Watch out! There’s some español in here!

Empty seats lined up one next to the other hugged the entire contoured wall of a small conference room at Latino Health Access (LHA) early one April morning. But soon, about 40 senior citizen participants filled every rincón (corner) to share and listen to historias about  Santa Ana, Calif.  It’s part of ongoing Día de Diálogos (Dialogue Days), a collaborative project between South Coast Repertory (SCR) and LHA.

“Here in Santa Ana we don’t have money, but we do have a lot of tenacity,” says Don Chava, talking about his and other Santa Ana residents’ volunteer work. “Here we volunteer!”… This was the third Día de Diálogos that took place in the Ciudad de Santa Ana (City of Santa Ana) to gather residents’ stories to develop a play by, with and for the comunidad (community). Teaching artistas helped guide the morning, asking residents questions and keeping conversations lively.

The historias of Santa Ana are only a few blocks away from SCR. And yet, it’s only a small percentage of Santa Ana residents who have a connection to SCR. With “Dialogue,” the product of the collaboration between SCR, LHA and Santa Ana is meant to include precisely those who surround SCR’s home theatres. As the saying goes: If the mountain will not come to SCR, SCR must go to the mountain! In this case, Santa Ana will play the protagonista (protagonist) that playwright-in-residence, José Cruz González, will climb.

“As we began to engage the community of Santa Ana we are learning so much about place, memories, family and the incredible will to survive despite many challenges,” explains González, who launched SCR’s Hispanics Playwrights Project in 1986 to create new work by Latino playwrights. This time, with support from The James Irvine Foundation, SCR is taking theatre to the Latino comunidad. Now González and a team of artistas are facilitating stories, feelings, emotions and anecdotes shared by members of the community.

But getting back to the April event: what started as a simple question that teaching artist Cynthia DeCure asked the participants: “What song or story best describes your community?” This turned into a fun singing circle. One senior participant enchanted the group with her favorite childhood songs from Cri Cri, the well-known singing cricket from México. Another friend in the círculo (circle) spoke about his conversation with the late Pedro Infante, the most beloved idol of the Golden Age of Mexican cinema, when Infante made a tour stop in Santa Ana. And the consensus was immediate when José Cruz González and Moisés Vázquez of LHA broke away from the diálogo with a guitar and vihuela. “Cielito Lindo! Cielito Lindo!” exclaimed many in the group. That’s how a room full of Santa Ana residents belted out: “Because singing brings joy to all hearts, Cielito Lindo!”

An earlier Día de Diálogos at the Santa Ana Library found enthusiasm, heart, talento, youth volunteers and more historias!

And this is where today’s tale ends; but for audiences, come discover the misterios (mysteries) yourself once you see this amazing play by and about Santa Ana when it debuts in 2014.

“Dialogue” is in its infancy and you can participate today!

Are you from Santa Ana? Join us at one of the Días de Diálogos and share your Santa Ana historias!
Not from Santa Ana? You could still visit:  www.scr.org/dialogue to learn more about the gente (people) and organizaciones involved with the proyecto (project).

And whether you are or aren’t from Santa Ana, if you like the project, “Like” us at facebook.com/scrdialogos and follow us on Twitter @scrdialogos to get the translations to all the words.

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¡Porque cantando se alegran Cielito Lindo los corazones!

Las sillas vacías, bien pegaditas y abrazando el contorno de un pequeño cuarto de conferencia en Latino Health Access (LHA)  tempranito en un dia de abril por la mañana. Pero de pronto, unas 40 personas de la tercera edad llenaron cada rincón para compartir y escuchar las historias sobre Santa Ana, Calif. Es parte de una serie de Días de Diálogos, un proyecto de colaboración entre South Coast Repertory (SCR) y LHA.

“Aquí en Santa Ana no tenemos dinero, pero sí tenemos mucha voluntad,” dice Don Chava, hablando de su labor como voluntario así como la de varios residentes de Santa Ana. “¡Aquí somos voluntarios!”… Éste fue el tercer Día de Diálogos que se realizó en la Ciudad de Santa Ana con el fin de acumular historias de los residentes para desarrollar una obra de teatro por, con y para la comunidad. Los artistas instructores facilitaron la sesión, haciéndoles preguntas a los residentes y manteniendo una conversación animada.

