SCR Premieres THE HAPPY ONES At The Julianne Argyros Stage 9/27-10/18

South Coast Repertory will present the world premiere of The Happy Ones, the story of an Orange County man who must rediscover his optimism in the wake of tragedy, on the Julianne Argyros Stage Sept. 27 - Oct. 18.

The play, set in Garden Grove in the mid-1970s, was commissioned by SCR and written by Julie Marie Myatt. It will be directed by Martin Benson, SCR's artistic director. Raphael Sbarge plays Walter, an appliance-store owner who has the perfect life until fate intervenes. There to help in his time of need are his best friend, Gary (Geoffrey Lower), a not-very-good minister with a taste for alcohol; Mary-Ellen (Nike Doukas), Gary's party-hearty new girlfriend; and Bao (Greg Watanabe), a Vietnamese refugee still haunted by his own troubled past.

"It's a riveting play that deals with a shocking event and its aftermath through the reactions of immensely compelling characters, and at the same time, it's very funny," said Benson.

Low-priced preview tickets to The Happy Ones are available Sept. 27 through Oct. 1. Opening night is Oct. 2. Press night is Saturday, Oct. 3, at 7:45 p.m. Tickets may be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or in person at the SCR box office.

The Happy Ones is Myatt's second SCR production, after 2007's My Wandering Boy. Myatt, a resident of Los Feliz, has enjoyed great success in recent years, most recently with well-received productions of Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and The Kennedy Center.

"Julie knows how to strike that delicate balance," said Producing Artistic Director David Emmes. "She's able to find the humor in a serious situation, and the serious in a seemingly comic situation."

The Happy Ones' creative team includes Oanh Nguyen (associate director), Ralph Funicello (set design), Angela Balogh Calin (costume design) Tom Ruzika (lighting design) Paul James Prendergast (sound design), John Glore (dramaturg) and Jennifer Ellen Butler (stage manager).

Mary Beth Adderley is the Honorary Producer of The Happy Ones, which is a recipient of an Edgerton Foundation New American Plays award. OC Metro is the media partner.

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. Performances begin on Sept. 27 and continue through Oct. 18. Ticket prices range from $20 to $65. Low-priced preview performances are available from Sept. 27-Oct. 1. Performance times: Previews: Sunday, Sept. 27 at 2 p.m., and Tuesday, Sept. 29, Wednesday, Sept. 30, and Thursday, Oct. 1 at 7:45 p.m. Regular Performances: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings at 7:45 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Discounts are available for full-time students, patrons 25 years of age and under, educators, seniors and groups of 15 or more. There will be a "Pay-What-You-Will" performance on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 2 p.m. ($10 minimum) and an ASL-interpreted performance on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 2 p.m.

POST-SHOW DISCUSSIONS: Tuesday, Oct. 6 & Wednesday, Oct. 7

Discuss the play with members of The Happy Ones cast during free post-show discussions led by South Coast Repertory's literary team after the 7:45 p.m. performances on Oct. 6 and 7.

INSIDE THE SEASON: Saturday, Oct. 10, 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. $12

Inside the Season is a series of interactive classes that provide a comprehensive inside look at the theatrical production process. Each two-hour class is led by Literary and Education Associate Linda Sullivan Baity and features creative personnel from South Coast Repertory's current production. Inside the Season is offered on select Saturday mornings from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 each and can be purchased by calling the Box Office at (714) 708-5555. (Tickets to The Happy Ones are sold separately.)

LOCATION: South Coast Repertory is located at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, at the Bristol Street/Avenue of the Arts exit off the San Diego (405) Freeway in the Folino Theater Center, part of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Parking is available off Anton Blvd. on Park Center Drive.

COMING UP: Saturn Returns (10/23-11/22), Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business (11/6-22), A Christmas Carol (11/28-12/26).

Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, under the artistic direction of David Emmes and Martin Benson, is widely recognized as one of the leading professional theaters in the United States. Founded in 1964, SCR is committed to theater that illuminates the compelling personal and social issues of our time, not only on its stages but through its education and outreach programs. While its productions represent a balance of classic and modern theater, SCR is renowned for its extensive new play development program, including the Pacific Playwrights Festival. Of SCR's more than 435 productions, 112 have been world premieres with subsequent stagings achieving enormous success across America and around the world. SCR-developed works have garnered eight Pulitzer Prize nominations with Margaret Edson's Wit winning the prize in 1999 and David Lindsay-Abaire's Rabbit Hole in 2007. Located in Costa Mesa, California, in 2002 SCR opened the Folino Theater Center, an expanded three-theater complex that includes the 507-seat Segerstrom Stage, the 336-seat Julianne Argyros Stage and the 94-seat Nicholas Studio.