Get Ready for "A Christmas Carol"

Meet Ebenezer Scrooge: A Clutching, Covetous Old Sinner

South Coast Repertory’s production of A Christmas Carol—starting this month—marks the 34th year that Hal Landon Jr. steps into a humbug frame of mind. Perhaps his character’s “humbuggedness” is best seen through the eyes of writer Charles Dickens, who describes Ebenezer Scrooge like this:

“Oh! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice. A frosty rime was on his head, and on his eyebrows, and his wiry chin. He carried his own low temperature always about with him; he iced his office in the dog-days; and didn’t thaw it one degree at Christmas.

“External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge. No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him. No wind that blew was bitterer than he, no falling snow was more intent upon its purpose, no pelting rain less open to entreaty. Foul weather didn’t know where to have him. The heaviest rain, and snow, and hail, and sleet, could boast of the advantage over him in only one respect. They often ‘Came down’ handsomely, and Scrooge never did.

“Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say, with gladsome looks ‘My dear Scrooge, how are you? When will you come to see me?’ No beggars implored him to bestow a trifle, no children asked him what it was o’clock, no man or woman ever once in all his life inquired the way to such and such a place, of Scrooge. Even the blindmen’s dogs appeared to know him; and when they saw him coming on, would tug their owners into doorways and up courts; and then would wag their tails as though they said, “No eye at all is better than an evil eye, dark master!

“But what did Scrooge care! It was the very thing he liked. To edge his way along the crowded paths of life, warning all human sympathy to keep its distance, was what the knowing ones call ‘nuts’ to Scrooge.”

Don’t miss Orange County’s favorite holiday tradition: SCR’s A Christmas Carol runs Nov. 29-Dec. 26. Don’t wait to buy tickets; they are going fast!

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"4,000 Miles" Opens to Cheers and Thanks

On November 25, First Night of 4,000 Miles began with cheers for the production and continued at the Cast Party with thanks to Honorary Producer Barbara Roberts.  You name it, over the years Barbara and her late husband, Bill, got behind it.  Their history of support is legendary, but it includes something not everyone knows: way back when, SCR joined the computer age thanks in part to Bill, who helped train the staff and get everything up and running.

Barbara and Bill’s daughter Brooke Roberts-Webb, who partnered with her mother to help underwrite 4,000 Miles, was unable to attend First Night, as were first-time Honorary Producers SCR Trustee Steve Duncan and his wife, Laurie.  But there were many old timers sharing the warm glow provided by the show’s director David Emmes and cast, led by Jenny O’Hara as the 91-year-old Leftie, Vera Joseph; Matt Caplan as her neo-Hippie grandson, Leo; Rebecca Mozo; and Klarissa Mesee.

Throughout the 50th Season, First Nighters will share their special evenings with longtime SCR artists.  Joining the audience for 4,000 Miles were favorites Marnie Mosiman and John de Lancie, who appeared in a total of 14 productions.  In fact, they met here in 1981, when John was in Childe Byron on the Mainstage and Marnie in Ashes on the Second Stage.  A decade later, they appeared together in Man and Superman.

Anni Long and Jarion Monroe travelled down from their home in Mill Valley to join the fun.  A longtime SCR favorite, Anni appeared in more than 50 shows, plus many productions of A Christmas Carol.  Jarion has a dozen shows to his credit.  And, they also met at SCR!

Ayre Gross, who began his career at SCR in Educational Touring Productions, went on to perform in seven more shows, including Our Mother’s Brief Affair with, among others, Jenny O’Hara.

They were all there to sip cocktails, including the signature “Leftie,” nibble mini bagels and New York style cheesecake and congratulate the artists of 4,000 Miles, which the Los Angeles Times called “a dramatic journey across the generations.”



