Reviews & Other Press: 2007

Garlands 2007
Dany Margolies, Back Stage West

March 1, 2007

Welcome to the 2007 Garland Awards issue! The Garlands are voted on by the critics of Back Stage West, rewarding excellence in Southern California theatre. Although Back Stage's mission is to serve actors, the awards also recognize the contributions of all who make theatre-from producers to prop makers.

Under our voting system, each Garland winner was named on at least three critics' "Best of 2006" lists. Each critic was allowed to name up to five nominees for each category except performance, up to 10 nominees for performance in a musical production and up to 10 in straight productions. The critics' lists, minus the winners, appear following the list of winners.

We salute the artists whose names appear in these pages. In our critics' opinions, you represent the finest in local theatre, and you can be justly proud of the notice we took of your work. ...

Our Critics Mention the Honorable

PRODUCTION:
The Lying Kind, The Chance Theater

PLAYWRITING:
Anthony Neilson, The Lying Kind, The Chance Theater
Annie Thoms, with their eyes: September 11th - The View from a High School at Ground Zero, The Chance Theater

SOUND DESIGN:
Casey Long, The Lying Kind, The Chance Theater

PERFORMANCE IN A (PRIMARILY) STRAIGHT PLAY:
Courtney Hayes, Never In My Lifetime, The Chance Theater
John M. Jurcheck, Never In My Lifetime, The Chance Theater

PERFORMANCE IN A (PRIMARILY) MUSICAL PRODUCTION:
Jocelyn A. Brown, The Last Five Years, The Chance Theater

ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE:
Hot 'N' Throbbing, The Chance Theater
Into The Woods, The Chance Theater
with their eyes: September 11th - The View from a High School at Ground Zero, The Chance Theater

MISCELLANEOUS:
Dialect Coaching, Glenda Morgan Brown, The Lying Kind and with their eyes: September 11th - The View from a High School at Ground Zero, The Chance Theater

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L.A. drama critics laud "Brothers Karamozov"
The Circle X production of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's epic was recognized in each of its nominated categories
by Lynne Heffley, Los Angeles Times

March 20, 2007

"The Brothers Karamazov" came out on top in the 38th annual Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards, announced Monday. The Circle X production of Fyodor Dostoevsky's epic was recognized in each of its nominated categories, including outstanding production, direction and writing/adaptation.

The awards, given in 16 categories honoring excellence in theater over the last year, were split between large and small theater offerings. Other outstanding production recipients were Laguna Playhouse's "A Marvelous Party" and Furious Theatre Company's "Grace," which garnered additional nods for direction and writing.

Center Theatre Group's Ahmanson Theatre and Mark Taper Forum took a total of six awards, not counting a special award announced earlier to Richard Montoya for Culture Clash's Taper play, "Water & Power."

(Note: There can be multiple recipients or none in any given category. LADCC's 15 voting members - writers for daily, weekly or online publication - do not include L.A. Times staff members.)

...SPECIAL AWARDS

The Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in theater: Troubadour Theater Company

The Ted Schmitt Award for the world premiere of an outstanding new play: Richard Montoya for Culture Clash for "Water & Power"

The Polly Warfield Award for an excellent season in a small to mid-size theater: The Chance Theater

The Bob Z Award for career achievement in set design: Joel Daavid

The Angstrom Award for career achievement in lighting design: Christian Epps

The Joel Hirschhorn Award for outstanding achievement in musical theater: Gerald Sternbach

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O.C. Theaters win L.A. drama critics awards
OC Register

March 21, 2007

The Laguna Playhouse, South Coast Repertory and Anaheim Hills' Chance Theater were honored at the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards. Winners of the annual awards were announced Monday at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood.

The Laguna Playhouse production of "A Marvelous Party," a musical celebration of Noel Coward's songs directed by David Ira Goldstein, shared best production honors with two other plays.

Art Manke was one of four winning directors for his SCR staging of "Bach at Leipzig." In the category of CGI and video projections, the critics circle honored William Dudley for his work in SCR's "Hitchcock Blonde."

The Polly Warfield Award for an excellent season in a small to mid-size theater went to the Chance.

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Staging a Chance encounter
Anastacia Grenda, Orange Coast Magazine

September 1, 2007

Not many actors can say they've founded two theater companies before the age of 30. Even fewer can say they juggle sound design, managing director duties and acting, all with aplomb. But only one can say his credits include roles as both Santa Claus and a reindeer -- with a white supremacist mass murderer thrown in for good measure.

