Photo Flash: South Coast Repertory Announces 09-10 Season

SCR will also mount revivals of two Pulitzer Prize winners: Beth Henley's Crimes of the Heart and August Wilson's Fences. Tickets to South Coast Repertory's 2009-2010 Argyros, Segerstrom and Theatre for Young Audiences Seasons are currently available by subscription only and range from $42 to $495. Single tickets will be available to the public on August 10. Subscription packages may be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or in person at the SCR box office.

"SCR has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with Beth Henley, dating back to our 1985 commission and World Premiere of The Debutante Ball," said Producing Artistic Director David Emmes. "We are so pleased to be able to present Beth's Crimes of the Heart, which has become an American classic."

"This season we also continue to nurture our longstanding relationships with playwrights Noah Haidle, Howard Korder and Julie Marie Myatt, and are thrilled to introduce the exciting young composer and lyricist Adam Gwon to Southern California," added Artistic Director Martin Benson.

The complete 2009-2010 season is as follows:
Putting it Together words and music by Stephen Sondheim,
devised by Stephen Sondheim and Julia McKenzie (Sept. 11 - Oct. 11) Segerstrom Stage.
Putting It Together is a musical "review" of Stephen Sondheim's most memorable songs from such classic musicals as Sunday in the Park with George, Assassins, Company, Merrily We Roll Along, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, A Little Night Music and Sweeney Todd. SCR has previously produced five Sondheim musicals, the most recent being 2007's A Little Night Music. Nick DeGruccio directs.

The Happy Ones by Julie Marie Myatt (Sept. 27 - Oct. 18) Julianne Argyros Stage.
A suburban man and a Vietnamese refugee find common ground in this World Premiere set in 1970s Orange County, California. SCR commissioned the play, having previously produced the World Premiere of Julie Marie Myatt's My Wandering Boy. Her other plays include Boats on a River and Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter. Directed by Martin Benson.

Saturn Returns by Noah Haidle (Oct. 23 - Nov. 22) Segerstrom Stage.
Noah Haidle's newest play takes the audience through three stages of a man's life, on an inventive journey that bends time and offers surprises at every turn. Saturn Returns arrives at SCR for its West Coast Premiere after a successful New York run earlier this season. SCR presented the World Premieres of Haidle's Mr. Marmalade and Princess Marjorie, which was an SCR commission.

Ordinary Days music and lyrics by Adam Gwon (Jan. 3 - 24) Julianne Argyros Stage.
In this acclaimed new musical, four young New Yorkers trying to find their way in the world connect through a series of fortuitous events. Ordinary Days will open in New York this fall at the Roundabout Theatre Company before receiving its West Coast Premiere at SCR. Adam Gwon is the latest winner of the Fred Ebb Award for Excellence in Musical Theater Songwriting and was named one of "50 to Watch" by The Dramatist magazine.

Fences by August Wilson (Jan. 22 - Feb. 21) Segerstrom Stage.
August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play is the sixth in his historic ten-play cycle chronicling the African-American experience in the 20th Century. Set in the 1950s, the play centers on Troy Maxson, once a famous baseball player in the Negro Leagues who must reconcile his anger at past racial inequities with wanting the best for his family's future. SCR last visited the work of this extraordinary American playwright with its production of The Piano Lesson. Directed by Seret Scott.

In a Garden by Howard Korder (March 7 - 28) Julianne Argyros Stage.
Howard Korder returns to SCR with the World Premiere of In a Garden, a drama about an American architect who plays a game of cat and mouse with the Culture Minister of a Middle Eastern country while the world teeters on the brink of disaster. Prior to the full production, In a Garden will receive a staged reading at SCR's 2009 Pacific Playwrights Festival in May. His play Boys' Life was SCR's first NewSCRipts public reading in 1985 and went on to be nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. SCR has also presented the World Premieres of Korder's The Hollow Lands and Search and Destroy.

