SC 54th Season • 514th Production JULIANNE ARGYROS STAGE / DECEMBER 3-24, 2017

Marc Masterson Paula Tomei ARTISTIC DIRECTOR MANAGING DIRECTOR

David Emmes & Martin Benson FOUNDING ARTISTIC DIRECTORS

presents SUGAR PLUM FAIRY

by Sandra Tsing Loh

Keith Mitchell Angela Balogh Calin Jared A. Sayeg John Ballinger SCENIC DESIGN COSTUME DESIGN LIGHTING DESIGN SOUND DESIGN

Jerry Patch Frier McCollister Joshua Marchesi Joanne DeNaut, csa Kathryn Davies DRAMATURG ASSOCIATE PRODUCER PRODUCTION MANAGER CASTING STAGE MANAGER

Directed by Bart DeLorenzo

The Slutzky Family Honorary Producers

Sugar Plum Fairy • South Coast Repertory • P1 CAST (In order of appearance) Sandra Tsing Loh Shannon Holt Tony Abatemarco

LENGTH Approximately 75 minutes, with no intermission.

PRODUCTION STAFF Production Assistant ...... Ruben Bolivar Costume Design Assistant ...... Kaitlyn Kaufman Stage Management Intern ...... Lydia Runge Light Board Operator ...... Sean Deuel Sound Board Operator ...... Jim Busker Automation Operator ...... Latania Brown Dresser ...... Rebecca Clayton Additional Costume Staff ...... Megan Knowles, Melissa Meza

The Actors and Stage Managers employed in this production are members of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

Please refrain from unwrapping candy or making other noises that may disturb surrounding patrons. Videotaping and/or recording of this performance by any means whatsoever are strictly prohibited. Electronic devices should be turned off or set to non-audible mode during the performance. Smoking is not permitted anywhere in the theatre.

Photos may be taken before and after the show, and during intermission, but not during the performance. Show your appreciation for the play and scenic designer: #SugarPlumSCR @Keithellism

Media Partner

P2 • South Coast Repertory • Sugar Plum Fairy Two Critical Views of The Nutcracker, The Nutcracker: the Most Popular Ballet in America:

“That warm and welcoming veneer of A Tale of Hoffman domestic bliss in The Nutcracker gives the appearance that all is just plummy by Jerry Patch Hoffman’s story was adapted, in the ballet world….Cautious com- reinvented and otherwise messed panies have reduced an art form to a rnst Theodor Wilhelm Hoff- with for the next century and be- rotation of over-roasted chestnuts, man dropped Wilhelm as a yond. It was adapted and revised by marking…how dull and risk-averse middle name in favor of Ama- Alexandre Dumas (père), author of deus, becoming E.T.A. Hoff- The Three Musketeers and The Count American ballet has become. man, out of admiration for Mo- of Monte Christo, who softened the “Ballet was brave…with works Ezart about whom he had written. He monsters and violence in Hoffman’s such as Michel Fokine’s sexy Schehe- gained some measure of early fame original. When librettist/choreog- razade (1910), Massine’s Cubist Parade for an insightful review he wrote of rapher Marius Petipa adapted it for (1917), and Nijinsky’s rough-hewn Rite Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, one The Nutcracker, he defanged it even of Spring (1913). Has ballet…forgotten he wrote after reading the score—he more: Marie became Klara, and what how eye-opening and ultimately nour- hadn’t heard it played. A polymath, she lived with—the mice, nutcracker ishing creative destruction can be?” Hoffman also composed music, drew, and others—was more easily resolved – Sarah Kaufman painted and (trained as a lawyer) as a child’s dream. Upon waking, she Pulitzer Prize-winning dance critic, made his living as a judge. He was a rejoined her happy family. Washington Post (2009) prominent literary figure during the Revisions continued. A 1919 19th century in Europe who faded in production eliminated the Sugar “Over the last 70 years this ballet—con- the 1900s. Plum Fairy and her Cavalier. Abridged ceived in the Old World—has become He also wrote stories, wild and versions of The Nutcracker were an American institution. Its amalgam imaginative tales of fantasy and ex- staged with other modifications. of children, parents, toys, a Christmas tended reality, set in worlds other The first U.S. production was tree, snow, sweets and Tchaikovksy’s than the one he lived in. A product staged by the San Francisco Ballet in astounding score is integral to the sea- of The Enlightenment and rationalist 1944. A huge Christmas hit for the son of good will that runs from Thanks- thinking, Hoffman believed his soci- company, it was revived annually, giving to New Year….The importance ety stifled imagination, an essential with new productions going into their of this ballet to America has become a element to creativity. His stories were repertory in 1954, 1967 and 2004. phenomenon that surely says as much sources for composers and choreog- But what put The Nutcracker about this country as it does about this raphers. Jacques Offenbach’s Tales of on ballet’s front burner was the New work of art.” Hoffman became an opera; his story York production mounted by George –Alastair “The Sandman” was the basis for Leo Balanchine in 1954, which immedi- Macauley, Delibes’ ballet, Coppelia, wherein a ately became an annual event. Chore- New York man falls in love with a large dancing ographers, including Rudolf Nureyev, Times dance doll. Yuri Grigorovich, Mikhail Barysh- critic (2010) His story “Nutcracker and nikov and Peter Wright, continued Mouse King” told of a girl, Marie, who to shuffle the order of the music, and in her all too proper household won- to cut and/or expand aspects of the ders about a nutcracker broken that original. Recent, more radical pro- day. She goes to inspect it at night ductions from Mark Morris and Mat- and finds it’s alive, about to lead toy thew Bourne, to name two, were soldiers in a battle against canine- introduced. Over time, Christ- toothed mice led by a Mouse King. mas productions of The Nut- By story’s end, she’s gone off with the cracker spread throughout the help of her strange godfather, Dros- U.S. Today Nutcracker produc- selmeier—either in a dream or some tions provide 40% of the annual alternative reality—into another ticket sales for major American world. dance companies.

