Welcome

Welcome to POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive, and the beginning of your 2023/24 season at Berkeley Rep! Given the current widespread challenges in the American theatre, I feel incredibly fortunate to be kicking off such a robust season, full of work of significant theatrical scale, created by world-class artists. We picked each one of these plays with our community in mind, and I hope over the course of the season you will have been delighted, challenged, and surprised.

One of the great privileges of embarking on a season together is the mutual assurance that there will be more nights in the theatre — each one full of promise, and the possibility that at any given moment something truly transformative could occur.

I’m so pleased to have Selina Fillinger’s wickedly funny POTUS launch us into the season. Selina lived here in the Bay Area as a kid, before taking NYC by storm. I’m delighted to welcome her back, especially to do so in partnership with director Annie Tippe, whose production of Dave Malloy’s exquisite Octet was a highlight of the 2021/22 season. Putting together this cast of brilliant actors was a joy, and I can’t wait for you to spend a little time in their midst.

We all really deserve a good laugh right now. Satire is inherently (and notoriously) tricky, but Selina has brought a modern, pointed perspective to the form, with an intentional and grateful nod to Chaplin, Churchill, and Molière. Like the classic works of those lauded artists, POTUS brings us subversive humor, linguistic rigor, and physical style. As Selina says, “With POTUS I wanted to use the structural elements of farce — mistaken identities, life and death stakes, slamming doors — while centering characters often pushed to margins.” Classic structure, contemporary politics, a new generation of artists bringing a fresh and specific point of view? Sounds like Berkeley Rep!

Welcome back. We are so glad to have you with us.

Warmly,
Johanna Pfaelzer
Artistic Director

As I celebrate my one-year anniversary at Berkeley Rep, it seems like yesterday and forever ago that I joined you. It has been such a joy getting to know the many fans of Berkeley Rep.

These are exceptionally challenging times for nonprofit theatres, and we are facing extraordinary headwinds, but your support and patronage puts wind in our sails. We are meeting this moment by investing in bold, theatrical productions like POTUS that reengage and excite audiences, and as a result, we have seen audiences growing and growing, and for many shows, attendance is largely at or exceeding pre-pandemic levels. The rising costs of making live theatre, however, require growing levels of philanthropy, and we are so thankful for those that have stepped up to help.

If you are not yet a subscriber to Berkeley Rep, I encourage you to join us. In addition to guaranteeing yourself the best seats at the best prices for every production before they sell out, you will also be making memorable moments for yourself — nights out with family or friends sharing fantastic stories told by the best artists from the Bay Area, Broadway, and beyond. You will always be in great company. Subscribing is easy, flexible, and affordable — and the best and most popular way to experience all that Berkeley Rep has to offer.

This is an exciting time to be a part of Berkeley Rep, and we’re so glad you are here. Thank you for coming and enjoy the show!

Sincerely,
Tom Parrish
Managing Director