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Making Friends with "Ivy + Bean"

Meet the Playwright

Scott Elmegreen

Scott Elmegreen is a playwright, composer, lyricist, sound designer and novelist whose work has premiered on Broadway, television and in film, as well as off-Broadway, regionally and internationally. His other musical work for young audiences includes The Magic School Bus, Live! The Climate Challenge (music and lyrics; national tour, Bay Area Children’s Theatre, Oregon Children’s Theatre) and Awesome Allie: First Kid Astronaut (book; Vital Theatre). Other notable projects include the Emmy Award-nominated Colin Quinn Long Story Short, directed by Jerry Seinfield (original compositions; Broadway, national tour, HBO special); COLLEGE The Musical (New York Theatre Musical Theatre Festival Award for Excellence, Richard Rodgers Award Finalist); and Vote For Me: A Musical Debate (NYMFal). Scott is also a published author of young adult fiction and a graduate of Princeton University.

Learn more about Elmegreen and his work at www.scottelmegreen.com.

Best friends can come from the most unlikely places.  Ivy and Bean are neighbors on Pancake Court, a cool cul de sac where big kids and little kids play together.  But they couldn’t be more different. Bean is brash and bold and she always gets into trouble.  Ivy is nice and quiet and she likes to read.

Even though Ivy and Bean think they have nothing in common, the two girls come together to play a trick on Bean’s big sister, Nancy, when their parents let her babysit for the first time. Bossy Nancy is the perfect target for Ivy—who is a witch-in-training—to practice her new spell.

Ivy and Bean join forces—and become best friends along the way. They learn invaluable lessons about the importance of friendship and family—and even try to break a world record!
For this zany new musical adaptation of Annie Barrows’ beloved Ivy + Bean book series, playwright Scott Elmegreen adapted stories from the first few books in the series.  Find out more about the Ivy + Bean books.

Director Marya Mazor has created a fun, exciting mix of stage magic to bring the story of Ivy and Bean to life at South Coast Repertory.

Ivy + Bean set design model by Set Designer Anne Sheffield

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Mazor has assembled a wonderful cast of actors/singers for Ivy + Bean including Melody Butiu, Dylan DoVale, Emily Eiden, William Martinez, Elia Saldana and Sammi Smith.  Her stellar artistic/design team includes Alby Potts, musical director; Anne Sheffield, sets; Angela Calin, costumes; Brian Gale, lights; Jeff Polunas, sound.

South Coast Repertory is thrilled to share the magic and music of Ivy + Bean with our audiences, Nov. 8-24.  We hope you’ll join us for this fun, frolicking story of friendship—Ivy and Bean-style.

Meet the cast or dig deeper on the website

Meet the Author Annie Barrows

Ivy + Bean author Annie Barrows started writing books when she was nine. After studying medieval history at UC Berkeley, she became an editor, and then she went back to school to study writing.

After writing a number of books for adults, Barrows wrote “Ivy + Bean,” her first book for kids in 2006. There are now 10 books in the series. “Ivy + Bean” garnered numerous awards, including Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year, an ALA Notable Children’s Book, and a People magazine’s “Summer’s Hottest Reads” selection. Born in San Diego, Barrows now lives in Northern California with her husband and two daughters, Clio and Esme. One of her daughters is like Ivy and the other is like Bean. They both make a lot of potions. Find out more about Barrows at www.anniebarrows.com

Barrows Talking About Ivy + Bean

The first book in the "Ivy + Bean" series

“One of the big problems of being a kid is that your parents often try to make you play with people you don’t really like. My parents were forever trying to get me to like the kids of their friends. These kids were often weird. I didn’t want to play with them. It was a problem.

I remembered that when I was writing the first “Ivy + Bean.” Ivy and Bean are very different. Bean is loud and wild and goofy. She loves to be involved in games and poke her nose in other people’s business. Ivy is quiet and full of ideas. She spends most of her time learning how to be a witch. Each girl thinks the other one is weird. Each girl thinks she could never be friends with the other. Especially because their parents keep nagging them about it.

But sometimes opposites can become the best of friends because they’re opposites. For example, people who like to talk need people who like to listen. And people with great ideas need people who can put those ideas into action. For Ivy and Bean, their differences mean that they have more fun together than they could ever have separately. It also means that, together, they do more wacky things than any one kid could ever dream up. The Ivy and Bean books are about the adventures—and disasters—created by this unlikely team. And since their motto seems to be ‘Why not?’ there’s every reason to believe that their capers and catastrophes will continue for quite a while.”