Las historias de Santa Ana están sólo a unas cuantas cuadras de SCR. Aún así, es mínimo el porcentaje de los residentes de Santa Ana que tienen una conexión con SCR. Con “Diálogos”, el producto de la colaboración entre SCR, LHA y Santa Ana es precisamente para incluir a los que rodean los teatros de SCR. Como dice el dicho: ¡Si la montaña no viene a SCR, ve tú a la montaña, SCR! En esta situación Santa Ana estará protagonizando el papel que escalará José Cruz González.

“Mientras comenzamos a involucrar a la comunidad de Santa Ana estamos aprendiendo tanto sobre el lugar, memorias, familia y la voluntad increíble para sobrevivir a pesar de todos los desafíos”, explica González, quien fue responsable por lanzar Hispanics Playwrights Project en 1986 para fomentar nueva literatura teatral de autores latinos. Esta vez, con el apoyo de The James Irvine Foundation, SCR se propone a llevar el teatro a la comunidad latina. Ahora González y un equipo de artistas facilitan historias, sentimientos, emociones y anécdotas que comparten los miembros de la comunidad.

Pero regresando a los acontecimientos de abril: lo que comenzó como una sencilla pregunta que propuso la artista instructora, Cynthia DeCure, a los participantes: “¿Qué canción o historia describe mejor su comunidad?” los convirtió en un divertido reparto de cantantes. Una de nuestras compañeras mayores nos deleito con su interpretación de su favorita canción de su niñez de Cri Cri, el grillito cantor. Otro amigo nos contó cuando él mismo habló con el difunto Pedro Infante, el ídolo más querido de la época de oro del cine mexicano, cuando Infante realizó su gira a Santa Ana. Y el consenso fue inmediato cuando José Cruz González y Moisés Vázquez de LHA le dieron un descanso a la sesión de diálogos para tocar la guitarra y la vihuela. “¡Cielito Lindo! ¡Cielito Lindo!” dijeron varios. Y fue así como el cuarto lleno de residentes de Santa Ana cantaron: “¡Porque cantando se alegran cielito lindo los corazones!”

¡En uno de los anteriores Días de Diálogos en la Biblioteca de Santa Ana encontramos entusiasmo, corazón, talento, jóvenes voluntarios y más historias! 

Y aquí terminó este cuento; pero para la audiencia, invitamos a que ustedes mismos descubran los misterios una vez que vayan a ver el estreno de esta gran obra de teatro sobre Santa Ana en 2014.

¡”Diálogos” está en su infancia y puedes participar hoy!

¿Eres de Santa Ana? ¡Ven a uno de los Días de Diálogos y comparte tus historias de Santa Ana!
¿No eres de Santa Ana? De todos modos puedes visitar www.scr.org/dialogos para aprender más de las organizaciones y personas involucradas y del proyecto.

Y aunque seas o no seas de Santa Ana, si te gusta este proyecto, Pica “Like” en facebook.com/scrdialogos y síguenos en Twitter @scrdialogos.

"The Parisian Woman," Political Intrigue From Beau Willimon

Beau Willimon’s The Parisian Woman features an outstanding cast, costumed to the nines on a glorious set that looks like it was transported directly from one of the elegant row houses on Capitol Hill—where the play takes place.  All this was made possible in part by members of The Playwrights Circle, some of SCR’s most dedicated theatre-goers, who get together each season to underwrite a world premiere.

The Circle’s membership changes and evolves from season to season, including this time Chase McLaughlin, Nancy and Mike Meyer, Patricia and Carl Neisser, Robert Palmer, Barbara Roberts, Mary Ann Brown and Rick Reiff, Olivia and Alan Slutzky, Laurie Smits Staude, Tom Taylor, Marci Maietta Weinberg and Bill Weinberg, Linda and Tod White and Vina Williams and Tom Slattery.

