Aubrey Saverino, Fran Gercke Lead San Diego REPertory Theatre's In the Wake

San Diego REPertory Theatre (San Diego REP) has announced the fifth production of the company's 36th season, In the Wake.

SD Rep describes the show as: "Written by Obie Award-winning playwright Lisa Kron, and directed by Delicia Turner Sonnenberg, In the Wake is a new play laced with incisive humor and surprising revelations about the assumptions of comfort and privilege that lie at the heart of the American character. An epic tale set in the turbulent Bush years of 2000 to 2005, In the Wake asks us individually and collectively to look for the blind spots that mask us from ourselves."

Previews for In the Wake begin Sat., Feb. 11, 2012. Opening night is Fri., Feb. 17, 2012 and runs through March 4, 2012 in the Lyceum Space.

The Story
It's Thanksgiving of 2000 and the presidential election still has not been decided. Ellen, an intelligent and politically-obsessed freelance writer, insists that her friends don't realize how bad the situation really is. Ellen is 100 percent sure about everything: her ideals, her politics, her friends. No one – not her adoring boyfriend Danny, her new lover Amy, or her worldly wise and weary friend Judy – can make Ellen see the blind spot at the center of her own politics and emotional life.

About the Cast
Aubrey Saverino (Ellen) returns for her second role at San Diego REP, She was most recently seen The REP's production of In The Next Room or the vibrator play, for which she earned a San Diego Critics Circle Craig Noel Award nomination. Also in San Diego she has appeared in King Lear (nominee for a San Diego Critics Circle Craig Noel Award), Twelfth Night, and The Madness of King George and Coriolanus at The Old Globe. In Los Angeles she has appeared in Romeo and Juliet (El Portal Theatre); An Impending Rupture of the Belly (Furious Theatre Company); Nicholas Nickleby (The Production Company); Inventing Van Gogh, and The Imaginary Cuckold (The Chance Theater), among others.

Fran Gercke (Danny) returns in his fourth production with San Diego REP, previously appearing in In The Next Room or the vibrator play, Proof and Merchant of Venice. Gercke is a co-founder of New Village Arts and a resident artist with Cygnet Theatre. His local credits include Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, A Number (Cygnet Theatre); Ring Round the Moon (Moonlight Theatre); Hurlyburly (ion theatre); True West, Three Sisters, Crimes of the Heart, A Lie of the Mind, Orphans, The Waverly Gallery (New Village Arts); and A Life in the Theatre at North Coast Repertory Theatre. Regionally, Gercke has appeared in the Virginia Shakespeare Festival and with National Players.

JoAnne Glover (Kayla) is the founder and managing director of MOXIE Theatre. Her San Diego credits include Dead Man's Cell Phone, Our Town, Or, The Norman Conquests, The Receptionist, Summer and Smoke, Expecting Isabel, Drink Me, Rabbit Hole, Bleeding Kansas, The Listener, Bluebonnet Court, Devil Dog Six, WET, Miss Witherspoon, Dog Act, Limonades Tous les Jours, Pulp, Kimberly Akimbo, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Hamlet, Stop Kiss, and Othello. In addition to her work as an award-winning actress, she has worked as a producer in New York and L.A.

Deanna Driscoll (Laurie) was most recently seen on the REP stage as Officer Randy Osteen in last season's hit Superior Donuts. An award-winning actress, she has also been seen at ion theatre in the role of Frankie in Frankie and Johnny at The Claire de Lune. Some of her favorite roles include Haley in Bad Dates, Grace in Bus Stop, Eve Ensler in The Good Body, Regan in King Lear, and the Old Woman in The Chairs, just to name a few. Along with numerous television and film credits, Driscoll received her professional training at National Shakespeare Conservatory in New York City, and is honored to run the Drama Department at High Tech Middle School in Point Loma.

