John Olive's, The Summer Moon, which explores the arrival of the Japanese car industry in America, will have its California premiere run at Southcoast Repertory Theatre Nov. 5-Dec. 5, with low-priced previews Nov. 2-4.

The play deal with the story of a young Japanese businessman who is forced to deal with the alien American culture -- which neither wants his product nor his presence -- after being sent to Long Beach Harbor in the late '50s by a Japanese auto company.

Directed by SCR's Mark Rucker, Summer Moon was developed through South Coast Repertory's Collaboration Laboratory for new play development.

Playwright John Olive has written extensively for the stage, as well as for radio, television, film and opera. He has also published fiction and essays, and has written screenplays and teleplays for Amblin Entertainment, Disney, Embassy Television, Lorimar, MGM/UA and ABC/Capital Cities.

The cast of the show features Greg Watanabe, Tamlyn Tomita and John K. Linton. The design team features sets by Nephelie Andonyadis, costumes by Joyce Kim Lee, lighting by Geoff Korf and sound by Michael Roth. The stage manager for the show is Randall K. Lum.

Tickets for the regular run are $26 through $45, with discounts for students, seniors and groups of 15 or more. There will be a "Pay What You Will" performance Nov. 6 at 2 PM, with a $5 minimum suggested price, cash only and a two tickets per person limit.

Summer Moon will be performed on Southcoast Rep's Second Stage, where seasonal schedule formats have changed, thus patrons should call Ticket Services at (714) 708-5555 for performance times. South Coast Repertory is located at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, one block east of South Coast Plaza at the Bristol Street exit off the San Diego (405) Freeway.

-- By Murdoch McBride