These Honorary Producers partied twice on First Night of The Parisian Woman, gathering before the show at a salon in the Nicholas Studio (where the playwright and Director Pam MacKennon joined Dramaturg Kelly Miller for a brief seminar with the underwriters) and afterwards at Mikimoto in South Coast Plaza (where they joined party-goers to celebrate another hit by the author of Farragut North, The Ides of March and “House of Cards.”)



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Lost Moon Radio Unites Classic DJs, Good Music and Great Comedy

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How Lost Moon Radio Came to Be

This unintentional company was a byproduct of four Northwestern University students who reunited post-graduation. It was fitting that two composers and two writers—Ryan Harrison, Rich Ramberg, Dylan Ris and Frank Smith—came together on April Fool’s Day to create just fun and funny art. By the end of that month, a little more than four years ago, the foursome had created their first hour-long show Competition, which premiered at St. Nick’s Pub in West Hollywood. The first performance played to roughly 60 people and the audience enjoyed it so much the group decided to add another performance, which sold out.

Ryan Harrison

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Over the years, the company added additional cast and band members who rotate in and out of the 11 episodes they’ve written. Now led by artistic director Lauren Ludwig, the company has received numerous awards from the Hollywood Fringe Festival and has hosted the LA Weekly Theatre Awards two years in a row. Currently they create four new episodes and perform six shows annually.

Bringing Back the 1970s DJ

Wolfman Jack, Dr. Demento and Jim Ladd are all callbacks to the freeform radio disc jockeys of the ‘70s who inspired the central character, Jupiter Jack, in Lost Moon Radio’s shows. This freeform programming format gives DJs total control over their show, uninfluenced by commercial needs and unconstrained by a station’s music genre.

“We wanted the hero/host DJ to reflect the glory days of FM radio,” says Ryan Harrison, one of Lost Moon Radio’s founders and the writer and director of Lost Moon Radio: America. “It was a time when they played cool music, said insightful things, and people were affected by and interested in them.”

Harrison describes Jupiter Jack’s character as a taste-making DJ who turns people on to things.

“He thinks music can teach you about life, and radio is a vehicle for social change and enrichment, as opposed to making money. By talking to audiences, engaging with them by looking at and talking about art, he believes he can change people’s minds and make them better human beings.”



Incorporating Live Music

Throughout an episode of Lost Moon Radio, the DJ “plays records” of great quality music that he’s found over his lifetime. The music is composed by Lost Moon Radio’s team, but stylistically it’s in-tune with FM radio’s style from the past 40 years. When the record is “played,” a five-piece band with singers comes to life on stage and performs the song. Harrison imagines that people who leave the show hum certain melodies conjured by when they encounter life situations similar to the show’s theme. And do people enjoy the music? Lost Moon Radio member Dan Oster says, “Well, you can’t really be mad about a piece you end up humming to yourself outside of the theatre.”

Radio Sketch Shows

So you’ve got a disc jockey and a live band. But the most memorable parts of the show tend to be its comedy. Jupiter Jack isn’t just finding music records, but also vinyl that features sketch comedy performances. The sketches also are performed by live actors on stage, and feature outrageous storylines from singer Jim Morrison giving a tour of the White House to a piece about America’s founding fathers.

“In the process of writing, we’re just trying to serve the comedy god and do right by him while making each other giggle, “says Harrison. “It doesn’t matter how relevant something is culturally if it is not funny.”

Coming Together for Lost Moon Radio: America

Each installment of Lost Moon Radio’s shows features a central theme and the episode they are reviving for Studio SCR is America.

Jupiter Jack has been running a July 4th special on his radio show for 28 years, but the station has moved Jack’s show up a couple of days so that two shock-jock DJs, Larry and Munchest Fart, can host a more commercial friendly “July Spectacular.” So, while on air for his  “4th of July” special—on a day leading up to Independence Day—Jack's discussions, music and sketches reflect on the state of America and the corporatization of his radio station, which is giving way to three days of debauched radio celebrating women in wet tee-shirts.

Lost Moon Radio: America will be performed as part of South Coast Repertory’s Studio SCR May 2-5. Get your tickets to this limited engagement.

