Jesse Berger: Jacobean ladder; The director is taking 17th-century drama to the next level.(PEOPLE)

To all theatregoers about to succumb to the urge to nap during a performance: Jesse Berger has got your number. While cataloging what he sees as threats to the vitality of his art form, this otherwise affable 36-year-old indicts the most seemingly mundane of culprits: plush auditorium seating. "Too comfortable," he laments. A lot of directors hell-bent on introducing audiences to unfamiliar playwrights might cite obstacles like resources, fundraising and marketing--but furniture?

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Berger isn't really out to replace those newly renovated ...

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