Filled with sunshine, light as a summer breeze, this exhilarating musical follows the Italian travels of Margaret Johnson and her stunningly beautiful daughter, Clara. When a dashing young Italian captures Clara’s heart, Margaret is compelled to reveal the secret about her daughter. Even as she struggles with concern about Clara’s future, she must decide whether or not to release her hold—and bravely give the young lovers her blessing. Early in his career, playwright Craig Lucas found a home at SCR, which produced five of his plays in five years. Now he returns for the 50th Season with this award-winning play boasting one of the most celebrated scores of the decade by Adam Guettel (grandson of the iconic composer Richard Rodgers).

Previews: January 24–30, 2014
Opening Night: January 31, 2014
Regular Performances: February 1-23, 2014

Recommendation: Appropriate for middle school and above. This production includes herbal cigarette smoking.

Running Time: Approximately two hours and 15 minutes including one 15-minute intermission.

The Light in the Piazza is presented through special arrangement with R&H Theatricals: www.rnh.com

Craig Lucas has written numerous plays, including Prelude to a Kiss (Pulitzer Prize finalist, Tony Award nominee) and Three Postcards , which had their world premieres at SCR; and Blue Window, Marry Me a Little and Reckless , all of which were staged at SCR. Others include Missing Persons, God’s Heart, The Dying Gaul, Stranger, This Thing of Darkness (with David Schulner), Small Tragedy (Obie Award), The Singing Forest (Steinberg New Play Award), Prayer for My Enemy, The Lying Lesson and Ode to Joy . His screenplays include Blue Window, Longtime Companion (Sundance Audience Award), Prelude to a Kiss, Reckless, The Secret Lives of Dentists (New York Film Critics Best Screenplay Award) and The Dying Gaul . His libretti include Nico Muhly’s opera Two Boys . Lucas directed the world premiere of The Light in the Piazza at the Intiman Theatre as well as Harry Kondoleon’s final play, Saved or Destroyed (Obie Award for Direction) and the movie Birds of America . He is the recipient of a Laura Pels/PEN Mid-Career Achievement Award, Greenfield Prize, Excellence in Literature Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters; and NEA, Rockefeller and Guggenheim Fellowships. He is thrilled to be back at SCR.

Adam Guettel is a composer/lyricist living in New York City. His musical, The Light in the Piazza , with a book by Craig Lucas, premiered on Broadway in 2005, following a world premiere at the Intiman Theater, and a second engagement at the Goodman Theater (where it received three Joseph Jefferson Awards including Best Musical). The Light in the Piazza was produced at Lincoln Center Theater and received six 2005 Tony Awards, including two for Guettel (Best Original Score, Best Orchestrations) and a Grammy nomination for best cast recording. The Light in the Piazza also received five Drama Desk Awards, including two for Guettel (Best Music and Best Orchestrations). He also wrote music and lyrics for Floyd Collins , which received the 1996 Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical and earned Guettel the Obie Award for Best Music. Floyd Collins has been presented at Playwrights Horizons, Prince Theatre, Goodman Theatre, The Old Globe, the Bridewell and Southwalk theatres in London and elsewhere. His other works include Love’s Fire , a collaboration with John Guare (The Acting Company), and S aturn Returns , a concert at Joseph Papp Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival. His film scores include Arguing the World , a feature documentary by Joe Dorman, and the score for Jack , a documentary for CBS by Peter Davis (1994). Guettel is currently adapting the Danny Boyle movie, Millions , as a stage musical, and writing a musical based on Days of Wine and Roses with screenwriter and playwright, John Logan. His works are available on Nonesuch Records.

Learn about the production, cast & creative team with a peek into the program. Read full artist bios, in-depth articles and more.