Following "Smokefall" With Something Sweet

Thanks to our restaurant partner, Antonello Ristorante, audience members attending Smokefall have been treated to something delicious after the show: apple pie bites in the lobby! These tasty treats tie into the play’s storyline, in which apple seeds and an apple tree are featured; they’re also mentioned by the character, Footnote.

Seven New Plays in Three Days

In just a matter of days, South Coast Repertory will once again become the new-play capital of the country, with the arrival of the most exciting three days in our season—the annual Pacific Playwrights Festival, April 26-28.

Developing and producing new plays has always been central to SCR’s mission, and the reason is simple: Nothing is more exhilarating—for theatre artists and audiences alike—than being in on the birth of a possible future classic. SCR has provided its audiences with plenty of such memorable experiences over the years—from the world premiere of Margaret Edson’s Pulitzer Prize-winner, Wit, to the very first performances of such extraordinary plays as Richard Greenberg’s Three Days of Rain, Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel and Donald Margulies’ Collected Stories.

The Pacific Playwrights Festival is our most prominent way to shine a spotlight on the best new plays we come across each year. In addition to the two world premiere productions that serve as cornerstones for the festival, we also feature five staged readings that give audiences an early look at plays that are still evolving. Actors rehearse for four days, with the guidance of their director and playwright, and then they read the play to the audience, with script in hand. Sometimes the reading includes basic staging to support the story-telling, but often actors simply sit in chairs or stand in front of music stands; and there’s no set, no costumes, no special lighting—which means you in the audience play a vital role in the event, by imagining how the finished production might look as you listen to the actors read the playwright’s words. It’s interactive entertainment at its best.

This year’s festival features a diverse line-up of plays, from a caper comedy about a family of Chinese-American con artists, to a meticulously observed chronicle of a love affair, to a wild, surprising night with three old friends who attend a college reunion carrying a lot of baggage with them. You’ll see some very familiar faces among the actors for the productions and readings.  And the energy and excitement—both on stage and in the lobby between plays—is infectious. There’s something amazing about experiencing all seven plays in the span of three days—but if you’re not sure you have the stamina for that, then sample more selectively. Either way, you’ll be part of the most exciting weekend in SCR’s year.

See the line up for the 2013 festival.

Pam MacKinnon Talks About the Director’s Art and “The Parisian Woman”

Steven Culp, Dana Delany and Steven Weber in The Parisian Woman.

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Director Pam MacKinnon

The New York Times calls director Pam MacKinnon one of the "new power players of Off Broadway, staging some of the most critically acclaimed productions in recent years." MacKinnon returns to South Coast Repertory, where she's directed three previous productions (on stage and staged readings). In addition to The Parisian Woman this year, she's also directing a staged reading of Jordan Harrison's Marjorie Prime for the Pacific Playwrights Festival. We talked on a range of topics with MacKinnon.

What play from your childhood do you still remember?
The first play/musical that made a big impression on me was Liz Swados' Runaways, a musical about child runaways in New York City. I was nine and went with my dad, who had researched enough to know that the show had children in it, but not enough to know that it was not appropriate for children to watch. I LOVED IT! It was an eye-opening experience. We bought the cast album; I can still sing many songs.

What was the first play you directed?
As a high school senior I directed Thornton Wilder's Pullman Car Hiawatha, a short play that has a lot of the seeds of Our Town in it. I liked wrestling with the text and puzzling out with actors what was what.

What drew you to theatre and to directing?
I acted a lot starting in junior high school and through early college. I just didn't study theatre or acting. I dropped out of a Ph.D. program in political science at UC San Diego when I realized, at age 23, that I wasn't interested enough to write a dissertation, so I went back to an earlier love that I knew I could really pursue wholeheartedly: theatre.

You've said that you're attracted to writers who pay attention to the "muscular potential of language." What does that phrase mean?
I am attracted to wordy plays populated by loquacious people who understand the power of language. Even if at times inarticulate, the characters, I like, wrestle with language to make their cases. I like actors who innately attend to the muscular potential of language, which means they have to listen attentively and are affected by what is said, making what is on the page alive and in the moment. In The Parisian Woman, battles are won and lost in conversation; it is a play of quick-witted people.

