South Coast Repertory Announces THE PRINCE OF ATLANTIS, Opening 4/6

Family dynamics and the importance of connection will rule the stage when Steven Drukman's The Prince of Atlantis has its world premiere March 30 – April 29. The production is part of the 15th Annual Pacific Playwrights Festival (PPF), which featured a staged reading of Drukman's instant comic hit last year.

The play begins and ends in a minimum security prison outside Boston, where seafood mogul Joey Colletti, played by John Kapelos ("The Breakfast Club") landed after getting into a little trouble for mislabeling some of his imports. Only nine months of his sentence remain when the adult son Joey never knew contacts him, hoping to meet. Joey concocts a plan in which his brother, Kevin (Matthew Arkin of SCR's Our Mother's Brief Affair), will put the kid off for a few months. What follows is a hilarious tale about the legacy we leave and what family really means.

"This play addresses the yearning to connect, and it does it with such wit and heart," said director Warner Shook. Shook has directed eight shows at SCR, including last season's hit The Weir. Other credits include The Kentucky Cycle (The Kennedy Center) and This Is On Me on Broadway, starring Angela Lansbury.

Rounding out the cast are Jeremy Glazer, who will make his SCR debut as Joey's son, and Nike Doukas as Joey's tough-talking girlfriend. SCR audiences have seen Doukas in more than a dozen shows since 1993, including The Happy Ones in 2010, while Glazer has appeared on "Desperate Housewives" and "How I Met Your Mother."

Drukman's relationship with SCR began when his play Truth and Beauty was presented at PPF in 2002. Other produced plays include The Bullet Round (Arena Stage) and Flattery Will Get You (Connecticut Repertory Theatre).

The artistic team is comprised of Tom Buderwitz (scenic design), Peter Maradudin (lighting design), Angela Calin (costume design), Kelly Miller (dramaturg) and Chrissy Church (stage manager).

Honorary Producers are Yvonne & Damien Jordan. Media sponsors are PBS SoCal and OC Metro.

TICKETS: 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. $20-$68.