Press Release: Board of Trustees

SOUTH COAST REPERTORY ANNOUNCES BOARD OFFICERS AND NEW TRUSTEES FOR 2025/26 SEASON

COSTA MESA, Calif. (July 24, 2025)—Led by President Talya-Nevo-Hacohen, South Coast Repertory (Artistic Director David Ivers and Managing Director Suzanne Appel) announced its Board of Trustees Officers—along with three new Trustees—for the 2025-26 season.

Joining Nevo-Hacohen as the Board’s officers are Michael R. Hards (Vice President-Advancement), Tim Kay (Vice President-Development), Bruce Wagner (Vice President-Finance/Board Treasurer) and Giulia Newton (Vice President-Community Development/Board Secretary). This is Nevo-Hacohen’s third season as President of the Board of Trustees.

The theatre, one of the largest arts nonprofits in Orange County, also announced that Shauna Bradford, Laura Cushing and Sarah McElroy have joined the Board for the upcoming season.

“We welcome our new trustees, Shauna Bradford and Laura Cushing, and our returning trustee—Sarah McElroy—as we head into SCR’s 62nd season,” Nevo-Hacohen said. “Together with SCR’s trustees and newly elected Board officers, Michael Hards, Tim Kay, Bruce Wagner and Giulia Newton, we are focused on expanding on SCR’s legacy of creating premier quality theatre for all ages and communities throughout Orange County and beyond.”

Appel said, “We are proud to add these extraordinary members of Orange County’s business and philanthropic community to the SCR Board of Directors. They will contribute to growing our impact in bringing world class plays and musicals to families in Southern California and the nation.”

Here are brief bios of SCR’s new Trustees:

Bradford is a 27-year employee of Bank of America in Newport Beach, where she currently serves as Managing Director and Treasury Sales Manager and leads a team of 12 Treasury Sales Officers for the Commercial Banking Division serving clients with revenues between $50 million and $2 billion. An Irvine resident, Bradford’s interest in the arts began with dance; she choreographed productions for the GEM Theatre in Garden Grove and worked professionally as a dancer with companies including Disney and Warner Brothers.

Cushing is the Chief Human Resources Officer at Pacific Life in Newport Beach. Her more than 30 years of HR experience includes various leadership roles at JP Morgan Chase, Loews Corporation and Silicon Valley Bank. She holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Rhode Island and a Masters in Human Resource Development from Villanova University. Cushing and her husband, David, a partner at Crow & Cushing, live in Newport Beach.

McElroy returns to the board. She previously completed three, three-year terms, during which she served as the chair of the Golden Circle Committee and co-chaired the 2020 Virtual Gala. A passionate volunteer for numerous nonprofit organizations, McElroy served as Chair for the Mental Health Luncheon for Children’s Hospital of Orange County and currently serves as a member of the Arts and Business Leadership Council for the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. A retired graphic designer, McElroy lives in Corona del Mar.

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 David Emmes/Martin Benson Theatre Center, part of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Parking is available on Park Center Drive, off Anton Boulevard.

2025-26 Productions: Million Dollar Quartet, Sept. 13-Oct. 11, 2025; The Heart Sellers, Oct. 26-Nov. 16, 2025; A Christmas Carol, Nov. 29-Dec. 28, 2025; God of Carnage, Jan. 23-March 21, 2026; Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Jan. 24-March 21, 2026; Cinderella: A Salsa Fairy Tale, Feb. 20-March 8, 2026; Eat Me, April 12-May 3, 2026; Fremont Ave., April 25-May 23, 2026; Hershey Felder, BEETHOVEN, June 10-21, 2026; Hershey Felder’s Great American Songbook Sing-Along!, June 14, 2026.

The annual showcase of new works, the Pacific Playwrights Festival, runs May 1-3, 2026.