Such is Casey Long's creative process this his young career has encompassed all that, and more. Long is a co-founder - with Oanh Nguyen, Erika Miller and Jeff Hellebrand - of The Chance Theater, based in Anaheim Hills. "I'm not the artist I am today without them," Long says. "We've always pushed each other to go that extra step."

It's a group dynamic that has resulted in several accolades for The Chance, the latest - and perhaps most prestigious - of which is the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle's special Polly Warfield Award for excellence in a small to mid-size theater.

"It's all the more of an honor because it wasn't that we did one show they liked a lot - they liked the entire [2006] season," Long says. "It certainly seems our profile has been rising over the past couple of years."

Long's career has been building for much longer. Landing the main role of Santa in his fifth-grade play - and experiencing the reaction of an audience - sparked his love of theater, which he nurtured with high school drama classes. After graduating from high school, Long and a core group of fellow students founded the Incarnation Theater Company. The group dissolved as its members' lives went in different directions, but it allowed Long to meet up with his future Chance cohorts.

Since The Chance begain in 1999, Long has added extensively to his theatrical resume. He was the production manager and has been the managing director for a year. He has acted in several productions - including three years as Dasher in The Eight: Reindeer Monologues, which won an ensemble acting award from OC Weekly - auditioning for parts like anyone else. He directed a one-act and did lighting design for a show. And then there is sound design. "It was something I picked up and developed with this company," says Long, who is The Chance's resident sound designer. "We really focus on being well-rounded theater artists, and that's one of the areas I've expanded into.

"Sound design really intrigued me. It's something that can be so subtle and affects so much, and of course sound design can blare at you and grab your attention," says Long, citing a recent production of Frozen, in which he mixed together elements of wind and nature with music to create a soundscape that matched the sparse, stark vision of the show.

Long's growth as an artist isn't confined to the theater. He participates in Leadership Anaheim, a program that offers anyone who wants to become a community leader a behind-the-scenes look at the city. At the same time, the group members plan a team project to benefit Anaheim youth.

"I consider Anaheim my home more than my hometown because the support I've gotten from the city and also the people here has been very overwhelming," says Long, who has lived in Anaheim since 2000. "I don't think the company would have survived as well in a different city."

The Chance wants to expand and become a mid-size Equity venue, a roughly $3 million project. To accomplish that, the theater is offering a sustaining membership program that, for $15 a month, allows people to become company members - attending as many shows as they want, and going to special events and read-throughs. The Chance board has put up a $30,000 challenge grant, and the company has until September 29 to meet it; that's also the date of its annual A Class Act fund-raiser, which features live entertainment, dancing, an auction and a special raffle for a trip to New York as the grand prize.

"We're still shooting for the stars. Where we are now is wonderful, what we've accomplished so far has been gratifying and the support from the community is amazing," Long says. "We're still looking forward to moving ahead. We're not settling in where we are.

"My personal mission if to stay with this company and make sure it succeeds, and even more so, keep raising the bar."

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Taking a Chance on Theater
Tom Provenzano, LA Stage Magazine

September 1, 2007

Last March, Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle bestowed its signature Polly Warfield Award upon The Chance Theater, adding to a quickly mounting quantity of accolades received by this young and vibrant theatre company, housed in Orange County. Because the theater is outside Los Angeles County, it is not eligible for Equity's 99-seat concessions. But Oanh Nguyen, one of four founding members and the company's artistic director, sees that as a plus. He explains, "It has forced us to grow our organization the right way."

The company has ambitions that far exceed the concepts of Equity's plan. Nguyen says, "Our mission is to have a theatre that can truly sustain and maintain a company of actors, designers and artists. We are in the midst of three major goals. We have a small paid staff and a 49-seat house with a budget of $300,000. We're seeking a development director and to begin Equity contracts next year. We're also looking for a new space - we hope to ultimately run two theatres: a 200-seat and 99-seat."

Even in its small theatre, the company boasts nine years of activity, including fresh stagings of revivals and bold exploration of new plays. Nguyen's current theatrical aspiration is a rethinking of the Sondheim classic Sunday in the Park with George. This exploration of art and human choices was created for a very large canvas, based on painter Georges Seurat's masterpiece Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. So Nguyen's task is to translate that enormity to his tiny theatre.

