CONTINENTAL DIVIDE world premiere two-play cycle by David Edgar directed by Tony Taccone November 6—December 28, 2003 The Roda Theatre running time: 3 hours each, including one 15 minute intermission each Read the review in the Contra Costa Times Read the review in the San Jose Mercury News “A tremendous achievement…[with] striking performances…stirringly directed by Tony Taccone.” —THE GUARDIAN (London) “Daughters of the Revolution excites…Mothers Against is a total triumph.” —THE GUARDIAN (London) “Heady, impassioned and unfalteringly politically engaged, Divide is as exciting in ambition as it is penetrating.” —THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE “…what [Edgar] has to say is breathtakingly timely. In this climate, Continental Divide is theater as salt lick. It’s irresistible. You lap it up.” —THE NEW YORK TIMES Internationally acclaimed playwright David Edgar (Pentecost, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby) turns his attention to American politics with this two-play cycle examining both sides of a gubernatorial campaign. These two plays, which can be seen in either order, explore what has happened to the revolutionary fervor that took hold of both the Right and the Left in the 1960s, and how it has been transmuted and carried on in politics today. A joint commission by Berkeley Rep and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. MOTHERS AGAINST It is five weeks before the election and Sheldon Vine, the Republican candidate for governor in a very tight race, has gathered with his key advisors to prepare for the big debate with his Democratic opponent. Vine’s own leanings are distinctly libertarian, but revealing his true beliefs and running a forthright campaign would risk alienating the voters. Over the course of the weekend one thing becomes clear: this battle—the one he must fight with his advisors, including his own family, over what kind of campaign to run—is the most crucial of his career, with implications that could change his entire life. DAUGHTERS OF THE REVOLUTION Michael Bern, a former campus radical and retiring community college dean, discovers years later that the political collective of which he was a prominent member in the ‘60s had been infiltrated and betrayed to the FBI by one of their own—a betrayal with consequences for Michael’s career and marriage long after he thought he had left his radical past behind. As he sets out on a journey to find the traitor, he must come to terms with the man he has become and the relative success, or failure, of his political ideals. REPUBLICANS IN BERKELEY? THE RESULTS OF THE GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION ARE IN… While fictional Democratic candidate Rebecca McKeene may have won the election in David Edgar’s Continental Divide, Berkeley Rep audiences had a chance to vote for the candidate of their choice after attending the performances, and the results are in! An audience survey found Republican candidate Sheldon Vine in the lead with 64% of the vote, McKeene with 32%, and write-in candidates—ranging from David Edgar, to Wavy Gravy to Jed Bartlett (the current President of The West Wing)—receiving 4%. The survey results seem somewhat surprising in light of Berkeley’s history of progressive politics. In the recent “Western State” gubernatorial recall election, Alameda County bucked the state-wide trend by supporting the Democratic candidate Cruz Bustamante over Arnold Schwarzenegger by 53% to 26%, and Berkeley is one of only two cities in California where the Green Party has overtaken the Republican Party in voter registration totals. In response to the unprecedented outcome of this election, Sheldon Vine commented, “Clearly the voters recognize me as the candidate with strength of character and commitment to values, and they responded positively. I am proud of that victory.” Democratic candidate Rebecca J. McKeene declined to comment. Berkeley Rep thanks the 2,000 patrons who participated in the mock election! PRODUCTION SPONSORS                                   SEASON SPONSOR PLAY DEVELOPMENT FUNDS

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