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Girlsa N Or, the Afric Play Mean Girls PAGE 21 2020 MARCH—MAY SChoOl ; GIrlSA n oR, THe AFrIc plAy MEaN giRlS PAGE 21 Jocelyn Bioh: A funny PLUS way of being serious Seeding the next gen of theatre-makers SG.program.emg.v3.indd 1 3/6/20 3:51 PM Trim: 8.375” x 10.875” Bleed: 8.625” x 11.125” My legacy. My partner. You have dreams. Goals you want to achieve during your lifetime and a legacy you want to leave behind. The Private Bank can help. Our highly specialized and experienced wealth strategists can help you navigate the complexities of estate planning and deliver the customized solutions you need to ensure your wealth is transferred according to your wishes. Take the first step in ensuring the preservation of your wealth for your lifetime and future generations. To learn more, please visit unionbank.com/theprivatebank or contact: Jayne Hartley Director, Private Wealth Advisor 415-705-7174 [email protected] Wills, trusts, foundations, and wealth planning strategies have legal, tax, accounting, and other implications. Clients should consult a legal or tax advisor. ©2020 MUFG Union Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. Member FDIC. Union Bank is a registered trademark and brand name of MUFG Union Bank, N.A. SG.program.emg.v3.indd 2 3/6/20 3:51 PM WELCOME TO BERKELEY REP! To ensure the best experience for everyone: Food and drink: Beverages in cans, cartons, or plastic cups with lids are welcome in the house. Food is prohibited. Phones that make noise during the performance are disruptive to everyone. Ensure phones and electronic devices are turned off during the performance. Photography: Audience members may 8 take photos in the theatre before and after the performance, and during intermission. Photos and video during the performance are not permitted. Photos posted on social media must credit the show’s designers. Late seating is not guaranteed. If you arrive late, the house manager will provide instructions about seating. If you leave during the performance, you will be IN THIS ISSUE reseated at an appropriate break. From the artistic director · 5 Smoking/Vaping: Berkeley Rep’s public From the managing director · 6 spaces are smoke- and vape-free. Charting their own path: Women’s Center One of the joys of live theatre is the for Entrepreneurship helps women coffee collective experience. Remember farmers of Colombia · 8 that people respond in different ways, Young Writers of Color Collective seeds next and we invite you to join with other generation of theatre-makers · 10 audience members and enjoy the show! FEATURES School Girls; Or, The African Mean CONNECT WITH BERKELEY REP Girls Play origin story · 12 Box Office: 510 647-2949 A funny way of being serious: An Groups (10+): 510 647-2918 interview with playwright Jocelyn Bioh · 13 10 Admin: 510 647-2900 School of Theatre: 510 647-2972 Director Awoye Timpo on reclaiming humanity in the imagery of School Girls · 16 Click berkeleyrep.org Email [email protected] Learning and unlearning: (De)colonization, Ghanaian education, and standards of beauty · 18 We’re mobile! Download our free iPhone or Android app. Share with us @berkeleyrep BERKELEY REP PRESENTS School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play · 21 Who’s Who · 22 THE BERKELEY REP MAGAZINE 2019–20 · ISSUE 5 CONTRIBUTORS 12 The Berkeley Rep Magazine is published at least Foundation, corporate, and seven times per season. in-kind sponsors · 29 For local advertising inquiries, please contact Individual donors to the Annual Fund · 31 Pamela Webster at 510 590-7091 or pwebster@ berkeleyrep.org. Michael Leibert Society · 32 Editor Karen McKevitt OrIgIn Graphic Designers ABOUT BERKELEY REP Cheshire Isaacs Haly Roy Staff, board of trustees, and Writers sustaining advisors · 33 Katie Craddock Charlie Dubach-Reinhold Sarah Rose Leonard Maddie Gaw StOrY Zandra Starks 2019–20 · ISSUE 5 · THE BERKELEY REP MAGAZINE · 3 SG.program.emg.v3.indd 2 3/6/20 3:51 PM SG.program.emg.v3.indd 3 3/6/20 3:51 PM March—May 2020 | Volume 15, No. 6 PAUL HEPPNER President Trust is Earned MIKE HATHAWAY Senior Vice President KAJSA PUCKETT Vice President, Serving our community for 53 years Sales & Marketing GENAY GENEREUX Accounting & Office Manager Production SUSAN PETERSON Vice President, Production JENNIFER SUGDEN Assistant Production Manager ANA ALVIRA, STEVIE VAN BRONKHORST Production Artists and Graphic Designers FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ARTISTIC THE FROM Sales 1960 Mountain Blvd. 3070 Claremont Ave. 1656 Shattuck Ave. 100 Grand Ave. #112 MARILYN KALLINS, TERRI REED Oakland, CA 94611 Berkeley, CA 94705 Berkeley, CA 94709 Oakland, CA 94612 San Francisco/Bay Area Account Executives 510.339.0400 510.652.2133 510.848.1950 510.339.4200 BRIEANNA HANSEN, SHERRI JARVEY, VISIT GRUBBCO.COM & FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA ANN MANNING Seattle Area Account Executives CAROL YIP Sales Coordinator Marketing SHAUN SWICK Brand & Creative Manager CIARA CAYA Marketing Coordinator Encore Media Group 425 North 85th Street • Seattle, WA 98103 800.308.2898 • 206.443.0445 [email protected] encoremediagroup.com Encore Arts Programs and Encore Stages are published monthly by Encore Media Group to serve performing arts events in the San Francisco Bay Area and Greater Seattle Area. All rights reserved. ©2019 Encore Media Group. Reproduction without written permission is prohibited. 