Laguna Playhouse Continues Season with THE SEAFARER

Laguna Playhouse presents the third show in its 98th season with the perfect show for Halloween, the Tony Nominated Best Play, THE SEAFARER, written by Conor McPherson (The Weir) and directed by Ovation Award winner Michael Matthews (The Graduate).

Executive Director Ellen Richard comments, "I love the writing in this play so much and we are thrilled to be presenting it, especially at this time of year." Adds Artistic Director Ann E. Wareham, "I've looked forward to producing this play for 10 years and the moment has arrived. An exceptional cast, an extraordinary director and a play that is funny, chilling and a perfectly spooky Irish ghost story for the season!"

THE SEAFARER will begin previews on Wednesday, October 17; will open on Sunday, October 21 at 5:30pm and perform through Sunday, November 4, 2018 at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Drive in Laguna Beach.

It's Christmas Eve in a small coastal village north of Dublin, and Sharky has returned to look after his irascible, aging brother who's recently gone blind. As Sharky attempts to stay off the bottle during the holidays, he contends with old drinking buddies Ivan and Nicky, who are holed up at the house too, hoping to play some cards. With the arrival of a stranger from the distant past, the stakes are raised ever higher and Sharky may be playing for his very soul.

Michael Matthews (Director):Cabaret (Celebration Theatre),The Graduate (Laguna Playhouse), End of the Rainbow (Laguna Playhouse & McCoy-Rigby/La Mirada),12 Angry Men (Laguna Playhouse), Failure; a Love Story (CTG/Kirk Douglas Theatre), Billy and Ray (Laguna Playhouse), Dream Boy (LA Premiere), Bootycandy (LA Premiere; LADCC Nomination, Production), Failure; a Love Story (Ovation Award Best Director) (LA Premiere), Sons of the Prophet (LA Premiere), Psyche; a Modern Rock Opera (World Premiere),Rabbit Hole (McCoy-Rigby/La Mirada), Funny Girl (3D Theatricals, Ovation Nomination Best Director), Peter Pan; The Boy Who Hated Mothers (LA Weekly Nominations Best Director and Best Production, Play; LA Premiere), Very Still and Hard To See (LA Weekly Nominations Best Director and Best Production, Play; World Premiere), The Color Purple, The Musical (Ovation and LA Weekly Awards Best Director and Best Production, Musical), What's Wrong With Angry? (Ovation Nominations Best Director and Best Production, Play), Take Me Out! (Ovation Nomination Best Director, NAACP Award Best Director), The Women of Brewster Place, the Musical (Ovation Nomination Best Director, NAACP Award Best Director, Ovation Award Best Production, Musical; West Coast Premiere), Stupid Kids (LA Premiere), Beautiful Thing (Ovation Nominations, Best Director and Best Production, Play), The Bacchae (Ovation Nominations, Best Director and Best Production, Play), Broadway: Butley (Assistant Director). Chicago: What's Wrong With Angry? (Jeff Nominations, Best Director and Best Production), In The Blood (Jeff Nominations, Best Director and Best Production), Porcelain (Jeff Nomination, Best Director), The Judas Kiss (Chicago Premiere), Being 11 (World Premiere), and...for colored girls who have considered suicide.... International: The Bacchae (Edinburgh Theatre Festival, 2010). Michael is the recipient of the 2015 LADCC Award for Career Achievement in Direction and was nominated for Artist of the Year by the Laguna Beach Arts Alliance in 2018.

Conor McPherson (Playwright) was born in Dublin in 1971. He attended the University College in Dublin, where he began to write and direct. His plays include Rum & Vodka, The Good Thief, This Lime Tree Bower, St. Nicholas, The Weir(Olivier Award, Best Play), Dublin Carol, Port Authority, Shining City (Tony Award nomination, Best Play), and The Seafarer (Tony Award nomination, Best Play). Film work includes "I Went Down," "Saltwater," Samuel Beckett's "Endgame," and "The Actors." Other awards include the George Devine Award; Critics' Circle Award; Evening Standard Award; Meyer Whitworth Award; Stewart Parker Award; two Irish Film & Television Academy Best Screenplay Awards; CICAE Best Film Award, Berlin Film Festival ("Saltwater"); Best Film and Best Screenplay Awards, San Sebastian Film Festival ("I Went Down").

The cast of THE SEAFARER will feature:

Stephen Caffrey (Mr. Lockhart) has been a stage actor in New York and across the country for over 25 years. On film and television he starred and directed the series Tour of Dutyfor over 3 seasons on CBS. Emmy nomination for his year on All My Children. Leading roles in many TV movies and mini-series, and Sundance Film Festival winner Longtime Companionas well as numerous guest star appearances including the famous "Yada Yada" episode of Seinfeld. He was more recently seen in Cinema Veriteon HBO and recurring on NBC's American Odyssey. His stage work includes shows at New York Theatre Workshop, Classic Stage, Mark Taper Forum, Geffen Playhouse, Geva, Seattle Rep., Cleveland Playhouse, Cincinnati Playhouse, ACT, Berkeley Rep., Old Globe, and many others.

