Press Release: 20​20-2​1 Season Announcement

Announcing South Coast Repertory’s 2020-21 Season

COSTA MESA, Calif. (March 16, 2020)—Artistic Director David Ivers and Managing Director Paula Tomei today announced South Coast Repertory’s 2020-21 season. The lineup features four world premieres including the Prelude to a Kiss, the Musical (music by Dan Messé, lyrics by Sean Hartley and Messé, book by Craig Lucas) to be directed by Ivers, Threshold by actor, writer and producer Amy Brenneman (who stars in the show) and Vladimir by Erika Sheffer. In addition, the season includes Two Trains Running by August Wilson, the classic Our Town by Thornton Wilder, The 39 Steps adapted by Patrick Barlow from the Alfred Hitchcock movie, Quixote Nuevo by Octavio Solis, as well as the popular family shows, A Christmas Carol and You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, based on the comic strip “Peanuts” by Charles M. Schulz. Subscription packages are currently on sale; single tickets will go on sale in June. More information is available at www.scr.org.

“South Coast Repertory’s 2020-21 season features works of the here and now that reflect the world of the human experience,” Ivers said. “I spent this year getting to know the community in which we live—the people, the culture, the history—and the works next season are a direct response to what I discovered.

“Anchored by American classics, our lineup also includes contemporary hits and new works destined to become tomorrow’s classics. A wide variety of voices are represented, some that aren’t always front and center, and they explore some of the important issues of our time, as well as the universal truths that bind us together,” he said. “I’m excited for what’s coming up—it promises robust, daring, highly theatrical, edge-of-your-seat experiences, and I hope that our Orange County audiences will find a bit of themselves reflected in it, too.”

Managing Director Paula Tomei added, “The range of work we’re offering next season is both compelling and entertaining. Each production promises to connect with our audiences in distinct and diverse ways, engaging all of us in fresh, theatrical adventures.”

On the Segerstrom Stage
See chronological listing below for full details. All dates and plays are subject to change.

• August Wilson’s Two Trains Running
• Quixote Nuevo by Octavio Solis
• Our Town by Thornton Wilder
• Vladimir by Erika Sheffer (world premiere), part of the Pacific Playwrights Festival
• Prelude to a Kiss, the Musical with music by Dan Messé, lyrics by Sean Hartley and Dan Messé, and book by Craig Lucas (world premiere)

On the Julianne Argyros Stage
See chronological listing below for full details. All dates and plays are subject to change.

• Threshold co-created by Amy Brenneman and Sabrina Peck, written by and starring Amy Brenneman, choreographed by Sabrina Peck (world premiere)
• Tiger Style! by Mike Lew
• The 39 Steps adapted by Patrick Barlow from the novel by John Buchan from the movie of Alfred Hitchcock
• TBA world premiere, part of the Pacific Playwrights Festival

Theatre for Young Audiences
See chronological listing below for full details. All dates and plays are subject to change.

• You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown based on the comic strip “Peanuts” by Charles M. Schulz; book, music and lyrics by Clark Gesner
• Last Stop on Market Street by Cheryl L. West, based on the book by Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson, with music and lyrics by Lamont Dozier and Paris Dozier
• TBA

Holiday Classic

• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, adapted by Jerry Patch.

The annual showcase of new plays—the Pacific Playwrights Festival (PPF)—features seven new plays over a weekend in a combination of readings and full productions, April 23–25, 2021. The three-day festival attracts theatre professionals from across the nation—as well as local and regional new-play fans—drawn by the opportunity to see some of the best new works in the country. The festival is part of The Lab@SCR, the theatre’s new-play development infrastructure.

SPECIAL TO THE SEASON
Not part of subscription packages.

A Christmas Carol in 2020: This will mark the last time for the original production. Longtime SCR actor Richard Doyle will step out of his 36-year-role as the Ghost of Christmas Past to portray Ebenezer Scrooge. A brand-new production will debut in 2021. Single tickets for the 2020 Christmas Carol will go on sale to the public in June; subscribers enjoy exclusive early access to these tickets.

