Philanthropy - March, 2010

Suttons Are Steadfast Supporters

When it comes to SCR supporters, Tom and Marilyn Sutton (Honorary Producers of In a Garden) are among the most steadfast, having worked hand in hand with the theatre in every field of endeavor.

Tom was president of the SCR Board of Trustees during the 1992-93 season, energizing the theatre through a difficult financial climate, was re-elected to serve a second term and proved to be an inspiring leader for the landmark 30th season. During that time—and since—he and Marilyn have been major contributors to all of SCR’s fundraising campaigns.

They also have been subscribers to both stages and members of every Circle of donors (Silver, Gold, Platinum and Producers). In 2008, Tom and Marilyn added production underwriting to their list of generous support, as Honorary Producers of Taking Steps. The Suttons were saluted for all that—and for their second stint as Honorary Producers—on First Night of In a Garden on March 12.

Actor Mark Harelik, right, with Honorary Producers Tom and Marilyn Sutton at the opening of In a Garden.

Staude Supports Cerberus

Laurie Smits Staude and playwright John Kolvenbach at the opening of Goldfish.

Throughout her years as a theatre-goer, Laurie Smits Staude, Honorary Producer of Doctor Cerberus, has been enthusiastic about new work developed and produced at SCR. Besides being a subscriber to both stages, she also subscribes to the NewSCRipts series of play readings and attends the Pacific Playwrights Festival (PPF), where new plays are introduced to audiences through staged readings.

In 2004, she joined the Playwrights Circle, comprised of avid playgoers who get together to help underwrite a world premiere on the Segerstrom Stage. During her three-year membership, the Playwrights Circle was Honorary Producer of A Naked Girl on the Appian Way, The Studio and My Wandering Boy.

More recently, Laurie became an individual Honorary Producer but still chose new plays to underwrite: Shipwrecked! An Entertainment in 2007 and Goldfish last season. She will be acknowledged for her support on First Night of Doctor Cerberus, April 16.

Laurie Foundation Donates $50,000

In the last 16 years, The Blanche & Irving Laurie Foundation has donated more than $52 million to nonprofit organizations across the country, supporting programs in the arts, education health care and social services.

This year their generosity extends to South Coast Repertory and Doctor Cerberus. In December, the Foundation named Doctor Cerberus the winner of its annual Theatre Visions Program grant.

Half of the $50,000 grant, which goes to just one production a year, helps pay for the production itself; $10,000 goes to the playwright (Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa) and the rest goes to fund two new commissions of SCR’s choosing.

This is the second time the Laurie Foundation has given SCR this grant – the first time was in 1999, for On the Jump.

The Blanche & Irving Laurie Foundation was established in 1983 by philanthropist Irving Laurie, who founded the Laurie Rubber Reclaiming Company in East Millstone, N.J. Its 2009-2010 donations have also helped fund the Kennedy Center’s revival of A Streetcar Named Desire, the Signature Theatre Company’s presentation of Horton Foote’s The Orphans’ Home Cycle and the Vineyard Theatre’s The Scottsboro Boys.

Gathering Together for SCR

Much of SCR’s underwriting comes from individuals who band together to support the new work that is a major part of the theatre’s mission. The 2009-10 season is no exception, with two groups of underwriters showing their strong support for emerging and established playwrights: the Honorary Producers of the Pacific Playwrights Festival and the Honorary Producers of The Language Archive.

Banner from the 2008-09 Festival.

Producing PPF

For the third season, teams of individual underwriters will help produce the Pacific Playwrights Festival (PPF), SCR’s nationally renowned forum for new play development. The teams are in fact dedicated couples who have chosen to put their support behind PPF. Three-year PPF supporters Linda and Tod White, two-year supporters Sophie and Larry Cripe, Yvonne and Damien Jordan and Sue and John Murphy are all back as underwriters of the spring event. This season they are joined by Thomas B. Rogers and Sarah J. Anderson.

