Cast and Creative Announced for West Coast Premiere of HURRICANE DIANE

The Old Globe today announced the complete cast and creative team for the West Coast premiere of Hurricane Diane, the new unconventional, Obie Award-winning comedy from Pulitzer Prize finalist Madeleine George (The Sore Loser, The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence, Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England). Directed by James Vásquez (the Globe's Tiny Beautiful Things, the world premiere of American Mariachi, Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, upcoming Hair), Hurricane Diane will run February 8 - March 8, 2020 in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Preview performances run February 8-12. Opening night is Thursday, February 13 at 8:00 p.m. Single tickets on sale now, starting at $30.00, and can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE [234-5623], or by visiting the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park.

This unconventional new comedy from Pulitzer Prize finalist Madeleine George sees the Greek god Dionysus return to the modern world disguised as the butch gardener Diane, whose secret mission is to seduce mortal followers and restore the earth to its natural state. Where better to begin than with four real housewives from New Jersey? The New York Times cheered Hurricane Diane as an "astonishing new play," and New York Magazine hailed it as "hilarious and full of keen observation and profound human affection."

"Playwright Madeleine George swirls together a number of unlikely ingredients to make this remarkable play," said Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director Barry Edelstein. "She combines an ancient Greek play, the terrors of climate change, and the reality TV world of the various Real Housewives, and then adds a dollop of LGBTQ pulp fiction. The result is a funny and serious work about Mother Nature and human nature, and about the wild and crazy dilemmas that arise as each of us figures out how to respond to a changing natural environment. James Vásquez and a company of brilliant comediennes conjure a vivid theatrical storm that I'm thrilled to share with San Diego."

The cast includes Opal Alladin as Renee Shapiro-Epps (the Globe's Tiny Beautiful Things and Hamlet, Broadway's The Lifespan of a Fact, Tony Award-nominated Travesties, On Golden Pond opposite James Earl Jones, United 93), Jenn Harris as Pam Annunziata (the Globe's In Your Arms, Silence! The Musical, Lucille Lortel and Theatre World Awards for Modern Orthodox Off Broadway), Rami Margron as Diane (Pride and Prejudice at Long Wharf Theatre, Angels in America at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Macbeth and Pericles at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, upcoming "High Maintenance," "Ray Donovan"), Jennifer Paredes as Beth Wann (the Globe's American Mariachi, Twelfth Night, and Waking La Llorona), and Liz Wisan as Carol Fleischer (Broadway's Other Desert Cities, Gloria: A Life, DateMe: An OkCupid Experiment and These Paper Bullets Off Broadway).

The creative team includes Jo Winiarski (Scenic Design), Shirley Pierson (Costume Design), Cat Tate Starmer (Lighting Design), Drew Levy (Sound Design), Golden Howl (Original Music and Music Direction), David Huber (Dialect and Voice Coach), Caparelliotis Casting (Casting), and Jess Slocum (Production Stage Manager).

Madeleine George (Playwright) has written the plays The Sore Loser, Hurricane Diane (Obie Award), The (curious case of the) Watson Intelligence (Pulitzer Prize finalist, Outer Critics Circle John Gassner Award), Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England (Susan Smith Blackburn Finalist), Precious Little, and The Zero Hour (Jane Chambers Award, Lambda Literary Award finalist). She is a founding member of the Obie Award-winning playwrights collective 13P (Thirteen Playwrights, Inc.); the Mellon Playwright in Residence at Two River Theater in New Jersey; and the Fellow for Curriculum and Program Development at the Bard Prison Initiative at Bard College.

James Vásquez (Director) is happy to return to The Old Globe. Previously with the Globe, he directed the West Coast premiere of Tiny Beautiful Things, the world premiere of American Mariachi, Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Rich Girl, and Richard O'Brien's The Rocky Horror Show. He will direct Hair this summer. Vásquez received the Craig Noel Award for Outstanding Direction of a Musical in 2018 for In the Heights (Moonlight Stage Productions) and in 2010 for Sweeney Todd (Cygnet Theatre Company). His other recent directing/choreography credits include In the Heights (Dallas Theater Center), American Mariachi (Denver Center for the Performing Arts Theatre Company), Dr. Seuss's The Lorax (as associate director; Children's Theatre Company), The Addams Family and Chicago (Moonlight Stage Productions), West Side Story and Cats (San Diego Musical Theatre), the West Coast premiere of [title of show], Pippin, and Next Fall (Diversionary Theatre), and Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Pageant (Cygnet Theatre Company), as well as developmental workshops at La Jolla Playhouse and Goodspeed Musicals. Vásquez is an amateur gardener, lover of dogs, and graduate of The Juilliard School.

Hurricane Diane is supported in part through gifts from Production Sponsor U.S. Bank. Financial support is provided by The City of San Diego.

Additional events taking place during the run of Hurricane Diane include:

VICKI AND CARL ZEIGER INSIGHTS SEMINAR: Tuesday, February 11, 2020 at 6:00 p.m.
This series provides an opportunity to closely connect with productions both onstage and backstage. A panel selected from the artistic company of each show (playwrights, actors, directors, designers, and/or technicians) engages patrons in an informal and illuminating presentation of ideas and insights to enhance the theatregoing experience. FREE; no reservations necessary.

SUBJECT MATTERS: Saturday, February 22, 2020
Explore the ideas and issues raised by a production through brief, illuminating post-show discussions with local experts, such as scientists, artists, historians and scholars. Subject Matters will ignite discussion, bring the play's concerns into sharp focus, and encourage you to think beyond the stage! Subject Matters discussions follow select Saturday matinee performances. FREE; no reservations necessary.

POST-SHOW FORUMS: Tuesdays, February 18 and February 25; Wednesday, March 4, 2020
Join us after the show for an informal and enlightening question-and-answer session with cast, crew, and/or Globe staff members. Get the inside story on creating a character and putting together a professional production. FREE for ticketholders of that evening's performance.

OPEN-CAPTION PERFORMANCE: Saturday, March 7, 2020 at 2:00 p.m.
Open captioning is live text displayed simultaneously to the performance and does not require the user to have any special equipment for viewing the text. Please contact our Ticket Services Department at (619) 23-GLOBE (234-5623) or Tickets@TheOldGlobe.org to purchase tickets within view of the captioning screen. Tickets for open-caption performances go on sale on the single-ticket on-sale date and are subject to availability. Support for open captioning is provided in part by TDF. This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

SINGLE TICKETS for Hurricane Diane start at $30.00 and are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased online at www.TheOldGlobe.org, by phone at (619) 23-GLOBE [234-5623], or at the Box Office at 1363 Old Globe Way in Balboa Park. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 29 years of age and under, seniors, military members, and groups of 10 or more.

PERFORMANCES begin on February 8 and continue through March 8, 2020 in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, part of the Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Preview performances will run February 8-12. Opening night is on Thursday, February 13 at 8:00 p.m. Regular performances: Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m., Thursday and Friday evenings at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. There will be an additional matinee performance on Wednesday, February 26 at 2:00 p.m., and no matinee performance on Saturday, February 29.

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