We've come to expect high-quality art from Berkeley's Aurora Theatre Company, but this award was no foregone conclusion. Over the past year, the Aurora has produced truly exceptional, moving work that's gone well beyond those expectations: experimental adaptations that pushed the boundaries of what sets can do, as with Mark Jackson's adaptation of Kafka's Metamorphosis; outstanding productions of classics, like Edward Albee's A Delicate Balance; and urgently compelling new plays, such as the Bay Area premiere of Annie Baker's Body Awareness. There's something about that intimate, deep-thrust stage — a long peninsula of a playing space that "thrusts" the performance into the audience's laps. With expert directors like Tom Ross and Joy Carlin helming seasoned casts, Aurora productions consistently demonstrate the thrill of live performance.