What's your favorite moment in The Parisian Woman?
Oh, it's the final scene with Chloe, Peter and Tom. The structure of stripping down to the truth and then building up a new lie so that life can go on, delights me.

What do you like most about working on world premieres and revivals?
I like new plays for the camaraderie with a writer in the rehearsal hall. A problematic moment can be rewritten, or a writer attending rehearsal may be able to tell the room about the intent of a particular moment in a way so clear that it is a short-cut to a result. I try to work on extant plays in very similar ways to new plays, taking what is on the page, mining it for deep yet clear meaning, obeying what I believe to be the writer's intent, helping actors pour themselves into characters without masking their own spirit, vulnerability and humanity. Sometimes the burden of having to live up to a play's reputation can be daunting. With a new play, what's daunting is not knowing what it is really until it's before an audience.

Do you see yourself as a role model or mentor for women in theatre?
I am trying to make a living, work on stories I believe in. If by doing so, I am also a role model to women coming up in the field, then that's fantastic. I am very grateful to the generation of women ahead of me and hope that my career will help to open more doors for talented women behind me.

I meet frequently with younger directors, both male and female, and always have an assistant/observer in my rehearsal hall. I also am president of the board of a theatre company in New York called Clubbed Thumb, where I got my start 18 years ago. Its mission is to develop and produce new American plays, with a parity of roles for men and women. It was started by two then-actresses who had gone to graduate school and found that they had to rely on a few handfuls of contemporary plays for scene work in class. They wanted to change the literature. The company works with a lot of men and women, but this explicit content rule has tended to support quite a few women writers and directors along the way.

What do you hope audiences will come away with after seeing The Parisian Woman?
I hope audiences leave wanting to talk about what they've just heard and seen.

Who's Who in "Smokefall

From The Colonel to Max, here’s a quick way to see and meet the outstanding cast for Noah Haidle’s Smokefall.

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THE COLONEL
Violet’s father, age 77. Works jigsaw puzzles, asks questions, walked by the dog, has trouble remembering things.
Portrayed by Orson Bean

DANIEL
Violet’s husband.
Dapper businessman.
Packs a mean briefcase.
Portrayed by Corey Brill

VIOLET
A housewife, VERY pregnant with twins. Mixes a mean batch of scrambled eggs.
Portrayed by Heidi Dippold

BEAUTY
Violet and Daniel’s daughter; doesn’t speak. Eats weird things, like dirt; drinks weird things, like paint. Loves her parents, her grandfather, and the twins her mother carries.
Portrayed by Carmela Corbett

MAX
A dog who forgot how to bark;
suffers from an impossible,
unrequited love.  
Portrayed by Max

FOOTNOTE
A man who narrates;
looks cool in the hat.
Portrayed by Leo Marks

An Apple Pie Evening at "Smokefall" World Premiere

Playwright Noah Haidle was in the audience on First Night of Smokefall, Friday, April 5, to hear the cheers for the world premiere of his touching play, a reflection on the mystery of life.

The cheers were led by Wylie Aitken, Honorary Producer with his wife Bette, who said, “Stunning... So stunning, I'm speechless.  Bette and I are huge fans [of Noah Haidle].”  Haidle and the Aitkens paused in the lobby with other First Nighters for a taste of apple pie and cider before continuing on  to the Cast Party.

Hosted by the play’s restaurant sponsor, Antonello Ristorante in South Coast Village, the post-production event was another big hit.  Sipping prosecco—or the signature drink Apple-tini—playgoers sampled pasta and Italian hors d’oeuvres as they chatted about the inventive new play, Haidle’s fourth at SCR, and congratulated the playwright, the artists and the Aitkens, who happily partied the evening away at one of their favorite restaurants.



