Impact Theatre brings Dungeons and Dragons to life - however, there will be fewer dragons and more incisive commentary about adulthood and the adults who play Dungeons and Dragons. It's also possible that the only basement present will be the one you're sitting in. (Impact's theater is under a pizza parlor.) 

Playwright Cameron McNary wrote the script for his tribe, “Not the Cheeto-stained, overweight, mom’s-basement-living stereotype, but the highly-functional, attractive, fun-to-be-around folks I game with.” Of Dice and Men premiered at a gaming convention in Seattle last year, where it had more than 500 people lined up for hours to get in. When Impact’s artistic director Melissa Hillman, herself an avid gamer, found out about the show, she pounced. “No other Bay Area theatre company has nearly the nerd quotient we have,” she says. 

Authentic, visceral, and intensely funny, Of Dice and Men explores what gaming means, why we do it, and the true nature of friendship. 

August 27-October 1. La Val’s Subterranean, 1834 Euclid Ave, Berkeley. Tickets are $10-20 at 510 224-5744 or impacttheatre.com.