Stephanie Dunnam (Judy) is a stage and screen actress, whose last appearance at San Diego REP was in Blue Window. Other roles include Metamorphoses (Zach Theatre); The Skin of Our Teeth (Stage West); True West (Insight America); American Daughter (Theatre Works); One Flea Spare (Ruth B. Shannon Performing Arts Center); Miracle (The Old Globe); The Sisters Rosensweig (National Tour); Lost Highway (Mark Taper Forum, The Old Globe); The Importance of Being Earnest (Dallas Theater Center); The Heidi Chronicles (National Tour); and Holiday (Oregon Shakespeare Festival). Dunnam's notable film and television credits are "Beyond the Farthest Star," "1000 Heroes," "Mistral's Daughter," "The Practice," "ER," "Frasier," "Home Improvement," "Magnum P.I.," "Murder She Wrote," and "Dynasty."

Karson St. John (Amy) is in her second production at San Diego REP, having appeared in The Threepenny Opera in 2009. Other San Diego credits include Angels in America (ion theatre), Cabaret (Cygnet Theatre), As You Like It (New Village Arts), Ten Cent Night (Moxie Theatre); The Little Dog Laughed (Diversionary Theatre); Mistletoe, Music, & Mayhem (North Coast Repertory Theatre); All in the Timing, Hurlyburly, and U.S. Drag (ion theatre).

Alexis Young (Tessa) is a student at Classical Academy High School in Escondido, and is making her San Diego REP debut in this production. Her professional credits include How the Grinch Stole Christmas '09 (Old Globe Theatre); A Christmas Carol '08 (North Coast Repertory Theatre), The King and I (Welk Resort Theatre), Turandot and Carmen (San Diego Opera, Civic Theater), and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (San Diego Musical Theatre. She has also worked with; Fallbrook Players, Encore Youth Theater, J*Company Youth Theater, Fine Arts Network, Arts Off Broadway Community Theater, and Carlsbad Community Theatre.

Delicia Turner Sonnenberg is the director of In the Wake. She is the founding artistic director of MOXIE Theatre, where she has directed many award-winning productions and was honored as a Small Business Leader of the Year by Senator Christine Kehoe. She is thrilled to return "home" to the REP, where she was a former artistic associate at the REP, and directed The Seafarer in 2009.

San Diego REP's box office is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. on non-performance days and noon until curtain on performance days. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets at a discounted rate. Four hours of free parking at Horton Plaza is available for patrons who validate at the Lyceum Theatre. For more information, please visit www.sdrep.org.

About San Diego REPertory Theatre
San Diego REPertory Theatre (San Diego REP) produces intimate, exotic, provocative theatre. We promote a more inclusive community through vivid works that nourish progressive political and social values and celebrate the multiple voices of our region. San Diego REPertory Theatre feeds the curious soul. To learn more about San Diego REPertory Theatre, visit www.sdrep.org. Join us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/sandiegorep) and follow us on Twitter (@SanDiegoREP).

In the Wake
Written by Lisa Kron
Directed by Delicia Turner Sonnenberg
Feb. 11 – March. 4, 2012
Opening Night: Fri., Feb. 17, 2012
The Lyceum Space
San Diego REPertory Theatre

Performances are Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. (except preview Sunday); performances also are scheduled on selected Saturdays at 2 p.m. and selected Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Please visit www.sdrep.org for specific days and times.

San Diego REP
79 Horton Plaza
San Diego, Calif. 92101-6144

Ticket Prices: $32 to $51 (Student tickets: $18)
Discounts for groups, seniors and military also available.
San Diego REP Box Office (619) 544-1000
Four hours free parking in the Horton Plaza Garage with validation at the theatre. Tickets available for purchase online at www.sdrep.org.

SURROUND EVENT SCHEDULE FOR IN THE WAKE
Surround Events are free and open to the public. If you wish to stay and see the production, please purchase a ticket at the Box Office.

Sat., Feb. 11, 2012 at 7 p.m. (prior to the 8 p.m. performance)
A Night of All Female Stand-up Comedy
Featuring Michelle Wolff and Mindy Lipton
Michelle Wolff tackles a unique range of comedic subjects such as women's health, love in modern times, and sexual misadventure. Her unique style of feminist hybrid comedy is sure to make you laugh! Actor, singer and dancer Mindy Lipton took a break from performing to get married, raise triplets and later divorce. This funny lady has graced the stages of nearly every local stand-up comedy venue in San Diego. She is now back, following her dream, only this time, awake.