The challenge excites him, as he explains, "We've reinvisioned it for our space. We've completely restaged the show. I love this play; there are so many beautiful ideas and themes and images but I have always felt the narrative was hard to grab hold of. I suspect originally the idea was to tell the story of the painting but at some point it must have changed to focus on the story of George and his lover Dot. We have been working to honor both stories."

Nguyen's exhiliration is not limited to his own directing but extends to everything the Chance attempts. Also upcoming is the Orange County premiere of Joe Calarco's adaptation of Shakespeare's R & J. The story follows four boys in an oppressive academy where Romeo and Juliet is a banned text. A purloined copy of the play falls into their hands and they perform a secret staging that changes their lives forever.

Guest director Patricia Ansuini is thrilled to be working with the company and is ecstatic about the script. "Calarco has found a way to do same gender Shakespeare without it being a museum piece. I really was struck by the idea that it told two stories at once. The whole thing is predicated on the idea these boys are in a repressive situation where everything that reaches them is prescriptive - power is exorcized over what they see, what they read, what they say, what they hear. In this case it's a Catholic school but I am very vigilant about not making it a religion bashing show. It is just the idea art sets these boys free."

The intensity of both directors bodes well for the Chance's goal to be a beacon of quality theatre. With continued drive and imagination the company may well reach its dreamed-of destination: standing alongside South Coast Repertory and the Laguna Playhouse to offer Orange County extraordinary theatrical experiences.

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Anaheim arts groups earn grants
Anaheim Ballet, Chance Theater to receive up to $10,000 each
Orange County Register

September 11, 2007

Arts Orange County, in partnership with the Orange County Community Foundation, has announced grants totaling $72,500 to be allocated to 11 Orange County arts groups.

Two of the recipients are Anaheim Ballet and The Chance Theater in Anaheim Hills.

Arts Orange County will this month assess each recipient's needs and award $5,000 to $10,000 to each organization.

Part of the statewide Communities Advancing the Arts Initiative, funded by The James Irvine Foundation, the Orange County Arts Initiative is a three-year joint project between the Orange County Community Foundation and Arts Orange County. Its goals are to assist Orange County arts organizations in gaining long-term sustainability in the face of recent funding shortfalls and to encourage and build private philanthropy of the arts in Orange County.

"We are pleased to partner this initiative with Arts Orange County," said Todd Hanson, the foundation's vice president of donor relations and programs. "Orange County's non-profit arts sector is still relatively young and has many emerging arts organizations that are in need of financial support, and they also require assistance with their organizational development and growth."

The Boeing Company is a primary sponsor for the Orange County Arts Initiative, with its seventh year of support to foster the growth of the county's small and mid-sized arts organizations.

The grantees were honored at a Sept. 5 reception at the Laguna Art Museum.

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14th Annual Best of Orange County
Orange County Register

September 14, 2007

For our lucky 14th edition of The Best of Orange County - our annual chronicle of your choices of the county's finest - we wanted to do more than simply ask you to fill out a ballot. We wanted to go out into the community and visit as many businesses and attractions as possible to get your opinions about them, live and in person.

So you'll see many of your friends, relatives and neighbors quoted in the our stories about this year's favorite stores, restaurants, entertainment spots, recreation areas, vacation getaways and much more. You might even find a quote from yourself.

An expanded section this year focuses on your neighborhoods - the places close to home where you like to shop, dine, celebrate, worship and just hang out. Throughout the book you'll find more comments from Orange County residents sharing secrets about their neighborhood treasures.

The 133 categories in the 2007 Best of Orange County readers poll cover eating and drinking, entertainment, places, recreation, and shopping and services. The Orange County Register published ballots in its regular editions and on its Web site in May. Readers were invited to vote online or return printed ballots by mail.

Best live-theater group

1. South Coast Repertory

2. The Chance Theater
This Orange County theater is way off Broadway, both in location and in many of its plays. In fact, the motto of the Chance Theater is "The art is in the chance."

The ensemble-based company has 27 artists working together.

"It has always been our mission to do work that's personally important with people who are invested in the growth of this company," said Casey Long, managerial director.

The group has presented nine seasons on its Main Stage and the Evolving Stage. The Main Stage offers familiar works with unique interpretations, while the Evolving Stage offers productions designed to promote social dialogue. Past performances include the whimsical "The Eight: Reindeer Monologues," the lighthearted "Anaheim Home Companion," "A Christmas Story" and "Fig R.O. — A Retro Opera." Recently, the theater brought home the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Special Award for Excellence for its 2006 season.