	Joseph Almohaya (Ensemble) is honored to be making his SCR debut in The Light in the Piazza. Recently he was seen at Welk Resorts Theatre in San Diego alongside Ava Barber, Arthur Duncan and Mary Lou Metzger of “The Lawrence Welk Show” in A Welk Family Christmas directed by Cheryl Baxter. His other notable credits include In the Heights (San Diego Repertory), South Pacific (Moonlight Amphitheatre), Man of La Mancha (Welk Resorts Theatre), The Who’s Tommy (San Diego Repertory), Kiss Me, Kate in Los Angeles (Reprise!), The Producers (Cabrillo Music Theatre), Rent in New York (Westchester Broadway Theatre) and Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley (North American tour). In addition to performing in Los Angeles, New York and around the country, Almohaya has also had the pleasure of sailing to far off locales as a performer in The Show Room at Sea (Holland America Line). He holds a bachelor of music degree in vocal performance and master of fine arts from the elite Musical Theatre Program at San Diego State University.
	David Burnham (Fabrizio Naccarelli) was last seen at SCR as Jason in Ordinary Days, and most recently received an Ovation Award nomination for his portrayal of Joe Gillis in Musical Theater West’s Sunset Boulevard. He was last seen on Broadway in Wicked, playing Fiyero, a role that he originated in the workshops of the show. He was in the original Broadway cast of The Light In The Piazza, performing both on the Tony Awards and the PBS telecast “Live From Lincoln Center.” Burnham is the recipient of the Helen Hayes Award as well as the Garland Award for his portrayal of Fabrizio in the national tour of Piazza. He replaced Donny Osmond as Joseph in the national tour of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Drama-Logue Award), and also toured as Peter in Jesus Christ Superstar. In New York City, he starred in the off-Broadway musical The Best Is Yet to Come—The Music of Cy Coleman. He was the voice of the Prince in the Warner Bros. animated feature The King and I, and has recorded two solo albums, his self-titled CD and “One Day.” davidburnham.com
	Patti Cohenour (Margaret Johnson) is honored to reprise the role she portrayed as the alternate in the Lincoln Center production of The Light in the Piazza. She has originated numerous roles on Broadway including Signora Naccarelli in Piazza, Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music revival, Christine in Phantom of the Opera (also Canada), Rosabud in Drood (also London), and Mary Jane in Big River. Additional credits include Adeline in Sweet Adeline for NYC Encores!, Magnolia in Hal Prince’s Showboat, Mimi in La Boheme and Isabel/Mabel in Pirates of Penzance for the New York Shakespeare Festival, and Florence Foster Jenkins in Souvenir for Seattle’s A Contemporary Theatre (ACT) and San Jose Repertory Theatre. She recently won a Gregory Award for her portrayals of Edith and Little Edie in Seattle’s 5th Avenue/ACT Theatre co-production of Grey Gardens, and will be portraying Charlotte in the upcoming 5th Avenue production of A Room with a View. Cohenour is a recipient of a Tony nomination, two Drama Desk nominations, a Jeff Award nomination, the Clarence Derwent Award, and a Theatre World Award. www.patticohenour.com
	Julie Garnyé (Ensemble) is making her SCR debut. Her recent credits include the 2013 Academy Awards telecast (in the Les Misérables segment), both Les Misérables and Chicago at The Hollywood Bowl, Lorna Luft’s Pink Party (with Liza Minnelli) and Open All Night: The Music of Lance Horne (with Tony Award-winners Alan Cumming and Alice Ripley). She is the only person who performed in Chess in Concert and An Evening with Stephen Schwartz on both coasts. Her Broadway credits include Hair (Actor’s Fund), Chess (Actor’s Fund), Children of Eden and Broadway by the Year 1978. She toured nationally in Cats (Jennyanydots, Grizabella) and appeared in the London West End production of First Things Last (Garrick Theatre). On regional stages, she has performed in Bat Boy, West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof and Bye Bye Birdie. Her film and television credits include Disney’s Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure (Lyria), “The Closer” and The Little Richard Story. She studies with vocal teacher Edward Sayegh. JulieGarnye.com