Sun., Feb. 12, 2012 at 6 p.m. (prior to the 7 p.m. performance)
The New Queer Identity
For most of the 20th century, the word "queer" was used to degrade people who were known or believed to be gay. More recently however, many who identify as LGBT have embraced the Q-word as a self-affirming term. Warwick's Independent Bookstore presents award-winning author of the recently published, "When We were Outlaws: A Memoir of Love and Revolution." Jeanne Cordova, journalist and pioneering activist behind the West Coast LGBTQ movement, will share her intimate chronicle.

Thurs., Feb. 16, 2012 at 7 p.m. (prior to the 8 p.m. performance)
Talking Theatre With Todd
REP Associate Artistic Director Todd Salovey's special guests are Delicia Turner Sonnenberg, artistic director of Moxie Theatre and the director of In the Wake, and Glenn Paris, artistic director of ion theatre. The topic of discussion is "The Life and Times of an Artistic Director of a Small (but mighty) San Diego Theatre Company." For the REP, Sonnenberg has directed the acclaimed productions of The Seafarer, The Good Body and Intimate Apparel. Paris recently co-directed the much praised production of Angels in America for ion theatre.

Sat., Feb. 18, 2012 @ 7pm (prior to the 8 p.m. performance)
Page to Stage Poetry Reading
The Women's Museum of California will bring a trio of women poets whose performances are a reflection of the impact that recent history in the first part of the 21st century has had on them. Don't miss these talented, funny, tireless, eager, soul-stirring, truth-telling, fearless word warriors dedicated to the idea that women need to make noise as loudly, elegantly, and often as they can.

Sun., Feb. 19, 2012 at 6 p.m. (prior to the 7 p.m. performance)
Monogamy, Polyamory, and Non-Traditional Relationships: The Evolution of Human Sexual Behavior
How has our changing society affected our sexual behavior? Join us for an open discussion about the changing nature of human sexual relationships. Our panel of experts will include David Peters, MFT, a licensed marriage and family therapist who offers periodic commentary for KPBS radio and television; Kimala Price, an assistant professor of women's studies at San Diego State University and a board member of Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest; and Susan Cayleff, a professor of women's studies and director of the master's program in women's studies at San Diego State University. Moderating the event is Barbarella Fokos, a journalist and columnist for NBC San Diego and San Diego Reader.

Wed., Feb. 22, 2012 at 6 p.m. (prior to the 7 p.m. performance)
Making a Difference
Meet an extraordinary quartet of people who are determined to make a difference. Discover the true stories of San Diegans who are agents of change. Panelists include Kathi Anderson, executive director of Survivors of Torture, an organization caring for survivors now living in San Diego; Colleen Krause, a family education program manager for International Rescue Committee Andrew Rae who has taught in a Thai refugee camp, and has worked with the AjA Project helping refugee youth displaced by violence, and Nicola Ranson, MSW, a clinical social worker who assists refugees.

Thurs., Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. (prior to the 8 p.m. performance)
Sam's Salon: Art, Sex & Religion
One of the highly opinionated characters of In the Wake says "The things that matter, the huge, magnificent things, the big three-Art, Religion, Sex-each of them can take us to the highest place-or the lowest. Each of them offers transcendence---and also degradation." Join REP Artistic Director Sam Woodhouse for a provocative conversation about the Big Three. Sam's expert guests are: Roxana Velásquez, executive director of the San Diego Museum of Art; Rev. Arvid Straube, lead minister of First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego; and Goddess Jeanetta, a tantra teacher, sensual healer and touch artist.

Wed., Feb. 29, 2012 at 6 p.m. (prior to the 7 p.m. performance)
Out of the Closet, Out on the Stage
Join us for an intriguing look at LGBT theatre from Greek drama to contemporary plays like In The Wake. How has the reflection of gay experiences changed? This candid discussion features John Alexander, executive director, and Bret Young, managing director of Diversionary Theatre. One of the oldest LGBT theatres in the United States, Diversionary Theatre's goal is to provide quality theatre that reflects the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. The conversation will be moderated by new REP literary manager, Danielle Ward.

Fri., Mar. 2, 2012 (after the 8 p.m. performance)
Meet the Artists
Stick around after the performance for a revealing and unpredictable conversation with the artists who made In the Wake. This event is hosted by REP casting director, Jessica Bird.