RELEASE: June 2, 2008

'KING LEAR' CROWNS SOUTH COAST REPERTORY’S 45TH SEASON

The 2008-2009 Season Features Sarah Ruhl’s dead man’s cell phone and SCR-Commissioned World Premieres by Amy Freed, Lauren Gunderson, John Kolvenbach and John Strand & Dennis McCarthy

COSTA MESA, Calif. (June 2, 2008)—King Lear will crown South Coast Repertory’s 45th season under the direction of Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan. The 2008-2009 season kicks off with the World Premiere of An Italian Straw Hat, an SCR-commissioned musical by John Strand and Dennis McCarthy, and dead man’s cell phone, the acclaimed new play by Sarah Ruhl. The season also includes SCR-commissioned World Premieres by Amy Freed, Lauren Gunderson and John Kolvenbach, and two classics, The Heiress and Noises Off. Tickets to South Coast Repertory’s 2008-2009 Argyros, Segerstrom and Theatre for Young Audiences Seasons are currently available by subscription only and range from $42 to $495. Single tickets will be available to the public on August 11. Subscription packages may be purchased by phone at (714) 708-5555 or in person at the SCR box office. For additional information, visit www.scr.org.

The complete 2008-2009 season is as follows:

An Italian Straw Hat by John Strand and Dennis McCarthy (Sept. 5 – Oct. 5) Segerstrom Stage.
Emmy Award-winning composer Dennis McCarthy ("Star Trek") teams up with Charles MacArthur prize winner John Strand (Tom Walker, Lovers and Executioners) and director Stefan Novinski for the World Premiere of a rollicking new musical based on the classic farce by Eugene Labiche. Novinksi helmed the current season’s hit production of A Little Night Music. An Italian Straw Hat was presented as a staged reading at the 2007 Pacific Playwrights Festival, directed by Novinski.

dead man’s cell phone by Sarah Ruhl (Sept. 21 – Oct. 12) Julianne Argyros Stage.
After playing to sold-out houses in New York this season, SCR presents Sarah Ruhl’s fantastical play about a woman who answers a mysterious cell phone. Ruhl returns to SCR following the West Coast Premiere of The Clean House which also enjoyed a New York run and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Bart DeLorenzo (Shipwrecked! An Entertainment) directs.

The Heiress by Ruth Goetz and Augustus Goetz (Oct. 17 – Nov. 16) Segerstrom Stage.
SCR Artistic Director Martin Benson stages the classic play about a widower and his daughter in 1850’s New York. Loosely based on the Henry James novel Washington Square, The Heiress is a psychological drama of love, innocence and betrayal.

You, Nero by Amy Freed (Jan. 4 – 25) Julianne Argyros Stage.
The World Premiere of Pulitzer Prize nominee Amy Freed’s new comedy about the infamous Roman emperor who decides to commission a play that could be the Colosseum’s biggest hit ever – if its hapless author lives to tell the tale. Commissioned by SCR, You, Nero was directed by Sharon Ott as a staged reading at this season’s Pacific Playwrights Festival. Freed’s plays include the SCR commissions The Beard of Avon, Safe in Hell and Freedomland. Ott returns to direct.

Noises Off by Michael Frayn (Feb. 6 – March 8) Segerstrom Stage.
Michael Frayn’s irresistible comedic masterpiece follows the on and off stage antics of an inept acting troupe as they stumble from bumbling dress rehearsal to disastrous closing night. Noises Off is widely recognized as the most ingenious and hilarious back stage farce ever written. Warner Shook (The Importance of Being Earnest, Born Yesterday) directs.

Goldfish by John Kolvenbach (March 15 – April 5) Julianne Argyros Stage.
From Chicago to New York to London, John Kolvenbach is one of today's most sought-after playwrights. An SCR-commissioned World Premiere, Kolvenbach’s bittersweet comedy about love lost and found received a staged reading at this year’s Pacific Playwrights Festival under the direction of Loretta Greco. Greco, recently appointed as San Francisco’s Magic Theatre’s artistic director, returns to direct.

(To Be Announced) (April 3 – May 3) Segerstrom Stage.
A World Premiere production will debut as part of the 2009 Pacific Playwrights Festival.

