AT THE MISSION SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO by José Cruz González based on the comic strip “Peanuts” by Charles M. Schulz directed by Christopher Acebo book, music and lyrics by Clark Gesner additional dialogue by Michael Mayer additional music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa directed and choreographed by Kari Hayter OUTSIDE SCR 2021 • SOUTH COAST REPERTORY • 1 THE THEATRE Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, founded in 1964 by David Emmes and Martin Benson, is led by Artistic Director David Ivers and SPRING/SUMMER 2021 SEASON Managing Director Paula Tomei. SCR is recog- nized as one of the leading professional theatres IN THIS ISSUE Get to know, or get reacquainted with, South Coast Repertory in the United States. It is committed to theatre through the stories featured in this magazine. You’ll find information about both that illuminates the compelling personal and Outside SCR productions: American Mariachi and You’re a Good Man, Charlie social issues of our time, not only on its stages but Brown, as well as the Mission San Juan Capistrano, acting classes for all ages and a through its wide array of education and engage- host of other useful information. ment programs. 6 Letter From the Artistic Director While its productions represent a balance of clas- That Essential Ingredient of the Theatre: YOU sic and modern theatre, SCR is renowned for The Lab@SCR, its extensive new-play development program, which includes one of the nation’s larg- 7 Letter From the Managing Director est commissioning programs for emerging, mid- A Heartfelt Embrace career and established writers and composers. Each year, SCR showcases some of the country’s 8 Letter From the Board best new plays at the Pacific Playwrights Festival, Community Plays a Vital Role which attracts theatre professionals from across the country. Of SCR’s more than 534 productions, 9 Outside SCR one-quarter have been world premieres, whose subsequent stagings achieved enormous success 10 Mission San Juan Capistrano throughout America and around the world. SCR- developed works have garnered two Pulitzer Prizes 11 Applauding Your Triumph and Resilience and eight Pulitzer nominations, several Obie Awards and scores of major new-play awards. P1 Production Pages (following page 14) The David Emmes/Martin Benson Theatre Center is home to the 507-seat Segerstrom Stage, the 16 Season Producers 336-seat Julianne Argyros Stage and the 94-seat Nicholas Studio. SCR is a professional, nonprofit, 18 In Class and in the Community tax-exempt corporation, partially funded by the Stretch, Grow—ACT! National Endowment for the Arts, foundations, corporations and individuals. It is a constituent 20 2021 Season Artists and Staff member of Theatre Communica- tions Group, the national service 22 Returning This Fall: Live Indoor Theatre organization for the American theatre; the League of Resident 23 Annual Fund Donors Theatres (LORT), a national collective-bargaining association; and Arts Orange County, the official 28 Helpful Information local arts agency. The theatre operates under an agreement between Published by LORT; Actors’ Equity Association, the union of SOUTH COAST REPERTORY professional actors and stage managers; the Stage Heather Van Holt, Associate Editor Directors and Choreographers Society, an inde- pendent national labor union; and United Scenic Tania Thompson, writer Artists, the union of scenic, costume, lighting and Jeff Goldberg, Jordan Kubat, Debora Robinson and SCR staff, photographers sound designers. ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER/SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA NEWS GROUP CONTACT INFORMATION Ron Hasse, President Tickets (714) 708-5555 Bill VanLaningham, Vice President of Magazines, [email protected] Administration (714) 708-5500 1771 S. Lewis Street, Anaheim, CA 92805 Fax (714) 545-0391 For advertising inquiries, call 310-543-6117 or Email: [email protected] email [email protected] Visit www.scr.org for performance times, Box Office hours and ticket prices. South Coast Repertory’s program is published quarterly by Southern California News Group, 1771 S. Lewis Street, Anaheim, CA 92805. Phone: (714) 796-2476. Website: www.socalnewsgroup.com. Reproduction from these magazines without written permission is prohibited. All rights reserved, ©2021 by Southern California News Group. 