book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux original concept and direction by Floyd Mutrux inspired by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins Originally directed for SCR by James Moye
Co-directed by Kim Martin-Cotten Sept. 13–Oct. 19, 2025
by Lloyd Suh directed by Jennifer Chang Oct. 26–Nov. 16, 2025
Get ready for a place born of the healing powers of breakthroughs and tranquility. This is where community meets innovation. Where game-changing research takes place beside soul-affirming nature. All in the name of a healthier Orange County. Discover the new UCI Health — Irvine hospital.
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Our stages offer a range of works. The 507-seat Segerstrom Stage and the 336-seat Julianne Argyros Stage bring to life a combination of classics, contemporary hits and works by the nation’s most promising playwrights, as well as family-friendly plays through our Theatre for Young Audiences and Families offerings. The 94-seat Nicholas Studio is home to student productions from our Theatre Conservatory, as well as readings and workshops for plays being developed through our new-play initiative, The Lab@SCR.
We contribute to the canon of American theatre through The Lab@SCR—the theatre’s comprehensive, collaborative, new-play development infrastructure. Through our commissioning program—one of the largest in the nation—we invest in playwrights at various stages of their careers—including a $60,000 Pinnacle Award—offer residences, workshops and readings for works-in-process, and develop new American musicals. More than 350 new plays have resulted from commissions given to more than 245 playwrights, with more than 60 writers currently on commission. Audiences participate in the process through public play readings and the renowned Pacific Playwrights Festival
Each year, kids, teens and adults attend acting, improv and playwriting classes in our Theatre Conservatory, while our Neighborhood Conservatory serves students through after-school acting classes in underserved schools and community centers. Our students are featured in three annual productions ( Junior, Teen and Summer Players) and work with professional designers and creative teams.
We engage the community in dialogue around each production through our lineup of post-show conversations, Inside the Season interactive sessions with artists, as well as our website, program notes, blog stories, social media and YouTube channel. Get connected at scr.org.
@SouthCoastRepertory
@SouthCoastRep
We foster the next generation of theatregoers through special ticket programs, benefitting students—many of whom are experiencing live theatre for the first time. More than half attend free through Theatre for Young Audiences student matinees (grade school) and the Theatre Access program (high school a nd college). Deep discounts are available for student groups and individuals. As participants transition into adulthood, they are invited to join MyStage, a membership program that encourages 15-to-25-year-olds to engage in our work and see plays at minimal cost.
OUR MISSION: South Coast Repertory was founded in the belief that theatre is an art form with a unique power to illuminate the human experience. We commit ourselves to exploring urgent human and social issues of our time, and to merging literature, design, and performance in ways that test the bounds of theatre’s artistic possibilities. We undertake to advance the art of theatre in service of our community, and aim to extend that service through educational, intercultural, and community engagement programs that harmonize with our artistic mission.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Tickets (714) 708-5555
Administration (714) 708-5500
Email: theatre@scr.org
Emmes/Benson Theatre Center
655 Town Center Drive, P.O. Box 2197, Costa Mesa, CA 92628-2197
Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Visit scr.org for performance times, box office hours and ticket prices
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: South Coast Repertory respectfully acknowledges its presence on the traditional land of the Tongva People. With gratitude, we honor the land and the people, past and present, who have stewarded it through the generations.
EDITORS
Brian Robin
Bil Schroeder
Heather Van Holt
WRITER
Brian Robin
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Jeff Levy
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Glenda Mendez
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Diana Gonzalez
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Walter Lewis
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Thank you for joining us as we celebrate South Coast Repertory’s 62nd season!
It does my heart good sharing space with you, gathering in our theatres, connecting through the inimitable experience of live theatre. You are moments away from interfacing with varied productions curated with care and built right here in Costa Mesa on our campus by a fully committed and really terrific staff. You are moments away from a series of “beginnings.” Welcome.
Million Dollar Quartet by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux returns to SCR after a very limited (and successful) run at Mission San Juan Capistrano as part of Outside SCR. I love Million Dollar Quartet . It’s raucous and fun, wildly entertaining and joyful as they come. We intentionally open the season with “the musical,” an art form created right here in the USA. We felt instantly excited about sharing this production with a wider SCR audience and it all seems perfectly suited as part of the American Icons series we debuted several seasons ago.
Million Dollar Quartet celebrates the early career and beginning of Sam Phillips, the owner of the legendary Sun Records, and the meteoric rise of Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash, all of whom find themselves inside Sun Records one magical December evening in 1956. As they— along with Elvis’ girlfriend Dyanne—grapple with early identity, they employ their limitless musical talents to not only sort out life, but to entertain, enlighten and commune. One look at the song list and you’ll instantly recognize
their impact on global popular culture; one song into the show and you’ll be smiling ear to ear. Put on your blue suede shoes, you’re in for a wonderful ride.
Adjacent to the Segerstrom Stage, you’ll find Lloyd Suh’s quieter, poignant and charming play The Heart Sellers on the Julianne Argyros Stage. Set 17 years after Million Dollar Quartet 's epic jam session, it too paints a portrait of “beginnings” as two young women—Luna and Jane—find themselves alone on Thanksgiving after having emigrated to the U.S. by way of the Hart-Celler Act.
Set on the most American of holidays— Thanksgiving— The Heart Sellers bolsters the everyday hero, women looking for place, hunting for context, longing for friendship. By turns funny and sad, Lloyd reminds us that not all traditions are universal but the need for basic human connection, regardless of where you’re from, is fundamental. Lloyd says that “he writes about the past to access the future” and that The Heart Sellers “explores the forces of history and its influence on identity.” It’s a really lovely play by a really talented writer.
I’m so happy you are here at the beginning of the season. Please let me know if I can add any context or support to enrich your SCR experience. I’m always happy to hear from you!
Enjoy!
David Ivers Artistic Director ivers@scr.org
Where better than South Coast Repertory to find community while feasting o n great entertainment for the heart a nd mind? The fall has always been my favorite season—and this time of harvest and gatherings is special at SCR.
If you are new to our theatre, returning after some time away or a dedicated longtime subscriber excited to experience our 62nd season from your favorite seats, WELCOME! You’ll find new opportunities to meet other patrons and learn about some special fall events connected to our shows.
Both Million Dollar Quartet and The Heart Sellers are fundamentally about the joy in gathering with other people that you know a little but respect a lot, finding out what you have in common and what you can create together.
If you are interested in gathering with other theatregoers and hearing from this season’s artists, community experts and our artistic leadership, SCR has several special programs. To discover more about our postshow Actor Talks and Community Conversations about Music & Americana ( Million D ollar Quartet , Sept. 28), and Food & Culture (T he Heart Sellers , Nov. 19), as well as our Inside the Season interviews with artists on Saturday mornings, go to scr.org/talks. New this fall is a very special event I hope you’ll want to experience with us. We are hosting The Longest Table, a free community dinner bringing people together over f ood and conversation, Saturday, Nov. 8 at 5 p.m. outside on SCR’s Ela’s Terrace. South
Coast Repertory will provide the tables and chairs, and we invite you to bring a dish to share that represents your culture or community. Why are we hosting The Longest Table? We hope you’ll try something new, connect with other patrons and perhaps talk about theatre—no strings attached. RSVP at SCR. org/TheLongestTable.
There are so many ways to find community at SCR. Our subscribers tell us they l ove seeing many of the same people each time they attend and have developed lasting friendships with their fellow audience members. Opening Night subscribers know that t he post-show cast parties make for a perfect night out. And kids, teens and adults who take classes in our Theatre Conservatory have found new connections in training programs built for every level of student.
As always, Artistic Director David Ivers and I encourage you to reach out and share what we are doing well and how we can improve your guest experience. Contact me any time at Suzanne@SCR.org.
