AURORA THEATRE IN THE NEWS

Miss Julie

“Jackson's approach takes Strindberg's long-banned but now oft-produced 1888 tragedy and makes it seem both familiar and remarkably new.”
- Robert Hurwitt, SF Chronicle (read complete review)

“There is something quite bold about August Strindberg's play "Miss Julie," particularly the Helen Cooper version currently running at Berkeley's Aurora Theatre.”
- Pat Craig, Contra Costa Times (read complete review)

“Miss Julie is a play that wants to fly in the face of convention, and director Jackson delivers a heat-seeking production that is anything but conventional. ”
- Chad Jones, Theater Dogs (read complete review)

“A Dramatic Masterpiece.”
- Jerry Friedman, KGO Radio (read complete review)

“'Miss Julie' has lost none of its power to shock and seduce. August Strindberg's 1888 chamber drama...still yields one of the most riveting explorations of sexual politics and class warfare in contemporary theater.”
- Georgia Rowe, Arts SF (read complete review)

“The wonder of the Aurora Theatre's production is that it has taken a play that is now 121 years old, staged it in a 150-seat auditorium with arena seating, and shaped it into the kind of electrifying theater that has a person on the edge of his seat throughout its tense 90 minutes.”
- George Heymont, My Cultural Landscape (read complete review)

“For titillation, erudition, edification and just a smidgen of eroticism, get thee to the Aurora Theatre soon: when word of Lauren Grace's superlative performance gets out, you may be buying your tickets from a scalper at twice the price.”
- Jeffrey R. Smith, For All Events (read complete review)

“When Miss Julie finally reaches her tragic end, you'll feel as if you've spent a whole night, drinking, carousing, and messing up along with her.”
- Rachel Swan, East Bay Express (read complete review)

“An unforgettable drama!”
- Albert Goodwyn, SF Bay Times (read complete review)

“You’ll be knocked out by this play. Its impact is enormous.”
- Lee Hartgrave, For All Events (read complete review)

“Once-banned and still blistering!”
- Robert Avila, SF Bay Guardian (read complete review)

“Strindberg entwines psychology and symbolism with his take on women’s role in society, class distinction and interpersonal relationships.”
- Kedar K. Adour, For All Events (read complete review)

“Miss Julie is a smart play with the drama of The Hills (sans vapid dialogue) and the psychological intensity of In Treatment. Put down the remote and get to the Aurora.”
- Dogmom, Dogmom's Dish (read complete review)

“ Jackson seems interested in the relation between narrative, storytelling—and spectacle. The tableaux are often the thing, more than the transitions, as the dreamlike dance on the kitchen table, Jean brushing aside the tree’s branches above, then shaking himself, as if awake.”
- Ken Bullock, Berkeley Daily Planet (read complete review)

“Esta producción de Miss Julie es fabulosa, realmente impresionante y da gusto visitar el teatro Aurora ya que siempre producen obras de primera categoría que requieren un trabajo elaborado, gran dirección y u elenco profesional de actores.”
- Mario Echevarria, SF Tribune (read complete review)

Feature Articles

“Mark Jackson, who directed Strindberg’s Miss Julie, and David Graves, who composed the music for the production, first met in 2003, when both were in residence for five weeks at the Djerassi Foundation retreat in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Last August, Jackson sent Graves an e-mail, asking if he would be interested in collaborating on the Aurora production. Jackson talked about some of his initial impressions of Strindberg’s masterpiece. ”
- Ken Bullock, Berkeley Daily Planet (read complete article)