RELEASE: March 5, 2008

JEAN WEISS CHAIRS SCR’S 45TH SEASON GALA

COSTA MESA, Calif. (March 5, 2008)—Jean Weiss will chair South Coast Repertory’s 30th Annual Gala to be held on September 6 at the St. Regis Resort Monarch Bay. The fundraising event, which celebrates SCR’s 45th Season, will take its theme from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The annual fundraiser traditionally opens the social and theatrical seasons in Orange County and provides the first, and one of the largest, donations to SCR’s Annual Fund, in support of educational programs.

At the first meeting of the 2008 Gala Committee on February 27, Weiss welcomed everyone and quickly admitted, “I’m dying to talk about our theme!”

She and Gala Designer Tom Buderwitz did just that as committee members enjoyed luncheon on the Julianne Argyros Stage. “With this Gala, we’re celebrating an important milestone,” Weiss said, “Forty-five years ago, David Emmes and Martin Benson had a dream to bring great theatre to our community. It’s going to be so exciting to evoke SCR’s beginnings—and its future—through our ‘Midsummer Night’ theme.”

Weiss and Buderwitz unveiled images that the 45-member committee will work with as they create a magical setting for the event.

Committee members are:  Bette Aitken (Hospitality co-chair), Zee Allred, Susan Anderson, Randy Morrison Baird, Toni Berlinger, Dede Brink, Tina Bunkis, Dori Caillouette, Donna Cohn, Ann Conway, Patti Deuster, Gail Doe (Cuisine co-chair), Susan Ehrlich, Valerie Fearns (Entertainment co-chair), Kathryn Glassmyer, Nadine Hall, Marlene Hamontree (graphics co-chair), Dee Higby, Linda Hovee (Underwriting co-chair), Betty Huang (Cuisine co-chair), Janet Ichinose, Michelle Jaeger, Olivia Johnson (Graphics co-chair), Yvonne Jordan, Joan Kaloustian, Nancy Kelley (Decor co-chair), Teri Kennady (Graphics co-chair), Linda Maggard, Pam Muzzy (Underwriting co-chair), Pat Neisser, Stacey Nicholas, Beth Phelps, Donna Phelps, Nola Schneer, Elizabeth Segerstrom, Danuta Schenke (Decor co-chair), Jan Seitz Jashinski, Connie Spenuzza (Entertainment co-chair), Laurie Smits Staude (Hospitality co-chair), Sue Stern, Kathy Taylor, Jane Taylor Socorro Vasquez and Elaine Weinberg.

Jean Weiss and her husband Timothy have been Honorary Producers of nine consecutive shows on SCR’s stages, beginning the year that Tim joined the Board of Trustees and the couple helped underwrite the world premiere of The Education of Randy Newman. Since then their support has been both strong and eclectic ranging from Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing to modern classics like Tom Stoppard’s The Real Thing and world premieres including Horton Foote’s Getting Frankie Married—and Afterwards. This season they underwrote the Segerstrom Stage production of Doubt, a parable directed by SCR Artistic Director Martin Benson

Weiss support has not stopped at production underwriting. They were major donors to SCR’s “The Next Stage” fundraising campaign and members of the Playwrights Circle. Tim and Jean are subscribers to both stages and Gala table underwriters. A former Board President (2002-03 and 2003-04), Tim is serving his ninth season as an SCR Trustee.

For more information on SCR’s 2008 Gala Ball, call Special Events Manager Cortney Carlisle at (714) 708-5504.

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 400 productions, 105 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.