Warmly,
Suzanne Appel Managing Director
Productions suitable for the whole family!
adapted by Jerry Patch directed by Hisa Takakuwa
NOV. 29–DEC. 28, 2025
Segerstrom Stage
Ages 6+. Children under age 6 will not be admitted.
book & lyrics by Karen Zacarias music by Deborah Wicks La Puma directed by Sara Guerrero
FEB. 20–MAR. 8, 2026 • Julianne Argyros Stage Theatre for Young Audiences & Families
Recommended for ages 4+
the music of Ludwig Van Beethoven written & performed by Hershey Felder directed by Joel Zwick
JUNE 10–21, 2026
Segerstrom Stage
Recommended for ages 8+
Two Tony Award-winning plays performed in repertory, alternating nightly, with one set, overlapping casts and unlimited firepower!
JAN. 23–MAR. 21, 2026 • Segerstrom Stage by Yasmina Reza translated by Christopher Hampton directed by Marco Barricelli
Recommended for ages 16+
Part of the Pacific Playwrights Festival, SCR's annual showcase of new plays by Talene Monahon directed by Caitlin Sullivan
APR. 12–MAY 3, 2026
Julianne Argyos Stage
directed by Lisa Rothe
Recommended for ages 16+
Recommended for ages 16+ by Reggie D. White directed by Lili-Anne Brown a co-production with Arena Stage
APR. 25–MAY 23, 2026
Segerstrom Stage
Recommended for ages 16+
Join us as an Honorary Producer with a gift of $12,500 or more, which provides vital philanthropic support for our artists and productions. In return, you’ll receive unparalleled access to the creative process — from early rehearsals to design presentations, and even exclusive dinners with the artists on Opening Night.
Contact Clare Kiklowicz
Talya Nevo-Hacohen, President
Michael R. Hards, Vice President/Advancement
Timothy J. Kay, Vice President/Development
Bruce Wagner, Vice President/Finance
Giulia Newton, Vice President/ Community Relations
Suzanne Appel
Shauna Bradford
David Chase
Sophia Hall Cripe
Laura Cushing
David M. Emmes, PhD
Susan Hori
David Ivers
Lea Kong
Sarah McElroy
Tara Netherton
Regina Oswald
Mark Peterson
Susan Shieldkret
Tammy Tang
Ernesto M. Vasquez
Julia Voce
Nickie Williams
Felix Yan
PRESIDENTS CIRCLE
Wylie A. Aitken
N. Christian Anderson
Thomas W. Britton Jr.
Sophia Hall Cripe
Maury DeWald
J. Steven Duncan
J. Michael Hagan
Lawrence M. Higby
Mrs. Lawrence M. Higby
Damien M. Jordan
John P. Kensey
Ronald L. Merriman
Peter M. Ochs
Thomas D. Peckenpaugh
Thomas D. Phelps
Alan Slutzky
Geoffrey L. Stack
Thomas C. Sutton
Samuel Tang
Timothy Weiss
HONORARY TRUSTEES
Julianne Argyros
Timothy Weiss
EMERITUS TRUSTEES
Barbara Glabman
Lydia Wang Himes
Betty Eu Huang
Olivia A. Johnson
Teri Kennady
Mrs. Ann L. Mound
Barbara Roberts
Laurie Smits Staude
Sue Stern
Mrs. Delane J. Thyen
Socorro Vasquez
Elaine J. Weinberg
Tod White
SCR subscribers share how the series illuminates the past and expands their understanding
by Brian Robin
As Denise Chilcote, a 15-year South Coast Repertory subscriber, watched Lorraine Hansberry’s masterpiece, A Raisin in the Sun, she thought back to her upbringing—in a white, middle-class Chicago home during a racially turbulent time when whole neighborhoods in largely Black communities were razed for superhighways.
And she felt more than the pull of history. She felt the words of an American Icon speaking to her from six decades ago.
“You were aware of what was going on even if you didn’t experience it first-hand. And Lorraine Hansberry is wonderful. Her stories are wonderful,” Chilcote said.
When it played on the Julianne Argyros Stage in the fall of 2023, A Raisin in the Sun became the first SCR play produced as part of the American Icons series, which SCR Artistic Director David Ivers described as stories “about living or deceased people who contributed something of power or impact to our country.”
Ivers got the idea the year before, when Million Dollar Quartet closed the 2021-22 season as part of
Outside SCR and Nina Simone: Four Women opened the following season. Ivers said American Icons neatly fits his personal goal of programming plays that take us on a two-way path: going forward, then taking our minds and eyes back to where we’ve been. He wanted to explore how figures in various pockets of American history impacted that path.
The beauty of the American Icons series, which also included last season’s Joan—Daniel Goldstein’s play about legendary comedian Joan Rivers—is that the plays speak to audiences in different ways. That goes back to the varied experiences audience members bring when they see an American Icons play. How does the play speak to them?
There was Chilcote’s experiences growing up in the south suburbs of Chicago, performing in community theatres, a combination that not only brought a newfound appreciation of Hansberry—but also helped her discover newfound relevance in another Icon: Rivers.
“I knew a lot about her life and I was aware of her going back to the 1960s, but there were some new
things in the play I did not know about her. But that’s the one that had the most appeal to me,” she said. “… She was just fighting everything: sexism, even her struggles in her home when her mother preferred she marry a nice, Jewish doctor. What she did was brave, really brave and she was honest about her life.”
Mary and Steve Camarillo of Huntington Beach use their love of history to burnish their appreciation of the American Icons. In 2017, the 30-plus-year-SCR subscribers went to Alabama, where they saw the 16th Street Baptist Church, the site of the 1963 bombing featured prominently in Nina Simone: Four Women. Steve grew up in Santa Ana, and described a city segregated by similar red-lining laws as the Younger family experienced in A Raisin in the Sun.
He also talked about working nights and get-
ting home in time to catch Rivers on “The Tonight Show.” Seeing Joan brought another layer of knowledge about one of his favorite comedians.
“When she talked about her husband, that became really powerful stuff,” he said.
Mary said she wasn’t a Joan Rivers fan, but appreciated learning more about her life. It helped her understand “she had a lot of horror in her life.”
“It’s important for Americans to know their history and I appreciate SCR adding to that information. It’s not always comfortable, but I don’t go to the theAbove: Andrew Borba, Tessa Auberjonois, Elinor Gunn and Zachary Prince in South Coast Repertory's 2024 world premiere of Joan by Daniel Goldstein. Below: Richard Baskin Jr., Arie Bianca Thompson, Chibuba Osuala, Jennifer Leigh Warren and Meredith Noël in the 2022 SCR production of Nina Simone: Four Women by Christina Ham.
62nd Season • 559th Production
JULIANNE ARGYROS STAGE /OCTOBER 26 - NOVEMBER 16, 2025
David Ivers ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Suzanne Appel MANAGING DIRECTOR
David Emmes & Martin Benson FOUNDING ARTISTIC DIRECTORS present
by Lloyd Suh
Tanya Orellana SCENIC DESIGN
The Telsey Office
Brian Sutow, CSA Rose Bochner, CSA CASTING
Anthony Tran COSTUME DESIGN
Pablo Santiago LIGHTING DESIGN
Adrian Trujillo Centeno DRAMATURG
Directed by Jennifer Chang
Apriem Advisors SEASON PRODUCERS
Timothy & Marianne Kay/ Argyros Family Foundation
HONORARY PRODUCERS
Melanie Chen Cole SOUND DESIGN
Darlene Miyakawa PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER
Samuel & Tammy Tang HONORARY PRODUCERS
Production and engagement support provided by The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation
The Heart Sellers was commissioned by Milwaukee Repertory Theatre as part of the John (Jack) D. Lewis New Play Development Program, Mark Clements, Artistic Director, Chad Bauman, Executive Director, and received its first public performance on February 7, 2023
The Heart Sellers is presented through special arrangement with and all authorized performance materials are supplied by TRW PLAYS 1180 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 640, New York, NY 10036 www.trwplays.com
Luna .................................................................. Nicole Javier
Jane ................................................................... Narea Kang
SETTING: Luna’s apartment, in a mid-sized U.S. city.
Early evening, Thanksgiving Day. November 22, 1973.
LENGTH: Approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.