Sugar Plum Fairy • South Coast Repertory • P3

THE CAST: Christian Barillas, Kim Staunton, Larry Powell and Allan Miller. Suite on a Ballet Girl by Jerry Patch accounting for the half-century lag in subse- quent productions outside Russia, even here’s plenty of music underscoring Sandra while Tchaikovsky’s Suite flourished in Tsing Loh’s Sugar Plum Fairy and most of it concert halls. is by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Like the liberties taken by cho- Choreographer Marius Petipa, who reographers staging Nutcracker over wrote the Nutcracker libretto adaptation the decades (see previous article), mu- Tthat premiered in St. Petersburg in 1892, had sicians have had their way with Tchai- given his composer explicit scoring instruc- kovsky’s music. Besides the many re- tions—down to the tempi used and the cordings of the entire ballet, many classical number of bars in each section. Even recordings exist of just the Suite and sections more confining, Tchaikovsky in- from the ballet. Some cite conductor Antol cluded a piece written in response Dorati’s 1975 recording of the complete to a colleague’s betting challenge: score with the Royal Concertgebouw Or- could he write a melody from the chestra (Amsterdam) as perhaps the best sequence of a one-octave scale? He of the many traditional recordings. did so, using an octave scale in de- Additionally, pop artists like Fred scending order, that became the Waring (1947) and his Pennsylvanians Adagio from the Grand pas de recorded the Suite, while jazz artists deux. from Freddy Martin to Shorty Rogers, to Duke The Nutcracker was commis- Ellington and Billy Strayhorn made their own sioned following the 1890 success of interpretations. the two authors’ The Sleeping Beauty. Other more recent covers in- From the entire 85-minute original ballet cluded comic verses composed by score, Tchaikovsky selected eight of its 23 sec- Ogden Nash and read by Peter tions to be played in concert performance: The Ustinov; a boogie piano arrange- Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a. First performed ment of the Marche called “Nut separately eight months before the ballet’s Rocker” by top Los Angeles premiere, it proved immediately popular studio musicians Al Hazan (piano), and was subsequently played on concert Earl Palmer (drums) Tommy Te- stages around the world—as well as used in desco (guitar) and Red Callen- the Walt Disney film Fantasia. The Suite in- der (bass); a humorous version cludes: as selected by the composer, by Spike Jones; “Klezmer Nut- cracker” by the Shirim Klezmer I. Miniature Overture Orchestra; and Belgian rapper Lu- II. Danses caracteristiques naman’s “Nutcracka” that quotes a. March “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy.” To b. Dance of the Sugar Plum name but a few. Fairy A dozen films (with more c. Tarantella planned) have used some or all of The d. Intermezzo (Journey Nutcracker’s score, as well as TV shows through the Snow) played by characters from Mickey e. Russian Trepak Mouse to Beavis and Butt-head. f. Chinese dance And it also inspired a 12-year- g. Andante maestoso (Pas de Deux) old Sandra in Malibu to imagine a dif- III. Waltz of the Flowers ferent life in a snowy clime and, four de- cades later, to imagine Sugar Plum Fairy. The premiere was a long evening of two separate It’s protean—music for the ages. offerings: a Tchaikovsky opera, Iolanta, and the new ballet. Both were met with critical indifference, perhaps From top to bottom: E.T.A. Hoffman; Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky; and Sandra Tsing Loh.

