Philanthropy - October, 2009

Aitkens Return as Honorary Producers for Saturn Returns

Bette and Wylie Aitken, who are among South Coast Repertory’s most devoted and generous supporters, are serving as individual underwriters of their fourth SCR production with support for Noah Haidle’s Saturn Returns.

Wylie is currently serving his second year as President of the Board of Trustees, and Bette was chair of the highly successful 2009 Gala Ball, "Nothing But Blue Skies." That was Bette’s second time as leader of an SCR Gala, which is the theatre’s major fundraising event. In 2006, she chaired "All Aboard the Orient Express."

The Aitkens are major contributors to SCR’s Next Stage and Legacy Campaigns, and their leadership gift helped kick off the successful matching campaign, Act Now for SCR Challenge. In addition, they are First Nights subscribers, Gala underwriters and have been Platinum Circle members since 1998.

The Aitkens were Honorary Producers for the world premiere of Emilie, as well as Honorary Producers for the 2009 Pacific Playwrights Festival, and before that for Nostalgia and My Wandering Boy (as members of The Playwrights Circle). Among the benefits of being Honorary Producers are invitations to attend rehearsals and being feted at an opening night dinner, often with the director and playwright. Bette said that these benefits have opened up a new and special world for her and Wylie. “The personal relationships with the director, the playwright and the actors are inspiring and lead to lasting friendships,” she said. “In a small way you become part of the creative fiber of the American theatre."

Wylie described their passion for theatre this way: "If you love theatre as so many of us do, then what better joy than to hang out with the talent assembled by the finest theatre in America?"

Wylie and Bette Aitken

Kelleys Continue the Spirit of Giving with A Christmas Carol

Kim and Nancy Kelley

SCR Trustee Nancy Kelley and her husband Hayward “Kim” Kelley III (who was an SCR Trustee for nine years) are the Honorary Producers of SCR’s 30th anniversary production of A Christmas Carol. This will be their inaugural stint as Honorary Producers, and they jumped at the opportunity to be underwriters for this production, in particular.

“It’s the 30th anniversary for Hal Landon Jr., who has played Scrooge every year, which is amazing. We’re excited to be a part of that,” said Nancy Kelley. “We’re also excited about partnering with U.S. Bank, which is the Honorary Corporate Producer.”

The Kelleys are generous contributors to SCR, having supported the Gala Ball, as well as the Legacy and Next Stage Campaigns. Last year, as members of the Playwrights Circle, they helped to underwrite the world premiere of Richard Greenberg’s Our Mother’s Brief Affair. They subscribe to First Nights on both stages and have been actively involved with the theatre since the early 1990s.

Said Nancy: “We love everything SCR does, but we really love the classics. I was an English major at college and its all about the classics for me. We can take our children and grandchildren to A Christmas Carol. It’s a whole family thing for us.”

Bill and Christy Cave with actor Damon Kirshe at A Little Night Music.

Four for U.S. Bank

As Corporate Honorary Producer of A Christmas Carol, U.S. Bank adds a long-running holiday show to its history of underwriting for SCR, which includes the Theatre for Young Audiences production of The Stinky Cheese Man, Beth Henley’s gothic comedy Ridiculous Fraud and the Stephen Sondheim classic A Little Night Music.

“U.S. Bank is thrilled to be an Honorary Producer of the 30th annual production of A Christmas Carol,” said William R. Cave, Market President.  “SCR plays a big role in bringing the highest caliber theatre to Orange County, and we are proud and pleased to offer our support.”

U.S. Bank is the sixth largest commercial bank in the United States, with 559 California branches, over 300 of them in Southern California. It was recently named by Euromoney Magazine as the "Best Bank in the United States," by Barron's as "One of the most respected companies" and listed in Fortune Magazine as "One of the World's most reputable companies." U.S. Bank connects with its communities through affordable housing, economic opportunity, education, arts and culture and community service.

SCR Gala Kicks Off 46th Season with a Smash Hit

South Coast Repertory’s 2009 Gala Ball, "Nothing But Blue Skies," chaired by Bette Aitken on September 12 at the Balboa Bay Club & Resort, was a huge success! This year’s event sold out and surpassed its fundraising goal, netting more than $560,000 for the theatre's annual fund.

The "Nothing But Blue Skies" theme was chosen to “reflect the mood of those wonderful films of Hollywood’s Golden Age when spirits were lifted by the prospect of good times ahead,” Bette said.

The 340 attendees were wowed by a surprise guest: Douglas Sills, the Broadway star of The Scarlet Pimpernel, who appeared in three SCR productions in the mid-1990s. Sills entertained with four songs, including one from Cyrano de Bergerac - The Musical, which was written especially for him. Between songs, he extolled SCR’s qualities, especially its commitment to fostering new plays.

The Gala guests danced the night away to the swinging sounds of the Bruce Garnitz Band, confident that the 2009-2010 season—which began that week—would have a solid foundation for a fantastic year.

David Emmes, Wylie and Bette Aitken and Martin Benson.

See more photos here.
Learn more about SCR's Gala Ball.

Donor Profile: Judy and Greg Zaret

Members of SCR’s Silver Circle, the Zarets got married in 1964, the same year David Emmes and Martin Benson co-founded South Coast Repertory. So the joke around the Zaret’s Mission Viejo home is they got “started” the same year that SCR did.

The Zarets didn’t see any of the early productions—they were living in West Los Angeles back then—but they became devoted subscribers in the early 1980s. Theater has been important to both of their lives; Judy performed in school and community theater. Her first date with Greg was at a cast party for Dark of the Moon. Judy said her two grown sons, daughters-in-law and grandson are continuing the theater-going experience, too.

Greg and Judy Zaret.

Friends introduced the couple to SCR, and they began by subscribing to the Mainstage (now Segerstrom Stage) season. They added a Julianne Argyros Stage subscription after seeing Richard Greenberg’s play about the Collyer brothers, The Dazzle.  “We looked at each other afterward and said, ‘We have to see some of these productions,'” Judy said. “I guess (the shows we had been seeing) were kind of at a comfort level, and then we realized that this new theatre was really exciting to see. That’s when we started going to Second Stage (now the Argyros Stage).”

Now they attend NewSCRipts, the Pacific Playwrights Festival and Circle events. It’s all part of what Judy calls “a more complete theater experience,” and she and Greg find it deeply rewarding.

Zaret Thumbnail:

Judy: Raised in Westchester, California. Former teacher and retired travel agency owner.

Greg: Raised in Culver City, California. Retired banker with Security Pacific, for 30 years.

Children: Two sons

Favorite SCR productions: Collected Stories (both productions) and All My Sons

Not so much: “I don’t particularly like it when they take a classic and tweak it to a different time period.”

Judy on why she likes NewSCRipts:  “The first time we went, we were blown out of the theatre. This is a whole other level of theatre experience. It’s like when you read a novel and you create the characters in your head. When you go to a reading, they have no props and you have phenomenal actors who totally make you see it. I think that’s an awesome experience for an audience to participate in. I would encourage everyone to go to NewSCripts.”

Why they donate to SCR: “It’s because I think we have a treasure here in Orange County in SCR. I think we are so blessed to have something so close that offers so much of the theatre experience. We love the seminars and the discussion groups and the behind-the-scenes opportunities with the Circle membership. We get to feel we really know the directors and the cast and the dramaturgs."

"My feeling is that we have to save this treasure and do whatever we can do to make sure it will be there for as long as we want to go, and hopefully for our children and grandchildren. I think we need to save the theatre for not just our generation but for those to come.”

On the excitement of seeing a new play: “Its like going to Disneyland for the very first time.”