“Hilarious and Cozy Holiday Tales”

produced by berkeley rep in association with jonathan reinis productions
hosted by kate burton
special presentation • thrust stage

Saturday, December 8, 2012 / 2 & 8pm

Michael Imperioli, Kate Burton and Linda Lavin read Ron Carlson, Thomas Beller, Edna O’Brien and John Cheever

Sunday, December 9, 2012 / 2 & 7pm

Michael Imperioli, Kate Burton and René Auberjonois read Ron Carlson, Thomas Beller, Frank O’Connor and David Schickler

(Please note that Saturday and Sunday have different actor and story line-ups.)

The hit public-radio series and podcast, Selected Shorts, is back at Berkeley Rep with a program of hilarious and cozy holiday tales, performed by Tony and Emmy nominee Kate Burton, Sopranos actor Michael Imperioli, multiple award-winner Linda Lavin and Tony Award winner René Auberjonois. Don’t miss these delightful readings! We take a wacky ride through a family’s unusual Christmas traditions in Ron Carlson’s “The H Street Sledding Record,” while Edna O’Brien’s “Violets” promises a passionate romantic tale. Thomas Beller’s “Live Wires” features a lovesick young man who serves some thrilling revelations at his mother’s New York upper west side Hanukkah party, while Irish master Frank O’Connor’s “Christmas Morning” tells of a young boy’s view of his family’s holiday celebration. In John Cheever’s hilarious “Christmas Is a Sad Season for the Poor,” a high-rise elevator operator becomes overwhelmed by his riders’ generosity, and David Schickler’s “Jamaica” is a wildly wacky story of a book club at holiday time.

who’s who

René Auberjonois last appeared on Broadway in The Sly Fox. He won the Tony Award for his role in the musical CoCo and was nominated for Tony Awards for his work in City of Angels, Big River and The Good Doctor. His repertory credits include performances with the American Conservatory Theater and the Mark Taper Forum, of which he is a founding member. Among his film credits are M.A.S.H. and McCabe & Mrs. Miller. He starred in the television series Benson, for which he received an Emmy nomination, and played Odo on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, a show for which he also directed several episodes. Most recently he played Paul Lewiston on David E. Kelley’s Boston Legal and made several guest appearances on a wide range of shows including Bored to Death, Criminal Minds, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Archer.

Kate Burton was nominated for Tony Awards for her work in Hedda Gabler, The Elephant Man and The Constant Wife. Her other Broadway work includes Present Laughter (Theatre World Award), Spring Awakening, The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Jake’s Women, Company and Some Americans Abroad (Drama Desk nomination). She appeared in Three Sisters in London’s West End, and her off-Broadway work includes David Mamet’s Boston Marriage. Her screen credits include Max Payne, Stay, Quid Pro Quo, Sherry Baby, The Night Listener, Swimfan, Unfaithful, Celebrity, The Ice Storm, August and Big Trouble in Little China. She appeared in the HBO film Empire Falls, and her other television work includes Notes for My Daughter (Emmy Award), Grey’s Anatomy (Emmy nomination), Rescue Me, Grimm, The Closer and a recurring role on The Good Wife. Her upcoming films include Josh Radnor’s Liberal Arts.

Michael Imperioli is an Italian-American actor who has appeared in over 30 films, including Goodfellas, Jungle Fever, Clockers and The Lovely Bones. He was a writer and executive producer for Spike Lee’s Summer of Sam. His best-known role as Christopher Moltisanti the HBO series The Sopranos won him a Best Supporting Actor Emmy Award and two SAG awards. His other TV credits include starring roles in Life on Mars, Detroit 1-8-7 and appearances in Girls, Necessary Roughness, Law & Order, New York Undercover and NYPD Blue. He has also written, directed and produced numerous works for the stage and screen, including the screenplay The Hungry Ghosts, which debuted at the Rotterdam International Film Festival. His numerous upcoming projects include Foreclosure, The Hive, The M Word and The Scribbler.

Linda Lavin in an Emmy Award-winning actress, singer, producer and director. She recently performed on Broadway in The Lyons, for which she received her sixth Tony Award-nomination. She has appeared in dozens of Broadway and off-Broadway plays and musicals including Other Desert Cities, The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, The Diary of Anne Frank, Collected Stories and Broadway Bound. Her many television and film credits include the starring role in the sitcom Alice, The Sopranos, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, The Back-up Plan, Wanderlust and the upcoming film A Short History of Decay. As a singer she has performed at venues around the country including Carnegie Hall, the Empire Plush Room and Rainbow and Stars. Her recording, Possibilities, was released by Ghostlight Records in 2012. She lives in New York and Wilmington, North Carolina, where she teaches acting, and where she has established a foundation to focus on Arts in Education.

Jonathan Reinis, producer. Jonathan produced Carrie Fisher’s Wishful Drinking at Berkeley Rep, as well as the national tour and Broadway production. His Broadway credits include Dan Lauria and Judith Light in Lombardi (2010), Harvey Keitel in Jerry Springer: The Opera at Carnegie Hall (2008), How The Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical (2006–07), Kiki and Herb: Alive On Broadway (Tony nomination 2006), Dame Edna (Tony Award 2000), Russell Simmons’s Def Poetry Jam (Tony Award 2003), Bill Maher: Victory Begins at Home (Tony nomination 2003) and It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues (Tony nomination 1999). Jonathan’s San Francisco and touring productions include Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues; Sam Shepard’s The Late Henry Moss (with Sean Penn, Woody Harrelson, Nick Nolte and Cheech Marin); Dame Edna; Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile; John Leguizamo’s premiere of Freak; Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde; The Piano Lesson; and Forever Tango. Jonathan built and operated a 750-seat Theatre on the Square in San Francisco (1981–2002) and is a member of the Broadway League and ATPAM.

Remembering Isaiah Sheffer

The New York Times remembers the creator of Selected Shorts, Symphony Space founder Isaiah Sheffer.

multimedia

Selected Shorts
Read about upcoming episodes and listen to past ones—that and more at the Selected Shorts website.

Meet Thomas Beller
Visit author Thomas Beller’s website.

Meet Ron Carlson
Read this Publishers Weekly profile on author Ron Carlson.

Meet John Cheever
Read an interview with John Cheever in the Paris Review.

Meet Edna O’Brien
Edna O’Brien receives the Frank O’Connor Award, named after another Selected Shorts author.

Meet Frank O’Connor
Peruse author Frank O’Connor’s research site.

Meet David Schickler
See author David Schickler’s website.

Interview with Michael Imperioli
KGO’s Brian Copeland interviews the Sopranos star about his upcoming performance at Berkeley Rep.

Feature on Kate Burton
The Emmy Award-winner talks to the San Francisco Chronicle about her first appearance on a Bay Area stage and her legendary family of actors.