Assistant Stage Manager ..................................... Kyrsten Goodrich
Production Assistants .............. Christine Antaramian, Gia Battista Figueroa
Casting ......................... Tiffany Little Canfield, CSA; Josh Einsohn, CSA
Assistant Director ......................................... Ludmila de Brito
Dialect Coach ........................................... Joy Lanceta Coronel
Associate Scenic Designer ............................... Danielle DeLaFuente
Assistant Lighting Designer .................................. Azra King-Abadi
Costume Design Assistant ........................................ Alisha Patel
Guitar Co-Composition ...................................... Michael Grieve
Costume Intern ............................................. Rebecca Mcclaran
Light Board Operator ................................... Hannah Gates- Ferla
A1/Sound Board Operator .................................. Jordan Buckelew
Deck Crew ..................................................... Ben Morrow
Wardrobe Supervisor/Dresser .................................... Jillian Pricco
Wig, Hair, and Makeup Technician ................................ Alex Guerra
The Actors and Stage Managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
Cellular phones, beepers and watch alarms should be turned off or set to non-audible mode during the performance. Please refrain from unwrapping candy or making other noises that may disturb surrounding patrons.
Photos may be taken before and after the show, and during intermission, but not during the performance itself. Smoking, including the use of vaping, is not permitted anywhere in the theatre.
by Adrian Trujillo Centeno
On October 3, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed the Immigration and Nationality Act beneath the Statue of Liberty, confidently declaring it would “not reshape the structure of our daily lives.” Known colloquially as “Hart-Celler,” coined in acknowledgement of its two Senate sponsors, the Act aimed to eliminate the national origins quota system that had favored Northern and Western Europeans since the 1920s. What Johnson didn’t anticipate was how this well-intentioned reform would trigger one of the most dramatic demographic transformations in American history while simultaneously facilitating new forms of discrimination that persist today.
The old quota system had been brutally explicit in its prejudice. Building on the work of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the 1924 National Origins Act broadened and further restricted Asian immigration. Additionally, the Act allocated immigration slots based on the ethnic composition of America in 1890,
ensuring that 70 percent of all permitted immigrants came from just three countries: Britain, Germany and Ireland. The Hart-Celler Act replaced this racial hierarchy with supposedly neutral criteria: family reunification and professional skills.
The results were revolutionary. Between 1960 and 2014, the Asian American population rose from fewer than one million to more than twelve million. Countries previously shut out—the Philippines, South Korea, India, Taiwan—suddenly became major sources of American immigration. But this transformation came with hidden costs that policymakers hadn’t fully considered.
An immediate impact was felt in the Western Hemisphere. For the first time in American history, the Hart-Celler Act imposed numerical limits on immigration from Latin America and the Caribbean—120,000 annually, later reduced to 20,000 per country. Previously, Mexicans had moved relatively freely across the border, with their labor actively recruited through organized efforts, such as the Bracero Program. Now they faced caps and queues. The unin-
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Immigration Act as Vice President Hubert Humphrey, Lady Bird Johnson, Muriel Humphrey, Sen. Edward (Ted) Kennedy, Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, and others look on.
tended consequence was predictable: unauthorized immigration from Mexico began a steep climb in the 1970s, establishing one step toward the “illegal immigration crisis” that dominates national politics today.
Meanwhile, the Act’s emphasis on skilled professionals triggered what one might euphemistically call “brain drain,” or the systematic extraction of educated talent from so-called developing nations. The Philippines provides the starkest example, as a majority of employed Filipino RNs choose to work outside the country. Since 1960, over 150,000 Filipino nurses have emigrated to the United States, leaving their homeland chronically short of medical professionals. These weren’t isolated individual choices, but systematic flows driven by American immigration policy and institutional recruiting.
Behind these statistics lie the stories of accompanying spous-
“Aes, predominantly women whose own personal and professional aspirations were sacrificed for their husbands’ American dreams. Im
stable communities. The emphasis on skilled migration persists in H-1B visas and other professional programs, which continue to drain
fter receiving a master’s at RPI [Rens selaer Polytechnic Institute], Ellen Liu’s boyfriend planned to settle in Taiwan. Then, without consulting her, he obtained a job at General Electric. In 1986 he returned for their wed ding, after which they left. Never having flown be fore, Ellen remembers being fearful during the trip. One of her most vivid memories is placing an order at Wendy’s. The clerk asked “what kind of sauce do you want?” She had no idea what the clerk was talking about. She was so embarrassed! Those first weeks, she cried daily. Later, Ellen and her hus band divorced; she now lives in Taiwan.”
—Dr. Suzanne Model, Ethnic and Racial Studies
(she/her) is elated to return to SCR where she previously appeared in Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and to now reprise her role as Luna from the world premiere of The Heart Sellers at Milwaukee Repertory Theater. Her select regional credits include The Heart Sellers (Milwaukee Rep & Northern California tour), The Book of Will, Animal Farm, A Christmas Carol, Metamorphoses, All’s Well That Ends Well (A Noise Within), The Glass Menagerie (San Francisco Playhouse), Mrs. Christie, tokyo fish story (TheatreWorks Silicon Valley), Rapture, Blister, Burn (Aurora Theatre Company), Edith Can Shoot Things & Hit Them (Crowded Fire Theater) and Diana: The Musical (La Jolla Playhouse). Television credits include “Nemesis” (Netflix) and “Bosch Legacy” (Amazon Freevee). Film credits include Sorority and We’re All Gonna Die. Javier is currently a faculty member at Pasadena City College and resident artist at A Noise Within. She earned her MFA in Acting at UC San Diego and a BFA in Theatre Performance at Chapman University. nicolejavier.com, @nicjavi.
(she/her) is proud to make her SCR debut and reprise her role as Jane from the world premiere of The Heart Sellers at Milwaukee Repertory Theater. Her select Off Broadway/New York credits include Cymbeline (National Asian American Theatre Company), Madonna col Bambino (Ars Nova and New Ohio Theatre) and Salty (Lyra Theater). Select regional credits include The Heart Sellers (TheatreWorks Silicon Valley), The Chinese Lady (Denver Center for the Performing Arts), White Pearl (Studio Theatre) and The Hard Problem (American Conservatory Theater). Television credits include “Law & Order: SVU” (NBC) and “Betty” (HBO) and her film credits include
Jules . She earned her MFA in Acting at American Conservatory Theater. @nareakang
l loyD s uh ( Playwright ) is the author of plays including The Far Country (2023 Pulitzer Prize Finalist), The Heart Sellers, The Chinese Lady, Franklinland, Bina’s Six Apples, American Hwangap and many others. His work has been produced across the country, including at Atlantic Theater Company, The Public Theater, Alliance Theatre, Huntington Theatre Company, Berkeley Repertory and with Ma-Yi Theater Company and Ensemble Studio Theatre among others, and internationally at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and with PCPA at the Guerilla Theatre in Seoul, Korea. Awards include the Steinberg Playwright Award, the Horton Foote Prize, the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts, and the Guggenheim Fellowship. He was elected in 2016 to the Dramatists Guild Council, and serves as a Professor of the Practice at Princeton University.
