Lauren Yee's New Comedy SAMSARA Extends Thru June 7th at Chance Theater

Chance Theater is very excited to announce the extension of the highly theatrical comedy Samsara. The show, which is written by Chance Theater's 2015 resident playwright Lauren Yee, and directed by Benjamin Kamine, started performances on April 30 and was set to close today, May 31. However, due to overwhelming demand and positive reviews, Samsara will add two performances - Saturday, June 6 at 8pm and Sunday, June 7 at 7:30pm on the Second Stage at Chance Theater @ Bette Aitken theater arts Center.

Samsara is an insightful new comedy about Americans Katie and Craig, who are having a baby with Suraiya, a surrogate from India. As all three "parents" anxiously await the baby's due date, Katie and Suraiya are attacked by flights of their imagination: a seductive Frenchman and a sharp-tongued fetus. Fresh off its successful first production at Victory Gardens in Chicago, the Chance is excited to produce the West Coast Premiere of this hilarious and highly theatrical journey into 21st century parenthood.

This funny, insightful and alternative look at a group of people that are testing the limits of how far they'll go to make their dreams come true, was actually inspired by a 2008 article in The New York Times that profiled Indian surrogacy titled "India Nurtures Business of Surrogate Motherhood." It was an article that intrigued Lauren and she talked about it with several people, and their differing responses, including the repeated question "Does the baby come out brown?", felt like the concept of surrogacy "taps into this larger anxiety and wondering about how the circumstances by which you create a child influence who they are," said Yee. "That was the initial building blocks of Samsara."

The production team for Samara includes scenic designer Bruce Goodrich (She Loves Me), lighting designer Jeff Brewer (Inv enting Van Gogh), sound designers Jeff Polunas (Sarah Ruhl's Passion Play) and Ryan Brodkin (After The Revolution), costume designer Carole Zelinger, assistant director Desiree York, and stage manager Robin Shorter.

The cast for Samsara stars resident artists Jennifer Ruckman (Maple and Vine) and James McHale (A Celtic Holiday with Craic in the Stone), as well as Anisha Adusumilli, Ray Parikh and Jason Paul Evans, who make their Chance debut with this production.

To schedule press interviews, request photos, schedule press comps or for any additional information, please contact Casey Long at (714) 900-3284 or by e-mail at casey@chancetheater.com.

ABOUT CHANCE THEATER

Proud to be one of the leading ensemble-driven theatre companies in Southern California, CHANCE THEATER has won five Ovation Awards (including two for Best Production of a Musical--Intimate Theater for Triassic Parq -- The Musical and Jerry Springer: The Opera). The Chance also received an LADCC Award last year for its reimagined revival of West Side Story. The Anaheim City Council recently named Chance Theater "the official resident theater company of Anaheim". Twice named "Outstanding Arts Organization" by Arts Orange County, Chance Theater is also a recipient of the LADCC's Polly Warfield Award for Excellence. Founded in 1999, Chance Theater is focused on its goal of being Orange County's premiere mid-size contemporary theater by contributing to a more compassionate, connected, and creative community. As a constituent member of Theatre Communications Group, Network of Ensemble Theaters, and the LA Stage Alliance, Chance Theater continues to bring national attention to the Southern California and Orange County theater scenes.

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