South Coast Repertory Presents New Musical CLOUDLANDS, Opens April 20

Love, secrecy and their consequences are the subject of Cloudlands, a new SCR-commissioned musical drama by Octavio Solis and Adam Gwon, directed by Amanda Dehnert.

Cloudlands tells the story of Monica, a Bay Area teenager, who stumbles upon a clandestine meeting between her mother, Caroline, and a mysterious stranger. What follows is a young woman’s quest for the meaning of love as she unravels a long-kept secret that irrevocably changes them all. The haunting tale is punctuated by live original music by Gwon, with lyrics by Solis and Gwon.

Opening night marks the culmination of a two-year development process of great intensity and depth.  According to Associate Artistic Director and Cloudlands dramaturg John Glore, “We have invested more financial and human resources into Cloudlands than any other commission in SCR’s 48 years of nurturing new plays, including four workshops and a staged reading in 2011’s Pacific Playwright’s Festival.” 

“This is a relationship that has borne many fruits,” said SCR Artistic Director Marc Masterson. “It’s a very special journey for all of us.”

Gwon’s first collaboration with SCR was 2010’s original musical Ordinary Days, while Solis’ relationship with SCR stretches back to the early ’90s, when his play Man of the Flesh had its world premiere there.  Dehnert is making her SCR directorial debut. Recent credits include Julius Caesar at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and she is a resident director with the Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island.

Addi McDaniel, who currently appears in the Off-Broadway show The Fantastiks, will make her SCR debut as Monica.  Katrina Lenk, who audiences will remember as trophy wife Michaela Kell in this season’s Elemeno Pea, will play Monica’s mother, Caroline. Caroline’s lover, Victor, will be portrayed by Joseph Melendez, who appeared in the 2000 Broadway revival of Jesus Christ Superstar, while Robert Mammana, whose many theatre credits include Les Miserables, Showboat, and Man of La Mancha, will appear as Caroline’s husband, Gerald. Rounding out the cast as Monica’s friend and former boyfriend, Kevin, is Adam Kaokept, who has performed in national tours of Mamma Mia!  and Bye Bye Birdie.

Honorary producers for this show are The Playwrights Circle. Cloudlands was commissioned and developed by South Coast Repertory with support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. SCR’s new play programs are also supported by the Shubert Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Elizabeth George Foundation. Special thanks to the Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust.

SHOW TIMES: Shows start at 7:45 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday nights, with matinees starting at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. 

TICKETS: Can 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. $20-$68.

BOX OFFICE WINDOW HOURS: 10 a.m. to showtime Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon to showtime Sundays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays and non-performance days.  American Express, VISA and MasterCard accepted.

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 Folino Theatre Center, part of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts.  Parking is available off Anton Blvd. on Park Center Drive. 

POST-SHOW DISCUSSIONS: Tuesday, April 24, and Wednesday, April 25. Discuss the play with members of the cast following the performance. Free.

“INSIDE THE SEASON:” Saturday, May 5, 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. A two-hour interactive session featuring set tours and Q&A’s with creative personnel. Tickets: $12. (Tickets to the show are sold separately.)

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