Emilie – The Marquise du Châtelet Defends Her Life at the Petit Théâtre at Cirey Tonight by Lauren Gunderson (April 19 – May 10) Julianne Argyros Stage.
This highly theatrical rediscovery of one of history’s most interesting women – the 18th century Parisian Emilie du Châtelet – and her lifelong affair with the Enlightenment superstar Voltaire was presented as a staged reading at this season’s Pacific Playwright’s Festival. Kate Whoriskey (The Piano Teacher, Life is a Dream, The Clean House) directed the reading and will also stage the full production.

King Lear by William Shakespeare (May 15 – June 14) Segerstrom Stage.
Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan returns to SCR to direct Shakespeare’s soaring masterpiece. Hamlet, Sullivan’s previous production at SCR, was a major theatrical event in Southern California.

The 2008-2009 Season will also include the holiday favorites, A Christmas Carol and La Posada Mágica (The Magical Journey). A Christmas Carol will be presented on the Segerstrom Stage Nov. 29 through Dec. 27. La Posada Mágica, celebrating its 15th season, will be presented on the Julianne Argyros Stage Dec. 11 – 23.

SCR’s Theatre for Young Audiences season features three lively and colorful productions for the entire family. All performances take place on the Julianne Argyros Stage.

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing based on the book by Judy Blume, adapted for the stage by Bruce Mason (Nov. 7 – 23).
Judy Blume’s enormously popular book hits the stage with hilarity, and sibling rivalry has never been so much fun. Jessica Kubzansky directs.

A Year with Frog and Toad music by Robert Reale, book and lyrics by Willie Reale, based on the books by Arnold Lobel (Feb. 13 – March 1).
Nominated for three Tony Awards including Best Musical, A Year with Frog and Toad is a song-filled year in the life of two charming woodland characters and their friends that Variety declared “delights young eyes and minds.”  Nick DeGruccio directs.

The Brand New Kid based on the children's book "The Brand New Kid" by Katie Couric, music by Michael Friedman, book by Melanie Marnich, lyrics by Michael Friedman and Melanie Marnich (May 29 – June 14).
Adapted from CBS anchor Katie Couric's popular children's book, The Brand New Kid is an upbeat new musical about friendship and tolerance. Shelley Butler (James and the Giant Peach, Charlotte’s Web) directs.

The Pacific Playwrights Festival is one of the preeminent festivals of new plays in the United States. The 12th Annual Festival will take place May 1 – 3 and will feature seven new plays over three days.

SCR’s 2008-2009 NewSCRipts Season consists of Monday evening readings of plays by emerging and established writers. Past NewSCRipts play selections have included Three Days of Rain by Richard Greenberg, Sight Unseen by Donald Margulies and Wit by Margaret Edson. NewSCRipts readings will be presented on Oct. 20, Dec. 8 and March 2.

All selections are subject to change.

SEASON SUBSCRIPTIONS can be purchased by phone at (714) 708-5555 or by visiting the box office at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa. Subscriptions to SCR’s complete season of nine plays range from $279 to $495. Segerstrom Season subscriptions (5 plays) range from $155 to $275 and Julianne Argyros Season subscriptions (4 plays) $124 to $220. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 25 years of age and under, educators, seniors and new patrons under 35 years of age. Theatre for Young Audience subscriptions consist of three plays and range from $42 to $78. NewSCRipts subscriptions to four Monday night readings and a special subscriber choice reading at the Pacific Playwrights Festival are $40.

SINGLE TICKETS go on sale August 11.

LOCATION:  South Coast Repertory is located at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, at the Bristol Street/Avenue of the Arts exit off the San Diego (405) Freeway in the Folino Theatre Center, part of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Parking is available off Anton Blvd. on Park Center Drive.

PHOTO EDITORS:  Digital images of South Coast Repertory productions are available at www.southcoastrepertory.com/photos.html.

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 425 productions, 108 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.

SOUTH COAST REPERTORY 2008-2009 SEASON

Segerstrom Stage

AN ITALIAN STRAW HAT
WORLD PREMIERE
Book and lyrics by John Strand
Music by Dennis McCarthy
Directed by Stefan Novinski

September 5 – October 5, 2008

An Italian Straw Hat is a rollicking new musical that follows a hapless young bridegroom as he scrambles through the landscape of turn-of-the-century New York, trying to correct a horrendous misunderstanding that may ruin his wedding. It seems his horse has eaten a young lady’s hat and his wedding will be derailed if he can't find a replacement. With flavors of vaudeville, light opera, and even barbershop quartet, Emmy Award winner Dennis McCarthy’s music lends period pizzazz to John Strand’s uproarious adaptation of the classic farce by Eugene Labiche. SCR has presented Strand’s plays Tom Walker (West Coast Premiere) and Lovers and Executioners, and McCarthy has composed music SCR’s World Premiere of The Only Child and for productions of Dumb Show, Getting Frankie Married—and Afterwards, The Beard of Avon, Much Ado about Nothing and Of Mice and Men.

