Arkin, Gross Star In OUR MOTHER'S BRIEF AFFAIR 4/10-5/3

South Coast Repertory's Artistic Directors, David Emmes and Martin Benson, today announced the cast and creative team for the World Premiere of Richard Greenberg's Our Mother's Brief Affair, about two adult siblings who reunite to tend to their elderly mother and their astonishment to learn about her long-ago love affair. Commissioned by SCR and directed by Pam Mackinnon, Our Mother's Brief Affair will run from April 3 through May 3 on the Segerstrom Stage. Low-priced previews are available from April 3 through April 9. Opening night is April 10. Press night is Saturday, April 11 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets to Our Mother's Brief Affair may be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or in person at the SCR box office.

"It's always exciting for us to introduce a new Richard Greenberg play to the American theater," said David Emmes. "This is our ninth commission in an extraordinary 18-year relationship between this steadfast New Yorker and the playgoers of Orange County."

In Our Mother's Brief Affair, adult siblings Seth and Abby have come together to take care of their mother, Anna, who has come close to dying more than once. But this time something is different. This time Anna has a story to tell, about long-ago Saturday afternoons, about escorting young Seth to his viola lessons at Juilliard despite his constant protestations, and about what she did while he played scales - a love affair made out of weekly matinees at a small hotel, with a man whose name is synonymous with betrayal.

Richard Greenberg received the Tony Award for his play Take Me Out and is currently represented on Broadway by The American Plan, and the recent revival of Pal Joey, for which he wrote a new book. South Coast Repertory commissioned and presented the World Premieres of Richard Greenberg's The Extra Man, Night and Her Stars, Three Days of Rain (a Pulitzer Prize finalist and currently running on the West End), Hurrah at Last (PPF 1998), Everett Beekin (PPF 1999), The Violet Hour, A Naked Girl on the Appian Way (PPF 2005) and The Injured Party (PPF 2008). Our Mother's Brief Affair was presented as a staged reading at SCR's 2007 Pacific Playwrights Festival.

Pam Mackinnon returns to SCR to direct Our Mother's Brief Affair after staging the reading at PPF 2007. She is a frequent interpreter of the plays of Edward Albee, having directed A Delicate Balance at Arena Stage; The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? at the Alley Theatre and Vienna's English Theatre; The Play About the Baby at Philadelphia Theatre Company and Goodman Theatre; and the premieres of Occupant at Signature Theatre Company and Peter and Jerry (now titled At Home at the Zoo) at Hartford Stage Company and Second Stage Theatre.

The cast of Our Mother's Brief Affair features Matthew Arkin (Father/Lover), Arye Gross (Seth), Marin Hinkle (Abby) and Jenny O'Hara (Anna).

Matthew Arkin's Broadway credits include Losing Louie, The Sunshine Boys and Laughter on the 23rd Floor. His Off Broadway appearances include Dinner With Friends (Drama Desk nomination), Rounding Third, Indian Blood, You Should Be So Lucky and Moonlight and Magnolias. Film and television credits include Margot at the Wedding, Second Best, Raising Flagg, Death to Smoochy, "Rescue Me," all incarnations of "Law and Order," "Ed," "Third Watch," "All My Children" and "Simple Justice."

Arye Gross appeared in the World Premiere of Donald Margulies' Brooklyn Boy both at SCR and on Broadway. He was seen most recently in Julia Cho's The Winchester House at Theatre @ Boston Court, M. Butterfly at East West Players and the World Premiere of Chekhov X 4 with The Antaeus Company, of which he is a member and Associate Artistic Director. Films include the upcoming Grey Gardens for HBO Films, Harvest, Minority Report, Big Eden, Gone in 60 Seconds, A Midnight Clear and The Opposite Sex. Notable television guest appearances include "Law & Order" (SVU & CI) "Friends," "CSI" (Vegas & NY), "The Riches," "Grey's Anatomy," "The Practice" and "Six Feet Under." He was also a series regular on the ABC sitcom "Ellen" and CBS's short lived "Citizen Baines."

Marin Hinkle returns to SCR after appearing in the World Premiere of Kate Robin's What They Have last season. Her Broadway credits include Electra, A Thousand Clowns and The Tempest. She has appeared Off Broadway in The Dybbuk and Henry VIII at The Public Theater; Miss Julie at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater; and Blue Window at MCC. Marin Hinkle currently plays Judith in her sixth season on "Two and a Half Men" and played Judy on "Once and Again." Her other television appearances include "Brothers and Sisters," "Private Practice," "House" and "ER." Marin Hinkle's film credits include Friends with Money, Frequency, I Am Sam, Dark Blue, What Just Happened, She Lived, Quarantine, The Haunting of Molly Hartley and NowhereLand.

Jenny O'Hara's Broadway credits include The Odd Couple (the female version), The Iceman Cometh, Promises, Promises, The Kid and The Fig Leaves are Falling. Her Off Broadway credits include John Guare's New York Actor, Steve Martin's WASP and Peter Hedges' Good as New. Her television credits include recurring roles on "Big Love" and "King of Queens;" as well as being a series regular on "Costello," "Life's Work" and "My Sister Sam." Jenny O'Hara's film credits include Angie, Career Opportunities, Heartbeat, The Matchstick Men, Mystic River, Forty Shades of Blue and Two Weeks.

The creative team for Our Mother's Brief Affair includes Sybil Wickersheimer (Set Design), Rachel Myers (Costume Design), Lap-Chi Chu (Lighting Design), Michael K. Hooker (Sound Design), John Glore (Dramaturg) and Kathryn Davies (Stage Manager).

The Playwrights Circle is the Honorary Producer of Our Mother's Brief Affair. KOCE-TV is the Segerstrom Season Media Partner. KCRW and Orange County Business Journal are the Media Partners.

Associated events taking place during the run of Our Mother's Brief Affair include:

POST-SHOW DISCUSSIONS Wednesday, April 15 & Tuesday, April 21

Discuss the play with members of the Our Mother's Brief Affair cast during free post-show discussions led by South Coast Repertory's literary team after the 7:30 p.m. performances on April 15 and April 21.

INSIDE THE SEASON: Our Mother's Brief Affair Saturday, April 18, 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 School and Community Programs Director Linda Sullivan Baity and features creative personnel from South Coast Repertory's current production. Tickets are $12 each and can be purchased by calling the Box Office at (714) 708-5555. (Tickets to Our Mother's Brief Affair are sold separately.)

TICKETS to Our Mother's Brief Affair 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 on April 3 and continue through May 3. Ticket prices range from $20 to $64. Low-priced preview performances are available from April 3 to April 9. Performance times: Previews: Friday, April 3 and Saturday, April 4 at 8:00 p.m.; Sunday, April 5, Tuesday, April 7 and Wednesday, April 8 at 7:30 p.m.; and Thursday, April 9 at 8:00pm. Regular Performances: Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7:30 p.m.; Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m.; and Sunday evenings at 7:30 p.m. 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, April 11 at 2:30 p.m. ($10 Minimum) and an ASL-interpreted performance on Saturday, May 2 at 2:30 p.m.

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

 

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