JOHN COLELLA (Nicky) is very happy to be back at Laguna Playhouse. He was last seen here as one of the angriest of 12 Angry Men last fall. Other theatre credits include: Cabaret (Celebration Theatre), Cyrano in Cyrano de Bergerac, Sideways, and Italian American Reconciliation (Ruskin Group Theatre), NiagaraFalls(Theatre of NOTE), It's Just Sex (Secret Rose Theatre). TV/Film credits include: Silicon Valley (recurring), The Fosters, Hawaii Five-O, Scorpion, Extant, The Soul Man, Hot In Cleveland, Criminal Minds, Girl Walks Into A Bar, and The Chicago 8.

JD Cullum (James "Sharky" Harkin) is delighted to return to Laguna Playhouse after recently appearing in Clybourne Park. A veteran of Southern California theater, he has starred in plays at the Mark Taper Forum, South Coast Repertory, Geffen Playhouse, Kirk Douglas Theater, Pasadena Playhouse, A Noise Within, and the Antaeus Company where he recently appeared in Pinter's The Hothouse. Other recent appearances include: Tolstoy in Suffolk (Studio C Artists), As You Like It (Antaeus) For Piano And Harpo (Garry Marshall Theater), and All The Wayat South Coast Repertory. On camera credits include The Orville, Aquarius, and Bones.

Michael A. Shepperd (Ivan) is the Artistic Director of Los Angeles' award-winning Celebration Theatre. Directing credits include: The Boy From Oz(Ovation Award, LADCC Award, Best Director), Rotterdam(LADCC Award Best Production, Stage Raw award Best Production, Best Director), Laughter on the 23rd Floor(Director of the Year, Scenie Award) The View Upstairs(BWW, Best Director). Michael is a Resident Director for The Blank Theatre's Young Playwrights Festival. Acting roles include Fences (Troy; Ovation, LADCC Nominations), Bootycandy (LADCC nom, Ovation, Stage Raw Win), The Color Purple (Mister; Ovation award), Steel (Ovation Award), Master Harold and the Boys (NAACP theatre nom), Intimate Apparel (NAACP Award), Choir Boy (NAACP nom) and Shout Sister Shout. Broadway/Regional credits include: Cathy Rigby is Peter Pan, Little Shop of Horrors, Caroline, or Change, Whipping Man. TV: Curb Your Enthusiasm, Soul Man, Hot In Cleveland, Wizards of Waverly Place, Monk, Criminal Minds, NCIS.

John Vickery (Richard Harkin) Those with very long memories may remember John Vickery's work at the La Jolla Playhouse and The Old Globe in the 1980's, playing Romeo, Macbeth, Brutus, and Trigorin, amongst others. He has performed extensively throughout Southern California at the Mark Taper Forum, South Coast Rep, and, most recently, in the ensemble cast of Casa Valentina at The Pasadena Playhouse and as Mark Rothko in Red at San Diego Rep. He was the original Scar in the Broadway and LA productions of The Lion King. Broadway credits include The Real Thing, The Sisters Rosensweig, Ned & Jack, Eminent Domain, and Macbeth. Starting in 2008, John spent 5 years at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival where he played the title role in Titus Andronicus

The Design Team for THE SEAFARER is as follows: Scenic Design by Stephen Gifford; Lighting Design by Tim Swiss; Sound Design by Kate Wecker; Costume Design by Alex Jaeger; Dialect Coach is Tuffet Schmelzle; and the Production Stage Manager is Vernon Willet.

The season is generously underwritten by The Hale Family. THE SEAFARER is produced and underwritten by Laura and Louis Rohl.

THE SEAFARER will begin previews on Wednesday, October 17; will open on Sunday, October 21 at 5:30pm and perform throughSunday, November 4, 2018 at the Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Drive in Laguna Beach.

Performances will be Wednesdays through Fridays at 7:30pm; Saturdays at 2pm & 7:30pm; Sundays at 1:00pm. There will no performance on Sunday, October 21 at 1:00pm. There will be added performances on Thursday, October 18 at 2pm; Tuesday, October 23 at 7:30pm; Sunday, October 28 at 5:30pm and Thursday, November 1 at 2pm.

Tickets range from $55 - $85 and can be purchased online at www.lagunaplayhouse.com or by calling (949) 497-ARTS (2787). Group discounts are available by calling 949-497-2787 ext. 229. Prices subject to change.

The box office is open Mondays - Saturdays: 11a.m. to 5 p.m. (open until showtime on performance days); Sundays: 11a.m. - 4p.m.

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