J ennifer c hang ( Director ). Her select directing credits include A Doll’s House, Part 2 (Pasadena Playhouse), Primary Trust (Barrington Stage, BTCA Award Outstanding Direction; and TheaterWorks Hartford, Connecticut Critics Circle Award Outstanding Production), What Became of Us (world premiere, Atlantic Theater Company), The Far Country (West Coast premiere, Berkeley Repertory, 10 SFBACC nominations), King of the Yees (Signature Theatre DC, Helen Hayes nomination Best Production), On Gold Mountain with LA Opera, The Heart Sellers by Lloyd Suh (world premiere, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Aurora Theatre Company and Capital Stage) and Vietgone (LADCC Award for Best Direction). New play, musical development and residencies: Ojai Playwrights Conference, Berkeley Rep’s The Ground Floor, Mercury Store, Geffen Playhouse, Williamstown Theatre Festival, Pasadena Playhouse, Ashland New Plays Festival, O’Neill Playwrights Conference, New Harmony Project, Center Theatre Group, Sông Collective, Black and Latino Playwrights’ Conference, Theater Mu, Chance Theater, Boston Court Pasadena, PlayOn!, Circle X, East West Players and Artists at Play. She
is Head of Acting at UCLA’s School of Theater Film and Television. She is a member of SDC, AGMA, SAG-AFTRA and AEA. Drama League New York Fellowship, Classical Directing Fellow at The Old Globe, Zelda Fichandler Award Finalist. BFA, NYU; MFA, UCSD. changinator.com.
t anya o rellana ( Scenic Design ) designs performance spaces for theatre, opera, and immersive experiences. Select credits include Littleboy/Littleman (Geffen Playhouse); Don’t Eat The Mangos (Huntington Theatre Company); What Became of Us (Atlantic Stage 2); the Mexico premiere of Angels in America (National Autonomous University of Mexico); Derecho (La Jolla Playhouse); Mother Road (Berkeley Repertory); As You Like It (Oregon Shakespeare Festival) Fefu and her Friends, Big Data, Private Lives (American Conservatory Theatre); Where Did We Sit on the Bus (Denver Center for the Performing Arts); For The People (Guthrie Theater); Stew, One of the Good Ones (Pasadena Playhouse) and Alma (Kirk Douglas Theatre). Orellana is engaged in a long term collaboration with Virginia Grise; Rasgos Asiáticos—a traveling scenic installation using sound, light and objects to conjure narratives of immigration and migration in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. She earned her MFA at CalArts and is a 2016 Princess Grace Fabergé Theatre Award winner. tanyaorellana.com
anthony tran (Costume Design) is a Costume Designer for theatre, film, and television. Theatre credits include the world premieres of Vietgone (South Coast Repertory/Manhattan Theatre Club), The Heart Sellers (Milwaukee Rep), A Doll’s House, Part 2 (Pasadena Playhouse), Triassic Parq (Chance Theater, Ovation nomination) and La Cage Aux Folles (East West Players, LA Drama Critics Circle Award nomination). For television, he designed the final season of “Star Trek: Discovery” (Paramount+) and “How I Met Your Father” (Hulu). Film costume design work includes Excision (Sundance premiere), Bad Milo! (SXSW premiere) and Magic Camp (Disney+). anthonytran.net
Pablo santiago (Lighting Design) is a live performance and digital film lighting designer, originally from Chiapas, Mexico. He is the winner of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Kinetic Lighting Award and the Orange Curtain Review Award for Best Lighting, as well as the Henry Award, Richard Sherwood Award, Stage Raw Awards and multiple Ovation Award nominations. His designs aim to find evocative images that
embody the emotional moment of the show and create images that can spark the imagination of the audience to worlds beyond the stage. Returning to South Coast Repertory for the fourth time, Santiago’s resume includes The Kennedy Center, Teatro Municipal São Paulo Brazil, Santa Fe Opera, LA Opera, Opera Omaha, Detroit Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Boston Lyric Opera, Long Beach Opera, Opera Columbus, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Opera Santa Barbara, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Goodman Theatre, Arena Stage DC, BAM-Harvey Theater, Geffen Playhouse, Mark Taper Forum, Denver Center, Broad Museum, Kirk Douglas Theatre and Hollywood Bowl.
M elanie c hen c ole (Sound Design) (she/her) is a San Diego-based sound designer. SCR credits: The Little Foxes, Appropriate and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Regional theatre credits include Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Alley Theatre, Alliance Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Cleveland Play House, Dallas Theater Center, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Geffen Playhouse, Goodman Theatre, Huntington Theatre Company, Indiana Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, McCarter Theatre, Milwaukee Rep, Northern Stage, The Old Globe, PlayMakers Repertory Company, Studio Theatre and the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Education: MFA in Theatre and Dance from UC San Diego. melaniesound.com, @melaniechencole.
a Drian t ruJillo c enteno (Dramaturg) (he/ him) is a Los Angeles-based dramaturg who champions contemporary American playwrights. He’s developed and supported new works at South Coast Repertory, San Diego Repertory Theatre, Cleveland Play House, Yale Indigenous Performing Arts Program and New York Stage & Film, among others. A passionate advocate for emerging voices, Trujillo Centeno has served on grant panels and selection committees for the National Endowment for the Arts, The Public Theater, Signature Theatre, The Playwrights’ Center and the Latinx New Play Festival. He is also an affiliate dramaturg with Beehive Dramaturgy Studio in New York City. Trujillo Centeno earned his master’s degree from UC Santa Cruz, where he was recently honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award. Previously serving as literary manager at Playwrights Arena and Boston Court Pasadena, he currently holds dual roles as Assistant Professor of Theatre Studies at Cal State Long Beach and Artistic Director of Seven Devils New Play Foundry. Website: Luchaturgy.com
the telsey office (Casting) With offices in both New York and Los Angeles, The Telsey Office casts for theatre, film, television and commercials. The Telsey Office is dedicated to creating safe, equitable and anti-racist spaces through collaboration, artistry, heart, accountability and advocacy. Please visit thetelseyoffice.com for our credits.
Darlene MiyaKawa (Production Stage Manager) is happy to return to SCR this season! Previous SCR credits include The Staircase ; Wish You Were Here ; Galilee, 34; A Raisin in the Sun; Coleman ’72; Sheepdog and Ella Enchanted. Other companies worked at include Arizona Theatre Company, Barrington Stage, California Symphony, East West Players, Fort Worth Opera, Geffen Playhouse, Getty Villa, Geva Theatre, LA Opera, LA Philharmonic, Long Beach Opera, New York City Opera, Opera Maine, Opera San Antonio, Opera San Jose, Opera Santa Barbara, Piedmont Opera, The Old Globe, Tri-Cities Opera, Watermill Festival and West Edge Opera.
K yrsten g ooDrich (Assistant Stage Manager) (she/ her) was born and raised in California where she received her BA in Theatre from CSU Chico in 2016 and her MFA in Stage Management from UC Irvine in 2021. She is focused on implementing anti-racist training and stage intimacy training into all her work and enjoys guest lecturing for Stage Management courses whenever possible. Her credits include The Incredible Book Eating Boy (South Coast Repertory); The Inheritance: Part 1 & Part 2 , Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and others (Geffen Playhouse); The Rocky Horror Show (Cygnet Theatre); Escape to Margaritaville , Steel Magnolias , A Christmas Carol and The Amish Project (Theatre SilCo); The Spongebob Musical, Young Frankenstein, The Who’s Tommy, Tuesdays with Morrie, Cabaret, Jesus Christ Superstar and others (Clinton Area Showboat Theatre); and Disney’s The Little Mermaid and Chicago (The Lexington Theatre Company). Cheers!
D aviD i vers (Artistic Director) is responsible for the overall artistic operation of the theatre. The 201920 season was the first he programmed for SCR and during that season, he directed She Loves Me. In addition, he directed the 2024 production of Joan—both the world premiere at SCR and the 2025 East Coast premiere at Barrington Stage Company—the 2021 Pacific Playwrights Festival reading of Coleman ’72 by Charlie Oh and the 2022 reading of Spenser Davis’ A Million Tiny Pieces. He spent August 2023 directing
Honorary Producers are the unseen heroes behind SCR productions. They underwrite the shows, providing essential financial support. Their generosity, combined with the talent on stage and backstage, creates the world-class theater SCR is known for. Apriem Advisors is our 2025-26 Season Producer. Honorary Producers for The Heart Sellers include Timothy & Marianne Kay/ Argyros Family Foundation, Samuel & Tammy Tang . Additional support provided by The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation and the Directors Circle . Snap the QR code to read more about them.
