OUR PRACTICAL HEAVEN Plays Aurora Theatre Company, Now thru 3/3

Aurora Theatre Company continues its 21st season with the World Premiere of OUR PRACTICAL HEAVEN from acclaimed playwright Anthony Clarvoe (Pick Up Ax, Show and Tell, Ambition Facing West). This family drama, which originated as one of Aurora Theatre Company's Global Age Project (GAP) finalists in 2011, is the third main stage production to develop from the GAP.

GAP director Allen McKelvey helms this six character play, featuring original GAP cast members Julia Brothers (The First Grade), Joy Carlin (Thérèse Raquin), and Anne Darragh (A Delicate Balance), reprising their roles for Aurora's main stage production, along with Blythe Foster, Lauren Spencer, and Adrienne Walters.

OUR PRACTICAL HEAVEN plays tonight, January 25 through March 3 at the Aurora Theatre in Berkeley. For tickets ($35-60) and information the public can call (510) 843-4822 or visit auroratheatre.org.

In OUR PRACTICAL HEAVEN, three generations of family gather over three holidays in a home none of them expects to long survive the rising sea. They do chores, text each other, and dance. They watch the birds, and watch each other, while struggling for loyalty, legacy, and turf. By the end, everything has shifted and a new generation is in charge, but of what? OUR PRACTICAL HEAVEN addresses the changing tides of communication, gender roles, and society in a place where even the notions of home and family remain fluid.

OUR PRACTICAL HEAVEN will be the fully-staged anchor production in this season's Global Age Project, an Aurora Theatre Company initiative that encourages playwrights and directors to explore life in the 21st century and beyond. This year's GAP finalists include: In From the Cold by Jonathan Spector; The Drinking Problem by Sarah Gubbins; Luce by J.C. Lee; and The Bandaged Place by Harrison David Rivers. The selected GAP plays will be presented as staged readings in a four-week festival at the Aurora Theatre, Mondays, February 4-25, 7:30pm. All GAP readings are free and open to the public.

In addition to OUR PRACTICAL HEAVEN, playwright Anthony Clarvoe's works for the stage include Show and Tell (Thick House in San Francisco); Ambition Facing West (premiered at Trinity Repertory Company); Ghosts (translated from Ibsen, Intiman Theatre); The Brothers Karamazov (based on the Dostoevsky novel, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park); The Living (Denver Center Theatre); Let's Play Two (South Coast Repertory); and Pick Up Ax (Eureka Theatre Company), among others. Additionally, his work has been produced or received commissions at Mark Taper Forum, Playwrights' Horizons, Signature Theatre, TheatreWorks, San Jose Repertory Theatre, and The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, among others. His play Cello recently premiered as part of the Bay Area One Acts Festival, and his play Gizmo was part of Cutting Ball Theater's RISK IS THIS...festival in 2012.

Aurora Theatre Company has assembled a gifted ensemble for OUR PRACTICAL HEAVEN. Julia Brothers returns to Aurora Theatre Company as Willa in OUR PRACTICAL HEAVEN. Brothers previously appeared in Aurora Theatre Company's World Premiere of The First Grade and in the company's hit production of Salome. She has appeared in productions at the Magic Theatre (The Lily's Revenge), Marin Theatre Company (Seagull), TheatreWorks (Superior Donuts), San Jose Stage, and Brava Theater, in addition to numerous Off-Broadway productions. Recent Broadway credits include Relatively Speaking - Three One Act Comedies by Ethan Coen, Elaine May, Woody Allen. Additional credits include productions at Pacific Repertory Theatre and Arizona Theatre Company, where she appeared opposite Marlo Thomas in George Is Dead, written and directed by Elaine May. Her television credits include a recurring role on the NBC daytime drama Days of Our Lives.

More Articles by This Author...