Berkeley’s Shotgun Players will present the Bay Area premiere of Bess Wohl’s fast-paced climate change comedy, “Continuity,” May 23-June 27, at the Ashby Stage. Emilie Whelan, who returns after directing the critically acclaimed “Art” by Yasmina Reza, assembles another comedic ensemble in this satire about a Hollywood film crew making a movie about the climate crisis.
Shotgun Players’ “Continuity” May 23-June 27. Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave. Tickets online or at (510) 841-6500 ext. 303. Discounts available.
Set on a major motion picture set, in which the chaotic soundstage mimics the real-world climate crisis, the director, Maria, tries to keep her production on track in this sharp-witted, energetic comedy. Egos clash, secrets spill and hard truths are faced as the crew responds to an existential predicament with movie magic.
“‘Continuity’ is zany, ambitious, and full-throated,” says Whelan. “Bess Wohl understands that the climate crisis is a human crisis and that humans standing in front of the climate crisis are actually like clowns. It is so big, and we are slack-jawed before it.”
The play, whose mock film is set on a Styrofoam ice shelf and shot in the middle of the New Mexico desert (because of tax breaks), satirizes showbiz archetypes to expose how humanity deals with a problem that affects us all.
Beneath the veneer of comedy lies an appeal to grasp the finite nature of human life on Earth and the ominous hourglass counting down to an irreversible state of destruction. The characters, like the audience, face this global situation while simultaneously reckoning with their own secret dilemmas.
“This play gets at climate change, and while the world is on fire, we still have to live our lives, and do the best we can,” says Artistic Director Patrick Dooley. “The energy and the humor behind this show is the will toward life.”
Emelie Whelan speaks about directing “Continuity” at Shotgun Players’ Ashby Stage. Courtesy of Shotgun Players
“On a film set, you are often counting down the time and, also, standing around doing nothing,” playwright Wohl told the Theater Development Fund.
“There is this sense of a crisis, and yet it doesn’t look or feel anything like a crisis,” added Wohl, whose latest play, “Liberation,” just won the 2026 Pulitzer prize for Drama. “Is there continuity to humanity, or are we living through an extinction?”
Rezan Asfaw plays an idealistic director determined to make a meaningful movie while trying to wrangle her high-maintenance lead actress. The film’s antagonist is played by Nicholas René Rodriguez, from Shogun Players’ 2025 production of Terry Guest’s “The Magnolia Ballet.” Ije Success plays the mock movie’s scientist, while BenoÎt Monin (last seen in “Art”) stars as its screenwriter. Malcolm Rodgers, Matt Standley and Adam Mendez Jr round out the cast.
The production is directly in line with the theme of Shotgun Players’ 2026 season: making art that meets the moment.
“As theater-makers, that means making art with epic themes, bold aesthetics, and sweeping emotions. Yes, let’s entertain, but let’s also take huge, joyful, heroic risks!” said Dooley. “It’s also a time for connection and community — the kind that comes from shared ideas and space and laughter.”
Peformance details
Performances are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Previews are May 23-29, with opening night on May 30. Post-show conversations happen Thursdays and Sundays.
Special performances include a haptic tour and live audio description matinee on Sun., June 7, and an ASL-interpreted performance on Thurs., June 18. A masked matinee is June 21.
Discounts include a limited number of $25 Community Tickets. And on June 4, theater-lovers 25 and under, pay $15 for the show, free pizza and beer (21+). Get tickets at online or by calling the box office: 510-841-6500 x 303
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