It's the Gala Prep!

A picture really is worth 1,000 words when it comes to South Coast Repertory’s annual Gala, its biggest and best fund-raiser of the season.  Photos of the Gala, taken by SCR’s professional photographer Debora Robinson, are posted on Party Play every year and are among the theatre’s most treasured images.

However, some of us non-professionals run around the theatre when the Gala Committee is here, shooting “candids” of members at work and play.  (We even caught a quartet of members enjoying the Annual Dinner reception.)

In anticipation of the upcoming “Grand Illusions” Gala, here are a few of the photos which—we hope—will encourage you to find out more about the event that everyone is having so much fun planning.  It’s happening right here at SCR on Saturday, September 13, 2014.  For further information, please contact Director of Development Susan Reeder at (714) 708-5518.



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See Neverland From the Inside!

Go behind the scenes in Neverland with our Peter Pan cast bloggers! Our student-actor bloggers will catch you up each week, sharing their experiences with the production—from rehearsals to performances. Meet our bloggers:

Kelsey Bray, age 15, portrays Nibs and is excited to find her inner seven year old and portray that part of herself to the audience. Fun fact: “I am a klutz and whenever you see me I will have bruises all over my legs from running into objects and falling and tripping over myself all the time.”

Rachel Charny, age, 16, portrays Tiger Lily and is excited to be working on this show because of the “the magic of the story and the idea that no one is ever too old to have a young spirit.” Fun Fact: last summer her dog played Sandy in the Summer Players production of Annie.

Christopher Huntley, age 16, portrays Peter Pan and is excited to work on building his stamina for such an immense production. Fun fact: Christopher is one of four brothers who have all had at least two years of training at SCR.

Sean Kato, age 10, portrays Otis and is excited for the opportunity to work with actors he’s seen in shows time and time again. Fun fact: Sean biked over the Golden Gate Bridge when he was six years old.

Maddy Nickless, age 13, portrays Thundering Waterfall and is excited about many things, especially getting to do the battle scene against the pirates. Fun fact: “I can eat the most extreme sour candy there is without puckering!”

Emme O’Toole, age 13, portrays Jane and an Indian and is excited to perform the big Indian dance numbers in the show and getting to showcase Indian body language and many different dance moves.  Fun fact: “I love baking cookies!”

Jamie Ostmann, age 15, portrays Slightly Soiled and is excited to relive the story of Peter Pan—she was in another production of Peter Pan when she was nine years old. Fun fact: Jamie’s first Summer Players show at SCR was Peter Pan, six years ago—she played Michael Darling.

Ben Susskind, age 12, portrays 1st Twin and is excited to make new friends and learn more about the story of Peter Pan from a new meaning and direction. Fun fact: He wrote, directed and starred in a play performed by his kindergarten class.

Read the first blog here from actor-student bloggers Christopher Huntley, Ben Susskind and Emme O’Toole!

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There’s More to Acting Than Memorizing Lines; Go Behind the Scenes with "Peter Pan"

When they're not onstage, Christopher Huntley (Peter Pan) and Shane Iverson (Wendy) can be found in the hall outside the CoLab, rehearsing a scene

Monday, July 7.  It’s the first day of rehearsal for Peter Pan, and all 37 (yes, 37—the largest cast ever!) young actors are assembled in the Nicholas Studio.

Getting into the music rehearsal

Although they auditioned together in the spring, most of them haven’t seen each other since and—except for their own roles—don’t necessarily know who else is in the show. It’s a time for greeting old friends, meeting new ones and extending congratulations.

Afterwards, they gather in a circle onstage for the read-through/sing-through of the script.  Now it’s official.  Rehearsals are underway…

Was that strains of Peter singing “Never Never Land” coming from the Nicholas Studio?  Or Captain Hook’s “Pirate Song” bursting out of the chorus dressing room and into the hall?  Or, could that be the entire cast joining in “I’ve Gotta Crow,” their voices wafting throughout the building?

No time is wasted.  When not onstage, Nick Slimmer (Captain Hook) and cast members watch the action or make notes

Yes! In the early days of rehearsal, the songs from Peter Pan are in the air.  Even during breaks, cast members can be heard singing on the terrace, in the lobby and along the hallways.  Music Director Erin McNally encourages them to use down time for anything they feel needs work or can be improved—and their compliance is both serious and enthusiastic.    

After three intense days of singing, the cast meets with Director Hisa Takakuwa in the Nicholas Studio for a full rehearsal, combining the words and music (or “score”) with the script (or “book”) of the play.  Under Takakuwa’s direction, the next four weeks will about the process and working as an ensemble.

