CHINGLISH, THE WHALE, THE PARISIAN WOMAN and More Set for South Coast Rep, Feb-May 2013

South Coast Rep has announced its schedule of performances from February - May 2013. Details below.

FEBRUARY 2013

Through Feb. 24 - Segerstrom Stage

CHINGLISH

By David Henry Hwang
Directed by Leigh Silverman

Daniel's sign-making company is in trouble, but he has a great idea: score a fat contract in China, where signs for English-speaking tourists are mangled by hilarious mis-translations. But he forgets the first rule: always bring your own translator because business deals involve much more than wining and dining. And when Daniel falls in love with a beautiful bureaucrat, even feelings take on different meanings. The repartee is fast and funny, and the timing is spot-on in this East-West comedy that embraces both sides of the cultural divide. A co-production with Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

Tickets: $20 - $70. See last page for performance times.

Link: http://www.scr.org/calendar/view.aspx?id=5207

Feb. 8-24 - Julianne Argyros Stage

ANASTASIA KRUPNIK

Adapted by Meryl Friedman

From the book by Lois Lowry

Directed by Casey Stangl

Ten-year-old Anastasia is opinionated, sassy and funny. Really funny. Of course, she also has a funny name, but she'll make up for it in this offbeat story taken right from the pages of her diary. It's about all the things she loves-and hates-and what she plans to do about them. This memorable story from the Newbery Medal-winning author of "The Giver" is a wonderful portrait of childhood and family life, complete with all its ups and downs.

Tickets: $20- $32.See last page for performance times.

Link: http://www.scr.org/calendar/view.aspx?id=5100

Feb. 14-17 - Nicholas Studio

SONGS OF BILITIS

By Katie Polebaum

Presented by Rogue Artists Ensemble

Playwright: Sean T. Cawelti

Studio SCR

The world's greatest work of counterfeit Greek erotica! At the turn of the 20th-century, Pierre Louys captured the imaginations and libidos of the literary world after penning an extensive collection of exquisite and sensuous poetry by a fabricated Greek courtesan named "Bilitis;" it held a false place in the canon of classical Greek erotic literature for nearly 10 years. Songs of Bilitis combines multi-media projections and video with puppetry, movement and mask work, as the Rogues explore how a flamboyant avant-garde Parisian novelist successfully impersonated a Sapphic Greek poet in the most erotically elaborate literary hoax the world has ever known. Note: Contains nudity and adult language.

Time: Feb. 14 at 7 p.m.; Feb. 15 at 8 p.m.; Feb. 16 at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Feb. 17 at 3 p.m.

Tickets: $15- $30

Link: http://www.scr.org/calendar/view.aspx?id=5664

Feb. 16 - Nicholas Studio

SCRAMBLE

Studio SCR

SCRamble returns with a night that boldly blends alternative theatre, comedy, dance, music and interdisciplinary collaborations as some of SoCal's most interesting artists serve up unforgettable theatrical delights in 10-minute increments. Sample these great works in one evening for one great price.

Time: 10 p.m.

Tickets: $15

Link: http://www.scr.org/calendar/view.aspx?id=5693

Feb. 21-24 - Nicholas Studio

TRACK 3

Presented by Theatre Movement Bazaar

Studio SCR

Theatre Movement Bazaar, creators of last year's Anton's Uncles, investigates Chekhov's famous play, Three Sisters. In, Track 3, the characters are stranded, waiting and wanting something outside of themselves to give them happiness. They are on the modern hero's journey, not to Moscow, as they hoped, but a journey within. Movement, dance, song and humor derail the play from its Victorian origins and set the itinerary for a 21st-century existential extravaganza.

Time: Feb. 21 at 7 p.m.; Feb. 22 at 8 p.m.; Feb. 23 at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Feb. 24 at 3 p.m.

Tickets: $15- $25

Link: http://www.scr.org/calendar/view.aspx?id=5671

MARCH 2013

March 10-31 - Julianne Argyros Stage

THE WHALE

By Samuel D. Hunter

Directed by Martin Benson

Charlie is different from most of us. He's an online writing teacher with one friend, a nurse who nearly kills him with kindness, and one acquaintance, a troubled young missionary who's determined to rescue his soul. He's in bad health but refuses to be hospitalized. And, he weighs 600 pounds. When his estranged daughter turns up suddenly, Charlie makes a deal to buy her time, if not her affections. He hopes their connection will give her life-and his-meaning at last.

