Press Release: Trailblazers

ANNOUNCING ‘TRAILBLAZERS! SCR COMEDY’

Comediennes Perform Every Saturday During Joan At South Coast Repertory

FOR PHOTOS OF THE COMEDIENNES: https://www.scr.org/about/press-room/photos-24-25-season/press-photos-joan/

COSTA MESA, Calif. (Oct. 24, 2024)—South Coast Repertory (Artistic Director David Ivers and Managing Director Suzanne Appel) present Trailblazers! SCR Comedy—four appearances by up-and-coming comedians who are women or non-binary performed before Saturday evening performances of the world premiere of Joan, written by Daniel Goldstein and directed by Ivers.

Sophie Santos, Kate Robards, Madison Shepherd and Riley Lassin, will each perform approximately 20-minute sets free and open to the public on Ela’s Terrace from 7:05 p.m.-7:25 p.m. on successive Saturdays. Here is the schedule:

• 2—Sophie Santos
• 9—Kate Robards
• 16—Madison Shepherd
• 23—Riley Lassin

Trailblazers! SCR Comedy pays tribute to the pioneering comedic legend that was Rivers, the subject of Joan, which runs Oct. 27-Nov. 24 on the Julianne Argyros Stage. Joan is the latest production in SCR’s American Icon series, which Ivers describes as “stories about living or deceased people who contributed something of power or impact to our country.”

Comedian. Trailblazer. Force of nature. From Greenwich Village nightclubs to “The Tonight Show” to Hollywood’s red carpets, Joan Rivers made and remade her career through triumph and tragedy.  This is the story of a pioneer and the story of a mom—who were one and the same. Get up close and personal with the famously edgy, fearless and loving legend in this hilarious and heartbreaking account of an American icon.

“At a time when women were often only the butt of the joke, Joan Rivers stood up onstage and, with fearlessness determination and her signature wit, proved a comedienne could be not only as good but funnier than many a comedian. We are thrilled to host four talented stand-up comics who together, honor her legacy, and continue to pave their own way,” said SCR Artistic/Audience Engagement Associate H. Adam Harris, who created Trailblazers! SCR Comedy.

“Joan Rivers broke so many boundaries – she made comedy a viable career path for women and reached the highest echelons of success in her field at a time when just conceiving of women as ‘funny’ was unexpected and considered rude,” Appel said. “Her story reminds us of how far we have come and how far we still have to go. For example, the current “Saturday Night Live” cast has half as many women as men on its roster. That’s part of why I’m proud our team has invited four incredible comedians who are women to join us outside on our terrace prior to select performances of Joan for Trailblazers! SCR Comedy. Audiences will get a chance to see some of the funniest up and coming women in comedy before seeing a story of one of the funniest women in comedy ever.”

Santos is an award-winning Southern-Spanish-Filipino comedian, writer and author of the best-selling comedic memoir The One You Want To Marry (And Other Identities I’ve Had). Santos was the head writer for “Lil’ Interns,” a workplace docu-series starring SNL’s Kenan Thompson and has been featured in Entertainment Weekly, them, Bustle, New York Magazine and others. Instagram: @sophieesantos

Robards has written for a wide array of celebrities, including Kathy Griffin, JB Smoove, Stacy Abrams and Busy Phillips, among others. A writer, actor and stand-up comedian who appears regularly in New York, Robards’ solo plays have been hailed as “hilarious” by the Washington Post. She has appeared on HGTV’s “Prank Show House Haunters” with Anthony Anderson, the “VICE Feminism Panel,” the Netflix documentary Principles of Pleasure and dozens of other independent projects. Instagram: @katerobards

Shepherd is a multi-talented performer and stand-up comedian who has opened for Maria Bamford Zainab Johnson and Dulcé Sloan. She has appeared on Comedy Central’s The New Negroes, HBO’s Barry, written for seasons 4 & 5 of Netflix’s “The Circle” and performed in classical theatre with The Downtown Rep and Independent Shakespeare Company all over Southern California. In 2020, Sheperd was on the creative team for the 72^nd Primetime Emmy Awards and has written for Amazon/Fox’s new show, “Are You Smarter Than A Celebrity?” Instagram: @madison_shepard

A New York-based stand-up comedian and actor, Lassin has headlined the Atlantic Comedy Club and Stand up NY, along with stops at the New York Comedy Club, Westside Comedy Club and clubs all over the country, including many in her native New Jersey. She spent two years as the morning radio host on Alt 92.3-FM. Instagram: @rileylassin

Joan is presented with permission from Mills Entertainment and Melissa Rivers in association with Sheboygan Productions and Larry Amoros. Melissa Rivers serves as Creative Consultant.

Tickets for Joan are now on sale and range in price from $35 to $114, with additional discounts available for educators, seniors and students. Tickets may be purchased online at www.scr.org or by phone at (714) 708-5555. More information is available at www.scr.org.

2024-25 Productions: Joan, Oct. 27-Nov. 24, 2024; A Christmas Carol, Nov. 30-Dec. 24, 2024; Wish You Were Here, Jan. 12-Feb. 2, 2025; Hershey Felder’s Rachmaninoff and The Tsar, Feb. 19, March 2, 2025; Hershey Felder’s Great American Songbook Sing-Along, March 3, 2025; The Incredible Book Eating Boy, Feb. 28-March 16, 2025; You Are Cordially Invited to the End of the World!, April 5-May 3, 2025; The Staircase, April 27-May 18, 2025. The annual showcase of new works, the Pacific Playwrights Festival, runs May 2-4, 2025.

Complete information is available at www.scr.org.