Rising to the Occasion with "Encore!"

Question: When does the encore come before the show?

Answer: When the show—SCR’s annual Gala (this season, theatrically named “Encore!”)—is preceded by a Patron Party to honor its major donors.

On Aug. 12th, the Patron Party was hosted by SCR Emeritus Trustee Tod White and his wife, Linda, at their bayside home in Newport Beach. The buzz that summer evening was all about the upcoming “Encore!” Gala, which traditionally opens both the social and theatre seasons in Orange County.

Board President Sophie Cripe, Gala Chair Socorro Vasquez, Managing Director Paula Tomei and Artistic Director Marc Masterson spoke briefly to the gathering, applauded the Gala Committee and thanked the generous supporters, who included Bluewater Grill’s Jim and Julie Ann Ulcickas, generous donors of wine for the Gala; Room & Board, providing luxury furniture vignettes at Club Encore!; Diptyque, sponsor of the Gala favors; and David Yurman, host of the Gala wrap luncheon and site of a shopping spree to benefit the Gala, hosted by Yvonne and Damien Jordan on Nov. 12.

Then, as the sun set over the bay, it was time for partying. To music by singer/guitarist Mike O’Bryan, guests sipped Tito’s Handmade Vodka Martinis, sampled hors d’oeuvres—and admired the White’s home with its stunning art collection, much of it by Linda, who works in several media, and keeps a studio in their home.

Everyone agreed that the art-filled setting the perfect place for thanking the Gala Committee and supporters of “Encore!” which will be held in three venues around, inside and atop The Westin South Coast Plaza on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015.



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CrossRoads: Igniting Inspiration

Linda Vo, Julia Lee, CrossRoads playwright Lauren Yee, Literary Director Kimberly Colburn, Assistant Literary Director Andrew Knight at the OC & SEAA Center, UCI.

With nearly 1,000 square miles and more than 3 million strong, Orange County, Calif. is a unique area with a rich resource of cultures and stories ripe for the telling. It's a place that trumps numerous stereotypes perpetuated by shows like “The Real Housewives of Orange County.” As demographics shift and grow, so do the faces of the people who represent the county. Orange County is a place of multiple intersecting cultures and groups—with each one calling out to be heard.

Playwright Mona Mansour (center) during her August 2013 residency.

Thanks to a generous grant from the Time Warner Foundation, South Coast Repertory is answering that call with the CrossRoads initiative. The program commissions playwrights from all over the nation, but unlike a typical SCR commission, their process begins with the playwright undertaking a residency to explore the county’s diversity.

Playwrights first spend 10 days in Orange County, fully immersing themselves in the county's rich cultural, social and political life. Through their explorations, they discover diverse stories and personal connections, meeting with community organizations and individuals from all walks of life. They will then write plays either directly or indirectly informed by their residency experiences and follow their own artistic impulses.

When CrossRoads launched in 2013, SCR selected a playwright class of emerging and established names, including Luis Alfaro, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Carla Ching, Aditi Brennan Kapil, Qui Nguyen, Mona Mansour and Tanya Saracho.

In the spring of 2015, four playwrights’ works were workshopped and further developed at SCR and portions from those plays were presented to the public as staged readings. Since then, many of the plays realized through the initiative have gone on to additional staged readings, further development and are scheduled for upcoming productions at SCR and around the country.

Playwright Qui Nguyen (left) with the PPF 2015 cast of Vietgone.

Among the first group offerings were Nguyen’s Vietgone and Kapil’s Orange, which were presented at SCR’s 2015 Pacific Playwrights Festival. Vietgone also will open the 2015-16 Julianne Argyros season. Following the premiere, it will be produced at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2016.

In July 2015, Ching’s Nomad Hotel received development as a part of the prestigious National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. Mansour’s unseen continued development at New York Stage and Film in April 2015 and during a Studio Retreat at the Lark Play Development Center in June 2015. unseen was also featured on The Kilroys’ The List 2015—a list of the top un- and under-produced plays by female playwrights.

