South Coast Repertory News

South Coast Repertory's 49th season will offer audiences an exciting blend of current hits and world premieres. The season begins with Alan Ayckbourn's hilarious farce, Absurd Person Singular, and will include new plays by some of the hottest writers on the theatre scene, including the world premiere of Noah Haidle's Smokefall and a second world premiere to be announced; Sarah Ruhl's comic tale of loss, Eurydice; the Southland debuts of Bill Cain's touching How to Write a New Book for the Bible, Amanda Dehnert's trailblazing musical take on Shakespeare, The Verona Project, and David Henry Hwang's hit comedy Chinglish; and the West Coast premieres of Samuel D. Hunter's poignantly funny The Whale and Stephen Adly Guirgis' Broadway hit The Motherf**ker with the Hat.

'The Wizard of Oz' by L. Frank Baum, book by John Kane, music by Harold Arlen, lyrics by E.Y. Harburg, directed by Jonah Hagans, will be presented on Tokyo International Players' mainstage tonight, May 17 through May 20.

InViolet Repertory Theater presents the World Premiere of THIS IS FICTION by Megan Hart. Richard Masur stars in this dramedy directed by Shelley Butler. Previews begin June 12 at Cherry Lane Studio Theatre. Press opening is set for Saturday, June 15.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre announced the cast and creative team for its world premiere of Eve Ensler's EMOTIONAL CREATURE. This positive and propulsive new show - from the Tony Award-winning playwright, performer, and activist who created The Vagina Monologues - features a choreographer, a composer, four top designers, and an ensemble of talented young women. Directed by Obie Award-winner Jo Bonney, Emotional Creature plays only 36 performances in the Roda Theatre. The limited engagement at Berkeley Rep begins previews on June 14, opens June 22, and runs through July 15. The lead producers of this premiere are Wayne Jordan and Quinn Delaney, Marjorie Randolph, and Jack and Betty Schafer; the executive producer is the Strauch Kulhanjian Family. The development of this production has been supported in part by The Mosse Artistic Development Fund.

Growing up is hard to do-especially if you wake up one day with spots and a tail. In the season's final production of South Coast Repertory's Theatre for Young Audiences series, Jane of the Jungle, a world premiere musical from playwright Karen Zacarias and composer Deborah Wicks La Puma, tells the story of an average girl who is about to undergo some big changes. The show will run on the Julianne Argyros Stage from May 25 - June 10.

August Wilson's Jitney, a play about a ragtag group of drivers of gypsy cabs-known as jitneys-closes out SCR's 2011-2012 season, with an all-star cast led by Charlie Robinson, who last wowed SCR audiences in another Wilson hit, Fences. Ron OJ Parson, who has previously directed Jitney at St. Louis Black Rep, directs the show, which runs on the Segerstrom Stage from tonight, May 11 - June 10.

Alley Theatre Artistic Director Gregory Boyd previously announced the cast and creative team for the Alley Theatre's new production of Theresa Rebeck's WHAT WE'RE UP AGAINST, part of the Alley Theatre's New Play Initiative. WHAT WE'RE UP AGAINST runs on the Alley Theatre's Neuhaus Stage tonight, May 11 through June 12, 2012.

Shakespeare Orange County has announced their 21st season: Richard III, Venus and Adonis and Much Ado About Nothing. Richard III will feature John Walcutt in the title role with Carl Reggiardo directing the production. According to Producing Artistic Director, Thomas F. Bradac, "2012 promises to be the most ambitious season in our twenty one year old history." Bradac will direct both Venus and Adonis and Much Ado About Nothing. The award winning company performs in the 550-seat Festival Amphitheatre in Garden Grove, CA.

Two-time Golden Globe® winner, Academy Award® & Tony Award® nominee Kathleen Turner returns to Toronto in the National Tour of Matthew Lombardo's play HIGH, tonight, May 8 through May 13, 2012, at The Royal Alexandra Theatre. Directed by Rob Ruggiero, HIGH also features Evan Jonigkeit as "Cody Randall" and Timothy Altmeyer as "Father Michael Delpapp".

The Huntington Theatre Company's production of Huntington Playwriting Fellow Kirsten Greenidge's The Luck of the Irish closed yesterday as the highest grossing and attended Huntington world premiere at the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA since the fall of 2004. The Luck of the Irish played for a total of 41 performances from March 29 through May 6, including a one-week extension due to popular demand that was announced on April 13. Ticket demand for The Luck of the Irish was so high that an advanced waiting list was introduced in April and final extension performances were sold out.

RECALL, written by Eliza Clark, directed by Adrienne Campbell-Holt, and produced by Stephen Stout. Performances begin Friday, June 8th at 8pm, at the Wild Project, 195 East 3rd Street, New York, NY 10009. Opening night is set for Tuesday, June 12th at 7pm. The show must close Saturday, July 7th. Tickets are $25 general admission and may be purchased at Ovationtix or by calling 212.352.3101.

South Coast Repertory has announced its summer shows May 2012 - August 2012, including August Wilson's Jitney, Snow Angel by David Lindsay-Abaire and more. See details below.

The MainStreet Theatre Company ends its 6th season with an adaptation of Madeleine L'Engles' Newberry Award winning classic A Wrinkle in Time. The book is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and The MainStreet Theatre Company was awarded a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts to help support the production. Performances run from tonight, May 5th through May 20th at Rancho Cucamonga's Lewis Family Playhouse in the Victoria Gardens Cultural Center. The adaptation is by John Glore, and it will be directed by Robert Castro.

The critically acclaimed production of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES starring George Hamilton and Christopher Seiber arrives in Orange County at Segerstrom Center for the Arts July 24 - August 5.

Happy Medium Theatre, Inc. (HMT) will present The American Plan, written by Richard Greenberg and directed by Melanie Garber from June 8th - 16th, 2012 at the Factory Theatre, 791 Tremont Street, Boston, MA, 02118.

Award-winning theatre company, Son of Semele Ensemble (SOSE), will present the West Coast premiere of Sheila Callaghan's Roadkill Confidential: A Noir-ish Meditation On Brutality, opening June 8 at the Son of Semele Theater in Silver Lake. This biting satire about the connection between voyeurism, sadism, and paranoia is a hilarious and exhilarating mash-up of styles and genres.

Despite an intriguing premise and a lovely-sounding score delivered by a brilliant cast, CLOUDLANDS--the stirring but jumbled new Adam Gwon/Octavio Solis musical now having its commissioned World Premiere production at South Coast Repertory through May 6--just doesn't quite wow your socks off. Though it has the beginnings for a good stage piece, overall, it's a fairly thoughtful musical marred by its own well-meant aspirations.

Central Square Theater and its resident companies, The Nora Theatre Company and Underground Railway Theater, have announced their 2012-2013, and 5th anniversary, season.