P4 • South Coast Repertory • Sugar Plum Fairy Artist Biographies

Tony Abatemarco atre Company, Los Angeles Theatre Center, East West Players and The Antaeus Company, where she is a mem- is co-artistic director at Skylight ber. She has received nominations and awards from LA Theatre Company. His awards in- Weekly, Stage Raw, LA Stage Alliance Ovation, Broad- clude an Ovation Award for lead wayWorld and Backstage West. Her film and television actor in a play for The Mystery credits include The Marc Pease Experience; Elsewhere; of Irma Vep at The Tiffany The- Bob Roberts; “The Suite Life On Deck,” “Seinfeld,” “ER” atre. He is a three-time Los Ange- and “That ’70s Show.” les Drama Critics’ Circle (LADCC) Award nominee for lead performance, including SCR’s Sandra Tsing Loh Bach at Leipzig, and most recently for Red at Interna- tional City Theatre, Long Beach. He has appeared in is a writer and performer whose Long Beach Opera’s The Soldier’s Tale by Igor Stravin- solo theatre shows include Aliens sky and LA Opera’s Wonderful Town by Leonard Bern- in America and Bad Sex With Bud stein. He received two National Endowment Directing Kemp (both off-Broadway at Sec- Fellowships, founded two seminal LA theatres (Acci- ond Stage Theatre), the original dent Theatre and The Night House), and has directed solo show Sugar Plum Fairy (Gef- on Broadway (Julie Harris in Lucifer’s Child), at The fen Playhouse, Seattle Repertory Arts Theatre in London’s West End (Robyn Peterson’s Theatre), I Worry (The Kennedy Center, Actors Theatre Catwalk Confidential), regionally and in Paris. His on- of Louisville) and The Bitch Is Back (Broad Stage). Her camera work totals 67 appearances including “How to bestselling New York Times Notable Book, Mother on Get Away with Murder,” the films Town & Country, Fire, was inspired by her hit solo show in 2005, during Sleeping with the Enemy, HBO’s “Sacrifice,” “The L which time Variety named her one of America’s 50 most Word,” “E.R.” and “Frasier.” He has had seven national influential comedians. Her memoir, The Madwoman in commercials running in the last four years. He teaches the Volvo: My Year of Raging Hormones, was selected at USC and Santa Monica College’s Emeritus College. As as one of The New York Times’ 100 Most Notable Books; a playwright, he has won LA Weekly and Drama-Logue it was inspired by her Best American Essay in The At- awards. His play, Beautified, world premiered at Sky- lantic, for which she is a contributing editor. The play light Theatre (2012) and his latest, Forever House, pre- version of Madwoman premiered at South Coast Reper- miered there in 2016. tonyabatemarco.com tory in 2016 and enjoyed subsequent runs at the Pasa- dena Playhouse and Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Mad- Shannon Holt woman has since been optioned for TV by Paramount Television and Anonymous Content. Loh has been a was previously seen at SCR in The regular commentator on NPR’s “Morning Edition,” and Madwoman In The Volvo, Dead on Public Radio International’s “This American Life” and Man’s Cell Phone and Ben and “Marketplace”; her daily radio minute, “The Loh Down The Magic Paintbrush. Her recent on Science,” is heard locally on KPCC (89.3 FM) and is credits include the L.A. Theatre internationally syndicated. Loh is an adjunct professor Works national tour of Judgment in drama and science communication at the University at Nuremberg and FRED at Dixon of California, Irvine. She has two teen daughters, Maddy Place in New York City. Her other stage work includes and Suzy; this show is dedicated to them, and all others appearances at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Pasadena who are young at heart. Playhouse, Center Theatre Group/Mark Taper Forum, Trinity Repertory Company, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Playwright, Director and Designers Laguna Playhouse, Actors’ Theatre of Louisville and The Public Theater in New York. In Los Angeles, she Sandra Tsing Loh (Playwright) see bio above. has worked on many stages including Evidence Room, Rogue Machine Theater, The Theatre @ Boston Court, Bart DeLorenzo (Director) returns to South Coast Actors’ Gang, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, Matrix The- Repertory, where he directed the premieres of tokyo