Guthrie Theater’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest . He was last seen onstage at SCR as John in Richard Greenberg’s world premiere of A Shot Rang Out and as part of his SCR tenure, created the theatre’s Outside SCR program in partnership with Mission San Juan Capistrano. Prior to his appointment as Artistic Director, he directed the SCR-Berkeley Repertory Theatre co-production of One Man, Two Guvnors. Before arriving to SCR in his current capacity, Ivers was artistic director for Arizona Theatre Company and, before that, served more than 20 years as an actor and director at Utah Shakespeare Festival, with the last six as artistic director. He was a resident artist at Denver Center for the Performing Arts for a decade, acting in and/or directing more than 40 plays, and has helmed productions at many of the nation’s leading regional theatres, including the Guthrie Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Berkeley Repertory Theatre and South Coast Repertory. Ivers’ early career included serving as associate artistic director of Portland Repertory Theatre and appearing in productions at some of the nation’s most prestigious theatres, including Portland Center Stage and the Oregon, Alabama and Idaho Shakespeare festivals. He has taught at the University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, Southern Utah University and Southern Oregon University. He earned his BA from Southern Oregon University and his MFA from the University of Minnesota.
s uzanne a PPel (Managing Director). For more than two decades, Suzanne Appel has pursued a personal mission to bring people together through trans-
formative experiences led by form-challenging artists. Working in partnership with Artistic Director David Ivers and reporting to the Board of Trustees, Appel is responsible for providing strategic leadership for SCR’s long-term sustainability and growth. She oversees SCR’s business operations, including fund-raising, marketing and community relations. Her accomplishments as Managing Director of Off-Broadway’s Vineyard Theatre (2017-2024) include expanding the revenue-generating capacity of the organization, bringing on seven new board members, negotiating a two-production, industry-first producing partnership with Audible (David Cale’s Harry Clarke and Ngozi Anyanwu’s Good Grief), and transferring four Tony-nominated productions to Broadway. She is perhaps most proud of working with Artistic Director Sarah Stern to keep all Vineyard Theatre full-time staff employed during the COVID pandemic and developing a 2022-26 plan raising all arts worker wages. Appel joined The Vineyard after serving as Director of External Affairs for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Prior to her role at Hubbard Street, she served as Managing Director at Cutting Ball Theater in San Francisco, where she nearly doubled the organization’s operating budget and built a two-plus-month operating reserve in four years. She was awarded the Alfred Drake Award from Brooklyn College, an honor given to an accomplished theatre professional who has made significant contributions to the American theatre. Her previous positions include roles with Dance Theater Workshop, Yale Repertory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Wesleyan University. Her volunteer work includes serving on the Board for Arts Orange County and South Coast Metro Alliance. Previously, she served as Chair of the Wesleyan Fund (2020-24). She is a graduate of Wesleyan University, Yale School of Drama and Yale School of Management (MFA/MBA).
M artin b enson ( Founding Artistic Director ), (Mar. 15, 1937-Nov. 30, 2024) co-founder of SCR, directed nearly one-fifth of SCR’s productions, including the 2020 production of Outside Mullingar. In 2008, he and David Emmes received the Margo Jones Award for their lifetime commitment to theatre excellence and fostering the art and craft of American playwriting. They also accepted SCR’s 1988 Tony
Award for Outstanding Resident Professional Theatre and won the 1995 Theatre LA Ovation Award for Lifetime Achievement. Benson received the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Distinguished Achievement in Directing an unparalleled seven times for George Bernard Shaw’s Major Barbara , Misalliance and Heartbreak House; John Millington Synge’s Playboy of the Western World ; Arthur Miller’s The Crucible ; Sally Nemeth’s Holy Days ; and the world premiere of Margaret Edson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Wit, which he also directed at Seattle Repertory Theatre and Houston’s Alley Theatre. He directed American classics such as A Streetcar Named Desire, and distinguished himself in staging contemporary work, including the critically acclaimed California premiere of William Nicholson’s Shadowlands . He directed revivals of Beth Henley’s Abundance and Horton Foote’s The Trip to Bountiful; and Samuel D. Hunter’s The Whale and Rest (world premiere); The Whipping Man by Matthew Lopez; and The Roommate by Jen Silverman (West Coast premiere). Benson received his BA in Theatre from San Francisco State University.
D aviD e MMes ( Founding Artistic Director ) is co-founder of South Coast Repertory. He received the Margo Jones Award for his lifetime commitment to theatre excellence and to fostering the art of American playwriting. In addition, he has received numerous awards for productions he has directed during his SCR career. He directed the world premieres of Amy Freed’s Safe in Hell, The Beard of Avon and Freedomland; Thomas Babe’s Great Day in the Morning; Keith Reddin’s Rum and Coke and But Not for Me; and Neal Bell’s Cold Sweat; the American premieres of Terry Johnson’s Unsuitable for Adults ; and Joe Penhall’s Dumb Show; and the Southland premiere of Top Girls (at SCR and the Westwood Playhouse). Other productions he has directed include Red, New England, Arcadia , The Importance of Being Earnest , Woman in Mind and You Never Can Tell, which he restaged for the Singapore Festival of Arts. He has served as a theatre panelist and onsite evaluator for the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as a panelist for the California Arts Council. After attending Orange Coast College, he received his BA and MA from San Francisco State University and his PhD from USC.
atre to necessarily be comforted,” Mary said. “I like to be challenged.”
So does Varla Newbury-Knauss of Newport Beach, who has been an SCR subscriber for 41 years. Seeing Joan took her back to a night in February 2007, when she saw the American Icon perform her Joan Rivers: A Work in Progress by a Life in Progress at the Geffen Playhouse. Seeing Joan gave Newbury-Knauss another lens with which to view Rivers.
“I thought they conveyed it and her voice very well, the way she presented things,” she said. “The more you learn about people, the more you like them and I certainly liked her more after seeing the play.”
Seeing both Joan and A Raisin in the Sun reinforced why Newbury-Knauss embraces the theatre and the purpose of the American Icons. Going in, you may not know about Chicago’s segregated history, where the passionate activism of Nina Simone came from or how Joan Molinski became Joan Rivers. But coming out of the theatre, you know why they are American Icons.
“What I like about theatre is that it always expands my mind and gives us exposure to a culture we may or may not know about,” Newbury-Knauss said.
“… I don’t know about a lot of other cultures. I always appreciate having exposure to that. Sometimes, I like the information I get and sometimes I don’t agree with it. But it always makes me think.”
