Becky Shaw Blind Date Contest Winners

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Becky Shaw Blind Date Contest. We had numerous great submissions that were entertaining and touching. We’re happy to announce the winners of the contest are Barbara Maxson Proud and Kathy Miller. They will receive two complimentary tickets to the show as well as a $50 gift certificate to Scott’s Seafood Grill and Bar or Morton’s The Steakhouse. You can find their winning entries below:

Our four other finalists were:

Romantic Evening in Sequoia by Claudia Eads

Was I That Hard Up for a Date by Rochelle Liss

Blinded by Nature by Judy Luttrell

My Blind Date Disappeared After Seeing Me Wearing Braces by Alice Setiawan

Here are our winning entries:

Cocktails with a Twist by Barbara Maxson Proud

I knew he’d be handsome and smart – I trusted implicitly this matchmaker friend – and I was told he was “uniquely interesting,” but I had no idea to what degree that would be true… “Kurt” pulled into my parents’ driveway right on time. We shared our first hellos and cautious hugs at the front door, he paid a well-bred acknowledgement to my folks, and off we went – in a limousine! A bit over the top, I thought, but I was game. He said we’d make a special first stop where we’d meet another couple and have some cocktails before going to dinner. Score! – a well-planned evening! My thoughts began to reel with possibilities for our future together; not only was he organized, smart, good looking, and a great conversationalist, but… wait, what the…? The limo pulled into the mortuary parking lot, and it hit me – he was also an undertaker! Minutes later, and under the influence of aftershave and formaldehyde, I met Kurt’s effervescent companions, snatched a sizeable helping of cheddared crackers, and began drinking fervently from my glass of wine as my hosts guided me through the premises. The tour included not only the viewing room where “Mr. Smith” lay prone in his casket, beautifully prepared (it was noted) for the following day’s ceremony, but also the autopsy room, complete with a draped and toe-tagged cadaver. The rest of the date is honesty stricken from my memory, even the end-of-the-evening kiss – must’ve been lifeless!

Surprise by Kathy Miller

When in high school, a girlfriend called and said her brother wanted to go out with me and would I be interested. He was on the football team so I was excited and said yes. When he got to the door to pick me up, he looked a little surprised but didn’t say anything at that time. We went on a double date that night and continued dating. The surprise was, he had asked his sister to get him a date with my girl friend and she thought it was me he wanted to date, not the other girl. We have been married for 54 years now, so you never know what is in store for you when you agree to a blind, date do you!

Thanks to everyone who entered. Be sure to keep an eye out for more contests in the future.

You can find more information for Becky Shaw here!

‘Pookie Goes Grenading,’ Really

The first NewSCRipts reading of SCR’s 2010-11 season will be JC Lee’s Pookie Goes Grenading, an irreverent comedy about a teenager who causes all sorts of trouble when she’s denied the opportunity to create her greatest work of art.

The reading will take place Monday, Nov. 15, at 7:30 p.m. (Please note that the date has changed since the series was first announced.) Tickets are $12.

SCR’s NewSCRipts series gives playwrights a chance to hear their work read aloud by professional actors—and gives audiences a chance to be among the first to hear a new play and offer feedback on it. In the program’s 25-year history, NewSCRipts has featured six plays that went on to receive Pulitzer Prize nominations, including Wit, which won in 1999.

At the heart of this play is Pookie Doublet, fierce, ambitious and 14.  Pookie’s chaotic quest to create a theatrical masterpiece lets loose all sorts of hell in Camden, N.J.—and before it’s over she finds herself accused of terrorism, betrayal and terrible taste. 

Lee is a playwright and blogger whom the Huffington Post recently called “a talent to watch.” Currently a Lila Acheson Wallace Playwriting Fellow at The Juilliard School, he’s a bi-coastal native New Yorker and San Franciscan whose work has been seen throughout the country. His trilogy about the apocalypse, This World and After, is currently in production at Sleepwalkers Theatre in San Francisco.

You can find more information and tickets here.

Have You Met the Cast of ‘Becky Shaw’?

From left to right, Tessa Auberjonois, Brian Avers, Barbara Tarbuck, Angela Goethals and Graham Michael Hamilton.

Becky Shaw begins previews tomorrow night (Oct. 22), and SCR fans are in for a treat as some of their favorite actors return to the stage.  Tessa Auberjonois played the hilariously snooty Chick Boyle in Crimes of the Heart last May.  Also back from last season is Graham Michael Hamilton, who appeared in Saturn Returns as the young and adoring radiologist, Gustin.  In the title role of Becky Shaw is Angela Goethals, last seen in Nothing Sacred as the sought-after servant, Fenichka.  And Barbara Tarbuck is returning for her first full production here in 10 years.  Last time we saw her, she was playing a babysitter with a taste for liquor in The Beginning of August.  Making his SCR debut is Brian Avers, who some may recognize as Special Agent Mike Renko on the TV show “NCIS: Los Angeles.”

Let’s Toast SCR’s Hip New Playwrights Bar!

SCR's New Lobby Bar

Mark Twain once said, “Sometimes too much to drink is barely enough.” To which we say, “Bottoms up!”

During the off-season, SCR redesigned its lobby bar and expanded its selection. The new Playwrights Bar is now fully stocked with beer, white wine and such premium liquors as Grey Goose, Kettle One and Patron Silver. And if you’re strapped for cash, the bar now accepts credit cards. The bar opens one hour before the show and during intermission (and you can pre-order drinks before the show so that they’ll be waiting for you at intermission). 

Talented set designer Tom Buderwitz created the new look, which features classic back bar shelving, faux-marble countertops, LED lighting and a plasma TV screen. This aesthetically pleasing atmosphere also features portraits of some of SCR’s most famous playwrights, giving you the chance to drink alongside the likes of George Bernard Shaw.

Playwright Portraits in the Lobby Bar

Take a look at SCR’s $5 drink specials that go along with the themes of its current and upcoming shows…

In the Next Room Electric Lemonade   ¾ oz. Light Rum   ¾ oz. Blue Curacao   1 oz. Sweet and Sour   Top with Sprite, serve over ice The Victorian   1 shot Amaretto   1 shot Bailey’s Irish Cream   1 shot Vodka   Stir together and serve over ice

Becky Shaw The Manipulator   1 ½ oz. Gin   ½ oz. Sweet Vermouth   2 drops Grenadine   Shake with cracked ice & strain Wild Night Out   3 measures White Tequila   2 measures Cranberry Juice   1 measure Lime Juice   Add ice and top with Club Soda

Jean and Tim Weiss Step Up (for the 14th Time) to Underwrite 'In the Next Room or the vibrator play'

Matt, Tim, Rhea and Jean Weiss, Laurie and Steve Duncan

When Tim Weiss joined the SCR Board of Trustees, he and his wife, Jean, underwrote The Education of Randy Newman. That was 1999. They continued to underwrite a play every season during Tim’s nine-year tenure (two of those years as Board President). But they didn’t stop there.

On Friday October 1, they stepped into the Honorary Producer’s circle as underwriters of In the Next Room or the vibrator play—their 14th such venture. And, as usual, they picked a winner:

“Daringly inventive” – Los Angeles Times

“Insightful…makes the connections crackle like the direct current that powered Mr. Edison’s life-changing devices – Orange County Register

“Hands down one of the funniest new plays I’ve seen this year…surprisingly classy and sophisticated” – Broadway World.com

Some other Weiss winners over the years? We’ll list them all on Party Play, along with snappy commentary and glittering photos from First Night of In the Next Room or the vibrator play.