In order to give titles a higher profile, the NNPN provides funding for multiple productions that are designated as the "world premiere." The play will also be produced by Curious Theatre Company (Denver) and Kitchen Dog Theater Company (Dallas) following Aurora's lead production.

Minneapolis-based playwright Moore's comedy is about Hannah, who "tries desperately to hold the façade of her perfect life together, even as her husband, David, mysteriously calls in sick to work day after day, they struggle with infertility, and Hannah herself is on the verge of being laid off," according to Aurora notes. "When Hannah's sister appears on their doorstep, she brings with her a feisty, renegade attitude and an illicit package that sends David and Hannah on a 12-hour odyssey into some quirky corners of Minneapolis, and into the heart of their deepest fears."

The "comedy about surviving and transcending" is inspired by the 2007 collapse of the Mississippi River Bridge in Minneapolis.

The cast includes Aldo Billingslea, Gabriel Marin, Carrie Paff and Amy Resnick.

Collapse is the fully staged anchor production in this season's Global Age Project, an Aurora Theatre Company initiative "that encourages playwrights and directors to explore life in the 21st century and beyond." Opening night is Feb. 3.

The intimate Aurora Theatre is in the downtown Berkeley arts district. Visit auroratheatre.org.