David Ivers, Artistic Director • Suzanne Appel, Managing Director
David e mmes & Martin Benson, Founding Artistic Directors
Maisie Chan, Production Manager • Clare Kiklowicz, Director of Development
Andy Knight, Director of The Lab@SCRu • Lori Monnier, General Manageru
Bil Schroeder, Marketing & Communications Directoru
Hisa Takakuwa, Conservatory & Educational Programs Directoru
Artistic
Joanne DeNaut, Casting Director for The Lab@SCRu
H. Adam Harris, Artistic/ Audience Engagement Associate
Rob Salas, Artistic Coordinator
Nancy Levy, Artistic Assistant/ Company Manageru
Jerry Patch, Resident Dramaturgu
Business
Hugo Sanchez, Finance Director
Dean Lissner, Information Technology Manager
Jyll Christolini, Associate General & Human Resources Manager
Kim Fleming, Assistant to the Managing Directoru
Cathi Moore, Lead Accountantu
Martha Ruiz, Payables Accountant
Kathie Kuehnu, Sheila Lane, Jack Millis, Front Office Assistants
Front oF House
Angela Watson, Front of House Manager
Ana Flücku, Marita Navarrou, David Vien Nguyen, Zachary Goldsmith, Melanie Pyle, Vita Muccia, Kathy Young, House Managers
David Belowich, Marciano Ceballos, Angel Dumapias, Drew Hendricksonu, Denise Hughes, Troy Hughes, Katrina King, Eric Rodriguez, David Rusiecki, Stroller White, Bartenders
conservAtory And educAtion
Holly Van Holt, Conservatory Manageru
Nick Slimmer, Conservatory and Educational Programs Associate
Awni Abdi-Bahri, Joe Alanesu,
David Jayden Anthony, Greg Atkinsu, Jasmine O'Hea Bastian, Diana Burbanou, Julieta Garza, H. Adam Harris, Brenda Kenworthy, Kristina Leachu, Erin McNallyu, Martin Noyes, Erica Schaeffer, Jenny Schniepp, Tom Sheltonu, Richard Sotou,
Christopher Sullivanu, Mercy Vasquezu, Conservatory Instructors
Rachel Bailey, Mady Lopez, Madison Melendes, Vita Muccia, Finn Sullivan, Conservatory and Educational Programs Associates
development
Shianne Gray, Assistant Director of Development, Events
Steven Garry, Annual Fund Manager
Kari Venaas, Development Coordinator
Emily Theys, Grantwriter
FAcilities & operAtions
Benny Verdugo, Facilities & Operations Manager
Javier Estrada, Assistant Facilities & Operations Manageru
Jenelle Huck, Facilities & Operations Coordinator
Aaron Cruz, Facilities & Operations Associate
Sidney Aptaker, Duane Boyleu, Dara Okamura, Nathan Swiderski, Operations Assistants
mArketing & communicAtions
Kat Alvarez, Assistant Director of Marketing
Heather Van Holt, Digital Media & Publications Manageru
Nicholas Pilapil, Social Media & Video Manageru
Ron Miranda, Graphic Designer
Margaret Jordan, Marketing Coordinator
ticket services
Celina Rodriguez, Ticket Services Director
Michael Cañas, Associate Ticket Services Director
David Anis, Associate Ticket Services Director
Angel Dumapias, Kevin Garcia, Elise Lindenau, Montse Romero, Ticket Services Supervisors
Eileen Carrasco, CJ Lazatin, Cristina Matadama-Soto, Yasmine Reid, Collette Rutherford, Ticket Services Representatives production
Karlee Perego, Associate Production Manager
Gloria Perez, Production Coordinator scenery
Leo Surach, Technical Director
John Gaddis IV, Assistant Technical Directoru
Kelden Downs, Draftsperson/ Scenic Technician
Matthew Mullin, Head Carpenter
Caleb McKinney, Scenic Carpenter
Ben Morrow, Automation Carpenteru
u 30 or more years of service u 20 or more years of service u 10 or more years of service. Full-time staff as of Sept. 1, 2025
Angi Grow, Scenic Charge Artist
Lisa Erickson, Assistant Charge Artist ProPs
Christopher R. Baab, Props Supervisor
Madi Joseph, Assistant Props Supervisor
Babs Radtke, Props Artisan costumes
Amy L. Hutto, Costume Shop Manageru
Sean Castro, Costume Supervisor
Laurie Donati, Full Charge Costumeru
Isabella Weiand, Cutter/Draper
Jillian Pricco, Wardrobe Supervisor Wigs
Jenni Gilbert, Wig, Hair, & Makeup Supervisor
Alex Guerra, Wig, Hair, & Makeup Technician
electrics
Kara Ramlow, Lighting Supervisor
Hannah Gates-Ferla, Electrician/Light
directors
Board Operator
Adam Manning, Electrician/Light Board Operator
sound and video
John Favreau, Sound & Video Supervisor
Jordan Buckelew, Audio Engineer/Board
Op
stage management
Jamie Berry, Lauren Buangan, Caleb Cook, Kathryn Daviesu, Kyrsten Goodrich, Talia Krispelu, Jenny Ludwig, Darlene Miyakawa, Julian Olive
Production assistants
Gia Battista, Raven Chatt, Lyla Flashman, Jennifer Ludwig, Kiya Sakari
Brian Robin/BearTitan Publications, Media Representative
Haskell & White LLP, Auditors
Jones Day, Legal Services
Marco Barricelli • Lili-Anne Brown • Wiley DeWeese • Jennifer Chang • Sara Guerrero • Kim Martin-Cotten • James Moye • Lisa Rothe • Caitlin Sullivan • Hisa Takakuwa • Deborah Wicks La Puma • Joel Zwick
designers
Lonnie Rafael Alcaraz • Jos N. Banks • Melanie Chen Cole • Thomas Buderwitz • Drew Dalzell • Efren Delgadillo, Jr. • Brandon PT Davis • Josh Epstein • Melanie Falcon • Kish Finnegan • Elena Flores • Regina Garcia • Marissa Herrera • Amy Hutto • Alex Jaeger • Tim Mackabee • Nita Mendoza • Christopher Scott Murillo • David Nevell • Tanya Orellana • Kathy A. Perkins • Andre Pluess • Michael Polak • Jeff Polunas • Donna Ruzika • Tom Ruzika • Pablo Santiago • Anthony Tran
PLAYWRIGHTS & COMPOSERS CURRENTLY
Actors
Thomas Anawalt • Larry Bates • Tommy Beck • Diana Burbano • Chris Clark • JP Coletta • Richard Doyle* • Eduardo Enrikez • Armando Gutierrez • Austin Gutierrez • Kaci Hamilton • Doshima Iyorlu • Louis Lotorto • Michael Manuel • Matthew MacNelly • Ana Marcu • William Francis McGuire • David Nevell • Sharon Omi • Jennifer Parsons • Michael Polak • Rustin Cole Sailors • Erika Schindele • Nick Slimmer • Richard Soto • Sam Saint Ours • Wyatt Wireman *Founding Artist
Since 1983, SCR has awarded 358 commissions to 247 playwrights, composers and lyricists. These are the theatre’s most effective means of supporting and developing long-term relationships with writers.
jose sebastian alberdi • Luis Alfaro • Aurora de Asua • Jane Bruce • Eleanor Burgess • Julia Cho • Mia Chung • Spenser Davis • Evelina Fernández • Lindsey Ferrentino • Selina Fillinger • Amy Freed • Michael Golamco • Daniel Goldstein • José Cruz González • Dipika Guha • Adam Gwon • Jennifer Haley • Ike Holter • Naomi Iizuka • Branden Jacobs-Jenkins • Rajiv Joseph • Claire Kiechel • Michael John LaChiusa • Kimber Lee • Mike Lew • Shayan Lotfi • Martyna Majok • Molly Smith Metzler • Michael Mitnick • Dominique Morisseau • Ana Nogueira • Charlie Oh • Liliana Padilla • Eliana Pipes • Kemp Powers • Ankita Raturi • Eliana Theologides Rodriguez • Valen-Marie Santos • Heidi Schreck • Madhuri Shekar • Jen Silverman • Charise Castro Smith • Octavio Solis • Susan Soon He Stanton • Sanaz Toossi • Sarah Treem • Mfoniso Udofia • York Walker • Emma Watkins • Else Went • Habib Yazdi • Lauren Yee • Karen Zacarías
South Coast Repertory is pleased to recognize and thank our generous major donors. The following includes donors who have contributed $10,000 or more cumulatively to SCR’s Annual Fund, including special event fundraisers in the past year. Many donors listed below have served as Season Sponsors, Honorary Producers, New Work Sponsors, Playwrights Circle members and Education Sponsors.
$100,000 AND ABOVE
Apriem Advisors*
Julianne & George Argyros/Argyros Family Foundation*
The Nicholas Endowment
Michael Ray
The Segerstrom Foundation
The Shubert Foundation
$50,000 TO $99,999
Richard & Lisa de Lorimier
Laurie & Steve Duncan
The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust
Talya Nevo-Hacohen & Bill Schenker*
Susan Shieldkret & David Dull*
Samuel & Tammy Tang* U.S. Bank
Socorro & Ernesto Vasquez
$25,000 TO $49,999
Anonymous (2)
Leona Aronoff-Sadacca*
Bank of America
James & Rhonda Ducote
Elizabeth George Foundation
Adrian & Kristen Griggs
Haskell & White LLP*
Susan K. Hori
Sarah J. McElroy*
Stephen G. and Regina Oswald Foundation
Pacific Life Foundation
Sabra Health Care REIT
Elizabeth Segerstrom*
Peter & Joy Sloan
South Coast Plaza
Julia Voce*
Jean & Tim Weiss
Nickie & Mickey Williams*
$15,000 TO $24,999
Capital Group
Sophie & Larry Cripe*
Sandy Segerstrom Daniels*
Michael & Janet Hards*
Richard Hess
Hans & Valerie Imhof
Tim & Marianne Kay*
Schalon & Giulia Newton*
OneRoot Foundation
Barbara U. Roberts
Richard & Elizabeth Steele Endowment Fund
$10,000 TO $14,999
Canterbury Consulting*
David & Suzanne Chonette
Margaret M. Gates
Elaine & Mike Gray
Patricia Houston*
S. Leslie Jewett & Patrick Paddon*
Scott Jordan
The Kobrin Family
Joel & Judy Slutzky
James Sommerville
John & Michelle Williams
Gregory Zaret
CORPORATE HONORARY PRODUCER
($15,000 AND OVER)
PARTNERS ($7,500-$14,999) Schweickert & Company
SPONSORS ($5,500-$7,499) Canterbury Consulting*
BENEFACTORS ($3,000-$5,499) Crowe LLP Gibson Dunn
SullivanCurtisMonroe Synchrony Montauk TriGuard*
SUSTAINER ($1,500-$2,999) DMV, Inc.