Crimes of the Heart by Beth Henley (May 7 - June 6) Segerstrom Stage.
SCR welcomes back Beth Henley with a revival of her Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Crimes of the Heart. Henley's humorous and heartwarming story of the Magrath sisters of Hazelhurst, Mississippi has charmed audiences around the world. SCR has previously presented the World Premieres of Henley's Abundance and The Debutante Ball, and most recently, the West Coast Premiere of Ridiculous Fraud.

(To Be Announced)
(March 26 - April 25) Segerstrom Stage and (April 11 - May 2) Julianne Argyros Stage.
Two World Premiere productions will debut as part of the 2010 Pacific Playwrights Festival.

The 2009-2010 Season will also include the holiday favorite, A Christmas Carol, celebrating its 30th season - and Hal Landon Jr.'s 30th year as the world's most famous miser - on the Segerstrom Stage Nov. 28 through Dec. 26.

SCR's Theatre for Young Audiences season features three lively and colorful productions for the entire family. All performances take place on the Julianne Argyros Stage.

Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business based on the books by Barbara Park,
book, lyrics and music by Joan Cushing (Nov. 6 - 22).
A delightful family musical starring Junie B. Jones, the sassy and irrepressible star of Barbara Park's bestselling series of children's books.

A Wrinkle in Time from the book by Madeleine L'Engle,
adapted by John Glore (Feb. 5 - 21).
The beloved 20th Century children's classic comes to life in this World Premiere adaptation by SCR's Associate Artistic Director John Glore. He previously adapted The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales for the Theatre for Young Audiences series. Directed by Shelley Butler.

Ben and the Magic Paintbrush by Bathsheba Doran (May 21 - June 6).
In this modern-day fairy tale, Megan earns pennies while painted silver as a human statue and her little brother Ben draws marvelous portraits with only a stubby pencil. When Ben is captured in a scheme to make millions with a magic paintbrush, it's up to Megan to save the day. An SCR commission and World Premiere.

The Pacific Playwrights Festival is one of the preeminent festivals of new plays in the United States. The 13th Annual Festival will take place April 23 - 25, 2010 and will feature seven new plays over three days.

SCR's 2009-2010 NewSCRipts Season consists of three Monday evening readings of plays by emerging and established writers. Past NewSCRipts play selections have included Three Days of Rain by Richard Greenberg, Sight Unseen by Donald Margulies and Wit by Margaret Edson. NewSCRipts readings will be presented on Oct. 26, Dec. 14 and March 1.

All selections are subject to change.

SEASON SUBSCRIPTIONS 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. Subscriptions to SCR's complete season of nine plays range from $279 to $495. Segerstrom Season subscriptions (5 plays) range from $155 to $275 and Julianne Argyros Season subscriptions (4 plays) $124 to $220. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 25 years of age and under, educators, seniors and new patrons under 35 years of age. Theatre for Young Audience subscriptions consist of three plays and range from $42 to $78. NewSCRipts subscriptions to three Monday night readings and a special subscriber choice reading at the Pacific Playwrights Festival are $40.

SINGLE TICKETS go on sale August 10.

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

Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, under the artistic direction of David Emmes and Martin Benson, is widely recognized as one of the leading professional theaters in the United States. Founded in 1964, SCR is committed to theater that illuminates the compelling personal and social issues of our time, not only on its stages but through its education and outreach programs. While its productions represent a balance of classic and modern theater, SCR is renowned for its extensive new play development program, including the Pacific Playwrights Festival. Of SCR's more than 435 productions, over 100 have been World Premieres with subsequent stagings achieving enormous success across America and around the world. SCR-developed works have garnered eight Pulitzer Prize nominations with Margaret Edson's Wit winning the prize in 1999 and David Lindsay-Abaire's Rabbit Hole in 2007. Located in Costa Mesa, California, in 2002 SCR opened the Folino Theater Center, an expanded three-theater complex that includes the 507-seat Segerstrom Stage, the 336-seat Julianne Argyros Stage and the 94-seat Nicholas Studio.