THE HEIRESS
By Ruth Goetz and Augustus Goetz
Directed by Martin Benson

October 17 – November 16, 2008

SCR Artistic Director Martin Benson stages this psychological drama of love, innocence and betrayal. Loosely based on the classic Henry James novel Washington Square about a widower and his spinster daughter in 1850’s New York, The Heiress has achieved international success both on stage and screen, winning multiple Tony and Academy Awards.

NOISES OFF
By Michael Frayn
Directed by Warner Shook

February 6 – March 8, 2009

Noises Off is an irresistible comedic masterpiece that follows the on and off stage antics of an inept acting troupe as they stumble from bumbling dress rehearsal to disastrous closing night. Everything that can go wrong does, as actors desperately try to hang on to their lines, their performances and the furniture. Add a slippery plate of sardines and a great many slamming doors, and you have the most ingenious and hilarious back stage farce ever written.

(To Be Announced)

April 3 – May 3, 2009

The Segerstrom Stage season will feature a World Premiere production slated to debut during the 2009 Pacific Playwrights Festival (May 1 – 3).

KING LEAR
By William Shakespeare
Directed by Daniel Sullivan

May 15 – June 14, 2009

Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan is one of New York's most prolific directors, whose acclaimed productions include three Pulitzer Prize-winners and Shakespearian plays ranging from A Midsummer Night's Dream in Central Park to Julius Caesar on Broadway and an imaginative interpretation of Hamlet for South Coast Repertory. Sullivan returns to SCR to direct the play that renowned critic A.C. Bradley called "Shakespeare's greatest achievement."  At once an intimate story of family and mortality and a tragedy of grand scope, King Lear has gripped audiences for centuries.

Julianne Argyros Stage

DEAD MAN'S CELL PHONE
By Sarah Ruhl
Directed by Bart DeLorenzo

September 21 – October 12, 2008

In Sarah Ruhl’s fantastical new play, a woman who answers a dead man’s cell phone finds her life turned upside down. The New York Times raved about Ruhl’s “beguiling new comedy” which played to sold-out houses in New York this season. Ruhl returns to SCR following the West Coast Premiere of The Clean House which also enjoyed a New York run and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.

YOU, NERO
WORLD PREMIERE
By Amy Freed
Directed by Sharon Ott

January 4 – 25, 2009

The World Premiere of Amy Freed’s new comedy about the infamous roman emperor Nero who decides to commission a play, The Story of Me (or I, Nero), that could be the Colosseum’s biggest hit ever – if its hapless author lives to tell the tale. Commissioned by SCR, You, Nero was presented as a staged reading at this season’s Pacific Playwrights Festival. Freed’s plays include the SCR commissions The Beard of Avon, Safe in Hell and Freedomland (a Pulitzer Prize finalist).

GOLDFISH
WORLD PREMIERE
By John Kolvenbach
Directed by Loretta Greco

March 15 – April 5, 2009

From Chicago to New York to London, where the Evening Standard praised his "robust humor and bursts of poetic lyricism," John Kolvenbach is one of today's most sought-after playwrights. He more than lives up to the raves in this SCR-commissioned World Premiere, a bittersweet comedy about love lost and found. Goldfish received a staged reading at this season’s Pacific Playwrights Festival.

EMILIE – The Marquise du Châtelet Defends Her Life at the Petit Théâtre at Cirey Tonight
WORLD PREMIERE
By Lauren Gunderson
Directed by Kate Whoriskey

April 19 – May 10, 2009

Passionate. Independent. A great beauty. A prodigious scientific intellect. These are the qualities that inspired this story of 18th century Parisian noblewoman Emilie du Châtelet—and her lifelong affair with the Enlightenment superstar Voltaire. In this highly theatrical rediscovery of one of history’s great women, Emilie must defend her life by tallying her achievements in love and philosophy—and search for a formula that will convince the world of her worth. Commissioned by SCR, Emilie received a staged reading at this season’s Pacific Playwrights Festival.

