From the Artistic Director

WHAT A PRIVILEGE to give Sarah Ruhl’s Becky Nurse of Salem its world premiere production!

My first window into the extraordinary imagination of this beloved artist was Berkeley Rep’s production of Eurydice, right here in the Peet’s Theatre in 2004. The elevator doors opened, the water poured down, a room was constructed out of string, and I was completely hooked. I recently went back to the program from that production and was amused to read Tony Taccone’s description of Sarah as a “young artist of great talent.” Which, of course, she was. How prescient of Tony and Berkeley Rep’s team to have made this a creative home for an artist who would go on to be lauded with Pulitzer nominations and a MacArthur award, in addition to productions across the country and around the world.

I am now the happy beneficiary of this relationship which has been tended over many years and multiple projects. Berkeley Rep has been there with Sarah through plays ranging from Eurydice to In the Next Room... to Dear Elizabeth, among others. In fact, Becky Nurse of Salem is the result of a commission from Berkeley Rep, and was developed in our Ground Floor Summer Residency Lab. This kind of long-standing engagement between an artist and a company is deeply satisfying. The inherent risks of building something new from the ground up are mitigated by a foundation of mutual trust, knowledge, and respect; and the shared successes are all the sweeter.

And whether you know it or not, your presence here tonight makes you a key player in this dynamic. You will be Becky Nurse of Salem’s first audiences. Your collective responses will impact Sarah’s continued understanding of and ongoing process with this story. I can imagine no greater partner for Sarah, director Anne Kauffman, this cast, and creative team than the audiences of Berkeley Rep. Thank you for being our partners in bringing new stories into the world.

Warmly,

Johanna Pfaelzer