South Coast Repertory
2009-2010 SEASON
Segerstrom Stage

September 11 - October 11, 2009
PUTTING IT TOGETHER
words and music by Stephen Sondheim
devised by Stephen Sondheim and Julia McKenzie
directed by Nick DeGruccio

Putting It Together showcases 30 of Stephen Sondheim's most memorable songs from such classic musicals as Sunday in the Park with George, Assassins, Company, Merrily We Roll Along, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, A Little Night Music and Sweeney Todd. At a cocktail party in a posh Manhattan condo, a glamorous couple looks back on what went wrong, their young guests begin to fall in love and an astute observer comments upon the two relationships. SCR has previously produced five Sondheim musicals, the most recent being A Little Night Music.

October 23 - November 22, 2009
SATURN RETURNS
WEST COAST PREMIERE
by Noah Haidle

Eighty-eight-year-old Gustin is endearingly crabby and, according to his caregiver, perfectly healthy and in no need of care. But there are echoes in his home, echoes of the women he loved - and thought he couldn't live without. Gustin steps into those echoes and takes the audience with him through three stages of his life, on an inventive journey that bends time and offers surprises at every turn. SCR presented the World Premieres of Haidle's Mr. Marmalade and Princess Marjorie, which was also an SCR commission.

January 22 - February 21, 2010
FENCES
by August Wilson
directed by Seret Scott
Troy Maxson, once a famous baseball player in the Negro Leagues, is now a proud garbage collector, father, and husband. When his youngest son is offered a football scholarship, Troy must reconcile his anger at past racial inequities with wanting the best for his family's future. Set in the 1950s, Wilson's Pulitzer Prize-winning play is the sixth in his historic ten-play cycle chronicling the African-American experience in the 20th Century.

March 26 - April 25, 2010
(To Be Announced)
WORLD PREMIERE
The Segerstrom Stage season will feature a World Premiere production slated to debut during the 2010 Pacific Playwrights Festival.

May 7 - June 6, 2010
CRIMES OF THE HEART
by Beth Henley
Babe shot her husband because he looked funny, Meg just hit town from Hollywood and a nervous breakdown, Lenny's fast becoming an old maid and today her pet horse got hit by lightning. They're the Magrath sisters of Hazelhurst, Mississippi, and they're the invention of Beth Henley, who won the Pulitzer Prize for her warm and hilarious creation. SCR has previously presented the World Premieres of Henley's Abundance and The Debutante Ball, and the West Coast Premiere of Ridiculous Fraud.

Julianne Argyros Stage
September 27 - October 18, 2009
THE HAPPY ONES
WORLD PREMIERE
by Julie Marie Myatt
directed by Martin Benson
Orange County, California, 1975. For Walter Wells, it's the happiest place on earth. He is content with his beautiful wife, two great kids and a house with a pool until fate strikes a devastating blow, leaving Walter with no reason to put the pieces of his life back together. He resists attempts to help, especially the unexpected - and unwanted - offer from a Vietnamese refugee named Bao Ngo, who bears his own deep sadness. Then, across a cultural divide, Walter and Bao find a game to share, and a way back to the world of the living. SCR also presented the World Premiere of Myatt's My Wandering Boy.

January 3 - January 24, 2010
ORDINARY DAYS
WEST COAST PREMIERE
music and lyrics by Adam Gwon

In this acclaimed new musical, four young New Yorkers trying to find their way in the world become intricately connected through a series of funny and fortuitous events that prove ordinary days can be simply extraordinary. Ordinary Days will open in New York this fall at the Roundabout Theatre Company before receiving its West Coast Premiere at SCR. Adam Gwon is the latest winner of the Fred Ebb Award for Excellence in Musical Theater Songwriting and was named one of "50 to Watch") by The Dramatist magazine.

March 7 - 28, 2010
IN A GARDEN
WORLD PREMIERE
by Howard Korder
A summer house will adorn the garden of the Culture Minister of Aqaat, designed by American architect Andrew Hackett - if he should live so long. The Culture Minister takes a while to make up his mind and likes nothing better than to skirmish over the renderings - and his favorite Hollywood movies. Will the house be built before the two men, like their countries, change loyalties and find themselves caught up in history? In this cat and mouse game set against a global background, cultures clash and world views are turned upside down. SCR presented the World Premieres of Korder's Search and Destroy and The Hollow Lands.

