Lucas Hnath's Broadway-Bound A DOLL'S HOUSE, PART 2 to Premiere at South Coast Repertory

South Coast Repertory is producing the world premiere of Lucas Hnath's A Doll's House, Part 2 on the Julianne Argyros Stage, April 9-30. As previously announced, a production opens on Broadway at the end of April.

The cast includes Shannon Cochran, Bill Geisslinger, Lynn Milgrim and Virginia Vale. A Doll's House, Part 2 is directed by Shelley Butler and is part of the Pacific Playwrights Festival, the theatre's annual new-play showcase.

The story follows Nora, who in the final scene of Ibsen's classic A Doll's House makes the shocking decision to leave her husband and children. A door slams. The curtain falls on a stunned audience. Lucas Hnath continues Nora's story in this intriguing play with a decidedly modern perspective. Fifteen years have passed when there's a knock on that same door. Why is Nora back-and what will her return mean to those she left behind?

"Lucas Hnath's play is not about the construct of marriage, in the way of Ibsen's classic play," said Butler. "Lucas is looking at the fallout and the choices of all four characters in this play. He takes the burden off Nora and extends the conversation about the rules of society and constructs of gender."

Hnath's plays include Hillary and Clinton, Red Speedo, The Christians, A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney, Isaac's Eye and Death Tax. His work has been produced at Actors Theatre of Louisville/Humana Festival of New Plays, Ensemble Studio Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, New York Theatre Workshop, Playwrights Horizons, Royal Court Theatre and Soho Rep. He has been a resident playwright at New Dramatists since 2011 and is a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre. He is the recipient the Kesselring Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Whiting Award, two Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award Citations, an Outer Critics Circle Award for Best New Play and an Obie Award.

The design and creative team includes Takeshi Kata and Se Hyun Oh, scenic design; Sara Ryung Clement, costume design; Tom Ontiveros, lighting design; Cricket S. Myers, sound design; and Joann DeNaut, CSA, casting. The production manager is Joshua Marchesi and the stage manager is Bree Sherry. Kimberly Colburn is the dramaturg.

A Doll's House, Part 2 has generous support from The Playwrights Circle. The media partners are KCRW and the Orange County Business Journal. This play was commissioned by South Coast Repertory and is the recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New American Plays Award.

Tickets start at $22. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 25 years of age and under, fulltime educators, seniors and groups of 10 or more. Tickets may be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or by visiting the Box Office at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa. Performances run April 9- 30. Ticket prices start at $22. Low-priced previews run April 9-13. SCR's performances run Tuesdays-Sundays; there are no performances on Mondays.

Special Events:

· Post-Show Discussions: Tuesday, April 18, and Wednesday, April 19. Discuss the play with A Doll's House, Part 2 cast members during free post-show discussions led by South Coast Repertory's literary team. Julianne Argyros Stage.

· Inside the Season: Saturday, April 29, from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Led by members of SCR's literary staff, this lively two-hour session features in-depth interviews with cast members and artists from SCR's production staff, offering insights into SCR's production of A Doll's House, Part 2. The morning includes a guided tour of the set. Julianne Argyros Stage. Tickets are $12 and may be purchased in advance or at the door.

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.

Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, founded in 1964 by David Emmes and Martin Benson, is led by Artistic Director Marc Masterson and Managing Director Paula Tomei. SCR is widely recognized as one of the leading professional theatres in the United States. While its productions represent a balance of classic and modern theatre, SCR is renowned for its extensive new-play development program, which includes the nation's largest commissioning program for emerging and established writers. Of SCR's 507 productions, one-quarter have been world premieres. SCR-developed works have garnered two Pulitzer Prizes and eight Pulitzer nominations, several Obie Awards and scores of major new-play awards. Located in Costa Mesa, Calif., SCR is home to the 507-seat Segerstrom Stage, the 336-seat Julianne Argyros Stage and the 94-seat Nicholas Studio. Visit www.scr.org for more information.