Sugar Plum Fairy • South Coast Repertory • P5 fish story, Fast Company, Doctor Cerberus and Ship- more than 60 productions for Alliance Theatre, Hol- wrecked! An Entertainment, as well as Dead Man’s lywood Bowl, Chautauqua Theater Company, Milwau- Cell Phone, along with NewSCRipts and Pacific Play- kee Repertory Theater, Denver Center Theatre Com- wrights Festival readings. He is the artistic director of pany, The Old Globe, Pasadena Playhouse, Georgia LA’s Evidence Room, where he recently directed The Shakespeare, A Noise Within and many local theatres. False Servant, Passion Play, Annapurna, Ivanov, She has worked extensively in film and television in Margo Veil and The Receptionist with the Odyssey the U.S. and Romania and has design credits with Theater Ensemble. His recent directing credits in- I.R.S. Media, Cannon Films, PBS, Full Moon Entertain- clude Stage Kiss, Death of the Author, Coney Island ment and Romanian Films. Calin is a resident artist at Christmas and Joan Rivers at the Geffen Playhouse; A Noise Within Theatre. She graduated with an MFA in Annapurna with The New Group; Time Alone with set and costume design from the Academy of Arts in Belle Reve Theatre at LATC; Kiss, Go Back to Where Bucharest, Romania. You Are, Day Drinkers and A Number with the Odys- sey Theatre; Need to Know at Rogue Machine Theatre; Jared A. Sayeg (Lighting Design) is a four-time Women in Jeopardy with the Ensemble Theatre Com- Ovation Award nominee and recipient of the Ova- pany of Santa Barbara; The Night Watcher at Wash- tion, StageRaw, Garland and LADCC Kinetic Light- ington, D.C.’s, Studio Theatre; Cymbeline at A Noise ing awards. His designs have been seen through- Within and I See You Made an Effort with Annabelle out the U.S., on and off-Broadway, London’s West Gurwitch, all over the country. He is on the faculty at End, Canada, Spain, Edinburgh and Las Vegas. CalArts. He has received Los Angeles Drama Critics His national tour work includes Blithe Spirit star- Circle awards, LA Weekly Awards, Backstage Garland ring Angela Lansbury, The Who’s Tommy with Awards and the Alan Schneider Director Award. Alice Ripley, Queen of Spades starring Placido Do- mingo (Madrid) and Rolling with Laughter at Keith Mitchell (Scenic Design) is delighted to be Her Majesty’s Theatre (West End). On Broadway, working at SCR, where he recently designed the The- Sayeg designed The Illusionists (Neil Simon Theatre, atre for Young Audiences production of Ella Enchant- national tours) Bravo Bernstein, Gotham Glory (Carn- ed. He has designed a dozen shows for SCR including egie Hall) and was on the design teams for PRIMO, Shipwrecked!, Doctor Cerberus, Venus in Fur and Mr. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Woman in White and the Popper’s Penguins. He also has designed award-win- Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Regionally, he has ning productions for a variety of southland theatres designed for Center Theatre Group, Pasadena Play- including 24th Street Theatre, A Noise Within, Kirk house, Sacramento Music Circus, International City Douglas Theatre, Center Theatre Group, Geffen Play- Theatre, Reprise Theatre Company, Ensemble Theatre house, Getty Villa, ETC, Lewis Family Playhouse and Company, Cabrillo Music Theatre, Laguna Playhouse, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble. He has designed more Virginia Stage Company, The Colony, Shakespeare than 20 shows for The Falcon Theatre, now the Garry Theatre of New Jersey and Civic Light Opera of South Marshall Theatre, including The Value of Names, with Bay. His other designs include Le Cirque Bijou for the late Jack Klugman (Ovation Award, Scenic Design) Norwegian Cruise Lines, and 18 productions sailing and 18 seasons for Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Sum- worldwide for Holland America. He is principal design- mersounds, World Music and Art for Kids series at the er for the USA International Ballet Competitions, held Hollywood Bowl. Mitchell is an Emmy Award-winning every four years. Sayeg became the youngest member art director and works on a variety of commercials, of the United Scenic Artists, Local 829, and serves as a television promotions and film projects. You might trustee to its executive board. jaslighting.com recognize Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, KFC, Taco Bell, Toyota, NBC’s “The Voice,” 2018 Winter Olym- John Ballinger (Sound Design) returns to SCR, pics Social Media Campaign and American Assassin. where his previous shows include A Midsummer He recently illustrated a children’s book, I Love To Go Night’s Dream, The Borrowers, Fast Company and Camping by JoAnn Dickinson. He is a USC alumnus. OZ 2.5. He is an award-winning composer/sound de- signer/musical director and CalArts alumnus and has Angela Balogh Calin (Costume Design) returns recorded, toured or performed with Moira Smiley to SCR where she has designed costumes and/or sets and VOCO, Tracy Bonham, Rufus Wainwright, Van for more than 40 productions including Abundance, Dyke Parks and “Dancing With the Stars.” His work Peter and the Starcatcher, The Whipping Man, Rest, as a composer includes scores and songs for tele- The Whale, The Trip to Bountiful, The Weir, Circle vision, short films, theatre and live events. His off- Mirror Transformation, Crimes of the Heart, Ordi- Broadway credits include Annapurna at the New nary Days and The Happy Ones. She has designed Group and F**ing Hipsters at the Signature Theatre.