Tickets: $20- $70. See last page for performance times.

Link: http://www.scr.org/calendar/view.aspx?id=5303

March 29-April 28 - Segerstrom Stage

SMOKEFALL

By Noah Haidle

Directed by Anne Kauffman

This endearing fantasia tells the story of three generations of an eccentric Midwestern family on the verge of big changes. Two new souls are about to enter the world. Time present, time past and time future mingle and converge as family members await the arrival of Violet's twin babies. The promise of new life is in the air-but so is the inevitability of change and loss. Magical and tragic, funny and forlorn, paradoxical and profound, Haidle's tale offers a lyrical meditation on the mystery and fragility of life. A world premiere co-production with Goodman Theatre, Chicago, Illinois.

Tickets: $20 - $70 See last page for performance times.

Link: http://www.scr.org/calendar/view.aspx?id=5091

APRIL 2013

April 14- May 5 - Julianne Argyros Stage

THE PARISIAN WOMAN

By Beau Willimon

One of America's hottest young writers, whose play Farragut North won rave reviews before hitting the screen as the Oscar-nominated Ides of March, Beau Willimon sets his new play in the Capitol Hill section of Washington, D.C., where powerful friends are the only kind worth having. This re-telling of a scandalous French comedy about bad conduct in high places is swift, savvy and impossible to resist. Tom is a lawyer in the private sector, with his sights on a government job. Chloe is beautiful, bright and bored. But she has a passionate side, and it has nothing to do with her love affairs. How far will they go to achieve political stardom?

Tickets: $20- $70. See last page for performance times.

Link: http://www.scr.org/calendar/view.aspx?id=5329

April 26-28

PACIFIC PLAYWRIGHTS FESTIVAL

The Pacific Playwrights Festival) annually presents seven new plays in staged readings and full productions during a three-day period. Audiences consist of local playgoers and representatives from theatres nationwide. PPF provides a gathering place for writers and theatre professionals to connect and share ideas and interests in the context of a festival that promotes the latest and best in American playwriting.

Link: http://www.scr.org/plays/pacificplaywrightsfestival.aspx

MAY 2013

May 10 - June 9 - Segerstrom Stage

THE FANTASTICKS

Music by Harvey Schmidt
Book and lyrics by Tom Jones
Directed by Amanda Dehnert

A carnival midway of magic, mischief and theatrical thrills! Amanda Dehnert, celebrated throughout the American theatre for re-imagining classics, has added a multitude of visual delights and fantastical illusions to the original charm and beautiful ballads (like the haunting "Try to Remember") of The Fantasticks. When two scheming fathers conspire with the mysterious El Gallo to keep their daughter and son apart (to be sure they'll fall in love!) the dewy-eyed lovers venture into the real world. But as fantasy turns to reality, El Gallo is there to remind them that "without the hurt, the heart is hollow" in one of the most popular musicals of all time, which the Washington Post calls, "Fresh and alive again."

Tickets: $23- $75. See last page for performance times.

Link: http://www.scr.org/calendar/view.aspx?id=5168

May 24 - June 9 - Julianne Argyros Stage

THE NIGHT FAIRY

Adapted by John Glore
From the book by Laura Amy Schlitz
Directed by Oanh Nguyen

Flory is a fairy no taller than an acorn, who loses her exquisite wings in a fight with a bat, falls into the garden of a "Giantess" and takes up residence in a birdhouse. This magical story from a Newbery Medal winner is as visually bewitching as the night fairy herself. But Flory is as fierce and ferocious as she is elegant, and she's about to discover that she needs every drop of bravery-and equal amounts of understanding and compassion-in her new life among the daylight creatures.

Tickets: $20- $70. See last page for performance times.

