Orange County-Inspired Play ORANGE Has West Coast Premiere

Orange by Aditi Brennan Kapil-inspired by and set in Orange County, Calif.-has its west coast premiere at South Coast Repertory, March 5-26. Seen through Leela's eyes, the coastal county is a wondrous and thrilling place in a tale that is part rebellious teen thrill ride and part self-discovery. Jessica Kubzansky directs Orange on the Julianne Argyros Stage. Tickets are available now atwww.scr.org.

"This coming-of-age story is wrapped in an action-adventure thrill ride, about a young South Asian woman on the autism spectrum," Kubzansky said. "It's a powerful and profound journey that makes us laugh and moves us."

The story follows Leela, a teenager from India who draws life's important moments in her journal. When a family wedding gets boring, her rebellious cousin decides to run for it-with her boyfriend-and takes Leela along. As they careen through Orange County, navigating dangerous situations in a night-long wild ride, Leela challenges their view of her-and each other.

Kapil wrote Orange on commission through SCR's CrossRoads program, which develops plays that explore the cultural diversity of Orange County through artist residencies. CrossRoads is supported by a grant from the Time Warner Foundation. Kapil spent her residency on a road-trip adventure through Orange County.

Broadway World called Orange "soulful and hilarious" at the play's world premiere at Mixed Blood Theatre. The Minneapolis Star Tribune called it "moving and sensitive...hip, sharp and surprising."

Kapil is a writer, actress and director who grew up in Sweden-with a Bulgarian mother and an Indian father-and now lives and works in Minneapolis, Minn. She frequently weaves her diverse background into her writings. Her play Love Person, a four-part love story in Sanskrit, American Sign Language and English, received the 2009 Stavis Playwriting Award. Love Person was produced in a National New Play Network rolling world premiere at Mixed Blood Theatre, Marin Theater and Phoenix Theatre. Kapil's Displaced Hindu Gods trilogy consists of Brahman/i: A One-Hijra Stand-Up Comedy Show; The Chronicles of Kalki; and Shiv. These internationally produced plays, based on the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, premiered at Mixed Blood Theatre. She currently is working on commissions with La Jolla Playhouse and Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Kubzansky is co-artistic director of The Theatre @ Boston Court in Pasadena. At SCR, she previously directed Theatre for Young Audiences productions (The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing) and numerous readings.

The cast includes Anjali Bhimani, Pia Shah and Karthik Srinivasan.

The design and creative team includes Michael Raiford, scenic design; Jaymi Lee Smith, lighting design; Denitsa Bitznakova, costume design; John Nobori, sound design; Mike Tutaj, projection design; and Lyuben Dimitrov, illustrator. The production manager is Joshua Marchesi, the stage manager is Kathryn Davies and the dramaturg is Kimberly Colburn.

Orange has generous support from Honorary Producers Joan and Andy Fimiano. The media partner is Orange Coast magazine.

Tickets start at $22. 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.

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