Upcoming Programming
When They Ask If We Were Real
Fostering collective action through creative expression
Ensemble member Leah Sanginiti is directing When They Ask If We Were Real, a community-led performance project that amplifies transnational inquiry and affirms intergenerational wisdom as A.I. rapidly automates linguistic and artistic processes. Development workshops have been conducted through partnerships across three continents, including local organizations Berkeley Public Library, Dominican University of California, East Oakland Youth Development Center, and State of Play.
​
Since 2023, this project has served as a creative space to explore dozens of philosophical and urgent questions from around the world:
​
"Why didn't we see the warning signs in ourselves?" (Serbia)
“What if Earth had two moons? Would we have different myths? Different morals?” (USA)
"What do your mountains mean?" (Taiwan)
“What will be left of me if I relinquish old identities?" (USA)
“Are we real?” (Age 5, Philippines)
Immersive performance workshops will be held in the Bay Area in February 2026, featuring live original music and facilitated intergenerational dialogue.
​
This project is made possible thanks to generous funding from the Kenneth Rainin Foundation.
​
Bridging Turtle Island:
ATE & ITMéxico Present New Works
Fostering new work and a new generation of artists
September 18, 2025
​
In partnership with In the Margin's ITMexico program, Bridging Turtle Island is a staged reading series of new plays from Lauren Gunderson, Drew Woodson, Amber Kay Ball, R. Réal Vargas Alanis, W. Fran Astorga, and others.
​
View the Bridging Turtle Island Program HERE.
Ongoing Programming
Collaborations: Seeking Joy Together with Berkeley Public Libraries
Blending joy and resistance
With a series of programming at Berkeley Public Libraries, ensemble members have facilitated potlucks, group walks, community art-making nights, and conversations around fostering curiosity and community organizing strategies in the current political reality.
Collaborations:
Cedars of Marin
Creating artistic community
This year marks ATE's second year of collaboration with Cedars of Marin on multiple projects that use the power of theater to heal, connect, and inspire. Ensemble members are excited to build upon last year’s Self Advocacy Projects utilizing techniques from Theater of the Oppressed with the support of the Raab Foundation, and will expand upon live animation & puppetry projects with the support of the Henson Foundation.
Prior Programming
Indigenous Performing Arts Residency
New works by Native voices
April 14 – 18, 2024
​
The Arts Research Center and Department of Theater, Dance and Performance Studies with Alternative Theater Ensemble are proud to welcome Playwright and Berkeley Alum Drew Woodson for a residency at UC Berkeley, April 14 - 18, 2025. Woodson will spend the week developing a new play (From Above) in workshops with local Indigenous actors, give an Artist Talk in conversation with TDPS Professor Philip Gotanda, present a public reading of From Above, and visit classes in TDPS. Check out the program HERE.
​
Co-presented by the University of California - Berkeley's Arts Research Center and the Department of Theater, Dance, & Performance Studies, and with support from the Dean's Office of the Division of Arts & Humanities, the Department of Ethnic Studies, the Joseph A. Myers Center for Research on Native American Issues, the Native American Studies Program, the Puffin Foundation, and the California Arts Council.
