ERICA BERG

Take What Is Yours

2009-11-24T12:27:00.000-08:00

Take What Is Yours

a solo play inspired by the prison days of American suffragist Alice Paul

created and performed by Erica Berg

directed by Sarna Lapine

December 2009 reading at New Georges The Room went wonderfully... project updates soon to come.

The script is composed entirely from original source material, and exposes the opposition Alice Paul and her followers faced as they lobbied, demonstrated, served jail time, went on hunger-strike, and endured the torture of forced-feedings. Take What Is Yours tells the remarkable story of Alice's dedication, passion and devotion that got American women the right to vote in 1919.

Take What Is Yours has received support from the Foundation for Contemporary Art, Naropa University, New York Theatre Workshop (where it had its first reading), and development support from New Georges. Berg's last solo play, A Girl Joan, (hailed an "exquisite work of art") was originally commissioned by Dance Theater Workshop in NYC and subsequently performed at The Culture Project, HERE Theatre, and New York Theatre Workshop.

Erica as Antigone in "Fire Throws"

2009-06-10T13:02:00.001-07:00

IN THE PRESS:

"... the haunting Erica Berg... imbued with an intense calmness, instantly captivates..." - Theatermania

"... marvelously intense... the mature and clearer-eyed Berg... bracingly unapologetic" - Talkin' Broadway

"... the impressive Erica Berg... creates an extra mythic distance..." - Backstage

"... Erica Berg stands out of time, reflecting on the action and revealing a tinge of regret beneath her iron will..." - The New Yorker

"Erica Berg leads the production with disciplined calm... as the omniscient Antigone..." - Off Off Online

"... emote(s) with intensity... Berg analyzing and explaining her storied self like a thesis come to life..." - NYPress

"Erica Berg is a rueful wised-up Antigone, well-aware of what being a tragic icon costs... mesmerizingly lovely... Berg's too-scarce flashes of humor as the been-there Antigone are a welcome respite... radiant..." - Staten Island Advance

"Christine. 1403."

2008-10-14T23:38:00.000-07:00

Erica's first short film, Christine. 1403., a cry for peace from the midst of the 100 Years' War, based on the words of medieval writer Christine de Pizan won Best Short at the Salento Int'l Film Fest (Italy), Best Actress (Erica Berg) at the BAC Fest at the Brooklyn Museum, and screened at about a dozen festivals worldwide including the Cambridge Film Festival (UK), and the Best of New Filmmakers at SOHO House, curated by Anthology Film Archives.

"A beautiful, subtle short narrative..." - Courier-Life Publications

Watch a 4-minute clip of Erica as Christine here...

At this point in the film, Christine has just "fainted" at her husband's funeral, and has an inner-dialogue with "Lady Earth" on death and mourning.

Watch a 30-second trailer of the film here...

"A Girl Joan"

2008-10-14T23:24:00.000-07:00

Erica's original solo play, A Girl Joan, based on the imagined heart-life of Joan of Arc, was commissioned by Dance Theater Workshop and performed at New York Theatre Workshop, The Culture Project and HERE, where she was also awarded a residency to create new work.

"totally possessed by spiritual powers... striking..." - New York Times

"... an exquisite work of art" - Show Business Weekly

"With extraordinary conviction and poetic simplicity, Berg crafts a remarkable, dark, nuanced tale." - NYTimes Online

"Berg's voice and body are expressive tools integrated and mined to the fullest - one suspects she could fill an entire evening's worth of drama in the sound of a single consonant..." Backstage

"Butterfly Dreams"

2008-09-14T23:49:00.000-07:00

Erica's second short film, Butterfly Dreams... a tale of a boy with the heart of a wise old man, a mom lost in memories and a dad long gone.

clips, trailer and more info to come soon.

clips...

2008-03-12T14:13:00.000-07:00