Local Performers Present Works At South Coast Repertory, 3/4-6/19

South Coast Repertory will showcase the work of six local performers and companies - and mount a production of a popular play from last year's Pacific Playwrights Festival - in its new Studio Series, which will take place over eight weekends between March and June.

The series will feature an eclectic array that includes dance, spoken word, burlesque, puppetry and more, all in SCR's 94-seat Nicholas Studio. Participating performers are:

• Spoken-word artist and actor Steven Connell
• Arpana Dance Company
• Orange County Underground Burlesque Society
• Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble
• Backhausdance
• Rogue Artists Ensemble

SCR's Studio Series is part of a pilot program designed to create stronger ties between arts organizations and expose audiences to the rich diversity of the local arts scene.

"We're looking forward to bringing a diverse group of performers and companies into the building and introducing them to our audiences and to theatre-goers who are new to SCR," said Associate Artistic Director John Glore. "There will be a little something for everyone in the mix, and we're excited about contributing a production of our own to the series."

Leading the project is Oanh Nguyen, SCR's producing associate and the artistic director of the Chance Theater, whose production of Jesus Hates Me in the Nicholas Studio last February kicked off the pilot program.

"The Nicholas studio offers a captivating, intimate theatre experience," said Nguyen. "It will be exciting to see what these amazing local artists do with it."

Tickets for the series will be available only through SCR, either 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. Prices vary by production, and range from $15 to $35.

THE SERIES

Against Oblivion

Steven Connell

8 p.m. March 4, 2 and 8 p.m. March 5, 2 p.m. March 6

Drawing from the energy and power of hip-hop, stand-up and spoken-word, Against Oblivion is a brand-new collection of three one-acts that tackle such issues as surviving abuse, speaking up for what you believe and making ends meet in the new economy. Connell, an acclaimed Los Angeles writer and actor who has performed privately for the likes of Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama, is backed by a trio of musicians performing an original soundtrack that ranges from hip-hop to classical to rock. Designed to delight, inspire and challenge, Against Oblivion is a musical for our times.

Ganga...life as a river

Arpana Dance Company

8 p.m. March 11, 2 and 8 p.m. March 12, 2 p.m. March 13

An exciting blend of ancient and contemporary Indian dance. In the first half of the evening, Arpana will present traditional works from its repertoire of 16th to 20th Century compositions, accompanied by a four-piece live musical ensemble. In the second half, it will feature Ganga ... life as a river, which layers post-modern choreography atop the classical Indian dance form Bharata Natyam. Against a soundtrack that combines instrumentals, singing and spoken word, dancers in contemporary costumes perform vignettes reminiscent of a river traveling from a young, bubbling brook to the deep, calm waters uniting with the sea. In India, the River Ganga represents both eternal life and a goddess symbolizing feminine power, and so, too, this dance evokes both a river and the stages of women's lives.

Between Us Chickens

South Coast Repertory

8 p.m. March 25-26, April 1-2, with 2 p.m. matinees March 27 and April 3

Meagan and Sarah are small-town girls new to L.A. Meagan's all about the retail, the scene and the celebrities; Sarah's a computer-surfing homebody. When a smooth-talking opportunist named Charles crashes on their couch and takes Sarah out on the town, he threatens to upset the balance of a lifelong friendship-especially when Sarah's secret life comes to light. A new play by Sofia Alvarez, Between Us Chickens was first read at last year's Pacific Playwrights Festival.

Variété Risqué

Orange County Underground Burlesque Society

8 p.m. May 5-7, 5 p.m. May 8

Wacky vaudevillian comedians, lively musicians, thrilling performance artists and glittering burlesque beauties explore the many forms of that most enchanting, absurd and maddening of all things...love. The OC Underground Burlesque Society will introduce you to some of the best and brightest talents of the local burlesque, music and theatre scenes in a variety show that is sure to be a rambunctious and rousing night of song, slapstick and titillating tassel twirling!

Angel of the Desert

Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble

8 p.m. May 13, 2 and 8 p.m. May 14, 2 p.m. May 15

After civil war wipes out a small village in Mexico, teenagEd Francisco wakes to discover he is the sole survivor and has grown wings. With the guidance of the moon, he embarks on a treacherous journey through the harsh Mexican desert-attempting what many others before him have done: crossing into the U.S. in search of home. Along the way, he meets two Young Brothers who know life on the train tracks all too well. Together, these three discover the challenges and true meaning of adventure, family and love. This work of magical realism from L.A. playwright Janine Salinas was read as part of Breath of Fire's New Works Festival in 2009.

Backhausdance: Re-imagined

Backhausdance

8 p.m. June 10, 2 and 8 p.m. June 11, 2 p.m. June 12

An evening of four modern-dance pieces, including three critically acclaimed works re-imagined for SCR's intimate Nicholas Studio (eXit, La Jupe and Shift) and the premiere of a new piece titled Duet(s), a suite for three men and three women that explores relationships through quick, quirky gestures and seamless partnering. eXit is an athletic piece performed to a percussive, original score by Erik Leckrone that finds three dancers trapped in a space, propelled through boxes of light in desperate search of a way out. La Jupe dramatically explores the often-veiled facets of femininity and the struggle to find one's true expression. Shift is an elegant, powerful piece performed in four distinct movements.

D is for Dog

Rogue Artists Ensemble

8 p.m. June 17, 2 and 8 p.m. June 18, 2 p.m. June 19

In the seemingly innocent home of the Rogers family, life is like a 1950s sitcom-or is it? All is not as perfect as it seems. Mr. and Mrs. Rogers and their two darling children, Dick and Jane, must face their history and identity before it is too late, with only mysterious phone calls and a forbidden book as clues. D is for Dog explores the themes of family loyalty and compassion using iconic imagery from 1950s television blended with startling elements of horror and science fiction. Mixing puppetry, live actors, original music and video projection, the play takes audiences from the absurd to the terrifying, and everywhere in-between.