In Front of Your Eyes 2026
A Festival of New Performance Presents

 Natacha Ruck’s
Death and Dad Jokes

The Marsh Berkeley Theater

August 20 at 7:00 pm & August 23 at 2:30 pm

Written & Performed by Natacha Ruck
Developed and Directed by David Ford
Opener: Ellen Torres Thompson

Ticket Information

Tickets: $15 – $35 General Seating | $50 & $100 Reserved Seating

60 minutes | No Intermission

(Please do not bring infants to the show)

Online ticket sales close 2 hours before each performance.
Additional tickets may be available for purchase at the door.

Show Description

At 7:59 AM on February 3rd, 2026 Natacha receives a phone call from France. The kind of call we all get one day, whether we want it or not. And most of us don’t wanna get that call. Will she be able to break the bad news to her goofy father, handle family politics, and face her own mortality?

Artist Biography

Natacha Ruck, Storyteller, Media Producer and Educator

Natacha is a multi-lingual storyteller, media producer and educator. She strives to use narrative to deepen our understanding of the world and foster a sense of community. Her documentary work has appeared at the MoMA, the Jewish Museum New York, and on NPR. She’s served as the Managing Editor of the Duolingo French podcast, and Senior Producer of the Stanford Storytelling Project. Natacha teaches at the University of San Francisco and explores how we define our identities on stage as the writer/performer of two solo shows: “You’re good for nothing… I’ll milk the cow myself” and “Confessions of a French Interpreter.”

Opener

Ellen Torres Thompson

Ellen Torres Thompson (she/they) graduated from Cal in 2021 shortly after their dad died during “dead week” (you can guess who she got her sense of humor from). As an undergrad, Ellen directed the Speech team and acted with BareStage Productions as well as The Golden, UC Berkeley’s feminist theater company.

Please read our
Health, Safety and COVID-19 Information
Our commitment to our patrons