April 11 - May 2, 2010
(To Be Announced)
WORLD PREMIERE
The Julianne Argyros Stage season will feature a World Premiere production slated to debut during the 2010 Pacific Playwrights Festival (April 23 - 25).

Annual Holiday Production
November 28 - December 26, 2009
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
(Segerstrom Stage)
by Charles Dickens
adapted by Jerry Patch
directed by John-David Keller

Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Orange County's beloved holiday family tradition, celebrates its 30th consecutive year at South Coast Repertory. And Hal Landon Jr., who stars as Ebenezer Scrooge, will be entertaining audiences for his 30th year with his memorable portrayal of the world's most celebrated miser.

Theatre for Young Audiences
November 6 - 22, 2009
JUNIE B. JONES AND A LITTLE MONKEY BUSINESS
book, lyrics and music by Joan Cushing
based on the books by Barbara Park

Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business follows a straight-talking strong-willed six-year-old girl through her feelings of frustration at having a baby brother on the way - all duly documented in her "Top-Secret Personal Beeswax Journal." Junie B. Jones is the sassy and irrepressible star of this delightful family musical based on Barbara Park's bestselling series of children's books. The Washington Post called it "tuneful, funny and bouncy - a treat in Crayola colors!"

February 5 - 21, 2010
A WRINKLE IN TIME
adapted by John Glore
from the book by Madeleine L'Engle
directed by Shelley Butler

A beloved children's classic comes to life in a new adaptation by SCR's Associate Artistic Director John Glore. In the tradition of Narnia and Harry Potter, this fantasy adventure sends Meg Murray and her little brother, Charles Wallace, on a quest across space and time to rescue their father from the evil, all-powerful IT. Meg and Charles have the magical help of three eccentric sisters named Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which and Mrs. Whatsit, but in the end they must rely on their own resources to accomplish their task. Glore previously adapted The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales for the Theatre for Young Audiences series.

May 21 - June 6, 2010
BEN AND THE MAGIC PAINTBRUSH
WORLD PREMIERE
by Bathsheba Doran

Commissioned by SCR, this enchanting story from olden times comes to life as a modern-day fairy tale through the magic of theater. Megan and Ben are two kids alone in the world. She earns pennies while painted silver as a human statue and her little brother draws marvelous portraits with only a stubby pencil. One fateful day, his artwork catches the eye of the conniving Mrs. Crawly, who has a scheme to make millions with a magic paintbrush. When she captures Ben and puts him to work, it's up to Megan to save the day.

Pacific Playwrights Festival
April 23 - 25, 2010
Since its creation in 1998, the Pacific Playwrights Festival has grown into one of the most important festivals of new scripts in the United States. The 2010 Festival will take place from April 23 through April 25 and feature five staged readings and two fully-staged World Premieres on South Coast Repertory's two major stages. SCR's eleven previous Festivals have introduced 81 new plays to the national stage including Amy Freed's The Beard of Avon, Lynn Nottage's Intimate Apparel, Nilo Cruz' Anna in the Tropics, Rolin Jones' The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow and David Lindsay-Abaire's Pulitzer Prize-winning Rabbit Hole.

NewSCRripts
Oct. 26, Dec. 14, 2009 and March 1, 2010
The NewSCRipts season features three Monday evening readings of plays by emerging and established writers on the cutting edge of American theater. After each reading, audience members engage in lively exchanges with the playwright and become active participants in the play's development. As a bonus, NewSCRipts subscribers join members of the theater community from across the country for a fourth "Subscriber's Choice" reading at the Pacific Playwrights Festival. Past NewSCRipts plays include Three Days of Rain by Richard Greenberg, Sight Unseen by Donald Margulies and Wit by Margaret Edson.

Photos by Henry DiRocco/SCR, and Ken Howard/SCR

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