4 • SOUTH COAST REPERTORY • OUTSIDE SCR 2021 LETTER FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR YOU AND SCR And so, here we are. Welcome? The two offerings that make up this inaugural Welcome back? season at the Mission are triumphant. They speak to These words lack. resilience and determination. The characters in Ameri- Sharing space with you, can Mariachi and You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown centered around live theatre struggle to be seen, fight to find place and are driven to in this magnificent setting, succeed. Music pours from each of these productions, is life-giving, inspiring and heightening desire and amplifying the narratives. I love humbling in ways I find dif- that our families will gather here finding parallels in this ficult to express. work to our own COVID struggles, as we emerge more Oh, how I’ve missed resilient, more triumphant and unified by the experience you. How I have ached to share stories, laugh, cry and here at the Mission. I can’t imagine a more apt setting; rejoice together surrounded by this work which elevates the Mission stands as proof that re-emergence is pos- our lives. sible, that our enduring faith and belief that “things will Thank you. Thank you for sticking with South get better” is wrapped in metaphor around us all night Coast Repertory. Thank you for being here tonight, for long. supporting the arts, for prioritizing live theatre. SCR To our friends and colleagues at Mission San Juan does not exist without you. Try as we might (and we Capistrano, we are ever grateful to you. The staff, the did!), nothing replaces the experience of a live perfor- board, the volunteers have been (for a year now!) in mance. You are, and always have been, a very specific, lock-step at every turn, accommodating every request beautiful and delicate ingredient of our art—and with- and amplifying our shared vision. It’s been a true part- out you, we are incomplete. It is in the expression of nership of “yes” and we thank you. The future is bright. these words that I feel a sense of rebirth after so much Speaking of... loss, so much confusion, so much heartache. And yet, I hope you’ll take a look at what’s to come in the somehow blended into it all, there have been those magi- fall. I’m excited we will spring back with some nods to cal silver linings…. our legacy and with a vigorous eye toward the future. Outside SCR was born out of the fundamental Three world premieres (one by Richard Greenberg!), a desire to gather safely, embedded in a community out- bedrock classic and a comedy that features a first act set side Costa Mesa in order to bring the best of SCR back in Irvine! I’ll be there along with an anticipatory, out- to a live audience. There are two things at work here. ward facing staff (some new to support new vision) and One: let’s get back to live. Two: let’s get into community a passion to produce theatre that intersects with your outside where we typically produce. life. Theatre has always pulled us together and con- I’ve missed you. textualized the lens by which we view the world, while Welcome. Welcome back. remaining a vehicle for entertainment. And here, on the grounds of this stunning, soulful and sacred Mission With love, San Juan Capistrano, we launch a new effort aimed at wrapping our arms around each of you as we implement efforts to include all our citizenry and communities in our work. I said early on in the framing of the vision for David Ivers Outside SCR, “If we fail, I think all will understand why Artistic Director, [email protected] we tried. If we succeed, it’s my greatest hope that Out- side SCR will become tradition.” 6 • SOUTH COAST REPERTORY • OUTSIDE SCR 2021 LETTER FROM THE MANAGING DIRECTOR KIDS • TEENS • ADULTS A HEARTFELT EMBRACE ACTING t’s hard to find enough words that describe this moment, as we gather CLASSES again for live, in-person performances At Orange County’s after more than 15 months of not being Tony Award-winning theatre. together. Mine are filled with emotion: Learn more or register today! IGrateful! Triumphant! Resilient! Magical! Jubilant! We wouldn’t be here without you and the hope, connection and energy you bring to the live theatre experience. Over the course of the last year, we sought new ways to keep our audiences engaged through numerous digital offerings. What we know—now more than ever—is that there is nothing that can match the magic of sharing a play or musical in community with others. Our hearts are overflowing with thanks to you, whether this is your first time seeing a South Coast Repertory production or you’ve been with us throughout many years. And we are especially grateful for your willingness to embark on the new journey which is Outside SCR. The ideas and goals embedded in Outside SCR also require a will- ing and supportive partnership that extends beyond the boundaries of our theatres in Costa Mesa. We are so fortunate to have found this with our colleagues at the Mission San Juan Capistrano and thank them for taking this leap of faith with us. We owe a debt of gratitude to Mechelle Lawrence-Adams and her team for their warm welcome, flexibility and for providing invaluable advice and guidance along the way. While many of us may have visited the Mission over the years, we will all experience it with fresh eyes through American Mariachi and You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.