4 · THE BERKELEY REP MAGAZINE · 2019–20 · ISSUE 5 SG.program.emg.v3.indd 4 3/6/20 3:51 PM WELCOME TO SCHOOL GIRLS! Eighteen or so months ago, when I was in conversations with the Berkeley Rep staff and board about what shows and artists I would want to bring to the Theatre if I were to become its artistic director, Jocelyn Bioh was at the top of my list. So I feel incredibly fortunate that this moment has actually come true, and that we are all here in this beautiful theatre together, in the presence of Jocelyn’s fantastic play. I worked with Jocelyn a number of years ago to help develop Nollywood Dreams (finally about to have its world premiere produc- tion at MCC in New York City!) and was so struck with the singularity of her voice. Even then, Jocelyn’s ability to weave humor and politics together in a way that leaves audiences defenseless against her point of view was evident. It is often said that truly skillful artists can make the circumstanc- es of their characters feel universal and resonant to a wide-ranging audience. Easier said than done! That being said, one of Jocelyn’s great gifts is that the worlds that she creates are so specific— a travel agency in Nigeria, a nightclub in Mombasa, a girls boarding school in the lush mountains of Eastern Ghana — and yet no matter who we are, her characters feel familiar to us. While our experiences may not match the exact lives of these school girls, the depth of their yearn- ings, the intricacies of their relationships, and the deepest discoveries of their own emerging strengths will remind us all of that specific liminal moment in our lives when we begin to become the adults we want to be. I am proud to have Awoye Timpo at the helm of this production, and to have this glorious cast assembled, the vast majority of whom are making their mainstage Berkeley Rep debuts! Thank you, as always, for being part of the journey of these artists and these stories. Warmly, FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ARTISTIC THE FROM Johanna Pfaelzer 2019–20 · ISSUE 5 · THE BERKELEY REP MAGAZINE · 5 SG.program.emg.v3.indd 5 3/6/20 3:51 PM FROM THE MANAGING DIRECTOR MANAGING THE FROM SPRING IS UPON US. And with spring comes the annual deluge of solicitations from every PHOTO BY MARCELA CHACÓN cultural organization you have ever attended! Proud to Buy me! Buy now! You all know it. We all live it. Among all those mailings is your annual Support renewal form for your Berkeley Rep subscrip- tion. Some of you have already responded, no Berkeley Rep questions asked. You’ve sent your forms in or have renewed online. Bless you. But for others, you may be thinking, “What? Why haven’t I gotten my chance to sign on to see all seven shows next season?” You so don’t have to worry, as there will be plenty of opportunities for you, too, to join the thousands Personal attention (yes, that is real) of people who sign up months in advance to see the thoughtful litigation full panoply of programs here at Berkeley Rep. Who are these people who commit themselves to shows (some- final resolution times unknown) months in advance? These are among my favorite peo- Our goal is to preserve our LAW FAMILY ple! They are often our most veteran theatregoers, people who have client’s dignity and humanity. made theatre attendance a priority throughout their long lives. But increasingly they are younger people for whom attending consistently is a commitment to an adult night together without the kids. For them, the regularity of knowing when they should schedule the sitter is just FA M I LYLAW G R OUP, P. C . the help they need to protect their date nights. And increasingly, they are families, multigenerational “regulars” who show up at seven mati- BE THE ACT YOU WISH TO SEE 575 Market Street, Suite 4000 nees and evenings a year, enjoying a shared experience that stimulates San Francisco, CA 94105 conversation and becomes the collection of shared points of reference 415.834.1120 Engaging and eclectic www.sflg.com (sometimes good, sometimes bad!) that stick through the years. Twen- ty years later my son and I still laugh over the worst production we ever saw together. Just say the word “lugubrious,” and we start laughing.
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