	Mary Gutzi (Signora Naccarelli) is thrilled to be making her SCR debut in a role that she also performed at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. She has a career as an actor/singer/director and educator that spans more than 40 years and has taken her to 49 of the 50 states, as well as Canada and Europe. She has been seen on Broadway and regional theatres in such productions as Les Misérables, Ragtime, Sunset Boulevard and Cats. Gutzi had a recurring role as Dodds in the ABC television series “Last Resort” and was recently seen in a pivotal role in “Hawaii 5-O.” She has taught musical theatre for three years at American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Los Angeles and continues to provide performance coaching to her many students all over the U.S. including the Hawaiian Islands. Gutzi is a proud member of the Actors’ Equity Association.
	Melina Kalomas (Franca Naccarelli) is thrilled to make her SCR debut. Her theatre credits include the first national tour of Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein; national tours of Les Misérables (as Madeleine) and Camelot (as Nimue); Mary Zimmerman’s Arabian Nights (Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Kansas City Repertory); A Man of No Importance (Lillian Theater, with Good People Theatre Company); The Light in the Piazza (South Bay Civic Light Opera); Zhivago (La Jolla Playhouse, directed by Des McAnuff); The Melody Lingers On, opposite Kathryn Crosby (El Portal Theatre); La Boheme (Opera Pacific); Shenandoah (West Virginia Public Theatre); Gypsy and Oklahoma (Moonlight Amphitheatre); and Desert Song (Fullerton Civic Light Opera, where she won a Drama-Logue Award for Best Supporting Actress). Her television credits include “As the World Turns” and NBC’s “Grimm.” Kalomas earned her BFA from the Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama.
	John-David Keller (Priest) is a member of SCR’s resident acting company. He has been with the company since 1973 as both an actor and director. He has directed A Christmas Carol for its entire 34-year history. Among his other SCR directing credits are Godspell, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, In Fashion, The Real Inspector Hound (SCR’s first Equity show), Peg O’ My Heart and Tomfoolery. He has also acted in more than 100 productions at SCR. He recently appeared in the production of Anton Chekov’s Ivanov at the Odyssey Theatre in Los Angeles and in Mrs. Warren’s Profession at the The Antaeus Company. Keller is the concert host for the Orange County Philharmonic Society’s fifth grade concerts. He is a member of Actors’ Equity, Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and The Antaeus Company.
	Martin Kildare (Roy Johnson) previously appeared at SCR as Max in The Real Thing. He has appeared on Broadway in The Lion King, A Raisin in the Sun, Timon of Athens, The Government Inspector and The Herbal Bed; off-Broadway in Pride’s Crossing (Lincoln Center Theater), Honor and the River (Theatre Row), Candida (Pearl Theatre Company) and Labor Day (Manhattan Theatre Club); and as Bill Austin in the national tour of Mamma Mia!. Regionally he acted with more than 20 companies including the Mark Taper Forum, Dallas Theater Center, Portland Center Stage, Folger Theatre, Indiana Repertory, Nevada Conservatory Theatre, Studio Arena, and the California, Alabama and Utah Shakespeare festivals. His television credits include “Desperate Housewives,” “Enlightened,” “Big Love,” “Without a Trace,” “Law & Order,” “Las Vegas,” “Numb3rs,” “CSI: New York,” “Hit the Floor,” “Ed,” “Beverly Hills 90210,” “Journeyman,” “Law and Order: SVU,” “Deadline” and others. He received his BA from Stanford University, his MFA from the American Conservatory Theatre, and has participated in international fellowships at Theatre des Amandiers in Paris and Shakespeare’s Globe in London.
	Erin Mackey (Clara Johnson) is originally from Fullerton and is making her SCR debut. She was last seen on Broadway as Oona O’Neill in Chaplin: The Musical. Her other Broadway credits include Anything Goes (Hope), Sondheim on Sondheim and Wicked (Glinda). She also performed as Glinda in the Chicago and Los Angeles companies of Wicked. She recently appeared as Christine in Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera’s production of Phantom. Her film and television credits include “Blue Bloods,” “Gossip Girl,” “Family Affair,” “Do Over” and The Parent Trap. She has had the pleasure of performing with the Long Beach Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, Cleveland Pops and Florida Orchestra and can be heard on the original cast albums of Chaplin and Sondheim on Sondheim.