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Love, Lust & Political Intrigue

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Henri Becque

Beau Willimon’s new play The Parisian Woman had an unusual inspiration. A couple of years ago, he was approached by New York’s Flea Theater to adapt Henri Becque’s La Parisienne (1885). But Willimon says “I had never heard of Henri Becque. Many theater-goers haven’t, even in France. After reading the play” he says “I quickly fell in love with his work, and came to learn that he was arguably the first French dramatist to bring realism and naturalism to the stages of Paris.”

During a period of dynamic cultural change during the 19th century, Willimon says, Becque “drew from theatrical tropes familiar to French audiences—the farce, the parlor play, the comedy of manners—and turned them on their heads. In La Parisienne, he eschewed romance for obsession, he explored sex in terms of power rather than pure scintillation, and he tossed aside cartoonish archetypes and populated the play with three-dimensional souls. He did all this with biting wit and comedy…”

Willimon says his “goal was to channel Becque, not to imitate or translate him.” To write a subversive, engaging piece about the art of political maneuvering, inspired by Becque.

Willimon’s The Parisian Woman is a modern story of passion and political intrigue, set in the Capital Hill district of Washington, D.C. At turns both comic and dramatic, the play revolves around an unorthodox power couple, working together to climb the political ladder, in a town where “powerful friends are the only kind worth having.”

Chloe is a social über-operator armed with charm, wit and sensuality. Her husband Tom is a hard-working corporate lawyer determined to become the next Attorney General. Chloe does everything in her power to help her husband, including reaching out to DC power-broker Jeanette Simpson and others. But when unexpected complications threaten to derail Tom’s nomination, Chloe is driven to take drastic measures.

The Parisian Woman explores the nature of personal and political power, the volatility of passion, and the elusive nature of truth and loyalty. With Chloe, Willimon has written a formidable female protagonist, who eschews the everyday rules of polite society unapologetically and pragmatically, in favor of getting what she wants.

Director Pam MacKinnon says: “In The Parisian Woman battles are won and lost in conversation. It is a play of quick-witted people.” Stylistically, it is a smart, scathing play in which words and truth are wielded as weapons.

Beau Willimon

The Political Path of Beau Willimon

Beau Willimon is no stranger to political intrigue. He’s worked on several high-profile political campaigns which have informed his creative work, including Chuck Shumer’s 1998 senate race, Bill Bradley’s 2000 presidential race, and Hilary Clinton’s 2000 senate race.  But it was Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential race which inspired his play Farragut North, which became the basis for the Academy-nominated film The Ides of March (co-written with George Clooney and Grant Heslov).

Willimon is also the creator and co-executive producer of Netflix’s original series “House of Cards,” featuring Kevin Spacy and Robin Wright, another project about power, sex, ambition, and corruption in Washington, D.C.  In addition to his high-profile work in television and film, Willimon remains a committed playwright at work on new play commissions for South Coast Repertory and The National Theatre, among others. He returns to SCR after doing a 2009 NewSCRipts reading of his play Spirit Control.

Steven Weber, Dana Delany, Linda Gehringer, Rebecca Mozo and Steven Culp.

For this world premiere production of The Parisian Woman—which will anchor SCR’s 16th Annual Pacific Playwrights Festival on the Argyros stage April 14-May 4—Willimon and director Pam MacKinnon have assembled a stellar creative team including actors Dana Delany (“Body of Proof”) as Chloe, Steven Weber (“Wings”) as Tom, Steven Culp (“Desperate Housewives”) as Peter, Linda Gehringer (How to Write a New Book for the Bible) as Jeanette, and Rebecca Mozo (In the Next Room or the vibrator play) as Rebecca.  The production’s designers include Marion Williams (sets), David Kay Mickelson (costumes), Lap Chi Chu (lighting), and Cricket S. Myers (sound).

• “The Parisian Provocatuer” by Beau Willimon – A program note about Henri Becque
• Interview with Beau Willimon about The Ides of March (2011)
• VIDEO INTERVIEW with Beau Willimon at the “House of Cards” premiere about the culture of Washington, DC (2013):

Enter, Stage Right

Acting Intensive Program Director Karen Hensel, right, works with students on their final performance.

