Press Release: Peek! 2026

SOUTH COAST REPERTORY ANNOUNCES PEEK!

Orange County’s Only Immersive Theatre Fundraiser Returns with Performances by Tony Award Nominee Carmen Cusack and Broadway’s James Moye

COSTA MESA, Calif. (Sept. 8, 2026)—Lea Kong and Sarah J. McElroy, event Chairs and South Coast Repertory Trustees, announce the return of PEEK!  It’s an immersive evening of backstage discovery and enchantment inspired by South Coast Repertory’s 2026-27 season opener, Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine. PEEK!, SCR’s largest annual fundraiser and the theatre social event of the season, takes over the Emmes/Benson Theatre Center Saturday, Oct. 3 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tickets and host opportunities for groups of eight are available now.

“Every great story has a path into the woods—and a place just off the trail where things get a little more interesting, a little more real. PEEK! invites you off the trail and behind the curtain for something genuinely unique and exciting,” Kong said.

The enthralling evening begins behind the scenes, with a journey that takes guests through the backstage corridors of SCR to show how theatre is created. They will visit the costume shop and rehearsal hall, while experiencing entertaining surprises at every turn. The backstage tour concludes with guests stepping onto the Segerstrom Stage to experience the Into the Woods set from a performer’s perspective and enjoy an exclusive mini-performance by cast members.

The evening continues with flowing cocktails, creative culinary offerings and live music al fresco on Ela’s Terrace. Then, it’s on to the main attraction as the Julianne Argyros Stage is transformed into Orange County’s most exclusive speakeasy. Seated at cabaret tables on stage, guests will enjoy a one-night-only musical performance by two of Broadway’s brightest stars—Carmen Cusack and James Moye. The program will be followed by a live auction of once-in-a-lifetime experiences and a paddle raise in support of SCR’s productions and education programs. The evening wraps up with dancing on SCR’s most intimate stage, the Nicholas Studio.

“At PEEK!, the magic doesn’t happen on stage—it happens all around you,” said Giulia Newton, President of SCR’s Board of Trustees. “Musicians serenading you, costume designers welcoming you into their world, stories of local kids finding their voice. (Last year) My guests forgot they were at a fundraiser. That’s SCR.”

Cusack starred on Broadway in Flying Over Sunset, earning a second Tony Award nomination in as many Broadway shows. She was previously nominated for her acclaimed lead performance in Bright Star. Her Off-Broadway/Tour credits include Call Me Madam (Encores!), Carrie (MCC Theater), South Pacific (Tour) and Wicked (Tour). Cusack’s West End/UK credits include Les Misérables, The Secret Garden, Personals, Phantom of the Opera and Over the Rainbow. Regionally, Cusack’s credits include Bull Durham (Paper Mill Playhouse, Theatre Raleigh), 3 Summers of Lincoln (La Jolla Playhouse), Sweeney Todd (The Muny), Designing Women (TheatreSquared), First Wives Club (Chicago) and Sunday in the Park with George (Chicago Shakespeare). Cusack appeared in the films A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and American Fiction, and on TV in “Sorry For Your Loss” (Facebook).

Moye is a familiar face to SCR audiences, where he directed both the 2022 and 2025 productions of Million Dollar Quartet and appeared in the 2024 world premiere of Prelude to a Kiss, The Musical as Rita’s Dad. Moye has appeared in 10 Broadway shows, including Dear Evan Hansen, Aladdin, Tootsie, Million Dollar Quartet, On the Twentieth Century, Bullets Over Broadway, Ragtime, A Tale of Two Cities, Urinetown and The Full Monty. Moye’s on-camera credits include “Fair Game” with Sean Penn, “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “The Blacklist,” “Royal Pains,” “The Mysteries of Laura,” “The Today Show” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” He returns to Broadway this December as Kenny Rogers in the new musical, DOLLY: A True Original Musical. Moye is a graduate of James Madison University, where he received the 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award.

“This is not an evening to sit through. It’s a night to step into,” McElroy said. “We’re transforming South Coast Repertory into a living, breathing piece of immersive theatre that cannot be experienced anywhere else in Orange County.”

A Board of Trustees member serving her second year, McElroy previously completed three three-year terms on SCR’s Board of Trustees, during which she chaired the Golden Circle Committee and co-chaired the 2020 Virtual Gala. She was an Honorary Producer for A Shot Rang Out by the late Richard Greenberg. A passionate volunteer for numerous nonprofit organizations, McElroy recently served as Chair for the Mental Health Luncheon for Children’s Hospital of Orange County.

A longtime SCR supporter with her husband, Harmon, Kong is serving as co-chair for the second consecutive year. Apriem Advisors, where Harmon Kong is co-founder, serves as the 2026-27 Season Producers and have also served as Honorary Producers for three mainstage SCR productions, most recently The Staircase by Noa Gardner and the Theatre for Young Audiences and Families production of The Incredible Book Eating Boy. The couple are Opening Night subscribers on both stages and Lea Kong currently serves on the Board of Trustees.

The 2026 PEEK! Committee members include Talya Nevo-Hacohen, Giulia Newton, Susan Shieldkret, Tammy Tang and Nickie Williams.

Early supporters for PEEK! include Platinum Supporters Apriem Advisors; Gold Supporters Talya Nevo-Hacohen and Bill Schenker, Pacific Life, Susan Shieldret and David Dull and Samuel and Tammy Tang; Silver Supporters Schalon and Giulia Newton and South Coast Plaza. The After Party Underwriter is Capital Group. The Bar Underwriters are Tyler Holcomb and BOB Rivet and the Valet Underwriter is Ducere Wealth.

Proceeds from PEEK! provide foundational support for the 2026-27 season, along with SCR’s youth education programs that bring thousands of students into the theatre for the first time. Together, those programs reach more than 65,000 Southern California residents of all ages.

For more information on host sponsorships, tickets or underwriting opportunities, please contact SCR at (714) 708-5521 or visit scr.org/gala. Additionally, donors may contribute funds to the Match Pool, matching gifts raised during the live paddle raise and multiplying the impact of every guest in the room.

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.

2026-27 Upcoming Productions: Into the Woods, Sept. 12-Oct. 18, 2026; Laura Benanti: Nobody Cares, Oct. 8-11, 2026; Blind Runner, Oct. 18-Nov. 8, 2026; A Christmas Carol, Nov. 28-Dec. 27, 2026; Mother Russia, Jan. 22-March 20, 2027; The Importance of Being Earnest, Jan. 23-March 20, 2027; How I Became a Pirate, Feb. 19-March 7, 2027; Three-headed Monster, April 4-May 2, 2027; The Ingenue, April 18-May 9, 2027; Hamlet, May 8-June 5, 2027; Hershey Felder’s Great American Songbook Sing-Along!, July 3, 2027; Hershey Felder, BEETHOVEN, July 6-18, 2027; Hershey Felder, Love Notes, July 21-Aug. 1, 2027.