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Ivy+Bean: Cast Brings the Book Series to Life

Even though Ivy and Bean think that they have nothing in common, the two girls join forces on a project and, along the way, become best friends, and learn the importance of friendship and family. The actors in the cast have lots of things in common: active careers in theatre, television and film, a love of music and dance and more. Meet the cast of Ivy+Bean.

Melody Butiu (Mom, Soccer Kid) The last time she was on SCR’s Julianne Argyros Stage, she played Junie B. Jones in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells. Butiu studied theatre in college and graduate school at the University of, San Diego. She spent the first half of this year singing and dancing in what she describes as a “crazy fun disco” musical by David Byrne, Here Lies Love, at The Public Theater in New York City. Her other SCR productions include Shipwrecked! An Entertainment: The Amazing Adventures of Louis De Rougemont (As Told by Himself) and The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow. On television, she has appeared in “Raising Hope,” “NCIS,” “Modern Family,” “Rules of Engagement” and “Melissa & Joey.”

Dylan DoVale (Leo) Growing up, Dylan DoVale loved sports—soccer, baseball, basketball, even chess. Later cross-country and track seemed to be his thing. Today, his favorite sports team is New York Yankees. When he’s not busy being physical or practicing fire bending (Did I just say firebending !? Yes I did!) or hanging out with friends, he reads. Some of his favorite books include: Sword in the Stone, The Hobbit, Sherlock Holmes, Harry Potter, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and, of course, Tintin.

Emily Eiden  (Nancy, Zuzu) Previously, Eiden appeared in SCR’s Anastasia Krupnik, Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, A Year with Frog and Toad and Taking Steps. Acting is a family affair for Eiden: her parents met in a play directed by her grandfather; she and her brother grew up acting in plays directed by their parents, and she met her husband in acting class. In addition to stage work, she is an audio book story teller, including the “Whatever After” series, “A Dog’s Way Home” and “Paranormalcy” or the scholastic animated films Children Make Terrible Pets and Exclamation Mark.  As a voiceover artist, she is featured in the Cartoon Network show, “Clarence” and in the planetarium shows at Griffith Observatory.

William Martinez is making his SCR debut. He grew up in a deaf household and only was exposed  to the entertainment industry when a theatre troupe came to his school and performed a show that changed his life.  He instantly knew that he wanted to sing and act. Martinez  pursued his college degree in musical theatre from the University of Northern Colorado and then moved to Los Angeles.  He has performed shows at the Mark Taper Forum (Big River), Laguna Playhouse (Plaid Tidings), Alex Theatre, TO Arts Plaza, Carpenter Center and many other theatres.  He also gives back to the school community by performing in four different kids shows:  Page to Stage and The History of Musical Theatre for Musical Theatre Guild; Orchestra Intro with the New West Symphony; and We Tell Their Story with Musical Theatre West.  He hopes that bringing musical theatre to underprivileged schools will inspire others to follow their dream, too. He is a member of Musical Theatre Guild and Actors Equity.

Elia Saldana (Bean) Her acting career began with dance she started out doing dance recitals dressed as a bear and singing Christmas carols for sher dad’s camcorder. Then she got schooled at a place called UCSD (the University of California, San Diego) and went on to have many acting adventures. You might have seen her as Kayla in Jane of the Jungle or Elisa in Anastasia Krupnik here at SCR! She also was married to a rock and roll star in Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story and toured all over the place. She got to dance a lot in West Side Story and played a sassy girl in Family Planning, and even got nominated for a cool award called the Ovation. Recently she fulfilled her dream of voicing a cartoon character by playing Cecilia on Fox’s "The Cleveland Show." She wants to thank her family, friends, and Burl for their love and support. Never stop learning new things and follow your dreams! www.eliasaldana.com

Sammi Smith (Ivy) I am so excited to be playing Ivy! I grew up right down the road from South Coast Repertory in Irvine, where I went to Eastshore Elementary School. I decided she wanted to be an actor as a little girl when my Grandma Maxine took me to see plays at Downey Civic Light Opera. Last spring, I got to play many different characters in The Phantom Tollbooth at Mainstreet Theatre Company, including the roles of the Princess of Pure Reason and the Demon of Insincerity. My husband, Jeremy, and I run a theatre company in Los Angeles called Coeurage Theatre Company. We’re currently performing Shakespeare's Love’s Labour’s Lost. Besides acting and singing, I love hiking, listening to audio books and spending time with my cat, Dot.

