The Great Game - Afghanistan, Part III: Enduring Freedom (1996-2009) October 23, 2010

This fall, Berkeley Repertory Theatre welcomes 'The Great Game: Afghanistan,' a sweeping cycle of short scripts by 12 top playwrights that caused a sensation in London. Presented in three parts - on different days or in one impassioned marathon - this unprecedented show explores Afghanistan over the last 150 years. While America blithely rides an economic boom in Ben Ockrent's 'Honey,' an anxious CIA operative tries to buy back missiles that landed in the hands of militants. Next, in 'The Night is Darkest before the Dawn' by Abi Morgan, a teacher invites girls to a free school - but fearful families recall all too well the harsh justice of the Taliban. In 'On the Side of Angels' by Richard Bean, employees of a British nonprofit struggle to retain their integrity while raising funds at home and brokering deals abroad. Then Simon Stephens' 'Canopy of Stars' captures a soldier in two intense encounters: one with a buddy before battle and the other when he returns to his wife. Has anything changed? What have we learned? The Great Game goes on in Afghanistan, yet the conclusions are up to you.