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Theater: All in the Timing

Thu Mar 15, 2018 8:00 PM - 9:15 PM
Durham Studio Theater (Dwinelle Hall)
Join us for an evening of four one-act comedies drawn from the collection of award-winning playwright David Ives, and directed, designed and performed by TDPS students. Ives’s offbeat sketches mix the witty and the wise-cracking, the surreal and the satiric, and the poetic and the perplexing. The show opens Thursday, March 15, 2018 and continues through Sunday, March 18, 2018 in the Durham Studio Theater on the UC Berkeley campus. Thursday, Friday & Saturday at 8pm; Saturday & Sunday at 2pm. The four pieces take on the absurdity of being alive and the possibilities of human connection: Time Flies – directed by Angelina Steshenko English Made Simple – directed by Ceylan Ersoy The Universal Language – directed by Tanvi Agrawal Sure Thing – directed by Carmel Suchard Time Flies follows two mayflies on their first date. They are interrupted by Sir David Attenborough, who informs them that their lives only last 24 hours. A one-night stand quickly turns into a mid-life crisis, as the brokenhearted bugs try to find a solution. “My hope for the audience, ” says Director Angelina Steshenko, “is that they’ll think about how lucky we are as humans to get more than one day to live and we shouldn’t waste any of those days.” In English Made Simple, Jack and Jill meet at a party and proceed through a series of revealing relationship vignettes—punctuated by a solemn narrator who offers grammatical insight into what each person is really thinking as they speak. Director Ceylan Ersoy says, “The first time I read this one-act, it was as if I were reading dialogues I’ve had in my own life – a brutal revelation of what actually goes on in a daily human interaction. The stage reflects the truths that we avoid, and the reason it’s so funny is because we see ourself in the characters.” The Universal Language follows a shy woman with a stutter as she places her faith in a language tutor who promises to teach her the (made-up) universal language “Unamunda.” Almost entirely scripted in absurd gibberish, this one-act is gleefully silly and strangely profound as the two discover a true connection. “My goal,” says Director Tanvi Agrawal, “ is that audiences will walk away thinking about the many nuances and complexities that hide below the surface of ‘normal’ human behavior. I want them to be perplexed at how it’s possible to communicate a story without conventional language.” Sure Thing cheekily explores the many possibilities of conversation. Would-be couple Bill and Betty meet at a coffee shop and attempt to connect, continually stumbling or winding up in a dead-end. But every time they blunder, a merciful bell resets the conversation, resulting in a second, third, or even fourth chance to make a good impression. “The beautiful message within each of the four David Ives plays brings forward a little quirk about human relationships,” says director Carmel Suchard. “I think audiences will leave with a smile on their face.” Tickets - Students and Seniors, Cal Staff & Faculty: $10 (ID required), General Admission $15