But first, each cast member must “discover” his or her character.  Writing in a play book—that will fill quickly with notes—they begin with physical traits.  This can be specifically physical (“I bounce on my toes when I walk”) or more emotional (“I’m really scared but try not to show it”).

Grace Tomblin-Marca (Canary Rob) and Sydney Pardo (Robert Mullins) working on a song in the chorus dressing room

Then comes a deceptively simple exercise called “three words.”  Taking turns, each actor speaks the words that best describe the character he or she is portraying.  Happy, energetic, aware.  Serious, strong, conflicted.  Stubborn, intrigued, observant.  Excitable, social, quick.  Alert, lovable, optimistic.  These words—which can be ever-changing—also go in the play books, along with questions they have or discoveries they’ve made about their character.  It’s day one, and those books are filling up quickly!

Finally, the cast gathers around the perimeter of the stage, sitting in groups (Darling family, Pirates, Lost Boys, Indians) and standing as their scenes are played out—for the second read through/sing through of the script.  This time, it’s different.  They’ve made specific choices and become familiar with their characters.  Now they’re a real ensemble, and whether performing or just watching and waiting, the concentration is intense and the joy is palatable.

As the last line is read, the last note sounded, a collective sigh goes out.  They’ve made it through the first week!

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The Write Stuff: Karen Cruise Kirby’s Playgoer Journaling

Karen Cruise Kirby and husband, Dan.

Among SCR subscriber Karen Cruise Kirby’s favorite SCR productions are:

Noises Off by Michael Frayn: “It’s just hilarious! It’s so funny and slapstick and one of my favorite plays of all time. was thrilled when we saw that.”

Golden Child by David Henry Hwang: “It showed me something I was not aware of—these women living in China and what was done with them. The whole production was something brand new to me and it was kind of risky; but I appreciated something new.”

Chinglish by David Henry Hwang: “I thought that was hilarious! My husband said it was like Willy Loman goes to China. Another reason why we loved the play is that when we travel in Europe, we take pictures of funny sign translations.”

Wit by Margaret Edson: “Her play really hit me and evoked a personal response because I have friends who have had cancer.”

Karen Cruise Kirby has a routine following each play she sees: she writes down her impressions on the playbill page from SCR’s program. She keeps all of the playbills in a binder.

“Sometimes I write a little, sometimes I write a lot,” she says. “It’s for my entertainment and I do go back and look at what I’ve written.” For South Coast Repertory performances, Kirby has been writing her impressions about plays for three decades.


Following her evening with Tartuffe, she came home and started writing and kept writing.

“This was one of my favorite productions over several seasons,” she shared with Artistic Director Marc Masterson.  “Never have I seen Tartuffe done with such dark humor.”

Growing Up With A Love For The Arts
Kirby says theatre “makes you aware of where your life is in relationship to what’s going on onstage. It makes us look at humanity, and it’s uplifting. It’s so rewarding personally and fulfilling to be involved in that onstage world for two hours, where you are taken in and drawn into the story. I was a teacher for 38 years, so I know that storytelling is important.”

For Kirby, arts also are “in our family’s blood.”

“I was an emoting child,” she laughs. As a child, she and her friends would put on play productions and she was involved in dance. It came naturally to her, since her father was a singer and her mother a pianist. At the University of California, Irvine, Kirby earned a degree in drama (now theatre), with a minor in dance.

As a parent, Kirby instilled a love for theatre in her daughter (who now teaches theatre at Sunny Hills High School). In sixth grade, her daughter came home to report that her class had read Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.

“She told me she hated the play!” Kirby recalls. So for the next eight years, Kirby took her daughter to Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Ore., to see five plays in three days.

“So, yes—theatre has been a big part of my life for a long time,” she says. “And we have been with SCR for a long time as well.”

Karen's notes on her Tartuffe program.

Tartuffe—“I Could Do Nothing Less Than Express My Appreciation”
She wrote about Tartuffe extensively and sent a copy to Artistic Director Marc Masterson. Among her observations, she loved how:

• “Tartuffe slithered on the ground like a serpent, a devil in disguise”
• “Elmire melted within that voluminous dress until she was flat on her back”
• “the two ‘twin’ maids were like bookends, and their running from place to place kept the play in constant motion”
• “Cleante and Laurent were the yin to maids’ yang … Their affectations were the perfect foil as they portrayed acolytes to the false zealot, Tartuffe. Disrespectful, fawning, arrogant, they commanded the audience’s attention.” Read more from Kirby’s impressions here.