Link: http://www.scr.org/calendar/view.aspx?id=5118

May 2-5 - Nicholas Studio

LOST MOON RADIO: AMERICA

Lost Moon Radio

Studio SCR

DJ Jupiter Jack has hosted KTSH's Fourth of July broadcast for 28 years. Until now. Pushed out by two shock jocks and the increasing corporatization of his station, Jack finds himself examining the state of America and his career while he's on the air. As Jack spins tracks about the U.S. of A., we see each one as a sketch or song performed live onstage by actors and a band. The resulting collage is part comedy show, part rock concert, and part intimate journey through the mind of a man who is grappling with a changing America.

Time: May 2 at 7 p.m.; May 3 at 8 p.m.; May 4 at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.; May 5 at 3 p.m.

Tickets: $15-$30.

Link: http://www.scr.org/calendar/view.aspx?id=5679

EDUCATION PROGRAMS - THEATRE CONSERVATORY

June 22- Aug. 3 or Aug. 5-17

KIDS AND TEENS ACTING CLASSES / SUMMER ACTING WORKSHOP

Summer Acting Workshop is a two-week introduction to theatre for students new to SCR. Kids and teens build self-esteem and confidence and make new friends within their peer groups (grades 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 and 9-12). Each day begins with an invigorating all-camp warm-up. Class time follows, as students join their age groups for two lively hours of interactive instruction in voice, movement, character development and more-led by SCR's staff of theatre professionals. The final hour is spent with special guests who bring to life various aspects of theatre, such as design, improvisation, combat, singing and playwriting-something different every day. The two-week program concludes with students sharing their work onstage in a demonstration project for invited family and friends.

Tuition: $280 per 10-week session; $250, discounted price for siblings.

March 25- May 15

ADULT ACTING CLASSES / SPRING SESSION

Students 18 and over choose from a variety of classes developed to suit individual pace and interests. Courses range from Improvisation to Fundamentals of Acting to Actors Workshop for career-minded students, as well as two levels of playwriting. Many sessions also include Acting for the Camera and Musical Theatre. Classes meet weekly 7-10 p.m. Call (714) 708-5510 for schedule.

Tuition: $295 per 8-week session.

THE NIGHTINGALE

Story by Hans Christian Anderson

Adapted for the stage by Marisha Chamberlain

Directed by Mercy Vasquez

In ancient China, the Lord High Emperor rules from his porcelain palace where gardens stretch to the sea and flowers bloom underwater. In the forest far away, a nightingale sings. The Emperor hears about her beautiful song and sends his kitchen servant, Wu Ling, to bring the bird to the palace, where she's told to sing forever. Then one day a jeweled mechanical bird takes her place, and the nightingale, forgotten, flies away. Soon, the jeweled bird, like all mechanical things breaks, the Emperor grows ill and longs for the beautiful song of his real nightingale. But even emperors must learn that birds have to be free to come and go, sharing their songs with everyone.

SCR's Junior Players, chosen by audition after at least two years in the Theatre Conservatory, portray all the characters-and three different girls play Wu Ling.

For information about education programs, call (714) 708-5577 or visit our website at www.scr.org.

PERFORMANCE TIMES

2012-13 Season

Segerstrom Stage:

o Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings at 7:30 p.m.

o Thursday - Saturday evenings at 8 p.m.

o Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m.

*Note: No weekend matinees during previews.

Julianne Argyros Stage:

o Tuesday - Sunday evenings at 7:45 p.m.

o Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.

*Note: No Sunday evenings during previews.

Theatre for Young Audiences:

o Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 11 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

oSunday at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.

*Note: No Saturday matinees during previews.

TICKET INFORMATION

2012-13 Season

Segerstrom Stage and Julianne Argyros Stage: $20-$80.

Theatre for Young Audiences: $20-$32.

Discounts for previews, patrons ages 25-years- and-younger, full-time students and educators with valid ID, seniors, and groups of 10 or more (at most performances). SCR also offers Today Tix, special ticket bargains on the day of performance only and subject to availability. Patrons 25-years-old-and-under and full-time students get $10 Rush Tix the day of performance, subject to availability. Patrons age 15-to-25 may also sign up for a free MyStage membership to receive $10 tickets to any performance. Details here: http://www.scr.org/tickets/mystage.aspx.

Ticket Services Office: By phone at (714) 708-5555, online at www.scr.org or in person at 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, Calif.

Photo from CHINGLISH by Henry DiRocco/SCR.