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Adult Learners and Professional Actors Hone Skills

Karen Hensel is always happy to talk about acting and teaching acting. It’s her passion and she loves working with adult students.

“Many times, adults don’t even think about how useful acting classes can be—for their business careers, for personal development or if their passion is just community theatre,” says Hensel, who directs the adult-level acting courses at South Coast Repertory’s Theatre Conservatory. “Our program offers small classes and a safe and nurturing place where people can discover more about themselves and their acting talent.”

Special guest speakers Kathy Bates and Arye Gross.

The adult acting classes—offered year-round, along with kids and teens classes—cover a broad range of topics including basic acting skills, scene study, improvisation, musical theatre and acting for the camera. In addition, the Acting Intensive Program is aimed at providing professional actors, and those who may be transitioning to a next phase in their career, the opportunity to hone their skills and develop new ones.

“All my teachers are active actors,” says Hensel, whose own career spans film, television and stage credits including “The Young and the Restless,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “The Practice,” “ER,” “LA Law” and others. Her long-time association with SCR includes roles in Childe Byron, Cloud 9, Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, Hay Fever, A Christmas Carol and The Heiress. Her true passions are the theatre and teaching.

Students Dennis Pearson and Rick Reiff

“Our SCR faculty members bring new ideas and real-world experiences to share with their students,” she says. “Our teachers care about the students and help them grow as actors. We are thrilled to watch our students succeed,” she says.

For SCR’s adult-level acting classes, Hensel brings in guest speakers and instructors, like actors Kathy Baker and Ayre Gross, who give their insights into the actor’s craft.

Rick Reiff, public affairs executive producer and host with Southern California Public Broadcasting (SoCalPBS) and executive editor of the Orange County Business Jornal, first got involved in the Acting Intensive Program in the late 1990s.

“You learn things about yourself, about plays, about dialogue,” he says. He still uses the class techniques today in his television work.

And as a playgoer, Rieff says he “really appreciates the craft of the people up there, because you realize how hard it is.”

Actor Dennis Pearson, who made his SCR debut in 2012 as Young Marley in A Christmas Carol, took the Acting Intensive Program last summer. He found it to be one of the best programs to help him “make the transition from the academic world to the professional world.” 

“I have a better sense of business with the craft [of acting],” he says. “The program did a great job of working on my all-around technique, but I view myself as a product in many ways. I know how to market and I’ve been working on ways to grow myself both as a business man and as an artist.”

Hal Landon, Jr., right, works with students on a scene.

From business professionals to actors to adults just wanting to test the waters of creativity, SCR’s Theatre Conservatory has much to offer. That’s what retired teacher Cora Klahn found out when she took adult acting classes.

Director Art Manke, background, directs a scenes with students.

“I didn’t see myself having talent or aspirations,” says Klahn, a retired teacher who signed up for adult acting classes after seeing SCR’s Theatre Conservatory classes advertised in a local newspaper. “But it was fun for me–outrageously fun! I felt so at home and comfortable and relaxed.”

Hensel also sees lifetime connections come out of the program:  “Our students form tight-knit groups and become a true ensemble.”

She is proud that students stay in touch not only with each other, but with SCR and the Conservatory faculty.

“They do get personal attention and then we watch them take their skills and reach out further than acting.”

Program Director Karen Hensel, left, and students.

Alumni from the program go on to many different careers. Hensel counts off some of the achievements of past students: playwriting, graduate school, theme park work, touring shows, acting in film and television, casting director, producer, children’s author and a marketing executive.

“It does give everyone a sense of polish and confidence,” she says. “Acting helps you control how you speak, how you organize your thoughts and instills a good sense of discipline that applies not just to acting, but life in general.”

Hensel is energized about the adult acting classes and the acting intensive courses.

“I’m passionate about it because graduates tell me it’s made a difference in their lives.”

Learn more online at scr.org/education

Learn more online about classes for the Adult Acting Program. Registration is now open for the Kids and Teens Summer Acting Program.

Stellar Cast Assembled for Willimon’s Play About Bad Conduct in High Places

THE CAST: Steven Weber, Dana Delany, Linda Gehringer, Rebecca Mozo and Steven Culp.

