Theater Group Brings Dance, Poetry, And More To Berkeley Stage

BERKELEY, CA — Bay Area residents have the opportunity to take in a unique performance this July and August at the Ashby Stage in Berkeley.

Called “The Magnolia Ballet,” the play blends dance, poetry and a powerful narrative about four men: a son, a lover, an ancestor, and a father.

“They dance in the sticky heat of a rural, Southern Gothic landscape fraught with secrets and possibilities. With expansive poetry and whispered prose, this piece births resilience underneath the bloom of fresh magnolias,” according to the Shotgun Players, the group putting on the play.

Performance artists Devin C. Cunningham, Jaiden Griffin, Nicolas René Rodriguez and Drew Waktins will take the stage July 19 for opening night, with the play running through August 10.

The Berkeley-based Shotgun Players, founded in 1992, are the production team behind “The Magnolia Ballet.” With values such as “people first” and “dream big and take risks,” the group describes themselves as “a company of artists determined to create bold, relevant, affordable theater that inspires and challenges audiences and artists alike to re-examine our lives, our community, and the ever-changing world around us.”

Other Shotgun Players productions this year have included “Yellow Face” and “Art.”

Written by Terry Guest and directed by AeJay Antonis Marquis, “The Magnolia Ballet” is set in rural Georgia and explores Blackness and the complexity of masculine love, according to the program.

“[It] invites us to sit with the discomfort of history, to see its gnarled roots, and to witness the beauty that persists despite it all. … Ultimately, ‘The Magnolia Ballet’ is a hymn to survival, a call to embrace the messiness of the human condition, and a reminder that through the flames, we can rise anew – reborn, resilient, and unbroken,” noted Marquis.

The play’s run time is one hour and 45 minutes (no intermission), with performances scheduled for Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. The Thursday and Sunday shows feature post-show conversations with the director and cast members.

The Ashby Stage is located at 1901 Ashby Avenue. Tickets to “The Magnolia Ballet” are sliding scale, $40-$80. For performance dates, times, and to purchase tickets, go here.