Theatre for Kirby and her husband, Daniel, is a shared experience, a tradition that goes back to when they married. At that time, they struck a friendly deal: he would teach her about NASCAR and she would teach him about theatre. They have been SCR subscribers for three decades now.

“Being a subscriber simply sets us up on a schedule to go see the plays,” she says. “It gives us an evening out together and it gives us something to talk about before and after the play. If we didn’t have a subscription, I’m afraid we would miss some of these great plays!”

She encourages others to “just give theatre a try—find something you can identify with. That first performance will give you a connection to what’s going on onstage and will be something that you appreciate, be it comedy, drama, suspense or a musical.”

Impressions of Tartuffe From the Playbill Journal of Karen Cruise Kirby

Suzanne Warmanen and Steven Epp in Tartuffe.

A South Coast Repertory subscriber for three decades, Karen Cruise Kirby writes her impressions about each production on the program’s playbill. Read more about Kirby to learn about her love affair with theatre.

Here are excerpts from her thoughts about Tartuffe.

“[Tartuffe] was one of my favorite productions over several seasons, with the exception of Midsummer. Never have I seen this done with such dark humor.

“The Tartuffe character as played tonight reminded me of Iago: sinister, deceiving, without moral character. Religious symbolism was everywhere, some so subtle and some not so much. It bared the religious zealots as charlatans with the delicacy of a hammer.

“Loved how Tartuffe slithered on the ground like a serpent, a devil in disguise, and how Elmire melted within that voluminous dress until she was flat on her back, symbolic of how she was succumbing to him. The staging was like watching a series of Chagall paintings set to a ballet.

“Each scene segment led to another, which led to another, as all participants in each scene posed for not only a visual but a balanced composition effect.

“The characters, as they posed onstage, became part of the scenery. This was especially true of Dorine, whose grey costume blended in with the set when she was moved to the background. However, the lighting design created a stark contrast when she was center stage and center of the action. The other two “twin” maids were like bookends, and their running from place to place kept the play in constant motion.

“Cleante and Laurent were the ying to the maids’ yang. The two women fluttered about; the two men moved in measured, precise motions that ended in affected poses. The men’s shoes were characters themselves and paid homage to the French shoes of the period when men posed to “show a leg.” These two men flowed from one show-a-leg pose to another. Their affectations were the perfect foil as they portrayed acolytes to the false zealot Tartuffe. Disrespectful, fawning, arrogant, they commanded the audience’s attention. I kept wondering what obnoxious, offensive action was coming up next from them. They did not disappoint.

Steven Epp and Luverne Seifert in Tartuffe.

“I found the movement of the chairs fascinating. They were different sizes, different styles, and only one of a kind. One was used as a prayer rail. The chairs, like the maids, were in constant motion and provided movement to the play. There was a sweet choreography going on with those chairs, especially when the one was pulled out from under Elmira as she tried to sit down. The chairs were on, then off, then moved to alcoves. They were dragged stage left, dragged stage right, and dragged right off the stage. At the end of the play, it is a chair that is the final step to reach the lock to the doors. Was that a stairway, a chairway, to heaven?

“The set … provided an exquisite backdrop for the costumes. Orgon, always in black, stood out in stark contrast to the grey. The vibrant reds and blues of Marianne and Elmire stood out against the grey, their colors intensified by the contrast. Elmira’s blue gown, like the men’s black shoes, gave homage to the era of the play. The gown’s volume gave movement and depth. It gave her power because it commanded so much of the stage. She controlled the space as she controlled the movement of the gown. That made her melting into the floor a powerful, visual impact. She went from a woman in control to a woman flat and intimidated.

“Dorine (Suzanne Warmanen) commanded that stage. The interaction between Orgon and her, when she refused to shut up, was not only hilarious, the comic timing was impeccable. When she spoke, we listened because she was the voice of reason. I wanted her to keep talking!

“Damis (Brian Hostenske) seemed to be doing an OAA (Over Acting Anonymous) but on reflection, I realized his contortions and gyrations were in direct contrast to the measured movements of Tartuffe’s sycophants.

“Tartuffe (Steven Epp) had an impeccable command of his character. I had a visceral reaction to this guy. I hated him. He oozed false piety. His underlying evil was evident as he professed his faith. It is a testament to an actor when the audience can buy into the multi-facets of a character. This was a three-dimensional portrayal. Thank you, Mr. Epp.

“I am 30-year subscriber. Rarely do I give a standing O. I did so tonight as soon as Ms.Warmanen took her bow. She, along with Mr. Seifert and Mr. Epp, gave outstanding performances. I could do nothing less than express my appreciation.”