+ WHERE?! Why and How
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The not-so-distant island of Alameda? This local isle is just a hop, skip, and a jump for you - you intrepid traveler, you!

It's closer than you think. And there is So. Much. Parking.
Or you can make the journey feel more epic than it really is, by catching the ferry over.

On the isle:

• Enjoy a warm easy walk along the base and stunning views of the city
• Check out the numerous distilleries, wineries, and breweries before or after the show (see the Attractions section below!)
• Admire the coastal wetlands reclamation project and look for snowy plovers, least terns and other precious birds amongst the shore plants
• Hit nearby Webster Street and Park Streets in Alameda proper for yummy foods and small town surprises
• Enjoy a day at the beach before the show! So much beach! Try Crown Memorial State Beach.
• Drive slowly along the quiet streets and marvel at the massive old Victorians. So many stunning houses with intricate details!

+ FAQ & Guide for Attendees
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FAQ

Is The Keeper suitable for children?
Yes! If they can sit comfortably and focus for 80-90 minutes. This is not one of our walking adventure performances, and audience members will be seated rather than in motion throughout the performance. The audience size is limited for intimacy, so please keep this in mind while deciding whether to bring your young theatre goer with you.

How long is the performance?
Together we tend the light for approximately... 80-90 minutes with no intermission.
Restrooms are accessible before the journey begins and again at the end. There are no restrooms available during the performance.
Please wear comfortable, layered clothing.

How accessible is the event?
We are thrilled to share that this production is largely accessible and we can accommodate wheelchairs. The area is flat and there is no walking this time. Take a seat! If you have additional questions regarding accessibility, please email us at reservations@weplayers.org to help us accomodate any special needs.

BIPOC Pay What You Will Tickets
In our pursuit of inclusivity, we're committed to making our work accessible and affordable for those who have historically been neglected or intentionally excluded from the arts. Though we recognize the need of many demographics for discounted tickets, we ask that only BIPOC identifying people sign up in this space. We will contact folks with available ticket times. Please provide contact info here.

COVID-19 Safety
The performance is outdoors en plein aire! Masks are optional.

Transportation and Parking Suggestions
Driving: There is abundant parking at Alameda Point near the performance location behind "Building 16". Building 16 is the large abandoned building at the corner of Saratoga St. and West Essex Dr. (and between West Midway Ave. and Todd St.). Please navigate to Alameda Point - we recommend entering on West Midway Ave, make a right on Saratoga St. and follow signs with the We Players spiral to locate registration. You may park on Saratoga St. or in the small parking lot to the South side of Building 16, which will be marked with We Players signage.
While there is much less active vandalism at Point Alameda than in many of our San Francisco based performance locations, please DO NOT LEAVE VALUABLES IN YOUR VEHICLE.

Cycling or Walking: If you are coming to Alameda from Oakland, you'll need to pass through the Posey Tube tunnel. Bridges are available when crossing to the island from Fruitvale or points further south. Walking or Bicycling/Scooting/Rolling through the Posey Tube requires caution! Walking to the event site from the tunnel takes about 25 minutes, and riding takes 7-10. The tube is loud, so consider wearing hearing protection. The path is narrow and entirely a walkway (roadways are wrong-way), so riders must yield to pedestrians always: go slowly, and dismount to allow safe passing of all pedestrians and of riders traveling in the opposite direction.

Enter the tunnel on 7th & Harrison by Chinese Garden Park in Oakland. Emerge on Webster Street in Alameda. Turn right onto Willie Stargell, curving around the In-n-Out.

Here's a video of the tube ride from Chinese Garden Park at 2m19s and with In-n-Out visible at 8m48s.

Can I bring my dog?
NO dogs OTHER THAN service animals are allowed. Thank you so much for understanding.
Only service animals are allowed. Please alert our box office at reservations@weplayers.org prior to your performance date if you will be bringing a service animal.

Please no smoking on site.

What if my question is not answered here?
Please contact We Players at info@weplayers.org

Guide for Attendees

Arriving
Navigate to Alameda City Hall West, 950 W Mall Square, Alameda. Street Parking can be found along W Mall Square, W Midway Ave, Saratoga St, and W Essex Dr. Look for signage directing you to Building 16 on the corner of W Essex and Saratoga streets.

The closest restrooms are portable toilets mere yards from the performance area. Both signage and our House Manager will be able to direct you.

What You'll Need

• Warm layers, hat with brim.

• Close-toed shoes- while there's an unusual lack of walking on this journey, there is some debris and glass on site.