The Mozart Project: This collaboration between South Coast Repertory, the Pacific Symphony (Carl St.Clair, music director and conductor) and featuring the Pacific Chorale (Robert Istad, artistic director), brings Wolfgang to life for an all-Mozart evening. The program includes the charming Don Giovanni Overture and the transcendent Requiem in d-minor, interspersed with a portrayal of Mozart’s greatest rival, Antonio Salieri, performed by SCR Artistic Director David Ivers. Subscribers receive exclusive access to tickets before the general public.

All dates and plays are subject to change. More information about the season is available online: www.scr.org.

A variety of subscriptions packages are now on sale, ranging from $64 to $639, and may be purchased online at <www.scr.org,> </www.scr.org,>

Single tickets, including tickets for A Christmas Carol, will go on sale in June.

More information is available at www.scr.org.

CHRONOLOGICAL LISTING FOR 2020-21
All dates and plays are subject to change.

August Wilson’s
Two Trains Running
directed by Lou Bellamy
Sept. 5-Oct. 3, 2020
Segerstrom Stage
As the Civil Rights Movement sweeps the nation, Pittsburgh’s Hill District undergoes a transformation. It’s 1969, and Memphis Lee’s diner is slated to be demolished, a casualty of urban renewal. While he fights city hall for a fair price, Memphis and his customers gather daily to gossip, confront the realities of their lives and dream of the future. Described by Variety as “a work by a writer at the peak of his powers,” Two Trains Running revisits a time of extraordinary change and the ordinary people left behind. Recommended for high school and up.

Threshold (world premiere)
co-created by Amy Brenneman and Sabrina Peck
written by Amy Brenneman
directed and choreographed by Sabrina Peck
Sept. 27-Oct. 18, 2020
Julianne Argyros Stage
In this autobiographical journey infused with music and movement, celebrated actress Amy Brenneman (Heat, “Judging Amy,” “The Leftovers,” “Goliath”) takes us along as she learns how to become a true ally to her daughter Charlotte, born with a rare chromosomal abnormality. Years of testing and assessment yield frustratingly few results, leading Brenneman to surrender to a new path forward. Funny, poignant and powerful, Threshold, starring Brenneman, takes a bold look at preconceptions of disability, what we consider “normal,” and the promise/challenge of a truly inclusive society. Recommended for ages 14 and up. Community partner: TLC Public Charter School (Orange, Calif.).

Quixote Nuevo
by Octavio Solis
based on the novel Don Quixote de la Mancha Book 1
by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
directed by Juliette Carrillo
Oct. 17-Nov. 14, 2020
Segerstrom Stage
This modern retelling of Don Quixote from one of the storytellers behind the animated film Coco bursts with imagination and Tejano music. With his trusted sidekick, the valiant knight—a.k.a. Jose Quijano—embarks on a dangerous quest to reunite with his long-lost love. But nothing is as it seems, and while Jose gets lost in his chivalrous fantasies, the family and community around him must wrestle with his stark reality. This fast-paced, bilingual fable about the joys and perils of being the hero of your own story was proclaimed “revelatory” by the San Francisco Chronicle. Recommended for ages 14 and up.

You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown
based on the comic strip “Peanuts” by Charles M. Schulz
book, music and lyrics by Clark Gesner
additional dialogue by Michael Mayer
additional music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa
directed by Kari Hayter
Nov. 6-22, 2020
Theatre for Young Audiences Family Series
Good grief! The whole “Peanuts” gang is here—Lucy, Linus, Snoopy and, of course, that wishy-washy blockhead, Charlie Brown. He’s never pitched a winning baseball game and he can’t muster the courage to talk to the Little-Red Haired Girl. But all his best qualities—and those of his clever friends—get celebrated in this delightful musical filled with gleeful tunes such as My Blanket and Me, Suppertime and Happiness. Recommended for ages 4 and up.

Charles Dickens’
A Christmas Carol
adapted by Jerry Patch
directed by Hisa Takakuwa
Nov. 28-Dec. 27, 2020
Segerstrom Stage
It’s your last chance to see the holiday favorite that audiences have been raving about for 40 years before we unveil an all-new version in 2021. 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 everyone’s favorite curmudgeon, Ebenezer Scrooge. This grand and glorious holiday tradition “beautifully rings in the season” (The Daily Pilot). SCR Founding Artist Richard Doyle, known for years as The Ghost of Christmas Past, will step into the role of Ebenezer Scrooge. For ages 6 and up; children under the age of 6 will not be admitted.

