Press Release - SCR's 2010-11 Season Taking Shape

New Season Includes Shakespeare, Shaw and Three Southland Premieres

COSTA MESA, Calif. (March 26, 2010)—Two audience favorites from decades past will bookend South Coast Repertory’s 2010-2011 season: George Bernard Shaw’s mischievous Misalliance, brought to life by SCR Artistic Director Martin Benson, and Richard Greenberg’s Pulitzer-nominated Three Days of Rain, directed by Producing Artistic Director David Emmes. The new season also includes William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the Southland premieres of three plays by talented female playwrights: Annie Baker’s 2009 New York hit Circle Mirror Transformation, Gina Gionfriddo’s wicked relationship comedy Becky Shaw, and Sarah Ruhl’s spirited historical comedy In the Next Room, or the vibrator play.

Benson has a long and lauded history with the works of Shaw; he has won the L.A. Drama Critics Circle’s directing prize three times for his Shaw productions. Stage and screen veteran Dakin Matthews, who worked with Benson on Shaw’s Major Barbara and more recently portrayed Polonious in Hamlet, will play the pivotal role of John Tarleton.

“Some people hear the name ‘Shaw’ and think ‘intellectual,’” said Benson. “But he is so funny and human. I defy anyone to read Misalliance and not think, Number One, that it’s funny, and Number Two, that the characters are very real in their wants and desires.”

Greenberg’s Three Days of Rain had its world premiere at SCR in 1997 and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. In 2006, Julia Roberts made her Broadway debut in a revival of the play, and James McAvoy received an Olivier Award nomination for his performance in last year’s London revival.

“It’s fair to say that Three Days of Rain is a work of art, a play for the ages,” Emmes said. “In the late 90s, Richard was already an established playwright—we had staged two of his plays, Night and Her Stars and The Extra Man—but when this commission arrived on our doorstep, we knew immediately it was something special. That it has gone on to so many productions is certainly no surprise because it’s one of those plays that will never be dated. It’s of the moment, always, and we all agreed—including Richard—that the moment had come for a major revival. I’m looking forward to directing it this time around.”

The 2010-2011 season will also include the 31st rendition of holiday favorite A Christmas Carol, starring Hal Landon, Jr., Nov. 27 through Dec. 26.

Also on tap is the 14th annual Pacific Playwrights Festival, one of the preeminent festivals of new plays in the United States. The festival, which features five staged readings and two full productions, will take place April 29 – May 1, 2011. Watch for news on which two plays will have their world premieres during next year’s festival.

And SCR’s Theatre for Young Audiences season features three lively and colorful productions for the entire family, including the return of the popular Sideways Stories from Wayside School.

Season tickets are currently available by subscription only, and may be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or in person at the SCR box office. Packages range from $42 to $495. Single tickets will be available to the public on August 8.

ABOUT SCR: Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, under the artistic direction of David Emmes and Martin Benson, is widely recognized as one of the leading professional theaters in the United States. Founded in 1964, SCR is committed to theater that illuminates the compelling personal and social issues of our time, not only on its stages but through its education and outreach programs. While its productions represent a balance of classic and modern theater, SCR is renowned for its extensive new play development program, including the Pacific Playwrights Festival. Of SCR’s more than 445 productions, 116 have been world premieres with subsequent stagings achieving enormous success across America and around the world. SCR-developed works have garnered eight Pulitzer Prize nominations with Margaret Edson’s Wit winning the prize in 1999 and David Lindsay-Abaire’s Rabbit Hole in 2007. Located in Costa Mesa, California, in 2002 SCR opened the Folino Theater Center, an expanded three-theater complex that includes the 507-seat Segerstrom Stage, the 336-seat Julianne Argyros Stage and the 94-seat Nicholas Studio.

The 2010-2011 Season:

• Misalliance by George Bernard Shaw
  (Sept. 10 – Oct. 10) Segerstrom Stage
  SCR and GBS—a relationship that has wowed theatre audiences with stellar productions and endless awards. Now the fun begins anew, and Shaw is at his mischievous best, turning his sharp wit to the relationship between parents and children. While the elders argue ideas and morals, the younger generation longs for action, adventure, love and independence. Especially Hypatia, who is tired of all the talk and ready for something to happen. Finally it does! Directed by Martin Benson.
  

• In the Next Room or the vibrator play by Sarah Ruhl (Sept. 26 – Oct. 17) Julianne Argyros Stage
  Broadway’s latest mega-hit is set in the Victorian era, just before its corseted women shed their inhibitions. A new electric invention has been introduced to the medical world. Dr. Givings, one of its early champions, marvels at the effect it has on patients suffering from “female hysteria,” while in the adjoining room, his own wife yearns for another kind of intimacy. This funny, tender and illuminating play has generated a buzz of excitement from East Coast to West. Directed by Casey Stangl.
  

