SOUTH COAST REPERTORY INC
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : d*********t@s*r.o*g
Mission Statement
South Coast Repertory was founded in the belief that theatre is an artform with a unique power to illuminate the human experience. We commit ourselves to exploring the most urgent human and social issues of our time, and to merging literature, design and performance in ways that test the bounds of theatre's artistic possibilities. We undertake to advance the art of theatre in the service of our community, and aim to extend that service through educational, intercultural, and outreach programs that harmonize with our artistic mission.
About This Cause
1964, "South Coast Repertory" was a band of untested former theatre students launching an artistic odyssey on little more than raw talent and enthusiasm. Led by David Emmes and Martin Benson, the group had emerged from college into the crossfire of a revolution in American theatre. Young theatre artists were out to break Broadway's hold over America's stages by founding independent professional theatres. They called theirs a "resident theatre movement," and by the early 1960s it was taking root in cities across America. Emmes and Benson had attended San Francisco State College, where two faculty members — Jules Irving and Herbert Blau — ran the Actor's Workshop, a model for resident theatre advocates. Having gone separate ways after graduation, and holding jobs in academia, the social services and the peripheries of entertainment, Emmes and Benson gathered a few San Francisco friends in summer 1963 to stage Arthur Schnitzler's La Ronde at the "Off-Broadway Theatre" in Long Beach. The chemistry worked and the theatre's board invited the troupe back to mount a series of plays the next summer.The pressure they put themselves under to excel, and the creativity that emerged, marked the 1964 summer in Long Beach as a crucible. The band of hopefuls fused into a company. Emmes and Benson were convinced there was a future for them in theatre. One night at a diner—using a napkin for paper—they sketched out a plan to create a theatre company. The first step would involve touring to rented stages. In November 1964, the company—now formally named South Coast Repertory—staged its first production, Moliere’s Tartuffe, at the Newport Beach Ebell Club. The next step would be their own location, which would expand over the years. They chose to locate it in Orange County, a virgin territory for a major arts institution. Its population, only 100,000 before World War II, by the early 1960s was more than one million. The University of California was coming to Irvine, and the Angels were coming to Anaheim. Also in Anaheim was Walt Disney's theme park, less than 10 years old. If the leaders positioned their theatre right, the coming swell in population and sophistication could carry them with it. For their Second Step, they rented and converted a two-story marine hardware store on Balboa Peninsula into a 75-seat proscenium stage. It opened on March 12, 1965, with a production of Waiting for Godot. Confident of their ability to continue, the young artistic directors sought to convince their adopted community of SCR's future importance. An "Artistic Manifesto"—displayed in the Second Step lobby—boasted a four-step model of growth: the first season of touring, the present location's 75-seat stage, and two more transformations leading to a major regional center for theatre arts and education. While the goal of running a nationally renowned arts institution with a fully professional staff and company spurred them on from the Second Step lobby wall, the young company went about the business of surviving. For years, everyone maintained full-time day jobs and worked nights and weekends without pay at SCR. They designed and built their scenery, sold the tickets, ushered, and—of course—acted. Among the first acting company members were Don Took, Martha McFarland and Art Koustik, joined over the next seasons by Richard Doyle, Hal Landon Jr. and Ron Boussom. These six became the theatre's Founding Artists. Within two years, artistic and financial momentum picked up and SCR looked toward its Third Step: a converted Sprouse-Reitz Variety Store on Newport Boulevard in Costa Mesa. The 5,000-square-foot building, adapted to hold 217 seats, opened in 1967, and played a full season in addition to Second Step on Balboa Peninsula. However, the logistics of running two theatre locations were too demanding, however, and the Second Step closed after the first joint season and a total of 23 productions. It was at the Third Step, 1967-78, that SCR moved from a local group to a regional force, maturing both artistically and organizationally. Operating income went from $20,000 to $55,000 in the first two seasons. By the fifth season, paid staff had grown from one part-time business secretary to five. The interest in new play production, which had been exhibited as early as the first season with the premiere of Chocolates, got a boost in the mid-70s when the Rockefeller Foundation funded the "production of work by new American playwrights." By that time though, the company was outgrowing its space again and its budget was over $250,000. A year later, there were more than 9,400 subscribers and capacity was