Bette Aitken News

Chance Theater is set to present its 14th annual production of the irreverent, raunchy and pitch-black dark holiday satire The Eight: Reindeer Monologues.

Chance Theater, Anaheim's official resident theater company, is pleased to announce the return holiday engagement of The Secret Garden - The Musical. Written by Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon and once again directed by KC Wilkerson and Casey Long, The Secret Garden will preview from November 24 through December 1; regular performances will begin December 2 and continue through December 23 at Chance Theater @ Bette Aitken theater arts Center on the Cripe Stage.

In its admirable Orange County premiere production directed by Marya Mazor, Chance Theater presents an intimately-staged version of Nina Raine's thoughtful, award-winning 2010 play TRIBES, now playing through October 22, 2017. This comedic drama which centers around a young deaf man caught between his hearing family and a new hearing impaired girlfriend asks: is it possible to choose one tribe over another, knowing what each brings to the table?

Chance Theater, Anaheim's official resident theater company, is pleased to announce the fifth show in our 19th Anniversary Season... Tribes. Written by Nina Raine and directed by Marya Mazor, Tribes will preview from September 24 through September 29; regular performances will begin September 30 and continue through October 22 at Chance Theater at Bette Aitken theater arts Center on the Cripe Stage.

Chance Theater, Anaheim's official resident theater company, presents the sixth show of its 2017 season... in a word. Written by former Chance Theater Resident Playwright Lauren Yee, in a word has received numerous awards and was recently named a New York Times Critic's Pick. Directed by Jocelyn A. Brown, in a word opens tomorrow, September 16, and continues through October 8 at Chance Theater @ Bette Aitken theater arts Center on the Fyda-Mar Stage. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Chance Theater, Anaheim's official resident theater company, is pleased to announce the fifth show in our 19th Anniversary Season… Tribes. Written by Nina Raine and directed by Marya Mazor, Tribes will preview from September 24 through September 29; regular performances will begin September 30 and continue through October 22 at Chance Theater @ Bette Aitken theater arts Center on the Cripe Stage.

Chance Theater, Anaheim's official resident theater company, is pleased to announce the sixth show of our 2017 season… in a word. Written by former Chance Theater Resident Playwright Lauren Yee, in a word has received numerous awards and was recently named a New York Times Critic's Pick. Directed by Jocelyn A. Brown, in a word will preview from September 8 through September 15; regular performances will begin September 16 and continue through October 8 at Chance Theater @ Bette Aitken theater arts Center on the Fyda-Mar Stage.

Chance Theater, Anaheim's official resident theater company, is pleased to add three additional shows to its production of PARADE. With a book by Alfred Uhry, music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, direction by Kari Hayter, and musical direction by Robyn Manion, the Chance's production of PARADE was named a Los Angeles Times Critic's Choice and is Ovation Recommended.

It is nearly impossible not to be emotionally affected by the events depicted in PARADE, the stirring, Tony Award-winning 1998 musical inspired by shocking actual events surrounding the trial of a man accused of raping and murdering a 13-year-old girl. It's certainly a heavy, morose subject to wrap an entire musical around, which is probably why PARADE is so rarely produced, despite its high-caliber book by Alfred Uhry and gorgeous music by Jason Robert Brown. But when the material is executed with emotional heft and interesting staging---as it mostly is in Chance Theater's latest production---the results can be powerful, gut-wrenching, and, most importantly, thought-provoking.

Chance Theater, Anaheim's official resident theater company, is pleased to announce its production of PARADE, with book by Alfred Uhry, music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, direction by Kari Hayter, and musical direction by Robyn Manion.

Chance Theater, Anaheim's official resident theater company, is pleased to announce its production of PARADE, with book by Alfred Uhry, music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, direction by Kari Hayter, and musical direction by Robyn Manion. PARADE will preview from June 30 through July 7; regular performances will begin July 8 and continue through July 30 at Chance Theater @ Bette Aitken theater arts Center on the Cripe Stage.

The Orange County Playwrights Alliance (OCPA) partners with Anaheim's Chance Theater on June 24 for a staged reading of Lynn Wells Nelson's comedy Directing Hedda.

Chance Theater, Anaheim's official resident theater company, is pleased to announce its production of PARADE, with book by Alfred Uhry, music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, direction by Kari Hayter, and musical direction by Robyn Manion. PARADE will preview from June 30 through July 7; regular performances will begin July 8 and continue through July 30 at Chance Theater @ Bette Aitken theater arts Center on the Cripe Stage.

Chance Theater, Anaheim's official resident theater company, is delighted to present an encore presentation of Fancy Nancy, The Musical as part of its third season of Theater for Young Audiences.

Chance Theater, Anaheim's official resident theater company, is delighted to present an encore presentation of Fancy Nancy, The Musical as part of its third season of Theater for Young Audiences. Book and lyrics by Susan DiLallo, music by Danny Abosch and directed by Angeline Mirenda based on original staging by Kelly Todd, Fancy Nancy, the Musical will preview from May 5 through May 13; regular performances will begin May 13 and continue through May 28 on the Cripe Stage at Chance Theater @ Bette Aitken theater arts Center.

Chance Theater, Anaheim's official resident theater company, is pleased to announce the second show in our 19th Anniversary Season… Middletown. Written by Will Eno and directed by Trevor Biship, Middletown will preview from April 21 through April 28; regular performances will begin April 29 and continue through May 21 at Chance Theater @ Bette Aitken theater arts Center on the intimate Fyda-Mar Stage.

Chance Theater, Anaheim's official resident theater company, is pleased to announce the first show in its third season of Theater for Young Audiences... The Little Prince.

Video games get the musical comedy treatment in CLAUDIO QUEST, a clever new musical now having its West Coast Premiere performances at Orange County's Chance Theater through February 26 in Anaheim. Those familiar with the 8-bit characters of games like Super Mario Bros. will be amused by the adventures of a pair of heroic brothers whose mission is to save the kidnapped princess from the clutches of a fire-breathing platypus terrorizing the kingdom. When the game suddenly changes players, the heroes are thrown for a loop and must figure out how to navigate and triumph this glitch-filled new world.

Chance Theater, Anaheim's official resident theater company, is pleased to announce the first show in its third season of Theater for Young Audiences… The Little Prince. Written by Rick Cummins and John Scoullar, based on the book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, and directed by Darryl B. Hovis, The Little Prince will preview from February 17 through February 25; regular performances will begin February 25 and continue through March 5 at Chance Theater @ Bette Aitken theater arts Center on the Fyda-Mar Stage.

Chance Theater, Anaheim's official resident theater company, is pleased to announce its West Coast premiere production of ... Claudio Quest. With music, lyrics and book by Drew Fornarola and Marshall Pailet, direction by Pailet, choreography by Maxx Reed and musical direction by Ryan O'Connell, Claudio Quest will preview from tonight, January 27, through February 3; regular performances will begin February 4 and continue through February 26 at Chance Theater @ Bette Aitken theater arts Center on the Cripe Stage.