The 2012 theater season for Shotgun Players in Berkeley, CA is off to a roaring start with The Coast of Utopia: Voyage by Tom Stoppard. Shotgun Players is a theater company which prides itself on 20 years of experience performing little-known works by well-known playwrights, and sometimes this takes a bit of legal legwork on their part to secure the rights to some of these masterpieces. The Coast of Utopia: Voyage falls into this category of shows you should go out of your way to see now, in case you never get to see them again.

The Coast of Utopia: Voyage examines the personalities and motivations of the fiery and dedicated citizens behind the Russian Revolution. This gorgeous piece by Stoppard has only previously been seen in New York, Moscow, and London. If you live in or around the Bay Area, or will be visiting within the next month, this is a chance that should not be missed. The Coast of Utopia: Voyage opens on March 14 and closes April 15, 2012, running Wednesday through Saturday nights at 7 or 8pm (check Shotgun’s calendar for specific times and dates), and on Sundays at 5pm. Conveniently, the Shotgun Players company works out of the Ashby Stage which is directly across the street from Ashby BART station in Berkeley, so if you’re in San Francisco or Oakland it’s easy to jump on public transportation and leave the car at home. You can find detailed directions here.

Shotgun Players also offers a special deal for the first week of performances when patrons can take advantage of pay-what-you-can tickets. It is strongly advised that prepaid reservations be made advance for these. To make your reservation for a pay-what-you-can or regular general admission ticket, visit Shotgun’s ticket page. For more information on The Coast of Utopia: Voyage see Shotgun’s info page here.