written by itamar moses
directed by tony taccone
main season | thrust stage
august 29–october 19, 2008
world premiere
Extended through October 19
Running time: 2 hours and 30 minutes,
including one 15 minute intermission
the play
The season kicks off with the world premiere of an incisive play set in Berkeley and written by a Berkeley native. Nationally known playwright Itamar Moses returns to his hometown with a script set just around the corner in the halls of his alma mater, Berkeley High. When the school newspaper publishes an insensitive story, students suddenly find themselves embroiled in a volatile controversy—and even their teachers seem unprepared to deal with the repercussions. Artistic Director Tony Taccone directs Yellowjackets, a compelling collision of race and class that forces us to examine familiar surroundings with fresh eyes.
the players
After graduating from Berkeley High, Itamar Moses attended Yale and New York Universities—and later taught playwriting at both schools. Although only 30 years old, he’s penned popular plays like Bach at Leipzig, Celebrity Row, The Four of Us and Outrage that have been produced off Broadway and nationwide.
Tony Taccone took two recent shows from Berkeley Rep to New York City: he made his Broadway debut with Sarah Jones’ Bridge & Tunnel, which won a Tony Award for its star, and also directed a sold-out run of Tony Kushner and Maurice Sendak’s Brundibar in Times Square. With Yellowjackets, he generates the same mix of intense emotion and timely politics that electrified shows like Continental Divide, Culture Clash’s Zorro in Hell and Taking Over.
the buzz
Hear playwright Itamar Moses on NPR’s Artery
Read a San Francisco Chronicle feature story on Yellowjackets
Read an American Theatre feature story on Itamar Moses (PDF)
“Electrifying…Captures much of the immediacy, angst and firestorm of racial tensions, sex, bullying and other pressures we call a high school education.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“Fascinating…substantial and compelling…Director Tony Taccone has infused the play with a wonderful helplessness and restless energy that typifies high school and that horrible age when everyone tells you you’re grown up, yet locks you up on campus for most of the day. He has also gathered an astonishingly talented cast of young actors who breathe a reality and genuine sense into the characters.”—Contra Costa Times
“Deeply authentic…Berkeley native Itamar Moses goes back to school with a vengeance in Yellowjackets…the playwright acutely nails the speech patterns of each clique, from taggers and stoner-philosophers to the geek squad. The dialogue pops in scene after scene as Moses plays games with linguistics, from SAT words to street slang.”—San Jose Mercury News
“Provocative and involving…the lightning-paced dialogue and slam-bang scene changes keep the play hurtling forward at breakneck speed…It’s smart, political, contentious, relentless, confusing and so full of weighty issues you may forget you’re actually dealing with teenagers here.”—Examiner.com
“Moses clearly has a playful mind, an adventurous breadth of curiosity, and a delightful appreciation of the tension between form and meaning.”—Newsday
His writing is “brashly sophisticated, cuttingly comic, boldly brainy, verbally baroque, structurally complex, and altogether virtuosic.”—Chicago Sun-Times
Press Photos
education sponsor
production sponsor
Seagate Properties
season sponsors
