Rare G.B. Shaw play tops Aurora season
Hot new plays will rub elbows with works by greats such as George Bernard Shaw and Caryl Churchill in the Aurora Theatre Company’s thought-provoking 2017-18 season.
The Berkeley company’s 26th season includes a rare revival of Shaw’s “Widowers’ Houses,” which the troupe first produced in the ’90s. Shaw’s bracing first play examines the biting issues of class, justice and gender for which the politically charged playwright is revered. The 1892 morality tale from the writer of “Heartbreak House” and “Pygmalion” runs Jan. 26 through Feb. 25.
In many ways, Churchill (“Cloud Nine,” “Love and Information”) follows in the footsteps of Shaw, investigating the abuse of power in a body of work marked by bravery and intellect. That continues in Churchill’s 2002 “A Number” (March 9-April 22, 2018), a chilling narrative about cloning and identity in a futuristic dystopia that will play in the company’s intimate second space, Harry’s UpStage.
The estimable troupe, led by artistic director Tom Ross, will also stage the world premiere of Jonathan Spector’s topical new play “Eureka Day” (April 13-May 13, 2018), which came out of the company’s Originate + Generate new works project. Spector marries the local and the meta in an examination of the anti-vaccine movement in the Bay Area.
The season will also include the regional premiere of Sarah Burgess’ “Dry Powder” (June 22July 22, 2018), which looks at the explosive nature of capitalism and greed; Rebecca Gilman’s “Luna Gale” (Sept. 1-Oct. 1), which spins around a social worker trying and failing to do right by a baby; and Marco Ramirez’s “The Royale” (Nov. 3-Dec. 3), the tale of Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight boxing champion.
All shows take place at the Aurora Theatre Company, 2081 Addison St., Berkeley, which has two venues on site.
Single tickets range $33-$65. Subscriptions are priced at $99-$360. Contact 510-843-4822. www. auroratheatre.org.