South Coast Repertory News

John Walcutt takes over as the new Producing Artistic Director of Shakespeare Orange County (formerly The Grove Shakespeare Festival), succeeding his Thomas F. Bradac, who has led it for 34 years. The festival, now called simply SOC, performs summers in the beautiful outdoor 540 seat Garden Grove Amphitheater in Garden Grove.

Stage Directors and Choreographers Workshop Foundation, The Pasadena Playhouse, and East West Players will present a forum to explore the current state of diversity in Southern California theatre focusing on the director's role and the questions: What's working? What aren't we doing? How can we work together to increase diversity in Southern California theatre? DIVERSITY: THROUGH THE DIRECTOR'S EYE is set for Monday, December 16, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. at Pasadena Playhouse, 39 El Molino Ave, Pasadena, CA.

Musical macabre and mayhem will take to stage at Segerstrom Hall as founding father of modern horror rock music, Alice Cooper, makes his Segerstrom Center debut tonight, November 26 at 7:30 p.m. as part of his Raise the Dead tour.

The critically-acclaimed FURIOUS THEATRE COMPANY will present the second show of their 2013-2014 season, in association with, and direct from its critically-acclaimed run at the ARTISTS REPERTORY THEATRE in Portland, the rolling U.S. premiere of FOXFINDER written by Dawn King and directed by Damaso Rodriguez. FOXFINDER will feature Furious members, Sara Hennessey and Shawn Lee as well as Amanda Soden and Joshua Weinstein and will preview on Wednesday, January 8, Thursday, January 9 and Friday, January 10 at 8pm and will open on Saturday, January 11 at 8:00pm and run through Sunday, February 2 at the Pasadena Playhouse Carrie Hamilton Theatre, 39 S. El Molino Ave. in Pasadena.

The Huntington Theatre Company announces the following special events in conjunction with its production of A.R. Gurney's The Cocktail Hour (now - December 15, 2013 at the Avenue of the Arts / BU Theatre):

Theatre Communications Group (TCG) has announced the publication of Teddy Ferrara by Christopher Shinn, the author of the Pulitzer Prize-finalist, Dying City. This gripping new drama inspired by real events received its world premiere at Chicago's Goodman Theatre in winter 2013.

Segerstrom Center's Off Center Festival returns for its third consecutive year January 23 - February 2. This year's festival will showcase an entirely new lineup of wonderfully creative and innovative contemporary performance companies and artists.

Looking for a way to get into the holiday spirit? Check out this list of options to help you have a festive month and bookmark this page for handy reference! (To be updated with new shows as announced).

The Record Company will open for legendary blues guitarist B.B. King at his Segerstrom Center debut on Sunday, December 8 at 7 p.m. in Segerstrom Hall. The band is a rock/blues/roots trio based in Los Angeles and consists of Chris Vos (guitar, lead vocals, harmonica), Alex Stiff (bass, guitar, vocals), and Marc Cazorla (drums, pianos, vocals). Steeped in the classic sounds of Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker along with the raw rock 'n' roll of The Stooges and The Yardbirds, The Record Company has burst onto the scene in a very short time.

As the festive month of December approaches, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Pacific Symphony and Pacific Chorale ring in the season with a cornucopia of holiday shows. The Center presents three yuletide concerts, including the return of Fiesta Navidad with Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano (December 4), the Center debut of The Beach Boys performing their Christmas show (December 7) and American vocal ensemble The Manhattan Transfer entertaining with holiday favorites (December 16).

Thirty-four years and going strong: South Coast Repertory's traditional holiday production of A Christmas Carol, complete with ghosts, vibrant costumes, dancing, endearing characters and a cast that includes 16 local school children and Hal Landon Jr. as Ebenezer Scrooge.

What are the things that we carry? What are the things that we love that make us who we are? 24th STreet Theatre's Teatro del Pueblo ('Theater of the Village') presents the world premiere of a warm, funny and unique holiday play about love and sacrifice, created from stories shared by members of the local community during workshops with professional theater artists. Written by Laurie Woolery and Victor Vazquez, directed by Woolery, and supported by The James Irvine Foundation Exploring Engagement Fund, 'Ladybird' gets four performances Dec. 7 through Dec. 15 at 24th STreet Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. All performances are in Spanish with English supertitles, and admission is only 24 cents.

Second Stage Theatre (Carole Rothman, Artistic Director), currently celebrating its 35th Anniversary season, has announced the complete cast for its upcoming production of THE HAPPIEST SONG PLAYS LAST, written by 2012 Pulitzer Prize winnerQuiara Alegria Hudes and directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson. The company will feature ANTHONY CHISHOLM (Radio Golf, Jitney), DARIUSH KASHANI (Homebody/Kabul), TONY PLANA (Ugly Betty), ARMANDO RIESCO (2ST's Water by the Spoonful), ELIZABETH RODRIGUEZ (Motherf***er with the Hat, Orange is the New Black), and ANNAPURNA SRIRAM (Pericles at Berkeley Rep).

Laughter has long been considered the language of the soul and Four Clowns Jr. has embodied this message in their productions That Beautiful Laugh, a show that spoke to children and adults alike through laughter and a slew of touchingly funny vignettes, and Robin Hood, a hilarious clown-inspired adventure, which marked the company's most prestigious collaboration to date with South Coast Repertory. Now, in its latest endeavor Somewhere Like Earth, Four Clowns Jr. plans to feed the soul, not just with laughter, but with learning as well.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa announces that the first North American tour of the new stage adaptation of THE WIZARD OF OZ will play February 11 - 23 in Segerstrom Hall.

Two thrilling musical forces will share the stage tonight, November 12 to launch Segerstrom Center's 2013 - 2014 Chamber Music Series as pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin joins the acclaimed Pacifica Quartet - Simin Ganatra, violin; Sibbi Bernhardsson, violin; Masumi Per Rostad, viola; Brandon Vamos, cello - for a spectacular program featuring Dmitri Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 7 in F minor, Op. 108 and Antonin Dvorak's Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81. The evening also includes Leo Ornstein's innovative Piano Quintet, Op. 92.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts continues its Cabaret Series February 13 - 15 with Tony Award-nominated stage, screen and film actor and singer Peter Gallagher making his Center debut in his critically acclaimed cabaret show, How'd All You People Get In My Room?.

The Old Globe presents The Old Globe/University of San Diego Graduate Theatre Program presentation of William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, running tonight, Nov. 9 - Nov. 17 in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, part of the Globe's Conrad Prebys Theatre Center. Opening night is tonight, Nov. 9 at 8:00 p.m.