*Opening Nights subscriber
South Coast Repertory is honored and grateful to have more than 2,000 Friends of SCR who support our Annual Fund. Every year, the Friends contribute critical dollars to help us make up the difference between the income we receive from ticket revenue and the actual cost of producing plays, commissioning new works, bringing theatre to school children and all the other services that SCR provides to Orange County and beyond. Friends’ gifts range from $75 to more than $100,000. Each and every Friend of SCR plays a valuable role in the life of this theatre.
($8,000 and over)
Apriem Advisors*
Laurie & Steve Duncan
Patricia Houston*
Ms. S. Leslie Jewett & Mr. Patrick Paddon*
Talya Nevo-Hacohen & Bill Schenker*
Gail & Peter Ochs*
Richard & Elizabeth Steele Endowment Fund
Judy & Wes Whitmore*
Gregory Zaret
PLATINUM SPONSORS
($6,000 - $7,999)
Leona Aronoff-Sadacca*
Greg & Antje Campbell*
David Emmes & Paula Tomei
The Frome Family Foundation*
Elaine & Mike Gray
Nancy Handel
Michael & Janet Hards*
Susan K. Hori
Olivia & A. Andrew Johnson
John Louis Lafleur
Soo Malchow
Kameel Renner
Nancy & Geoffrey Stack*
Socorro & Ernesto Vasquez
Elie Weaver & Hilton Weinberg
Marci Maietta Weinberg & William Weinberg
($3,000 - $5,999)
Anonymous (2)
Fernando H. Austin MD
Adrienne Brandriss
David & Kimberly Chase
Marjorie & Roger Davisson
Dr. Daniel P. Dennies
Karen & Gary Dickinson
The Dirk Family & Troy Group, Inc.
The D'Luna Family Foundation
JC & D Falmagne
James & Martha Freeman
Adrian & Kristen Griggs
Mark & Janice Halikis
Dr. & Mrs. Art Helliwell
Jerry & Carol Jacoby
Becky Jones
Joanne & Dennis Keith
Keller/Anderle LLP
Tracy & Roger Kirwan
Dr. & Mrs. Kenneth
Labowe - Labowe
Family Foundation
Lakeview Professional Services Inc.
Alan Lawson & Max Schmidl
Loss Family Fund
Robert & Doreen
Marshall Fund for Dramatic Arts and Classical Music
Mr. & Mrs. Scott McFarlane
Shaveen & Deepak Nanda
Ginger Nelson*
Schalon & Giulia
Newton*
Susan Oka
Jolene & Mark Peterson
Diana Putz
Ryna H. Rothberg
Susan Shieldkret & David Dull*
Lance & Debi Slimmer
Alan & Olivia Slutzky
Dr. Vina Spiehler
Tom & Marilyn Sutton
Toni Tartamella & John Castelli
Peter & Mary Tennyson
Terry Theologides & Deb Rodriguez*
Michael & Jean Toole
Bruce & Erin Wagner
John & Michelle Williams
Rich Wordes & Amy Hitchcock
Felix & Edna Yan
Dean & Esther Zipser*
($1,500 - $2,999)
Anonymous (2)
Dr. & Mrs. Daniel Abbott
Fred & Kathleen Allen
Judith Barnes
Judy & Jim Bergman
Ellen Breitman & Brien
Amspoker
Twyla Briley
Art & Donna Carter
Denise B. Chilcote
Ms. Kathryn Crown
Jim Frank
Jerry & Kathy Dunlap
Peter & Kitty Fyfe
Pamela Gilmour
Mary Gilly & John Graham
Cecilia & Richard Goodman*
Pauliana C. Hall
Dr. & Mrs. Bernard R. Hannam
Sharon & Terry Hartshorn
Gerald & Loretta Herter
Marilyn H. Hettick
Tina Huang
The Ivers Family
Cherrill & Kyle Kawakami
Michael & Elaine Kleinman
Kathy LeClair
Susan & Milton Legome
Gael & Glenn Libby
Hugh & Caroline Logan*
Molly Lynch & Alan Andrews*
Sarah J. McElroy*
Carolyn Middlebrooks
Franz & Shannon Miller
The Miller Family
Denise Caciagli Moon & Michael J. Moon
Drs. John Mooney & Angela Tripoli
Ann Morris
John & Margi Murray
Robert & Christie
Narver
Dr. & Mrs. Terence
O'Heany
Michael Oppenheim
Evelyn Parrella
Heather & Joseph Re
Jeanne Reiss
Jay Rojo
Ronna & Marshall
Rowen MD
Ruth & Ron Ruther
Jeff & Linda Schulein
The Schultz Family*
Helen Schuster
Stephen & Kathy Smith
Laurie Smits Staude*
Sue & Ralph Stern*
Judy & Dave Threshie
James Trolinger & Pauline Abbott
John C. Turmes
Julia Voce*
Steven & Carolyn Watanabe
Susan White
John Wierick
Nickie & Mickey Williams*
($750 - $1,499)
Anonymous (2)
Olivia & Howard Abel
Charlie Abujudeh
Alexandra Airth
Chris & Roberta Amy
Elaine Archer
Barbara D. Baranski
Sharon Barrett
Dr. Lori & Mr. Harley Bassman
John & Judy Bethe
Charles & Carol Betz
Gary & Wendy Bryan
J.C. Calder
Jane Carlin
Linda & Robert Cassidy
Tom Clanin
August & Suzanne Coniglio
Charlotte Costello
Jerry & Bobbi Dauderman
Sam Dawson
Peggy Day & Kip Knight
Michael G. Ermer
Johanna & Gene Felder
John & Myra Firth
William & Cindy Fisher
Glenn & Jane Fowler
Margaret M. Gates
Mr. & Mrs. Lionel
Gayron
Susan Glass
Dr. Sidney Glazer
Helene & David Gorevitz
Linda & Gary Greene
Eric & Terri Gritzmacher
Andrew & Loreen Guilford
Tim & Amy Guth
Kris Hagen
Denise C. Harden & Michael J. Gentile
Sheri Hayes
Barbara & Burt
Hechtman
Jan Heistermann
Mike & Marti Hood
The Heritage Circle comprises individuals who have included South Coast Repertory in their estate plans. Planned gifts from these visionary members are designated to SCR’s endowment*, providing financial stability and helping to ensure that SCR’s mission—onstage and in the community—is served at the highest level, now and into the future.