+ Alameda Attractions
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Food and Drink
Grab a drink and a bite before or after the show

Julie's Coffee and Tea Garden - (Ava's personal favorite!), featuring art and gifts and scrumptious healthful food and treats, and of course coffees, teas, and tonics.

The Marketplace - home to nine locally owned and independently operated businesses ( Alameda Natural Grocery, Baron’s Meat & Seafood, The Beanery Coffee Co., East End, Farmstead Cheeses & Wines, Feel Good Bakery, Greens & Grains, Sushi King, and Tahina) that focus on gourmet, all-natural, sustainable, handmade, artisan and organic foods. Located in a large brick building at the gateway to the historic Park Street shopping district in downtown Alameda, just across from Oakland, the Marketplace provides an open air, European market shopping experience.

The Pacific Pinball Museum - an interactive museum offering a chronological and historical display of rare bagatelles and early games, to over 90 pinball machines from the 1940’s to present day available to play! Throughout the museum are hand painted murals, vintage jukeboxes and rotating exhibits. There's also a room for fundraisers and STEAM education field-trips. The Pacific Pinball Museum is a must-see spot for art, history, and science enthusiasts alike, plus you get to play Pinball!
TUESDAY - THURSDAY: 11AM - 9PM
FRIDAY & SATURDAY: 11AM - 10PM
SUNDAY: 11AM - 9PM
(OPEN LATE! Go play a round after the show ;)

USS Hornet, aircraft carrier
Open F-M, 10am-5pm
Daily tours are just $10!

Faction Brewing
Hangar 1 Vodka
Rockwall Wine Company
Almanac Beer Company
Dashe Cellars
Building 43 Winery
C'Era Una Volta
Firebrand Artisan Breads

+ The Buzz
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"Ava’s crisp and athletic performance was a joy to behold, the crack was a character all its own, and the birds in the broken windows of the buildings around us provided a beautiful minimalist soundtrack." - Jeff Greenwald

East Bay Times, Catch ‘The Keeper’ starting May 27 on West End

"One-woman performance set at lighthouse explores comfort in custom and softness, ease in seclusion"

Alameda Post, This One’s a “Keeper” — We Players Coming to Alameda

The Mercury News, Review: Lighthouse keeper confronts loneliness, and more, in Alameda

Theatrius, The Keeper Uses Nursery Rhymes to Strengthen Our Resolve

SF Chronicle Datebook, We Players’ ‘The Keeper’

+ The Creative Team
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Created by Ava Roy and Britt Lauer
Conceived and Performed by Ava Roy

TuDu mobile performance wagon designed and built by Susan McComb and JD Durst

Properties and Technical Wizardry by JD Durst and Susan McComb
Production Lead Seth Little
House Manager Monica Herbert

Production Intern Alma Rucker
Production Crew Willow Baker

Short passages and excerpts respectfully included from:

Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Ahab’s Wife by Sean Jeter Naslund
Pablo Neruda
Friedrich Nietzsche
Sylvia Plath
William Shakespeare

We hope you’ll explore the writings of these brilliant authors.

+ Honor Roll
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Our Ladies of the Perpetual Light

The list of over one hundred women who kept American lighthouses between 1840 and 1920, PDF format.

+ The PLACE
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Alameda Point

In 1927, an airport site dubbed Airdrome and used by Pan American World Airways was built on Alameda’s West End. By 1936, however, the City of Alameda ceded the Airdrome site to the U.S. Government, and construction for a naval air station quickly followed.

On November 1, 1940, NAS Alameda opened and naval operations began. Comprised of a large airfield, docks for aircraft carriers such as the USS Hornet, and extensive manufacturing facilities, Alameda's NAS was fully operational and thus provided employment for thousands of local residents. NAS Alameda was one of the largest and most complete naval air stations in the world and played a key role in the Doolittle Raid on Japan following the attack on Pearl Harbor during WWII.

With the decrease in demands for its use following WWII and the Cold War, Alameda's naval air station's activity began to decline and it was officially closed on April 25, 1997.

In June 2013, the United States Navy transferred 1,379 acres of the former Naval Air Station to the City of Alameda. This was the most important event in the development of Alameda Point since the base closed in 1997. Now that the City owns significant portions of the land, the City is leasing a planning effort that will pave the way for new development at Alameda Point.

The City's plans call for a new mixed-use, transit oriented community, including 1,425 housing units, 5.5 million square feet of commercial space, and over 200 acres of parks and open space. It will maximize waterfront access and views, generate thousands of jobs, provide a mix of housing types for all incomes, preserve historic buildings, protect a sensitive habitat for local wildlife and create unparalleled shoreline park and open space opportunities.

https://www.alamedapoint.co/