It's a wrap for Central Works fourth Berkeley theater to close since 2023

"Central Works, the 36-year-old Berkeley-based theater company, is coming to a close after the end of its current season, as co-directors Gary Graves and Jan Zvaifler are set to retire. The pair tried to find someone to keep the theater's legacy alive, but it's a very demanding job, said Graves, 70, in an interview with Berkeleyside. We're a very small organization and we do lots of different things in order to keep it going and keep the overhead low so that we can do new plays."

"In 2002, Central Works established residency at the Julia Morgan-designed Berkeley City Club. The club's small theater a mere 50 seats makes for intimate and exciting theater, but also really hinders your earning potential, said Graves. Central Works Theater performs in the Berkeley City Club, designed by architect Julia Morgan who also designed Hearst Castle. About a third of Central Works' income came from ticket sales, a third from grants, and another third from individual donations."

"Zvaifler founded Central Works in 1990 along with Sren Oliver as an actor-driven ensemble. There used to be a lot more [acting] work in Berkeley and a lot more out-of-work actors, said Graves, who became co-director in 1997. It was not unusual back then or even now for actors to band together to say, While we're looking for work and in between jobs, why don't we make our own theater?' Gary Graves, co-director."

"The closure of the company marks the loss of yet another treasured theater in Berkeley in recent years, including Aurora Theater in 2025, and Bay Area Children's Theatre and TheatreFirst in 2023. Central Works Theater performs in the Berkeley City Club, designed by architect Julia Morgan who also designed Hearst Castle. Edwin Jacobs and Monique Crawford perform in Central Works' satirical 2023 play Mondragola, set in Niccolo Machiavelli's Florence."

Central Works, a Berkeley-based theater company founded in 1990, will end after the current season because co-directors Gary Graves and Jan Zvaifler plan to retire. The company sought successors to preserve its legacy but described the role as demanding for a small organization that must keep overhead low while producing new plays. Central Works has performed in the Berkeley City Club since 2002, where a 50-seat theater creates intimacy while limiting earning potential. Income has come from ticket sales, grants, and individual donations. The closure adds to recent losses of other Berkeley theater groups. Central Works began as an actor-driven ensemble and later focused on producing new plays created through a collaborative process.

Read at www.berkeleyside.org