CrossRoads will continue to tap into Orange County’s varied stories through a generous renewal of the grant from the Time Warner Foundation. With this renewal, a new class of playwrights will join the fold and experience their own residencies within the area. The second round playwrights include Dipika Guha, Adam Gwon, Octavio Solis and Lauren Yee.

Playwright Octavio Solis with Josephine "Pepa" Chindemi-Dodge during his July 2015 residency.

“These are four writers who all are at different stages of their careers,” says Artistic Director Marc Masterson. “Octavio Solis has been working with SCR since the late 1980s, but will be able to explore the community like he never has before. He and Adam Gwon spent a great deal of time working on Cloudlands at SCR a few years ago, and we’re lucky to have them both back. Adam is going to be breaking the commissioning mold of straight plays by working on a chamber musical, and we’re excited to begin new relationships with Lauren Yee and Dipika Guha.”

CrossRoads is an exciting and personal way for playwrights to approach new works. As they explore the community, they discover unique stories and form connections with individuals. It has lead playwrights to surprising discoveries and lasting connections. It’s also leading SCR to new discoveries.

“It’s having an impact on how we think about our commissioning program and playwright residencies,” says Masterson. “We’re developing an exciting model for the future.”

Learn more about CrossRoads and the playwrights.

Costumes Go Full Swing into the Sixties

Brad Culver, Dan Donahue, Sarah Moser, Claire Warden, William Connell and Helen Sadler in One Man, Two Guvnors. Photo courtesy of mellopix.com

The 1960's. It was a time of revolution. Counter-culture, individualism and skirt lengths were on the rise. The British had invaded the world through music and fashion. It was a time filled with short hair and infectious style that pushed boundaries.

Fashion model, Twiggy helped popularize the mini-skirt

After the conservatism of the 1950s, the following decade broke free from it and pushed the envelope on style. The mini skirt was introduced and women's fashion was forever changed. "Shorter was better" could have been a slogan as women fell in love with the mini skirt. Dresses from the shift style to baby doll kept it above the knee. New materials—including plastic—were being used for clothing to create more interesting and daring options for women.

 Throughout the '60s, men's clothes softened to a more effeminate look. Pants got tighter, hair got longer, turtlenecks were popular and by the end of the '60s, seeing a man in a silk scarf wasn't that unusual. Bright colors and intricate prints, for both genders, were wholly embraced.

The Beatles

Straight out of London, the Mod style was increasingly popular in England and the United States—in due part to the mop-top foursome, The Beatles. Clean, straight lines and tighter-fit suits dominated menswear. For the rest of the decade, John, Paul, George and Ringo would continue to influence men's styles as their own tastes shifted throughout the decade.

SCR's season opener, One Man, Two Guvnors, transports audiences to 1963 England, an epicenter of fashion at the time. The 1960s comes to life with colorful costumes designed by Meg Neville. Since it is the early '60s, it was a time of transition, just the beginnings of go-go boots and ascots. Neville's designs give both a nod to the 1950s and display the revolutionary styles of the 1960s.

Check out Neville's costume renderings and a few production shots below to spot the 1960's looks:

Photo Gallery by QuickGallery.com
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Parties Parties Parties—Revving Up for Gala Season

The Committee: (l. to r.) Jan Seitz Jashinski, Sue Murphy, Sarah McElroy, Patricia Ellis, Sue Hecht, Laurie Smits Staude, Elaine Krajanowski, Socorro Vasquez, Barbara Cline, Mimi Holcombe, Shannon Kennedy, Monica Guillena, Beth Phelps

On Wednesday, July 29, SCR’s always exuberant Gala Committee members got together as a group for the final meeting (and a quick photo) before the official Gala season begins.

And what a season it will be, starting on August 12 with a Patron Party to honor major donors at the beautiful bayside home of Emeritus Trustee Tod White and his wife, Linda.  Exactly one month later (September 12), Orange County’s most fun-loving movers and shakers will congregate around, in and atop The Westin South Coast Plaza for the big event itself, “Encore!,” SCR’s 37th annual Gala.  And that’s not all.  The official “wrap” luncheon—a fun party itself—will be hosted by David Yurman’s South Coast Plaza jewelry store (October 29).  And—specially for Gala committee members in the mood for a shopping spree—Yvonne and Damien Jordan will host an in-store event at David Yurman’s on November 12 to benefit the Gala.

