Arts & Events

Piedmont Avenue Repertory Theatre—a new theatre company-- this Friday Nov 22 opens with “The Dining Room” by A. R. Gurney at the Piedmont Center for the Arts, 801 Magnolia, Piedmont, for six performances with a reduced price preview on Thursday Nov 21. 

"The Dining Room" is "the perfect play for grown-ups for the holidays.” Gurney's play portrays the human comedy—and drama—that happens in that special room (that gets a lot of use in November and December).  

An intriguing “hook” of the play is that six actors play 56 parts.  

The actors change roles, personalities and ages with virtuoso skill as they portray a wide variety of characters, from little boys to stern grandfathers, and from giggling teenage girls to Irish housemaids. 

The cast includes John Hale, Jamie Harkin, Brett Mermer, Karly Shea, Aaron Vanderbeek, and Susannah Wood.  

The company founder and director John A. McMullen II, who has been a theatre critic for the Berkeley Daily Planet for the last few years noted, "I have an MFA from Carnegie where I trained as a director. But some of the best training I've had was this "sabbatical" as a critic for the BDP. The last three years of watching two or three plays per week and having to express what was good and not-so-good about them in some detail sharpened my aesthetic and my emotional vocabulary--which is an essential tool of a director."  

Piedmont Ave Rep is a newly formed company dedicated to bringing live, semi-professional theatre for grown-ups to Oakland and the Piedmont Ave area.  

Tickets at thediningroom@brownpapertickets.com or 800-838-3006, 

or on the website: www.PiedmontAveRep.org 

PREVIEW Thu Nov 21 $19 

Fri Nov 22, Sat Nov 23, Sat Nov 30 at 8 pm $25 

Sun Nov 24 & Dec 1 at 7 pm $25 

Running time 2:00 including intermission