South Coast Repertory Opens World Premiere Production of SMOKEFALL, 3/29

South Coast Repertory presents the world premiere of Noah Haidle's Smokefall, a co-production with Goodman Theatre in Chicago, directed by Obie Award-winning director Anne Kauffman. Smokefall is a cornerstone of this year's Pacific Playwrights Festival. Performances on the Segerstrom Stage run March 29-April 28. Tickets are available online: www.scr.org.

Smokefall tells the story of three generations of an eccentric Midwestern family that's on the verge of big changes, as the family members await the birth of twins.

"I know of few plays that combine laughter, contemplation and quiet heartbreak as effectively as Smokefall does-sometimes all in one moment," said John Glore, dramaturg and associate artistic director. "The play is a wonder, in the best sense of the word. It's full of surprises, but the surprises make their own kind of sense and give Smokefall an amazing theatrical energy."

The cast includes Orson Bean, Corey Brill, Carmela Corbett, Heidi Dippold and Leo Marks.

Haidle's plays have premiered at South Coast Repertory (Mr. Marmalade, Princess Marjorie), Lincoln Center Theatre, Roundabout Theatre Company, Goodman Theatre, Huntington Theatre, Long Wharf Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Williamstown Theatre Festival, HERE Arts Center, as well as many others around the country and abroad. He was a Lila Acheson Wallace playwright-in-residence while at The Juilliard School. He has received three Lincoln Center Le Compte Du Nuoy Awards, the 2005 Helen Merrill Award for emerging playwrights, the 2007 Claire Tow Award and an NEA/TCG theatre residenCy Grant. His film, Stand Up Guys, stars Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Alan Arkin.

Anne Kauffman is an Obie Award-winning director. She currently is directing Amy Herzog's Belleville at New York Theatre Workshop, fresh off a run at Yale Repertory Theatre. Her production highlights include Detroit (Playwrights Horizons), Tales from My Parents' Divorce (The Flea Theater, Williamstown Theatre Festival), This Wide Night (Naked Angels), Slow Girl and Stunning (LCT3), Sixty Miles to Silver Lake (Page 73 Productions, Soho Rep), God's Ear (Vineyard Theatre, New Georges), The Thugs (Soho Rep) and the new musical We Have Always Lived in the Castle (Yale Repertory Theatre). She is a recipient of the Joan and Joseph F. Cullman Award for Extraordinary Creativity, Lilly Award, and several Barrymore Awards.

The design and creative team includes Marsha Ginsberg, scenic design; Melanie Watnick, costume design; David Weiner, lighting design; Lindsay Jones, original music and sound design, John Glore, dramaturg; Joshua Marchesi, production manager; and Jamie A. Tucker, stage manager.

Smokefall at SCR is generously supported by Honorary Producers Bette and Wylie Aitken.

Tickets range from $20-70. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 25 years of age and under, fulltime educators, seniors and groups of 10 or more. For complete information, visit: www.scr.org.

Related Information for Smokefall

Tickets: May 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. Performances run March 29-April 28. Ticket prices range from $20 to $70. Low-priced preview performances run March 29-April 4.