All of this celebratory news was shared with the Committee at its final meeting, which featured lots to ooh and aah about, including Tom Buderwitz’s designs for cocktails in the park, dining and entertainment in the plaza ballroom, and lounging and dancing in the pavilion and under the stars.

For 36 years SCR’s Gala has opened the social and theatrical seasons in Orange County, and the 37th shows signs of eliciting the most applause of all—that’s why it’s called “Encore!” 

Seeing Triple..."Mary Poppins" is a Family Affair

Sarah and Lauren Cocroft, Kelsey and Sean Kato, Christopher and Mitchell Huntley.

Three sets of siblings will appear in SCR’s Summer Players production of Mary Poppins (August 8-9 and 14-16 on the Argyros Stage)—a first for a Players show, but no surprise to Theatre Conservatory Director Hisa Takakuwa.

Christopher and Mitchell Huntley in rehearsal for Mary Poppins.

“Over the years, many little brothers and sisters have followed their older siblings into Conservatory classes,” Takakuwa said.  “As they advance in the acting program, it’s not unusual for them to audition and be chosen for Players.  But this is the first time three families have been represented in one show!”

For Christopher and Mitchell Huntley, that’s nothing new.  In the past six years, they’ve shared the stage in five Summer Players shows—and each has experienced his moment in the spotlight, Christopher in the title role of Peter Pan and Mitchell as Jack in Jack and the Giant Beanstalk.

According to Chris, “We’ve developed different approaches to our work, but onstage together we both try to  immerse ourselves in the world of the play and only see each other as fellow characters.”

Mitchell agrees.  “Onstage, I don’t think of him as my brother.”

Of course, there are exceptions.  Like the moment in Peter Pan when Mitchell (as Tootles) asks Chris (as Peter) for a hug, and Peter shakes his head—no!  “Being brothers, that was pretty funny,” Mitchell admitts.  And even older brother Christopher sometimes lets this thought slip into his mind:  “I bet it’s really exciting for our mom, sitting out there watching us!”

Sarah and Lauren Cocroft.

Lauren Cocroft will be appearing in a Players show with her sister, Sarah, for the second—and last— time.  A Players pro, Lauren graduated this year and is off to college in the fall.  The girls appeared together in Annie, and Sarah hopes to continue in the ensemble group, just like her older sister.

But that first show was a little intimidating.  “I was a newcomer and kept asking Lauren for advice and help.  This time, I’m a lot more comfortable in rehearsal because I know almost everyone in the Mary Poppins cast.”

The best part is that the girls play characters who are long-time friends.  They share a scene—and a song. “Mary Poppins is a big conversation topic at our house,” Sarah adds.

“We rehearse together all the time,” Lauren agrees.  “The car is meant for singing.  The living room is meant for dancing.  And our parents are meant to be driven insane!”

As for advice to her sister, Lauren says, “SCR is my favorite place, too great to explain in words.  But the days go by quickly, so I’ve been reminding her to always cherish the process and the people.”

Kelsey and Sean Kato.

Like Lauren and the Huntley boys, Kelsey Kato is a Players veteran, having appeared in numerous Teen and Summer Players shows.  His younger brother, Sean, has been onstage only once, in Peter Pan—one of the few Players productions that Kelsey wasn’t in.

So, how does it feel to finally join his big brother?  “It will to be like nothing I’ve ever done,” Sean says.  “But in our scenes together, I won’t think much of it because I interact with Kelsey all the time!” 

Kelsey, who is off to college in the fall, is a bit more philosophical.  “Just because he’s my younger brother, I don’t consider Sean any less of an artist than I am.  That’s the beauty of Players. The environment that our directors create stimulates equal respect for each member of the ensemble.  I can try to give Sean a few pointers here and there, but he’s his own special person, and he’s bound to shine brightly and uniquely—just like every other Summer Player!”

Be there to see them all shine when Mary Poppins opens on August 8.

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