"We've grown in almost every way — the size of the audience, the size of the company," Long said. "The quality is higher. And there's a stronger drive in the company members. Every year they work harder and harder."

The company plans to keep growing — and to stay in Anaheim.

"We've really found a home here," Long said. "It's tremendous to see all the support we have here in this community."

The Chance Theater also has a youth program for students in the Anaheim Unified School District called "Speak Up: Take a Chance," in which students can learn to act, write, direct, design and promote productions.

3. Laguna Playhouse

Best friendly business

ANAHEIM
The Chance Theater
5552 E. La Palma Ave.
(714) 777-3033
chancetheater.com

See the full list of the Best of Orange County

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Orange County Arts Awards presented
The honors were presented at Arts Orange County's eight annual fundraiser
by Richard Chang, Orange County Register

October 2, 2007

Arts Orange County held its eighth annual Orange County Arts Awards on Sept. 26, presenting a number of awards to local recipients.

The Bowers Museum of Cultural Art and the National Choreographers Initiative received awards for outstanding arts organization. Oanh Nguyen, artistic director of the Chance Theater in Anaheim Hills, and the Legacy Project, a collective of area photographers, received honors for outstanding artist.

The Orange County Performing Artscenter, which opened its new, $240 million concert hall in September 2006, won an award for outstanding contribution to the built environment. The South Orange County High School of the Arts in Dana Point received a trophy for outstanding educator.

Outstanding volunteer honors went to Jan Landstrom of Corona del Mar and the Assistance League of Irvine. Landstrom has spent many hours volunteering for the Pacific Chorale and the Philharmonic Society of Orange County.

Wells Fargo Bank was recognized as outstanding arts patron. Three Helena Modjeska Cultural Legacy Awards, announced earlier last month, were presented to Ralph Opacic for artistic visionary, Ramya Harishankar for artist, and Joan Irvine Smith for community visionary.

Held at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach, the event raised more than $90,000. More than 400 people attended, including co-hosts Julia Argyros and Ed Arnold, awards chairwoman Pat Poss, mayors Beth Krom of Irvine and Richard Dixon of Lake Forest, and Arts Orange County President Darrel Anderson.

Contact the writer: 714-796-6026 or rchang@ocregister.com

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Chance Theater announces 2008 schedule
Eight productions on tap for Anaheim Hills theater's tenth season
by Brian Perdue, Orange County Register

November 30, 2007

The Chance Theater's 2008 season, released today, features Tony Award-winning musical and a Pulitizer Prize-winning play.

Eight productions are planned for the theater's 10th season.

"We are tremendously excited about our 10th Anniversary season - a diverse collection of Broadway-style musicals, edgy new works and plays for the whole family to enjoy," said Oanh Nguyen, Chance Theater artistic director who is slated to direct three productions this season. "We have always taken great pride in our theatrical diversity as well as our high level of artistry - we look forward to our 2008 season providing healthy doses of each for our audiences."

The Chance Theater's 2008 season will be presented with two series: the Main Stage and the Evolving Stage, both with very specific missions. The Main Stage ("Assassins," "Brain," "Evita," and "Marley's Christmas Carol") is made up of familiar stories told through a unique approach. The Evolving Stage ("Passion," "Rabbit Hole," "Jesus Hates Me" and "Mrs. Bob Crachit") is made up of newer works that will attempt to promote social dialogue.

Both productions run in concurrent weeks but on different days and times. The Main Stage performances run Friday days at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Evolving Stage performances run Thursdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m.