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"4000 Miles:" Actors Feel Connected to Characters

Jenny O'Hara and Matt Caplan in 4000 Miles.

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Playwright Amy Herzog’s warm storytelling drew actors Jenny O’Hara and Matt Caplan to the play 4000 Miles. In South Coast Repertory’s production, O’Hara portrays 91-year-old Vera and Caplan is 21-year-old Leo.

“The subjects and the subtleties in the writing drew me to the play,” says Jenny O’Hara.

Caplan agrees, “There is an unparalleled energy in live storytelling, and if you are lucky enough to experience art that really does ‘hold as ’twere, the mirror up to nature,’ you can feel it.”

For Caplan, it was love at first read with 4000 Miles, as he prepared for his audition. 

“On my website I write about how I exclaimed aloud to my cats just how much I was enjoying the read, so they can personally attest to this fact [laughs]. Amy Herzog's language is so naturally sublime that you lose yourself in the authenticity and humanity of it, and after a while, you feel like an exhilarated little fly on the wall of a West Village apartment. I immediately and passionately sympathized with Leo, which is such an important and exciting feeling as an actor. “

In talking with both actors, we explored their approach to both characters and the play itself.

How are you similar to your character?

O’Hara: Vera and I do have similarities; we both are tough, principled, direct and soft-hearted. We both believe in the greater good. She reminds me of my 96-year-old mother, who still runs her off-off Broadway theatre in New York City. She is in her lobby every day, doing business. She was raised on a stump farm in Idaho, came to New York at age 50 to be a producer and has been doing it successfully for 46 years.

Caplan:  When Leo arrives at his grandmother's door, he is in a foreign city, and he is filled with a paradoxical mix of triumph and loss. He is struggling to remain a positive ideologue in the midst of unprecedented adversity. He's a fitness enthusiast. He's a liberal. He's a hopeless romantic. In short, yeah, I know a guy of who reminds me of Leo. Jenny breathes such life in Vera and nuance into this wonderfully wrought character that I truly feel like I’ve found a long-lost grandmother and friend. There is a subtle and unique kind of familiarity and discovery in relationships like Leo and Vera's, and Jenny has made this part of the process easy by being so believable and available.

How have your characters developed through the rehearsal process?

O’Hara: Vera has evolved in the rehearsal process in two directions…she has become both tougher and softer, more nurturing, and an advocate for all of her family members, especially her grandson Leo. Matt is a wonderful young actor and has made being Leo's advocate very, very easy.

Caplan:  Leo certainly evolves on the page, so my chief concern is honoring the text and making sense of his journey. I rely heavily on David and my fellow actors to help me shape and refine Leo's evolution. He can be brilliant, bratty, and vulnerable, all at once. I just want him to be understood.

Why are you drawn to SCR?

O’Hara: The theatre is remarkable. It is an ancient art form, a family, a celebration and a gift to the artists and the audience. SCR does extraordinary work with extraordinary playwrights, actors and directors. They have daring taste in material and terrific supporters. It offers its artists everything they need to bring the work to life. 

Caplan: South Coast Repertory fosters a level of professionalism and artistic bravery that I know to be quite rare. I think that the ease with which our company communicates and explores during rehearsal is continually surprising, at least to me. I must say this organization and this cast continue to astound me on a daily basis. It is a joy to create with them.

What do you hope audiences will come away with after seeing 4000 Miles?

O’Hara: I hope they come with any fixed ideas about the facts of youth and age broken and with love and respect for both states and for these two singular people.

Caplan:  I hope that audiences feel like they are experiencing a story that is both subtle and unforgettable. And most importantly, human.

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