P6 • South Coast Repertory • Sugar Plum Fairy His regional credits include numerous plays at the Geffen Playhouse, A Noise Within, Ensemble Studio The Slutzky Family (Honorary Producers) is Theatre-LA, Circle X Theatre, Evidence Room, Holly- two generations of lovers of great theatre. Alan wood Fringe, The Two Roads Theater, The Theatre @ Slutzky is in his second year as SCR Board Presi- Boston Court, Highways Theater, UCLA, CalArts, Oc- dent and he and his wife, Olivia, are deeply in- cidental College, UC Irvine, John Anson Ford Theater, volved with the life of the theatre. They’re First La Mirada Theater for the Performing Arts, Getty Villa, Nighters on both stages, major Gala underwrit- Falcon Theater and The Broad Stage. ers and, with this show, are enjoying their fourth time as Honorary Producers. Previously, they Jerry Patch (Dramaturg) was affiliated with SCR helped underwrite Topdog/Underdog, Death of from 1967-2005 and returned in 2014 as literary con- a Salesman and Peter and the Starcatcher. Last sultant. He served as dramaturg on nearly 150 new season, they generously helped underwrite the plays developed and seen at SCR including the world young audiences show, Tales of a Fourth Grade premieres of Abundance, Freedomland, Golden Nothing. Previous to that, they were part of The Child, Intimate Apparel, Search and Destroy, Three Playwrights Circle, underwriting the world pre- Days of Rain and Wit. He was project director of SCR’s mieres of Future Thinking and The Parisian Pacific Playwrights Festival from its 1998 inception Woman. Alan was introduced to SCR when his through 2005; for seven years, he served as artistic parents, Joel and Judy, began bringing their fam- director of the theatre program of Sundance Institute. ily to SCR in the early 1990s. Joel and Judy Slutz- As a professor of theatre and film, he taught at Long ky are SCR stalwarts who have been subscribing Beach City College, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, CSU and supporting SCR since the late 1980s. Today, Long Beach and other institutions. He was consulting they’re First Nighters on both stages and mem- dramaturg for New York’s Roundabout Theatre Com- bers of Platinum Circle. The family has enjoyed pany for nearly a decade and left SCR to become resi- their three decades of involvement with SCR and dent artistic director for The Old Globe in San Diego. looks forward to many more to come. He is an artistic consultant, following seven seasons as director of artistic development, for Manhattan The- atre Club in New York, and acts as a literary consultant for South Coast Repertory. Los Angeles Film Festival and as team leader at Sun- dance. Kathryn Davies (Stage Manager) previously stage- managed Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, The Marc Masterson (Artistic Director) has expanded Roommate, All the Way, Future Thinking, Red, Viet- the theatre’s community and artistic initiatives and gone, OZ 2.5, The Whipping Man, Tartuffe, Reunion, produced dozens of world premieres including A Trudy and Max in Love, Ivy+Bean: the Musical, The Doll’s House, Part 2 by Lucas Hnath, Vietgone by Qui Motherf**ker with the Hat, How to Write a New Book Nguyen, Mr. Wolf by Rajiv Joseph and Office Hour by for the Bible, Sight Unseen, Topdog/Underdog, Side- Julia Cho. In recent years, SCR productions have trans- ways Stories from Wayside School, In the Next Room ferred to some of the leading theatres in the country or the vibrator play, Doctor Cerberus, Ordinary including Manhattan Theatre Club, Oregon Shake- Days, Our Mother’s Brief Affair, The Injured Party, speare Festival, Berkeley Repertory Theatre and The The Brand New Kid and Imagine at SCR. Her favorite Goodman Theatre. His recent directing credits include credits include Dividing the Estate at Dallas Theater All the Way, Going to a Place where you Already Are, Center; La Bohème at Tulsa Opera; The Mystery of Zealot, Death of a Salesman, Eurydice and Elemeno Irma Vep at The Old Globe; Daddy Long Legs at La- Pea at SCR; Hand to God at the Alliance Theatre; guna Playhouse; Tosca and La Fille du Régiment at Byhalia, Mississippi by Evan Linder at the Contempo- Opera Ontario; Of Mice and Men at Theatre Calgary, rary American Theatre Festival; As You Like It for the CanStage, Neptune Theatre; The Dresser at Manitoba Houston Shakespeare Festival; and The Kite Runner Theatre Centre; Skylight at Tarragon Theatre; To Kill at Actors Theatre of Louisville and the Cleveland Play a Mockingbird at Citadel Theatre, Manitoba Theatre House. He served for 11 years as artistic director of Ac- Centre, Theatre Calgary; and The Designated Mourner tors Theatre of Louisville and produced the Humana at Tarragon Theatre and the Edinburgh Fringe Festi- Festival of New American Plays, where he produced val. Davies also has worked as head theatre represen- more than 100 world premieres, expanded audiences tative at the Toronto International Film Festival, Dubai and the repertoire, deepened arts education programs International Film Festival, AFI Fest, TCM Film Festival, and spearheaded numerous community-based proj-