Members as of Aug. 31, 2025
Dr. & Mrs. Julio Aljure
The Argyros Family Trust
Adrienne Brandriss
Laurie & Bart Brown
Mr. & Mrs. Carroll D. Bryant
Carolyn Nelson Clark
Sophia Hall Cripe & Lawrence Arden Cripe
Linda deVries
Gail & Ernie Doe
Mr. & Mrs. Harry Doyle
Irving & Miriam Farber Exemption Trust
Mr. & Mrs. R. Pat Gilliam
Nat & Lotte Hoffman
Phyllis & Larry Hogle
The Hyde Family Trust
Jerry & Carol Jacoby
Mrs. Bertram W. Justus
John C. Kennady Family Trust
Mr. John P. Kensey
Richard & Gerrie Leeds
Hedda Marosi
Carol J. McDonnell
Nancy & Michael Meyer
Denise Caciagli Moon & Michael J. Moon
J. and P. O'Donnell Revocable Trust
Tom & Beth Phelps
Marjorie Reday
Eduardo & Teri L. Rodriguez
Carlene F. Rona
Ryna H. Rothberg
Malcolm Schneer
Ms. Nola Schneer
Jackie Singer & John Pope
Peter & Joy Sloan
Sue & Ralph Stern
Samuel & Tammy Tang
Richard P. & Jane Taylor
The Tepper Family Trust
Judy Teverbaugh
Jean & Tim Weiss
Harriette F. Witmer
Gifts received by South Coast Repertory
Kurt & Alice Bergel Trust
Estate of Edra Brophy
Dolores Browning
Wayne Browning
Dona Burrell
Estate of Margaret Sue Denniston
Estate of Erika E. Faust
The William J. Gillespie Trust
Harriett Grant Charitable Trust
Kenneth J. & Barbara Gordon
Revocable Inter Vivos Trust
Ms. Lois V. Hart
Estate of Robert Holcombe
Dr. Bertram W. Justus
Kershaw Family Trust
Leatherby Family Trust
Estate of Roberta Pearl Miller
Marjorie L. Phillips
Randall Exemption Trust
Jerri Rosen Elinor V. Schmidt Trust
Richard & Elizabeth Steele Trust
Sternberg Family Trust
Estate of A.Z. Taft
The Williams Family Trust
For more information on becoming a member, visit our website at scr.org or contact Clare Kiklowicz, Director of Development, at (714) 708-5521 or clare@scr.org.
*Unless otherwise instructed
Thomas & Janet Hryniewicki
Douglas & Melissa Shaw
Jones
Joe & Linda Jones
Fran Jutzi & Keith Otsuka
Donald Karon
Mitchell Katz & Linda Scott-Katz
Dr. Ellen R. Ketels
Mariam Khosravani / IAW Foundation
Ms. Carol Kiser
Ms. Genni Klein
Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Lester
Rachel Levin
Jay & Gail Lieberman
Gregory Lincoln & Cindy Gordon
Claudia J. Lovelette
Paul & Sherry Main
Goran Matijasevic
David & Kirsti McCleary
Carol & Tim McMahon
Ken & Gisela Meier
Dr. & Mrs. Mercer
Ellie Morison
Ann Levenstein
Mound Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation
Mr. & Mrs. Fred Murray
Lianne R. Oakes
Robert & Jane Parker
Tom & Barbara Peckenpaugh
Bill Pemberton
Peter B. Perrin
Joan Petty
Tom & Beth Phelps
Mr. Aaron Ray & Ms. Shelley Hayashi
Barbara U. Roberts
Rita & Bob Rubin
Nanci & Stephen
Schrieber-Smith
Susan Schwarz Berton
Michael & Margot
Shapiro
Congrats, You’ve Picked a Great Performance! Check out the interactive version of this theater program magazine and enjoy even more insight into the performers, creative talent and theater activities that are behind it all.
LINKS TO PERFORMERS’ SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS
MULTI - MEDIA PRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE.
UNDERSTUDY UPDATES
THEATER SUPPORT OPPORTUNITIES
UPCOMING SHOWS AND CONCERTS AROUND TOWN
INSIDER SCOOPS FROM THEATER AND MUSIC PROFESSIONALS
Mr. & Mrs. John L. Smith
Dr. & Mrs. Henry Sobel
The Sternshein Family
Dr. Linda Y. Stewart
Peter & Andria Strelow
Kathy & Bruce Stuart
Lucy Sun
Kathleen & Jerry Thode
Patricia Tisone
Jim Toledano
Edith Van Huss
Megan & John Waldeck
Stephen & Glenda Wilson
Jane Fujishige Yada
Mr. & Mrs. Richard W. Zevnik
($300 - $749)
Anonymous (11)
Julio & Edna Aljure
Margit & John Allen
Linda Barker
Barbara J. Benson
Dr. & Mrs. Thomas Besley
Howard & Margery
Brief
David Brownstone & Carole Uhlaner
Mrs. Mary M. Bruce
Sondra Porter
Cecily Burke & David Taussig
Daniel & Charlotta Butler
Constance Buzas
Dr. Virgina G. Carson
Mr. & Mrs. Edward Casselman
Dr. Tim & Mary Chin
Brad & Melinda Chisick
Jeffrey Clark & Michael Thorstensen
David & Cassie Conant
John & Denise Corcoran
Sue & Bob Crowson
Edward & Rita Dailey
Dr. David Davis & Dr. Robin Mintzer
Lauren Deeb
Gwen & Ruel del Castillo
Tim & Dina England
Elton & Deanna Epley
Walt Fidler
Michael Fox
Ms. Linda Galloway
Carolyn C. Garrett
Mark Gaughan
Thomas & Carol Getz
Mark & Sharon Goldhamer
Johan Gout
Ursula Gries
Mark Guillod & Alan Miller
Greg & Kathie Guth
William & Bonnie Brittain Hall
Jim & Berri Harris
Patti Holiday & Bonni Pomush
Hosek-Larsen Family
Cordelia Howard
Charles Hunter
Michael Huntley & Laura Forbes
Wendy Isbell
In Memory of Mrs. Annie R. Ivey
Beverly & Jake Jacobs
Charles & JoAnn Janneck
Steven & Kathryn Keefer
Kathie Kelley
Mr. & Mrs. Dan L. Kelly
Karen Kewell-Jacoby
Clare & Doug Kiklowicz
Eugenia Tracy Kirchner
Brian Koch
Judith Koch-Jones
Dale & Lynda Laurance
Martin Le
Roni Lebauer & Michelle Ryan
David & Gale Licata
Jacqueline Lombardi
Mr. & Mrs. John Maglione
In Memory of C.D. Maitlen
Amira Mansour
Carolyn & Bill Marr
Mr. & Mrs. Steve & Sandy McHolm
Patricia M. McIntyre
Juan & Barbara Mendoza
Paul & Nancy Mitchell
Bill & Angela Montgomery
Susan Moore
Dr. Patricia Moulton
Ed & Betty Murphy
Donna Nelson
Mr. & Mrs. Douglas E. Nelson
Matthew Nelson
Donna G. O'Connell
Robert Penney
Ann Peterson
Dr. & Mrs. Michael Philipps
Bruce & Johni Pittenger
Sally & Brian Rivera
John & Kristin Rowe
Michael Rudolph
Joan Rutledge
Wayne & Madonna Saxton
Marilyn P. Schroeder
Clint & Sonja Scott
Linda Shepard
Beatriz Garcia Soto
Ms. Gai Spickard
Sid & Carole Spinak
Mr. & Mrs. Randy Stone
E. T. Strauss-Thacker
J.T. & Barbara Strout
Mr. & Mrs. T.W. Summerfield
Tepper Family Trust
Nikki Tolt, Esq.
William Tran
Cynthia Tregillis
Christopher Trela
Triggs Family Trust
Donald & Rose Etta
Tyssee
Dr. & Mrs. Samuel Vickery
Benny Viloria
Bill & Evelyn Weisman
Andrea Wellman
Hope Sherwood & Jon White
Ann & Dr. Donald E. Williams
Timothy Williams
Barbara Wilson
Mr. & Mrs. Mike Wing
Nancy & Dwight Yoder
Sherri & Mitchell Zack
Diana Zhang
We have made every effort to accurately list donors and sincerely regret any errors or omissions. If you have any questions or a correction, please contact Clare Kiklowicz at (714) 708-5521.
LAist
Orange County Business Journal
PBS SoCal
PBS SoCal Kids
Chloé
Honey & Butter
Macarons
Newport Rib Company
South Coast Plaza