pushing 99 percent. Emmes and Benson addressed the question of SCR's future and the long-anticipated Fourth Step Theatre. They formed a new board of community leaders to address the realities of funding, designing and building Orange County's first resident theatre facility. The Segerstrom family made a gift of land on which the theatre would be built, and this became the catalyst for the entire campaign. The Fourth Step Theatre complex began making Orange County history even while it was still on the drawing table. It would be funded by a $3.5 million Building Campaign, the largest capital campaign by an Orange County arts group at that time. It would become a model for subsequent major campaigns at SCR and elsewhere. In September 1978, the theatre opened with a production of William Saroyan's The Time of Your Life. At first, there was only the 507-seat Mainstage. But by 1979, the large rehearsal hall had been converted into the 161-seat Second Stage. South Coast Repertory had reached its long-sought goal: a two-theatre complex, owned and operated by the company itself. In 1988, SCR earned the highest recognition in regional theatre, the Tony Award for Distinguished Achievement: it was the 13th year such awards were bestowed. During the 1990s, the theatre continued to expand. Subscriber numbers grew to 18,000 per season and the annual budget reached $8 million. SCR solidified its national reputation for play development, helped by strong annual support from The Shubert Foundation. As the decade continued, additional funders such as The James Irvine Foundation helped SCR spawn new programs that would support playwrights. Writers were discovered, nurtured and then championed. For all of SCR's accomplishments, its history is marked by years when several major events coincided; 1998 was such a year. That summer, following its 35th Anniversary Season, SCR launched the Pacific Playwrights Festival, its most ambitious new play project to date. Funded by a $175,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Pacific Playwrights Festival incorporated the venerable Hispanic Playwrights Project, two world premieres, and workshops or staged readings of seven more new plays. The program was further strengthened by increased funding from The Shubert Foundation and multi-year grants from The James Irvine Foundation. By the end of 1998, SCR began to pursue its long-held expansion goal. Architect Cesar Pelli was enlisted for SCR's expansion. Pelli designed a sweeping new front for SCR, which would incorporate the existing building and the addition. The focal point of his expansion design was a 336-seat proscenium stage. In front of it would be the common lobby, and behind it would be three stories of offices for education, a “Green Room,” technical facilities, and four new classrooms. At the groundbreaking ceremony in July 2001, George and Julianne Argyros announced a $5 million naming gift for the new 336-seat stage. In April 2002, Board President and Campaign Chairman Paul Folino announced the campaign's largest gift—and the largest single gift ever to a regional theatre by an individual at that time. It was from the Folino family, and at $10 million, it became the complex's naming gift. Construction proceeded smoothly towards a scheduled opening date—Oct. 5, 2002. The first season in the Folino Theatre Center earned rave reviews and introduced three plays—Greenberg's The Violet Hour, Lynn Nottage's Intimate Apparel and Rolin Jones' The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow. All have gone on to major productions in New York and elsewhere. Subsequent seasons saw more world premieres in the new and renovated theatres, including Donald Margulies Brooklyn Boy, which went on to a Broadway production; Mr. Marmalade and Princess Marjorie by Noah Haidle; and the Pacific Playwrights Festival reading of Rabbit Hole by David Lindsay-Abaire, winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize. With the expansion of its physical plant and endowment, and with additional support from the Whittier Family Foundations, SCR was ready for its biggest programmatic growth in two decades, introduction of the three-play series "Theatre for Young Audiences ... and Their Families," which debuted in 2003 to tremendous response. The year 2011 marked a major leadership transition for SCR: Marc Masterson became the theatre’s new Artistic Director, with Managing Director Paula Tomei serving as his co-CEO. Emmes and Benson moved into the roles of Founding Artistic Directors, from which they continue to share the wisdom and knowledge gained in their 48 years at the theatre’s helm. Masterson programmed his first full season in 2012-13. In 2013-14, South Coast Repertory marked its 50th Season with a dynamic schedule of plays, including five world premieres (two of which were commissioned by SCR). Among the special events during the anniversary season came a surprise announcement from Paul Folino at SCR’s annual Gala. He asked for his name to be removed from the building and that the theatre complex be renamed to recognize the important role that Emmes and Benson have played as arts leaders in Orange County and around the nation. On Jan. 22, 2014, a celebratory event unveiled the theatre’s new name: The David Emmes/Martin Benson Theatre Center.