Held April 24-26, the festival will feature three full productions and four staged readings, including full productions of new works by Melissa Ross, exploring themes of family; Rajiv Joseph, about a teenager's relationship with the universe; and Tina Kronis and Richard Alger's vaudevillian work inspired by "The Godfather."
Bekah Brunstetter, Itamar Moses, Aditi Brennan Kapil and Qui Nguyen will be featured in the reading series, exploring themes of the afterlife, the cost of telling the truth, a young woman's life story and a romantic comedy road trip story.
"South Coast Repertory continues to lead in the commissioning and development of new plays," artistic director Marc Masterson stated. "The Pacific Playwrights Festival is our primary showcase for works that we have been developing. These are works with vitality and a range of expression that reflect the best of new American theatre today."
"Two of the plays come from our CrossRoads initiative, which enabled playwrights to undertake intensive Orange County residencies that contributed to the creation of their plays," Glore added. "Two other plays in the festival were created thanks to early-career commissions funded by the Elizabeth George Foundation. This year's festival is the best possible validation of SCR's commissioning program, and we're excited to share all seven plays with our friends and colleagues."
Over the years, the festival has helped launch plays including Donald Margulies' Shipwrecked! An Entertainment, Lynn Nottage's Intimate Apparel, Nilo Cruz's Anna in the Tropics, Rolin Jones' The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow and David Lindsay-Abaire's Pulitzer Prize-winning Rabbit Hole. The lineup of full productions follows.
Of Good Stock
By Melissa Ross
Directed by Gaye Taylor Upchurch
April 24-25 at 8 PM
April 25-26 at 2:30 PM
Segerstrom Stage
"It's not easy keeping up with the three whip-smart and very funny Stockton sisters, especially for the men in their lives. But good scotch helps, and in the end what matters most is family."
Mr. Wolf
By Rajiv Joseph
Directed by David Emmes
April 24-26 at 7:45 PM
April 25-26 at 2 PM
Continues through May 3
Julianne Argyros Stage
"Theresa is 17 years old, and she understands how and why the universe came to be. She owes that to a man named Mr. Wolf. Now the only life she has ever known is coming to an end."
Theatre Movement Bazaar's (TMB)
Big Shot: A.K.A. This Is Not the Godfather
Created by Tina Kronis and Richard Alger
Directed and choreographed by Tina Kronis
Text by Richard Alger
April 24-25 at 8 PM, April 25-26 at 2:30 PM
Continues through May 3
Nicholas Studio
"A vaudevillian theatrical collage inspired by 'The Godfather' films and novel. There will be dancing, singing, criminal behavior and pasta."
The schedule for readings follows.
Going to a Place where you Already Are
By Bekah Brunstetter
Directed by Marc Masterson
April 24 at 1 PM
Segerstrom Stage
"Roberta thinks she's been to heaven and back. Now what?"
The Whistleblower By Itamar Moses
Directed by Casey Stangl
April 24 at 3:30 PM
Segerstrom Stage
"Eli tries to rewrite the life he left behind—but the truth could ruin everything."
Orange: an illustrated play
By Aditi Brennan Kapil
Directed by Jessica Kubzansky
April 25 at 10:30 AM
Segerstrom Stage
"The fantastic Orange County adventures of an exceptional girl named Leela—as illustrated by herself."
Vietgone By Qui Nguyen
Directed by May Adrales
April 26 at 10:30 AM
Segerstrom Stage
"Qui Nguyen's personal epic Vietnamese-American hip-hop road-trip buddy-movie rom-com."
Tickets for individual readings are $17, and packages to see all four readings and Big Shot are $80. Tickets for individual full productions range from $20-74.
South Coast Repertory is located at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, CA. Visit scr.org for more information.