2008 season

• "Assassins" by John Weidman and Stephen Sondheim, directed by Oanh Nguyen. Feb. 2- March 16 (Friday 8 p.m.; Saturday 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sunday 2 p.m.). Winner of five Tony Awards.
• "Talk about the Passion " by Graham Farrow, directed by David Colwell. Feb. 10-March 16 (Thursday 8 p.m.; Sunday 7 p.m.). California premiere.
• "The Brain from Planet X" by David Wechtner and Bruce Kimmel (part of Festival of New American Musicals), directed by Bruce Kimmel. May 3-June 15 (Friday 8 p.m.; Saturday 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sunday 2 p.m.). Orange County premiere.
• "Rabbit Hole" by David Lindsay-Abaire, directed by Oanh Nguyen. May 11- June 15 (Thursday 8 p.m.; Sunday 7 p.m.). Orange County premiere.
• "Evita" by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, directed by Jocelyn A. Brown. Aug. 2-Sept. 14 (Friday 8 p.m.; Saturday 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sunday 2 p.m.). Winner of seven Tony Awards.
• "Jesus Hates Me" by Wayne Lemon. Aug. 10- Sept. 14 (Thursday 8 p.m.; Sunday 7 p.m.). West coast premiere.
• "Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol" by Tom Mula. Nov. 8- Dec. 21 (Friday 8 p.m.; Saturday 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Sunday 2 p.m.). Orange County premiere.
• "Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge" by Christopher Durang. Nov. 16- Dec. 21 (Thursday 8 p.m.; Sunday 7 p.m.). Southern California premiere.

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Those Magic Moments
Recollections of what made 2007 theater sing
by Joel Beers, OC Weekly

December 27, 2007

As already mentioned in this publication a couple of months ago, the greatest theatrical event of 2007-if not the new millennium-was the royal pantomime conducted by the noble Fred Willard and his plucky band of sketch-comedy artists at Stages Theatre in October.

But that doesn't mean the rest of the year lacked memorable moments-both good and bad.

There were splendid ensemble performances, like the uproariously enthusiastic cast of Urinetown! at the Maverick Theater, which made an already exceptionally funny anti-musical even more enjoyable. There was the obviously demented cast of Rude Guerrilla's production of Mercury Fur, the darkest play of the year brought to grisly life by committed performances. And don't forget the casts of musicals such as Sunday in the Park With George (Chance Theatre), The Full Monty (Hunger Artists) and Bat Boy (Stages).

Some supporting performances were so spot-on they nearly stole their respective shows: Lowe Taylor's ravishingly talented Dot in Sunday in the Park With George; David Beatty's homeless con man, who seemed to have stepped right off the pages of Grant Morrison's The Invisibles, in Rude Guerilla's It's the End of the World As We Know It; And Darri Kristin's turn as the least-eccentric member of a quite-quirky clan in You Can't Take It With You; Christopher Spencer as the corrupt, piss-obsessed mayor in Urinetown!

There were also some lead performances that were more enjoyable than tater tots fresh from the oven: Hamish Linklater in the lead role of South Coast Repertory's Hamlet, a performance that channeled Walt Whitman (he contained multitudes); the mesmerizing Gregory Itzen's raconteur/con man/enlightened soul in Shipwrecked! at SCR; Mark Coyan's chillingly sympathetic murderer in the Hunger Artists' Woyzeck; Daniel Dawson's blood-sucking freak with a soul in Bat Boy; Linda Gehringer's morally indignant nun in SCR's Doubt; and Juan Ramirez's morally drifting coyoté in his Revelations at the Breath of Fire Latina Ensemble.

There weren't as many solid new plays as one would like-how could there be, when every storefront either seemed to be doing a musical or Neil Simon? But there were at least two and a half: Jeremy Gable's frenetic adaptation of Georg Buchner's Woyzeck had depth and laughs and a giant chicken. Donald Margulies' Shipwrecked! was a deceptively deep play about the power of stories and vagaries of memory. And even though it premiered a year ago in San Francisco, the Southern California debut of David Rambo's The Ice Breaker at the Laguna Playhouse proved that even science can be sexy.

Musicals elicited many salutes: The Chance's Sunday In the Park With George was a very polished effort with an impressive projection design courtesy of John MacDonald; the Hunger Artists' The Full Monty combined great acting and singing in a cast paced by dual leads Jason Lythgoe and Mark Palkoner; and you couldn't help but love the quirky musicals Urinetown! and Bat Boy.

With so many good musicals, it was kind of easy to miss the straight plays, but one impossible to forget was John Patrick Shanley's Doubt, a 90-minute tour de force that surely ranks among the most economical plays ever written. If you missed SCR's Martin Benson-directed production, you missed something very special indeed.

But in a year when much of the best work on the county's stages wound up in musicals, it's fitting that a play that used music to help tell its story-as opposed to being a straight-on musical, with dancing and characters erupting into songs-proved to be the most flat-out entertaining: the Laguna Playhouse's homage to Hank Williams Sr., Lost Highway. ...

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