 10,000 Performances!
Photo Coverage: Elaine Paige Performs for Lincoln Center's AMERICAN SONGBOOK Series!
BWW TV Exclusive: Seth's Broadway Chatterbox With PORGY & BESS' Joshua Henry, NaTasha Yvette Williams and Nikki Renee Daniels!
2012 Grammy Awards Air Tonight on CBS; Tune In for Pre-Telecast for Best Theatre Album at 1PM!
Nathan Lane, Barbara Cook, Donna Murphy Set for TheatreWorks Gala Tonight
SPECIAL: A Whitney Houston Retrospective
Craig Zadan & Neil Meron on Whitney Houston's Death 'Heartbroken'
Composer Frank Wildhorn on Whitney Houston's Death 'So Sad and Tragic'
BREAKING: Lea Michele in Talks for SPRING AWAKENING Film! BREAKING: Lea Michele in Talks for SPRING AWAKENING Film!
CLYBOURNE PARK Sets Broadway Dates; Opens April 19 for Limited Engagement CLYBOURNE PARK Sets Broadway Dates; Opens April 19
Photo Flash: Chita Rivera Visits SILENCE! THE MUSICAL Photo Flash: Chita Rivera Visits SILENCE! THE MUSICAL
Alexis Bledel, Richard Topol & More Lead MTC's REGRETS; Opens Mar. 27 Bledel, Topol & More Lead MTC's REGRETS; Opens Mar. 27
TDF's Autism Theater Initiative To Host Autism Friendly B'way Performances MARY POPPINS, LION KING Host Autism Shows
THE LION KING to Return to Sydney, December 2013 THE LION KING to Return to Sydney, December 2013
DISNEY'S THE LION KING Iconic Musical Smash Plays The Arsht Center DISNEY'S THE LION KING Iconic Musical Smash Plays The Arsht Center
STAGE TUBE: Inside the Making of PETER AND THE STARCATCHER's Logo! STAGE TUBE: Inside the Making of STARCATCHER's Logo!
STAGE TUBE: Ellen Helps Jim Parsons Prep for HARVEY! STAGE TUBE: Ellen Helps Jim Parsons Prep for HARVEY!
HARVEY's Jim Parsons Set to Appear on 'Ellen' Today HARVEY's Jim Parsons Set to Appear on 'Ellen' Today

WIT RENT CHICAGO SMASH ON NBC SEMINAR CHINGLISH PIPPIN ZORBA MEMPHIS ANNIE HAIR REBECCA HARVEY GLEE EVITA more...


  • BROADWAY
  • NATIONAL TOURS
  • ALABAMA - Birmingham
  • ALASKA - Anchorage
  • ARIZONA - Mesa
  • ARIZONA - Phoenix
  • ARIZONA - Tempe
  • ARKANSAS - Little Rock
  • CALIFORNIA - Costa Mesa
  • CALIFORNIA - Los Angeles
  • CALIFORNIA - Sacramento
  • CALIFORNIA - San Diego
  • CALIFORNIA - San Francisco
  • CALIFORNIA - Santa Barbara
  • COLORADO - Denver
  • CONNECTICUT
  • CONNECTICUT - Hartford
  • DELAWARE
  • FLORIDA
  • FLORIDA - Ft. Lauderdale
  • FLORIDA - Jacksonsville
  • FLORIDA - Orlando
  • FLORIDA - St. Petersburg
  • FLORIDA - Tampa
  • GEORGIA - Atlanta
  • HAWAII
  • IDAHO - Boise
  • ILLINOIS - Chicago
  • INDIANA - Indianpolis
  • INDIANA - South Bend
  • IOWA - Des Moines
  • KANSAS - Wichita
  • KENTUCKY - Louisville
  • LOUISIANA - New Orleans
  • MAINE
  • MARYLAND - Baltimore
  • MASSACHUSETTS - Boston
  • MICHIGAN - Detroit
  • MINNESOTA - Minneapolis
  • MINNESOTA - St. Paul
  • MISSISSIPPI - Jackson
  • MISSOURI - Kansas City
  • MISSOURI - St. Louis
  • MONTANA
  • NEBRASKA - Omaha
  • NEW HAMPSHIRE
  • NEW JERSEY
  • NEVADA - Las Vegas
  • NEW MEXICO - Albuquerque
  • NEW YORK - Buffalo
  • NEW YORK - Central New York
  • NEW YORK - Long Island
  • NEW YORK - Rockland
  • NEW YORK - Westchester
  • NORTH CAROLINA - Charlotte
  • NORTH CAROLINA - Raleigh
  • NORTH DAKOTA - Fargo
  • OHIO - Cincinnati
  • OHIO - Cleveland
  • OHIO - Columbus
  • OHIO - Dayton
  • OKLAHOMA - Oklahoma City
  • OKLAHOMA - Tulsa
  • OREGON - Portland
  • PENNSYLVANIA - Philadelphia
  • PENNSYLVANIA - Pittsburgh
  • RHODE ISLAND
  • SOUTH CAROLINA
  • SOUTH DAKOTA - Sioux Falls
  • TENNESSEE - Memphis
  • TENNESSEE - Nashville
  • TEXAS - Austin
  • TEXAS - Dallas
  • TEXAS - Houston
  • TEXAS - San Antonio
  • UTAH - Salt Lake City
  • VERMONT
  • VIRGINIA - Norfolk
  • WASHINGTON - Seattle
  • WASHINGTON, DC
  • WEST VIRGINIA
  • WISCONSIN - Appleton
  • WISCONSIN - Madison
  • WISCONSIN - Milwaukee
  • WYOMING - Casper
  • LONDON - WEST END
  • ARGENTINA
  • AUSTRIA
  • AUSTRALIA
  • BELGIUM
  • BRAZIL
  • CANADA - OTTAWA
  • CANADA - QUEBEC
  • CANADA - TORONTO
  • CANADA - VANCOUVER
  • CHINA
  • FINLAND
  • FRANCE
  • GERMANY
  • HUNGARY
  • INDIA
  • INDONESIA
  • IRELAND
  • ISRAEL
  • ITALY
  • JAPAN
  • LUXEMBOURG
  • MALAYSIA
  • MEXICO
  • NETHERLANDS
  • NEW ZEALAND
  • NORWAY
  • PHILIPPINES
  • POLAND
  • PRAGUE
  • RUSSIA
  • SOUTH AFRICA
  • SOUTH KOREA
  • SPAIN
  • SWITZERLAND
  • TURKEY
  • CABARET
  • OFF-BROADWAY
  • OFF-OFF BROADWAY
  • BOOKS
  • CELEBRITY
  • CLASSICAL MUSIC
  • COMEDY
  • CONCERTS
  • DANCE
  • FASHION
  • MOVIES
  • MUSIC
  • OPERA
  • REALITY TV
  • TV
  • VISUAL ARTS
  • Contact us. All Materials Copyright 2011 Wisdom Digital Media.

    Privacy Policy.