Editor's Picks: Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West by / Sam Hurwitt

The intrusion of Americans with cameras into 1880s Japan, and the issues of xenophobia and exoticism raised by the clash of cultures and new technology are touched on in Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West, a world-premiere Berkeley Repertory Theatre commission from playwright Naomi Iizuka, a frequent Campo Santo collaborator whose 36 Views, exploring black market trafficking and forgery of Asian art, debuted at Berkeley Rep in September 2001. Les Waters directs. Visit berkeleyrep.org.