There’s still time to catch Center Rep’s graphic novel noir thriller “Froggy.” Running through Sunday at Walnut Creek’s Lesher Center for the Arts, it’s a sensory-rich roller-coaster ride as Froggy tries to discover her actor boyfriend’s whereabouts. Finding his likeness in a violent, underground video game leads to her own journey of self-discovery.
Created by award-winning playwright Jennifer Haley with collaboration by director of creative technology Jared Mezzocchi and Center Rep’s Matt M. Morrow, “Froggy” fuses styles of graphic novels, film noir and virtual media into a new, alluring theatrical event.
While all the colorful video set at enticing angles and playing on a variety of jumbo screens can be a bit daunting for audiences of a certain age, it is also 90 minutes of riveting theater.
Morrow, who for a decade worked with Haley on the new work, directs a cast which includes local luminaries Nancy Carlin and Michael Ray Wisely. Maeve Coyne, Jamella Cross and Emily Newsome play Froggy at different stages of her life with Adam Kuveniemann as the illusive boyfriend and Jed Parsario as Froggy’s brother.
Despite the next-generation style, “Froggy” is at heart a story of loss and a search for ways to cope and heal — something even this “older” generation audience member can relate to.
For tickets, call 925-943-7469 or go to centerrep.org.
Berkeley: Many people experience difficult situations as they navigate their daily lives. Some pretend the difficulty never happened while others get angry and shut down emotionally. Writer/performer Kathryn Seabron, however, used her difficult and painful experience at a Bay Area nonprofit as the catalyst for a powerful one-woman show.
“Angry Black Woman 101” blends compelling vignettes, storytelling, poetry and multimedia elements to explore the racism and misogyny that Black women navigate daily — at work, in school, on the street or at the market.
“I had been pulled into HR at my job because a white woman thought I didn’t like her,” said Seabron. “It was very disheartening to be pulled in for that when I was doing a really good job. I have no idea why that was an employment issue. I just wasn’t behaving in a way she wanted me to. Then I started looking around and noticing different things in our society and how they feed into how black women in particular are treated. My next job was painfully simple, but I was treated like I was incapable. That’s when I started to write.”
Seabron did private readings where she not only received feedback but found her work started conversations as other women shared similar experiences.
“I realized I might be on to something. This wasn’t just my experience, it was our experience,” Seabron said. “Just as a woman we’re often discounted, but then you add race into it and people’s prejudices that they don’t even realize they’re showing.”
Seabron began her theater career as a stage manager before venturing into directing. She had no intention of performing on stage.
“I do suffer from stage fright and anxiety, like many people do, but I honestly believe the message is more important than I am, and once I’m on stage and interacting with the audience, it feels like a really safe and powerful place to be,” she said.
Acknowledging the visual age we live in, Seabron uses scientific graphs, movie clips and music to illustrate what she’s talking about in her show.
“Angry Black Woman 101” received the Best Performance Award at the Atlanta Black Theater Festival in 2024 and had a highly successful run last summer at The Marsh’s In Front of Your Eyes Performance Festival. Now it’s back with a much longer run March 15 through April 13 at The Marsh Berkeley on 2120 Allston Way. For tickets, go to themarsh.org.
Also in Berkeley: Connor McPherson’s praised adaptation of Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya,” featuring Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee Hugh Bonneville (Vanya) and Tony Award winner John Benjamin Hickey (Astrov), continues at Berkeley Rep through March 23. Directed by Simon Godwin, the cast also includes local favorite Sharon Lockwood.
For tickets, call 510-647-2949 or go to berkeleyrep.org.
Reach Sally Hogarty at sallyhogarty@gmail.com, and read more of her reviews online at eastbaytimes.com/author/sally-hogarty.