Annual Holiday Productions

A CHRISTMAS CAROL
(Segerstrom Stage)
By Charles Dickens
Adapted by Jerry Patch
Directed by John-David Keller

November 29 – December 27, 2008

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Orange County’s beloved holiday family tradition, returns to South Coast Repertory for its 29th incarnation. Hal Landon Jr., who stars as Ebenezer Scrooge, has entertained audiences for over a quarter of a century with his memorable portrayal of the world’s most celebrated miser.

LA POSADA MÁGICA (The Magical Journey)
(Julianne Argyros Stage)
By Octavio Solis
Music by Marcos Loya
Directed by Octavio Solis

December 11 – 23, 2008

Blending the traditions of Mexican street theater and Latin Jazz, La Posada Mágica (The Magical Journey) returns to South Coast Repertory for its 15th consecutive holiday season. This contemporary counterpart to A Christmas Carol, performed in English, is based on the traditional Latin American Christmas observance in which community members make a procession through their neighborhood to commemorate Mary and Joseph’s search for lodging.

Theatre for Young Audiences

TALES OF A FOURTH GRADE NOTHING
Based on the book by Judy Blume
Adapted for the stage by Bruce Mason
Directed by Jessica Kubzansky

November 7 –23, 2008

Judy Blume’s enormously popular book hits the stage with hilarity, and sibling rivalry has never been so much fun. Peter, because he's the oldest, must deal with his impossible little brother’s repulsive cuteness, his continuous meddling with Peter's possessions, and other grave offenses. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing is a humorous look at family life and the troubles that can only be caused by a younger sibling.

A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD
Music by Robert Reale
Book and lyrics by Willie Reale
Based on the books by Arnold Lobel
Directed by Nick DeGruccio

February 13 – March 1, 2009

Nominated for three Tony Awards including Best Musical, A Year with Frog and Toad is a song-filled year in the life of two charming woodland characters and their friends that Variety declared “delights young eyes and minds.”  Caldecott and Newbery Award winner Arnold Lobel’s timeless tale follows the gentle adventures of two amiable amphibians – from planting a garden to flying kites, swimming in a pond or just settling down together with a warm bowl of soup.

THE BRAND NEW KID
A musical based on the children’s book “The Brand New Kid” by Katie Couric
Music by Michael Friedman
Book by Melanie Marnich
Lyrics by Michael Friedman and Melanie Marnich
Directed by Shelley Butler

May 29 – June 14, 2009

Adapted from CBS anchor Katie Couric's popular children's book, The Brand New Kid is an upbeat new musical about friendship and tolerance. Lazlo S. Gasky is the new kid in school and his first day of second grade is a nightmare. Teased by the other children, Lazlo is befriended by Ellie McSnelly who understands how tough he has it. When the other kids turn against them, Lazlo and Ellie forge ahead and teach their schoolmates a valuable lesson:  be yourself—it’s the best way to be!

Pacific Playwrights Festival

May 1 – 3, 2009

Since its creation in 1998, the Pacific Playwrights Festival has grown into one of the most important festivals of new scripts in the United States. The 2009 Festival will take place from May 1 through May 3 and feature four staged readings, a workshop production and two fully-staged World Premieres on South Coast Repertory’s two major stages. SCR’s eleven previous Festivals have introduced 81 new plays to the national stage including Amy Freed’s The Beard of Avon, Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel, Nilo Cruz’ Anna in the Tropics, Rolin Jones’ The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow and David Lindsay-Abaire’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Rabbit Hole.

NewSCRipts

October 20, 2008; December 8, 2008; March 2, 2009

The NewSCRipts season features three Monday evening readings of plays by emerging and established writers on the cutting edge of American theater. After each reading, audience members engage in lively exchanges with the playwright and become active participants in the play’s development. As a bonus, NewSCRipts subscribers join members of the theater community from across the country for a fifth “Subscriber’s Choice” reading at the Pacific Playwrights Festival. Past NewSCRipts plays include Three Days of Rain by Richard Greenberg, Sight Unseen by Donald Margulies and Wit by Margaret Edson.

OPENING NIGHTS/PRESS NIGHTS