Adam and Eve managed to get their kids banished from the Garden of Eden, and parenting in religion has been going downhill ever since. How To Write a New Book for the Bible is award-winning playwright Bill Cain’s flashlight into the grand religious and theatrical traditions of familial blame. 

Operating from his own family experience, with parents who left more blessings than hurdles for the next generation, Cain observes the ritual of death via his own eloquent balance of contemplation and gut-punches of emotion. In his world premiere at Berkeley Rep, a man moves in with his mother when she becomes too frail to care for herself, allowing old wounds to heal and a new relationship to emerge.  Directed by the esteemed Kent Nicholson, How To Write a New Book for the Bible aims to lighten the process of grieving. 

Through November 20. 2025 Addison Street, Berkeley. Tickets are $15-73 at berkeleyrep.org.