Besides their PPF support, this group has some powerful credentials. The Whites were Honorary Producers of Dumb Show in 2005 and Ridiculous Fraud in 2006. Tod is Vice President, Development, of the SCR Board of Trustees. The Cripes were members of the 2007-08 Playwrights Circle, helping underwrite What They Have. Sophie is an SCR Trustee and will chair the 2010 Gala Ball. The Jordans were members of last year’s Playwrights Circle, helping produce Our Mother’s Brief Affair, and Damien is a Vice President/Finance, of the SCR Board. As members of the 2006-07 and 2007-08 Playwrights Circle, the Murphys helped underwrite My Wandering Boy and What They Have, and John is an SCR Trustee. Rogers and Anderson were four-year members of the Playwrights Circle, and Tom is Vice President, Advancement, of the SCR Board.

These five couples will enjoy numerous benefits, including attending a PPF rehearsal and dining with the playwrights during PPF week.

Brenda Wehle and Tony Amendola in rehearsal for the 2009 PPF reading of The Language Archive.

Playwrights Circle

A longtime staple in the Honorary Producers’ field, the Playwrights Circle has a membership that changes over the seasons and this year includes seven members, including "Anonymous," and two first-time couples, Bill and Carolyn Klein and John and Carolina Prichard (John is a new SCR Trustee), who will underwrite the world premiere of The Language Archive.

They are: Steve and Toni Berlinger (six-time members of the Circle; Toni is an SCR Trustee; the Berlingers were Patron Party hosts for this season’s "Nothing But Blue Skies" Gala); Linda and Robert A. Hovee (three-time Circle members; Linda is Vice President, Community Relations of the SCR Board); and Barbara and Bill Roberts (two-time members; eight-time Honorary Producers of classic plays and musicals; Barbara is an Emeritus Trustee and a former Gala Chair).

Linda and Tod White are first-time Circle members but have many other producing credentials, including this season’s PPF (see above). All six couples will have the opportunity to meet the playwright, director and cast at a design presentation on the first day of rehearsal and enjoy dinner together on First Night of The Language Archive.

Sophie Cripe.

Sophie Cripe to Chair SCR Gala Ball

"I guess I watched too many Andy Hardy movies in my youth, as all of my life I’ve been waiting for someone to say to me, ‘Let’s put on a show!"

Those are the words of the incredible SCR Trustee Sophie Cripe, spoken just after she was invited by South Coast Repertory to chair the theatre’s 2010 Gala Ball. And, with her leadership, the Gala Committee will put on a show unlike any other, a celebration of SCR’s contribution to theatre on the world’s stage, aptly titled “The Play’s the Thing.”

“The Play’s the Thing” will be held on September 11, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa. As Sophie begins putting together a committee, volunteers are rushing to her side, attracted by her enthusiasm.

“You can almost see the glow of excitement that surrounds her,” said SCR Managing Director Paula Tomei. “She’s going to make an awesome chair!”

She certainly has the experience, going back to her own eighth birthday party, an event that garnered a full-page spread in the local paper. Since that auspicious beginning, Sophie has chaired conferences, fund-raisers, galas, weddings, breakfasts, luncheons, receptions and teas. Now, with the help of her committee, she is going to put on a “show."

According to Sophie, the excitement comes from working together. “I love the creative collaboration and facilitation of other people’s great ideas—especially when they are enormously talented, as the members of SCR’s Gala committee always are. And I’m looking forward to working with the great SCR staff and all its creative resources.”

She knows whereof she speaks, because Sophie and her husband, Larry, have worked closely with SCR as major supporters since 1995. Some of their contributions are listed in this issue’s Dialogue story, “Producing PPF,” which highlights the Honorary Producers of the upcoming Pacific Playwrights Festival. But that’s not all. Sophie was one of five board members whose leadership gifts launched last year’s successful challenge campaign, Act Now for SCR. She and Larry are First Nights subscribers to the Segerstrom and Argyros Stages as well as the NewSCRipts series of play readings, and they frequently participate in SCR activities.

But for now, Sophie has her sights set on the first meeting of the Gala Committee, which will take place at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach on March 24. “I think the theme ‘The Play’s the Thing’ is wonderful on so many levels,” Sophie said, “because it’s all about the transformative effect of theatre on our lives.” Which happens in part thanks to leaders like Sophie Cripe.