Photo Flash: SATURN RETURNS At South Coast Rep

As Saturn Returns opens, 88-year-old Gustin (Nick Ullett) is explaining to his home health nurse that he has called her not because he's sick, but because he's lonely. His daughter is gone. His wife is gone. But, we learn, their presence still fills the house. This inventive, time-bending story soon introduces us to 58-year-old Gustin (Conor O'Farrell) and his daughter, Zephyr, as well as 28-year-old Gustin (Graham Michael Hamilton) and his wife, Loretta. (Kristen Bush plays all three female roles.) SCR's Producing Artistic Director David Emmes directs.

Saturn Returns enjoyed a run last year at Lincoln Center in New York. But this isn't just a remounting of that production. Haidle has continued to work on the play since then, including during early rehearsals at SCR.

"I don't think you could ever be finished with anything, because then what would you do the next day?" joked Haidle, who says he once got up in the middle of the night to change lines in a play that had already been published and was sitting on his bookshelf. "Nothing's perfect; nothing's ever finished. Everything can always be better."

The play takes its name from an astrological phenomenon known as the Saturn Return: Each time Saturn nears the position in the sky it held at the time of a person's birth, astrologists believe, that person undergoes a major life transformation. It takes Saturn about 29.5 years to orbit the sun, so these major changes occur roughly every 28 to 30 years.

Opening night is Oct. 30. Press night is Saturday, Oct. 31, at 7:45 p.m. Tickets may be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or in person at the SCR box office.

The Saturn Returns creative team includes Nelson T. Eusebio III (assistant director) Ralph Funicello (set design), ), Nephelie Andonyadis (costume design), Lonnie Rafael Alcaraz (lighting design), Kimberly Egan (sound design) Kelly Miller (dramaturg) and Chrissy Church (stage manager). Bette and Wylie Aitken are the Honorary Producers. KOCE-TV is the Segerstrom Stage Media Partner, and the Orange County Business Journal is the show sponsor.

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. Performances begin Oct. 23 and continue through Nov. 22. Ticket prices range from $20 to $65. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 25 years of age and under, educators, seniors and groups of 15 or more. There will be a "Pay-What-You-Will" performance on Saturday, Oct. 31 at 2:30 p.m. ($10 minimum) and an ASL-interpreted performance on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 2:30 p.m.

POST-SHOW DISCUSSIONS: Wednesday, Nov. 4, and Tuesday, Nov. 10
Discuss the play with members of the Saturn Returns cast during free post-show discussions led by South Coast Repertory's literary team after the 7:30 p.m. performances on Nov. 4 and 10.

INSIDE THE SEASON: Saturday, Nov. 7, 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. $12
Inside the Season is a series of interactive classes that provide a comprehensive inside look at the theatrical production process. Each two-hour class is led by Literary and Education Associate Linda Sullivan Baity and features creative personnel from South Coast Repertory's current production. Inside the Season is offered on select Saturday mornings from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 each and can be purchased online at www.scr.org, by calling (714) 708-5555 or in person at the box office. (Tickets to Saturn Returns are sold separately.)

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