The Trials

Background image: An image of lady liberty amidst lightning and sea level rise in front of the painted ladies in San Francisco.

By Dawn King
Directed by Daniel Larlham

October 16-19, 2025
Zellerbach Playhouse

In this dystopian courtroom drama set in a near future devastated by climate change, a jury of twelve teenagers deliberates, argues, and passes judgment on the adults who failed to act while there was still time. As the young jurors do their best to serve their society’s brutal apparatus of judgment, resentments arise and hatreds crystallize, leading one of them to ask: “If we lose our humanity totally, what’s the point of surviving?”

Critical Acclaim for The Trials

“This is the best play about our climate emergency.”—The Arts Desk

“I found ‘The Trials’ gripping, both as an urgent imagining of how our generation will be viewed by our kids, but also a smart imagining of revolution generally.”—Time Out

“Passionately thought-provoking narrative on intertwining societal and environmental issues. It begs the question of whether anyone, irrespective of generation, is truly innocent.”—Everything Theatre

“Ultimately this is a play that demands self-reflection and soul-searching beyond the auditorium. It leaves us thinking about how we live, what we are doing for the welfare of the globe, and whether these angry desolate children of the near future would find us guilty of climate crimes.”—The Guardian

About the Playwright

Dawn King is an award-winning writer working in theatre, film, TV, radio and other forms. Born in Stroud, Gloucestershire and educated in non-selective state schools, she now lives in London, near Epping Forest, where she spends a lot of time with her dog in the woods.

Dawn’s work has been translated into many languages and performed internationally. She is an experienced writing teacher, teaching playwriting and screenwriting to adults and teenagers.

About the Director

Daniel Larlham is a theatre-maker and performance researcher with a Ph.D. in Theatre from Columbia University and an M.F.A. from NYU’s Graduate Acting Program.

Daniel has held academic appointments at UC Berkeley’s Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies, Yale University’s Theater Studies Program, and Saint Mary’s College of California’s Performing Arts Department. He has also taught and conducted research at the Freie Universität Berlin (as a Humboldt Foundation Research Fellow) and the University of Roehampton, London (as a Fulbright Scholar). His articles and reviews have appeared in TDR: The Drama Review, Theatre Journal, Theater (Yale), Modern Drama, Theatre Survey, and The Eighteenth Century: Theory and Interpretation. Daniel’s current research interests include drama and psychology, heroes and the heroic, and performance and ecology. His ongoing research project, “Heroism in the Anthropocene,” examines environmental activism from a mytho-dramatic perspective.

CAST & CREATIVE TEAM

Cast

Mark Rafael Truitt

Emily Keyishian

Lauren Dunagan

Jackie Campion

Amelia Costales-Downey

Valentina El Harizi

Wanchen Li

Milo Mechem-Miller

Amadora Paola

Gio Perez

Alexandra Perez

Jack William Reid

Diego Staben

Bernard Timmons II

David Van

Creative Team

Daniel Larlham
Director

Daniel Lopez
Stage Manager

Arnel Sancianco
Scenic Designer

Ray Oppenheimer
Lighting Designer

Dominique Fawn Hill
Costume Designer

David Coulter
Composer

Michael Kelly
Sound Designer

Jessica Berman
Voice Coach

Jeunée Simon
Intimacy Choreographer

Dave Maier
Fight Director

David Van
Tai Chi Choreographer

Bob Ernst
Tai Chi Instructor

Iu-Hui Chua
Movement Consultant

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Tickets

Buy tickets online at tickets.berkeley.edu up to two hours before each performance. Buy tickets in-person at Zellerbach Playhouse beginning one hour before each performance.

Estimated Run Time

2 hours (including a 10-minute intermission).

Showtimes

Thursday, October 16 at 8pm
Friday, October 17 at 8pm (with post-show conversation)
Saturday, October 18 at 2pm
Saturday, October 18 at 8pm
Sunday, October 19 at 2pm

Audience Advisories

This production includes loud sounds, replica firearms, and militarized law enforcement uniforms.

Accessibility

To request wheelchair accessible seating, assisted listening devices, large print programs, or other accommodations, please contact us at least 7–10 days in advance: tdpsboxoffice@berkeley.edu

Arrival & Doors

Please plan to arrive on campus 30–40 minutes prior to the performance to ensure that you are in your seat before showtime. The lobby opens 30 minutes prior to the performance, and the theater opens 20 minutes prior to the performance.

Additional information for guests is available here.