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The play has everything: passion, politics, intrigue and comedy. And for the world premiere of Beau Willimon’s The Parisian Woman, South Coast Repertory has assembled a shining cast: Steven Culp, Dana Delany, Linda Gehringer, Rebecca Mozo and Steven Weber. We’ll take them alphabetically to introduce you to new and returning actors to our stage.

Culp’s SCR credits include Doctor Cerberus, Raised in Captivity and Art. Other theatre work includes the premieres of Tony Kushner’s Slavs! and Phyllis Nagy’s Trip’s Cinch at Actors Theatre of Louisville’s Humana Festival; Angels in America (Drama-Logue Award for Outstanding Performance), Light Up the Sky at Center Theatre Group’s Ahmanson Theatre; the premiere of Terrence McNally’s The Lisbon Traviata at Theatre Off-Park; and Richard III at New York Shakespeare Festival. Film credits include Thirteen Days, The Emperor’s Club, Spartan and James and the Giant Peach. Television credits include roles on “Desperate Housewives” and “Traveler”; recurring roles on “Saving Grace,” “The West Wing,” “JAG,” “NCIS” and “Ghost Whisperer.”

Delany will make her SCR debut as Chloe. Delany can be seen as Megan Hunt in the television series “Body of Proof” and had a recurring, Emmy-nominated role in “Desperate Housewives.” She starred in the Broadway show A Life and received critical acclaim in a number of off-Broadway productions. Her role in Nicholas Kazan's controversial Bloodmoon in New York led her to Hollywood. Her film credits include Tombstone, Exit to Eden and Wide Awake. Her television credits include "China Beach," which earned her three Emmy nominations and two Emmy Awards as Best Actress; “Fly Away Home,” “Castle,” “The L Word” and “Kidnapped,” and television movies including Choices of the Heart: The Margaret Sanger Story.

Gehringer most recently appeared at SCR in Bill Cain’s How to Write a New Book for the Bible, earning a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle nomination. Among her other SCR credits are Doubt and the world premieres of The Language Archive, The Piano Teacher, A Naked Girl on the Appian Way, Getting Frankie Married–and Afterwards, Hold Please, But Not for Me and The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow. She has played leading roles in theatres across the country, including The Crowd You’re In With at Goodman Theatre. Her television work includes a recurring role on “Touch” with Kiefer Sutherland, “Justified,” “Raising Hope,” “Weeds,” “Gilmore Girls,” “Without A Trace,” “Cold Case,” “Ally McBeal,” “Frasier” and “The West Wing” among many others.

Mozo’s SCR credits include In the Next Room or the vibrator play, A Wrinkle in Time, Emilie: La Marquise Du Châtelet Defends Her Life Tonight, The Heiress and Doubt. Other theatre credits include Educating Rita and Trying (Ovation Award nomination for Best Actress) at The Colony Theatre Company; The Cherry Orchard at Center Theatre Group; Ghosts at A Noise Within; and King Lear, Cousin Bette, Pera Palas and The Dresser at The Antaeus Company. She also appeared in I Capture the Castle at El Portal Theatre (Ovation Award nomination for Best Actress). Film and television credits include Zerophilia, “Pizza Time,” “Cold Case” and “Medium.”

Weber is a versatile film, television and stage actor. He portrayed Brian Hackett on the long-running television sitcom “Wings.” Other television credits include “Monk” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” and recurring roles on “Two Broke Girls,” “Happy Town,” “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” “Without a Trace,” “Falling Skies,” “Brothers and Sisters,” “Once and Again,” and “Love Letters.” His film credits include Farm House, a remake of The Shining, Leaving Las Vegas, Single White Female and Clubland. His theatre credits include Broadway productions of Tom Stoppard’s The Real Thing and The Producers. He appeared in Three Hotels, with Maura Tierney, at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. In 2005 in London, he appeared with Kevin Spacey in the Old Vic Theatre’s production of Dennis McIntyre’s National Anthems. Other theatre works includes Throwing Your Voice, Something in the Air and Design for Living.