{"id":396509,"date":"2026-07-13T12:51:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T12:51:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/396509\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T12:51:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T12:51:11","slug":"machiavellis-infamous-political-treatise-the-prince-explored-in-berkeley","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/396509\/","title":{"rendered":"Machiavelli’s infamous political treatise ‘The Prince’ explored in Berkeley"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two exceptional local theaters give audiences a glimpse of classical works examined through more modern eyes beginning with Berkeley\u2019s Central Works.<\/p>\n

The theater, which prides itself on developing and producing original works, has selected a fitting final production capping its 36 years of bringing fascinating new works to the Bay Area. Written and directed by Gary Graves, the company\u2019s final work is an epic two-part piece exploring Machiavelli\u2019s infamous political treatise \u201cThe Prince.\u201d The work represents Graves\u2019 decades-long exploration of Niccol\u00f2 Machiavelli and the political world of Renaissance Florence.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been wrestling with the story of Niccol\u00f2 Machiavelli\u2019s \u2018life and times,\u2019 his intersection with so many remarkable characters from history, and his whole angle on the nature of power politics in the world, for almost my entire adult life,\u201d said Graves. \u201cThe story has been through many different versions and forms.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part 1 follows the young Machiavelli\u2019s entry into Florentine politics and his encounter with the ruthless Duke Cesare Borgia. Part 2 traces Machiavelli\u2019s rise as a political strategist, his dealings with Leonardo da Vinci and Michaelangelo, his exile and his attempt at redemption.<\/p>\n

Performed in rotation, Parts 1 and 2 show a shifting world of ambition, ideology, art and survival full of relentless political stratagems.<\/p>\n

A cast of five versatile actors bring all the historical characters to life. The show features Mark Farrell, Brennan Pickman-Thoon, Kevin Singer, Marah Sotelo and Michael Ray Wisely.<\/p>\n

Part I plays Thursday through Sept. 6, with Part II from July 30 through Sept. 6 at Berkeley City Club on 2315 Durant.<\/p>\n

For tickets, call 510-558-1381 or go to centralworks.org\/the-prince-parts-1-2<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"AliciaAlicia Mason plays the hard-drinking, F-bomb dropping Effie in Shotgun Players’ modern rift on Euripides’ “Iphigenia” running July 25 through Aug. 23 in Berkeley.\u00a0Photo courtesy of Ben Krantz Studio<\/p>\n

Also in Berkeley: Shotgun Players adds its modern-day version of Euripides\u2019 \u201cIphigenia\u201d with Gary Owen\u2019s monodrama \u201cIphigenia in Splott\u201d to the mix.<\/p>\n

Performing July 25 through Aug. 23 at 1901 Ashby Ave. in Berkeley, Owen\u2019s heroine is brash, reckless and unapologetically self-possessed as she stumbles through life with hookups and hangovers. Her life on the edge comes to a climax when she is faced with a choice between selfless sacrifice and the welfare of her community.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t let the title fool you,\u201d said Director Michelle Talgarow, \u201cthis isn\u2019t just a retelling of the ancient Greek myth. It is a sharp, modern thrill ride set in working-class Wales. It\u2019s just one actor on stage for 75 minutes and she will absolutely blow you away with her energy, wit, wry humor and a story that feels incredibly urgent right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alicia Mason plays the hard-drinking, F-bomb dropping Effie.<\/p>\n

For tickets, call 510-841-6500 ext. 303 or go to shotgunplayers.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"TheThe White Rabbit (Paul Bisesi), The Queen of Hearts (Virgie Poole) and Alice (Pilar Gonzalez) in Actors Ensemble of Berkeley\u2019s \u201cAlice in Wonderland\u201d through July 19 at John Hinkle Park. (Photo courtesy of Jane Shamaeva)\u00a0<\/p>\n

More in Berkeley: Younger theatergoers can still catch Actors Ensemble of Berkeley\u2019s free production of \u201cAlice in Wonderland\u201d through Sunday at Berkeley\u2019s John Hinkle Park on 41 Somerset Place<\/p>\n

The outdoor production is filled with colorful costumes and characters. Young audience members can even watch the production from onstage where they will interact with the White Rabbit and the Mad Hatter plus others. Whether on stage or in the audience, beware the Queen of Hearts. Her favorite line is \u201coff with their heads!\u201d Performances are at 4 p.m. with shows lasting around two hours with an intermission.<\/p>\n

For more information, go to aeofberkeley.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Orinda: Noel Coward\u2019s \u201cPresent Laughter\u201d brings its colorful characters and witty dialogue to the Orinda Community Park Amphitheatre at 28 Orinda Way from July 24 through Aug. 15.<\/p>\n

Presented by Orinda Starlight Village players and directed by Patrick Atkinson, the comedy is set in 1941 and features Matt Cardigan-Smith as Garry Essendine, the self-obsessed, middle-aged actor whose life spirals into chaos as he deals with a fawning ingenue, a crazed playwright, his ex-wife and several other dramas before leaving on a European tour.<\/p>\n

Friday and Saturday performances take place at 8:30 p.m. with Sunday, Aug. 9, at 4 p.m. and Thursday, Aug.13, at 8 p.m. For tickets, go to orsvp.org\/present-laughter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

S.F.: Performers from Broadway and Beyond will journey to the Bay Area on Aug. 1 at 7:30 p.m. to help raise funds for the Richmond\/Ermet Aid Foundation (REAF) at The Marines Memorial Theater on 609 Sutter St. in San Francisco.<\/p>\n

REAF\u2019s mission provides aid for HIV\/AIDS services, hunger and food insecurity programs, including Project Open Hand as well as programs for underserved youth and seniors.<\/p>\n

Featured performers for this year\u2019s event include Grammy award-winning vocalist Leanne Borghesi, Broadway stars David Burnham and Davis Gaines, TV\/film\/recording star Juan Pablo Di Pace, Star Search winner Nita Whitacker, 15-year-old opera virtuoso Alliana Lilli Yang and comedienne Stephanie Block. Cast members from the Broadway touring cast of Disney\u2019s \u201cBeauty and the Beast\u201d will be an added attraction.<\/p>\n

For tickets, go to Help32.eventbrite.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Reach Sally Hogarty at sallyhogarty@gmail.com<\/a>, and read more of her reviews online at eastbaytimes.com\/author\/sally-hogarty<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two exceptional local theaters give audiences a glimpse of classical works examined through more modern eyes beginning with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":396510,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[2245,159385,19487,2248,2241,1472,2246,2242,967,159387,2240,143,145,144,2244,159386,2239,159388,2247,32220,2243,1058],"class_list":["post-396509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-oakland","tag-acting","tag-actors-ensemble","tag-central-works","tag-choreography","tag-comedy","tag-dance","tag-directing","tag-drama","tag-entertainment","tag-marines-memorial-theater","tag-musicals","tag-oakland","tag-oakland-headlines","tag-oakland-news","tag-on-stage","tag-orinda-community-park-amphitheatre","tag-performing-arts","tag-richmond-ermet-aid-foundation","tag-screenwriting","tag-shotgun-players","tag-singing","tag-theater"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/396509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=396509"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/396509\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/396510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=396509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=396509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=396509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}