Our 2009 season consists of four productions—three plays and one musical. Read about them in our 2009 season brochure or simply see below.

Season ticket holders enjoy a discount off single ticket prices and get greater flexibility. (Season ticket holders simply call our reservation hotline to reserve seats for the performances of their choice, instead of having to commit to specific dates and times at the time tickets are purchased.)

A season ticket for all four 2009 productions costs just $40. Purchase your season tickets now with a credit card or PayPal. Or you may find the order form that appears in our 2009 season brochure and mail in the completed form along with your check or money order.

Individual tickets for single performances may be purchased online by clicking the "tickets" link on the left side of this page. Tickets may also be purchased at the box office. Please note that at the box office we can only accept cash and checks—no credit cards.
 

EXIT THE KING
Eugene Ionesco
Directed by Jerome Solberg
January 23 through February 21

Pioneering the Theatre of the Absurd is not unlike founding the Donner Pass, as very few will ultimately trickle through and several will eat each other up in the process. Along with Samuel Beckett, Eugene Ionesco did help shepherd in the Theatre of the Absurd, but, as with any other survivor, he did it warily, looking over his shoulder the whole time and calling his creation "the Theatre of Derision." In his Exit the King we are witness to the last few hours of King Berenger as he unwillingly faces the end of his reign, the end of his kingdom (driven into the ground, quite literally, through narcissism, neglect, and incompetence - sound familiar?) and, ultimately, the end of himself. Just like in life, the end is foreseeable far in advance, but it's how you get there that counts. Join us as we throw in our lot with Ionesco at the height of his powers, wending us through the absurd twists and turns of a man who simply refuses to face the facts.

LUV
Murray Schisgal
Directed by Alan Barkan
April 23 through May 23

Last season, we brought you an upbeat view of love that only a Neil Simon could deliver. This season we offer a view of love from its underside. Heart over mind, mind over body, this is an age old story; one partner falls out of love with their current and in love with their wanna-be-current and schemes to painlessly shift currents. Described as "wildly absurd and deliciously outlandish", Murray Schisgal's hit comedy Luv ran for more then two years on Broadway. A chance crossing of paths reunites two high school friends disconnected by time. One is dirty, dressed in rags, wallowing in despair; looking to the bridge for an exit. The other, well dressed, seemingly successful, ever the opportunist; looking to the bridge for discarded treasures and their latest scheme's victim. A perfect storm where both friends might - just might - find through each other a new opportunity for Luv. Exposing our universally dysfunctional attempts at loving this production, with the blessing of Mr. Schisgal, celebrates our universality. We will present Luv through a lesbian prism, a gay prism and a straight prism; a weekly Luv Trilogy alternating prisms between Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. You've got to see all three!

YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN
Clark Gesner
Based on the comic strip "Peanuts" by Charles M. Schulz
Directed by Gregg Klein
July 17 through August 15

Our summer musical, a revival of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, opened on Broadway in 1999. It is a fresh approach to the all-time 1967 classic. Sally Brown joins Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Schroeder and Snoopy in this version. Two new songs, Beethoven Day and My New Philosophy, have been added to the twelve wonderful numbers of the original version, such as My Blanket and Me, The Kite, The Baseball Game, Little Known Facts, Suppertime and Happiness. The time of the action is an average day in the life of Charlie Brown. It really is just that, a day made up of little moments picked from all the days of Charlie Brown, from Valentine's Day to the baseball season, from wild optimism to utter despair, all mixed in with the lives of his friends (both human and non-human) and strung together on the string of a single day, from bright uncertain morning to hopeful starlit evening. The 1999 revival of Charlie Brown won two Tony Awards and three Drama Desk Awards. Come have a happy day with the Peanuts gang!

Actors Ensemble of Berkeley is presenting You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown as a celebration of the life of Ralph Miller, an exemplary Bay Area actor and long time board member of Actors Ensemble. Ralph's delight in the theatre will be honored with each performance.

AS IT IS IN HEAVEN
Arlene Hutton
Directed by Jeremy Cole
October 23 through November 21

We wrap up the season with the story of a religious community in crisis. Set in 1838, As It is in Heaven explores issues of faith through the eyes of nine women in the Shaker village of Pleasant Hill, Kentucky. When a newcomer to the community begins experiencing visions, the older members, who have seen none, begin to question their own devotion to the Way. Alternately dramatic and comic, the play reflects the simplicity of the lifestyle it depicts, and is punctuated by Shaker songs sung a cappella. The play is based on actual events from the Era of Manifestations - a time of heightened divinity and unusual behavior that began in the late 1830s with reports of a group of young Shaker girls who became absorbed in unusual trancelike activities, communication with angels and descriptive journeys to heavenly places. The show's premiere was hailed by The Herald as "...powerful and insightful...a thought-provoking piece, the message being that often we need not look as far as heaven to see angels here on earth."