Sugar Plum Fairy • South Coast Repertory • P7 ects. The world premieres he directed at the Humana mitment to theatre excellence and fostering the art Festival include works by Charles Mee, Wendell Berry, and craft of American playwriting. They also accepted Craig Wright, Eric Coble, Adam Bock, Gina Gionfriddo, SCR’s 1988 Tony Award for Outstanding Resident Melanie Marnich, and Rick Dresser. His other Louis- Professional Theatre and won the 1995 Theatre L.A. ville directing credits include A Midsummer Night’s Ovation Award for Lifetime Achievement. Benson has Dream, Shipwrecked! An Entertainment, Glengarry received the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award Glen Ross, The Tempest, Mary’s Wedding and The Cru- for Distinguished Achievement in Directing an unpar- cible. He served as artistic director of City Theatre in alleled seven times for George Bernard Shaw’s Major Pittsburgh for 20 years and was founder and chairman Barbara, Misalliance and Heartbreak House; John of the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Alliance. He has served Millington Synge’s Playboy of the Western World; Ar- as a theatre advisory panel member for the National thur Miller’s The Crucible; Sally Nemeth’s Holy Days; Endowment for the Arts, as well as numerous founda- and the world premiere of Margaret Edson’s Pulitzer tions. He won the Man of the Year Vectors Award, and Prize-winning Wit, which he also directed at Seattle received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Repertory Theatre and Houston’s Alley Theatre. He Pittsburgh New Works Festival. has directed American classics such as A Streetcar Named Desire and has distinguished himself in stag- Paula Tomei (Managing Director) is responsible ing contemporary work including the critically ac- for the overall administration of SCR. She has been claimed California premiere of William Nicholson’s managing director since 1994 and a member of SCR’s Shadowlands. He directed revivals of Beth Henley’s staff since 1979. She is a past president of the board Abundance and Horton Foote’s The Trip to Bountiful; of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the na- and Samuel D. Hunter’s The Whale and Rest (world tional service organization for theatre. In addition, premiere); The Whipping Man by Matthew Lopez; she served as treasurer of TCG, vice president of the and The Roommate by Jen Silverman (west coast pre- League of Resident Theatres (LORT) and as a member miere). Benson received his BA in theatre from San of the LORT Negotiating Committee for industry-wide Francisco State University. union agreements. She represents SCR at national conferences of TCG and LORT and served as a theatre David Emmes (Founding Artistic Director) is co- panelist and site visitor for the National Endowment founder of South Coast Repertory. He received the for the Arts (NEA) and the California Arts Council. Her Margo Jones Award for his lifetime commitment to teaching background includes a graduate class in non theatre excellence and to fostering the art of American profit management at UC Irvine (UCI) and as a guest playwriting. In addition, he has received numerous lecturer in the graduate school of business at Stanford. awards for productions he has directed during his She was appointed by the chancellor to UCI’s Com- SCR career. He directed the world premieres of Amy munity Arts Council, serves on the Dean’s Leadership Freed’s Safe in Hell, The Beard of Avon and Freedom- Society Executive Committee for the School of Social land; Thomas Babe’s Great Day in the Morning; Keith Sciences at UCI and is a member of the College of Arts Reddin’s Rum and Coke and But Not for Me; and Neal Dean’s Task Force for California State University, Ful- Bell’s Cold Sweat; the American premieres of Terry lerton. She is also on the board of Arts Orange County, Johnson’s Unsuitable for Adults; and Joe Penhall’s the county-wide arts council, and the board of the Dumb Show; and the Southland premiere of Top Girls Nicholas Endowment. She graduated from UCI with a (at SCR and the Westwood Playhouse). Other pro- degree in economics and pursued an additional course ductions he has directed include Red, New England, of study in theatre and dance. In March 2017, she re- Arcadia, The Importance of Being Earnest, Woman ceived the Mayor’s Award from the City of Costa Mesa in Mind and You Never Can Tell, which he restaged for her contributions to the arts community. for the Singapore Festival of Arts. He has served as a theatre panelist and onsite evaluator for the National Martin Benson (Founding Artistic Director), co- Endowment for the Arts, as well as a panelist for the founder of SCR, has directed nearly one-fourth of California Arts Council. After attending Orange Coast SCR’s productions. In 2008, he and David Emmes College, he received his BA and MA from San Fran- received the Margo Jones Award for their lifetime com- cisco State University and his PhD from USC.

The Actors and Stage Managers em- The Scenic, Costume, Lighting and The Director is a member of the Soci- ployed in this production are members Sound Designers in LORT theatres ety of Stage Directors and Choreogra- of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union are represented by United Scenic phers, Inc., an independent national of Professional Actors and Stage Manag- Artists Local USA-829, IATSE. labor union. ers in the United States.

P8 • South Coast Repertory • Sugar Plum Fairy