• Becky Shaw by Gina Gionfriddo (Oct. 22 – Nov. 21) Segerstrom Stage
  Like the Victorian upstart Becky Sharp, this modern Becky is unsure, overdressed and socially ambitious. But watch out. She’s no shrinking violet, as the silkily cynical Max soon learns. From their first blind date, which includes an unscheduled visit to the police station, these 30-somethings, along with the newlyweds who set them up, surprise us—and themselves—in a comedy thriller The New York Times called “ferociously funny.” Directed by Pam MacKinnon.
  

• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, adapted by Jerry Patch (Nov. 27-Dec. 26) Segerstrom Stage
  Recapture the spirit of an old-fashioned Christmas with this timeless Dickens classic and all your favorite characters—Tiny Tim and the Cratchit family, the Fezziwigs, the Ghosts of Christmas past, present and yet-to-come—and, of course, Ebenezer Scrooge himself. Directed by John-David Keller.
  

• Circle Mirror Transformation by Annie Baker (Jan. 9 – 30, 2011) Julianne Argyros Stage
  Pretend to be a baseball glove. Write down your darkest secret, and lie on the floor while someone reads it out loud. Have an entire conversation using only the word “goulash.” Welcome to Marty Kreisberg’s acting class! In a small Vermont town, a divorced and depressed carpenter, a flirty former actress, a pouty 16-year-old, and Marty’s hippie husband are all a bit bored with life and looking for an outlet. But are they ready for what Marty’s exercises reveal about them and their classmates? The New York Times called this comedy triumph “absorbing and sharply funny” in a debut that was extended twice by popular demand. Directed by Sam Gold.
  

• A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare (Jan. 21 – Feb. 20, 2011) Segerstrom Stage
  Off go four young lovers into the woods! This revival of a fantastical comedy features the Bard’s most meddlesome—and memorable—character. Yes, Puck will create chaos in the night, but what fun to join in, knowing that by daybreak all will be well in this mystical, moon-drenched masterpiece. Directed by Mark Rucker.
  

• (To Be Announced)
  (March 13 – April 3, 2011) Julianne Argyros Stage
  

• (To Be Announced)
  (April 1 – May 1, 2011) Segerstrom Stage. A world premiere production will debut as part of the 2011 Pacific Playwrights Festival.
  

• (To Be Announced)
  (April 17 – May 8, 2011) Julianne Argyros Stage. A world premiere production will debut as part of the 2011 Pacific Playwrights Festival.
  

• Three Days of Rain by Richard Greenberg (May 13-June 12, 2011) Segerstrom Stage
  The cheering began on opening night of its world premiere at SCR. It never stopped. From New York to theatres across America, from London’s West End to a Broadway revival, audiences knew they were seeing something special. A newly discovered journal, filled with enigmatic entries, recalls Greenwich Village in the early 1960s when two young architects, unaware they’re on the brink of fame, struggle with plans for a major commission. But it’s left to their children, 30 years later, to sort out the mystery behind their lives—and loves. The journey comes full circle when SCR produces this major revival. Directed by David Emmes.
  

• Sideways Stories from Wayside School, adapted from Louis Sachar's Wayside School novels by John Olive (Nov. 5-21) Julianne Argyros Stage
  The biggest hit of TYA’s inaugural season is back—with sound kabooming and lights kaflashing! The classrooms of Wayside School are stacked one on top of the other thanks to a mistake by the builders—and the craziness only escalates as you climb all the way up to the 30th floor, where witchy Mrs. Gorf is casting spells on her bedraggled students, one by one. But when the kids turn the tables on Mrs. Gorf, their little world only gets stranger in this fast-paced, deliriously funny adaptation of Louis Sachar’s beloved series for young readers. (And remember: Miss Zarves doesn’t exist! There is no nineteenth floor!) Directed by Anne D’Zmura.
  

• Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie, adapted for the stage by Douglas Irvine (Feb. 11-27, 2011) Julianne Argyros Stage
  You’ll swear Peter Pan is flying! The beloved story of the boy who wouldn’t grow up, which has excited and enthralled children for generations, takes off like never before in this highly theatrical and sprightly new adaptation. Fans of Peter Pan (and isn’t that everyone?) will be whisked away into the night with Wendy and Michael to Neverland—and imaginations will soar with them. Of course, they’ll meet Captain Hook and all the rogues, and of course Peter will save them from the evil pirate and get them safely back to bed. Directed by Art Manke.
  

• Lucky Duck, book by Bill Russell and Jeffrey Hatcher, music by Henry Krieger, lyrics by Bill Russell (May 20-June 5, 2011) Julianne Argyros Stage
  The Ugly Duckling meets “American Idol,” with music by the composer of Dreamgirls! This rollicking riff on a favorite fairy tale begins in the barnyard, where things aren’t going so well for a waterfowl named Serena. She’s got great pipes but is lacking in the looks department, so off she goes to the big city, where she lands a wolf agent and gets a fabulous make-over. But as her journey toward superstardom progresses—with help from her animal friends (including a few that step in from other fairy tales)—Serena discovers that fame is only feather deep. Director TBA.