	Madison Mitchell (Ensemble) is humbled and honored to be making her SCR debut in this beautiful show alongside this talented cast. Her theatre credits include the national tours of Cats (30th anniversary, Demeter) and regional productions of Oklahoma!, Monty Python’s Spamalot! (Musical Theatre West), Legally Blonde (3-D Theatricals), Jo March in Little Women and Luisa in The Fantasticks. Mitchell recently originated the role of Celeste in the world premiere of Higher Education, created by Tony Award-winning producers Tim and Pamela Kashani. She also had the pleasure of performing alongside Patrick Cassidy in the 29th annual Southland Theatre Artists Goodwill Event (S.T.A.G.E. LA) and with The Vixens at the 64th Annual Emmy’s Creative/Governor’s Ball.
	Christopher Newell (Giuseppe Naccarelli) is honored to make his debut at SCR and explore his Italian heritage. His Los Angeles theatre credits include Part of the Plan (aka The Dan Fogelberg Musical), Oklahoma (Musical Theatre West) and 1940s Radio Hour (Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities). His New York credits include Moonlight and Magnolias (42nd Street, Studio), For Christ’s Sake (Dodger Stages), Henry V and The Tempest (American Globe) and Matthew Passion (St. John Theatre). Regional credits include Les Misérables (Arkansas Repertory), Biloxi Blues and The Pirates of Penzance (St. Michaels Playhouse) and Meet Me In St Louis (Westchester Broadway Theatre). He was in the Broadway production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Minskoff Theatre) and the first national tour of Oklahoma! His television and film credits include “All My Children,” “Guiding Light,” “A Girls Guide to Depravity,” Kill on Sight, War Bride and Vena Amoris. On the commercial front, he’s been in ads for Toyota, Bosch and Acura, among others. He also sings with the classic/pop group A.R.I.A. He will star this spring in a new film entitled Extraction about the exploits of a mercenary preacher. www.CMNewell.com.
	Perry Ojeda (Signor Naccarelli) made his SCR debut last season in The Fantasticks. He has appeared on Broadway in On the Town, Blood Brothers and Imaginary Friends; in London’s West End in Dolly West’s Kitchen; and off-Broadway in Die, Mommie, Die! and Babes in Arms (New York City Center ENCORES!). He has performed at hundreds of regional theatres across the country including The Old Globe, Goodspeed Opera House, San Jose Repertory, Cleveland Play House, Center Theatre Group, Arena Stage, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, St. Louis’ The Muny, GeVa Theatre Center and The Blank Theatre as well as in several national tours. On television and in film, Ojeda has been featured on “Imagination Movers,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Eli Stone,” “Days of our Lives,” “One Life to Live,” “All My Children,” “Guiding Light,” The Day Lincoln Was Shot and the award-winning short, Pride. He received his training at Interlochen Arts Academy and the University of Michigan (School of Music in the Musical Theatre Program) under Brent Wagner. He has also studied voice with Ira Siff and Virginia Stewart and acting and comedy with Lesly Kahn. More at PerryOjeda.com.
	Louis Pardo (Ensemble) is honored to be performing in SCR’s The Light in the Piazza. He most recently was seen portraying animation icon Ub Iwerks in When You Wish: The Story of Walt Disney. His other stage credits include West Side Story with the San Francisco Symphony (A-Rab) and the national tour of Jesus Christ Superstar (understudy for Simon and Judas). His other regional work includes the Southern California regional premiere of Avenue Q (Princeton, Rod); Pippin (Pippin), The Full Monty (Jerry); The Who’s Tommy (Cousin Kevin) and Evita (Che). He has also been in readings for Chess (Freddie), Bells are Ringing (Dr. Kitchell) and City of Angels (Munoz). Pardo also performs with the educational touring company of The Imagination Machine and in the spring will portray Iago in Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular at Disney’s California Adventure.

• OC Register (subscription): Musical that changed everything comes to SCR
• Daily Pilot: This little 'Light' of hers
• Press Release: The Light in the Piazza Opens with Support from its Underwriters
• Press Release: Romance Has Many Faces in The Light in the Piazza at SCR