Tiger Style!
by Mike Lew
directed by Lisa Portes
Jan. 3-24, 2021
Julianne Argyros Stage
What happens when “tiger parenting” goes wrong? Meet Albert and Jennifer Chen—brother and sister, once brilliant students and musicians, now epic failures leading unfulfilling lives. The problem? Their parents set unrealistic standards. The solution? Escape from Irvine and go on an “Asian Freedom Tour” to Shenzen, China—a hilarious, eye-opening journey filled with colorful characters, intrigue and surprise. Expect “comic sparks from the collision between expectations and outcomes” (Boston Globe) in this sharp comedy about today’s family. Recommended for high school and up.

Our Town
by Thornton Wilder
directed by Beth Lopes
Jan. 23-Feb. 20, 2021
Segerstrom Stage
May 7, 1901. Life has begun in Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire. Milk is being delivered. Breakfast is on the stove. We meet the town gossips, the boys who play baseball and the choirmaster with a secret sorrow. And soon teenagers George Gibbs and Emily Webb will go from friends to puppy love to wedding day and beyond—two families forever joined together. And as they come to terms with the meaning of their lives, this Pulitzer Prize-winning American classic beautifully celebrates our own shared humanity. SCR Founding Artist Hal Landon Jr. is featured as The Stage Manager. Recommended for ages 12 and up.

Last Stop on Market Street
by Cheryl L. West
based on the book by Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson
music and lyrics by Lamont Dozier and Paris Dozier
directed by Oanh Nguyen
Feb. 5-21, 2021
Theatre for Young Audiences Family Series
Come along on a musical joy ride! CJ is staying with his Nana in the city, where everything is different than home. The food, the people, the noise—it’s too much. He just wants to stay inside and watch videos, but Nana’s having none of that. So together they board the Number 5 bus for an adventure, and CJ learns to look past the surface and appreciate the good in others. Recommended for ages 4 and up.

The 39 Steps
adapted by Patrick Barlow
from the novel by John Buchan
from the movie of Alfred Hitchcock
licensed by ITV Global Entertainment Limited
and an original concept by Nobby Dimon and Simon Corble
directed by Kent Nicholson
March 7-28, 2021
Julianne Argyros Stage
Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel and add a dash of Monty Python—you get a fast-paced whodunit The New York Times called “absurdly enjoyable, gleefully theatrical!” Richard meets an exotic woman who claims she’s a spy. Within hours, she is mysteriously murdered and he’s on the run, pursued by a dangerous secret order. Packed with romance, thrills, unforgettable characters and ingenious stagecraft, this love letter to the theatre has delighted audiences from London to Broadway and back.Recommended for ages 14 and up.

Vladimir (world premiere)
by Erika Sheffer
director TBA
March 27-April 24, 2021
Segerstrom Stage
“Where you are born, this is where you are useful…I speak because I have no choice.” Moscow, 2004. Raya, a Russian journalist—celebrated by some, despised by others—is renowned for her unbending crusade to uncover the truth. Will she risk family, friends and freedom to bring down the most powerful man in the world? He never appears, but the title character is ever-present in this epic suspense drama by one of the nation’s most promising playwrights. Part of the Pacific Playwrights Festival. Recommended for high school and up.

TBA World Premiere
April 11-May 2, 2021
Julianne Argyros Stage
Part of the Pacific Playwrights Festival

Prelude to a Kiss
The Musical (world premiere)
music by Dan Messé
lyrics by Sean Hartley & Dan Messé
book by Craig Lucas
directed by David Ivers
May 15-June 12, 2021
Segerstrom Stage
Originally a 1988 South Coast Repertory world premiere, the acclaimed Broadway drama returns as a romantic musical, soaring through the peaks and valleys of love. “For better or worse” takes on new meaning when a mysterious guest requests a kiss at Peter and Rita’s wedding—and their lives are forever changed. Will love conquer all, or are the challenges just too great? From the creators of the Broadway hit Amélie comes a tale where a kiss is much more than just a kiss. Recommended for ages 14 and up.

TBA
May 28-June 13, 2021
Theatre for Young Audiences Family Series

Complete information is available at www.scr.org.