This year marks the 30th Anniversary
of Scripps Ranch Theatre (SRT)
in San Diego. SRT was born in
1978 and thrived even though it
didn’t have a permanent home,
and members stored theatrical
props and scenery in their
garages and living rooms. With
no permanent venue for
performances or storage, one
production was even held in a
shopping center parking lot.
Another performance, on the
basketball court of the Scripps
Ranch Swim & Racquet Club, saw a
rabbit steal the show by hopping
onto the stage, being caught and
placed in a prop basket, and
then jumping out again. Wildlife
became less of a problem in
1992, when the theater found its
current home in the Legler
Benbough Theatre at what is now
the Alliant International
University campus off Pomerado
Road in Scripps Ranch.
Executive Director and
award-winning playwright,
Jim Caputo, has bold plans
for the future of SRT. “I
envision a theater that one day
will serve all ages, all
cultures, all economic groups; A
theater that will provide
sustenance for artist and
audience alike. A theater that
will tickle your funny-bone, tug
at your heart, massage your
mind, challenge your values, and
move you to places you have
never been. A theater that will
provide a thrilling,
breathtaking, exhilarating
experience.”
For the first time at SRT, the
2008-2009 season will see five
productions instead of the usual
four. One of these plays,
The Shadow Box,
will be slightly different fare
for Scripps Ranch audiences.
Jim Caputo
explains, “We believe we have
formulated a subscription
program that will please
everyone. For the first time we
will offer a five-production
season. For the first time we
will offer the subscriber the
choice of four or five plays.”
To that end, he explains the
thinking behind this season’s
play choices. “Up until now we
have purposely populated our
seasons with light-hearted fare.
This has proved to be a
successful approach as witnessed
by our subscriber growth. Our
recent surveys indicate that
there is a significant portion
of our subscribers that would
like to see more variety. They
have reached a point of
confidence in us that indicates
they trust us to add a new
dimension to our long-standing
relationship.
"To meet this need we have
scheduled the Pulitzer
Prize-winning play, The
Shadow Box. It is
an achingly beautiful story of
three disparate families facing
the imminent loss of a loved
one. But it is not about dying.
It is about people, about life.
Touching, courageous and at
times, even funny, The
Shadow Box is an incredible
work of art.”
Artistic Director Jill
Drexler is also excited
about the choices for next
season. “This year I'm looking
forward to seeing how our
beloved patrons react to the
five-show season. So far, we are
thrilled that most people are
choosing all five. If they
choose four out of the five, I'm
anxious to see which they
choose. It's always a gamble to
choose a season and then see
which plays resonate with our
audiences.”
Producing quality theater at SRT
takes up many evenings and
weekends, and much of this
is done for little or no
financial recognition – so what
are the rewards and why do
people take part in this?
David Ainsworth
directed Two for the
Seesaw, by William
Gibson, last season, and
co-produced I Love
You, You’re Perfect, Now Change
this season. “I do theater
because it's a passion that is
in my blood. I get to be
creative and drive a project to
completion, and (hopefully) help
an audience forget about their
own problems for a few hours. I
wouldn't trade it for the
world.”
Jill Drexler agrees
with his sentiments: “It's the
joy of helping to create, and
for the fun of working with some
wonderful people. We have a
great time at SRT and we're
proud of what we do. Most
everyone who works with us says
they'd do it again in a
heartbeat. That's something of
which we can be very proud.”
Aimee Janelle Nelson
performed in the Spring
2007 production of
Red Herring, by
Michael Hollinger. She says, “From
the time I learned to read, I
had my nose buried in a book. I
loved the fact that words on a
page could transport me into
someone else's life, someone
else's mind, someone else's
world. When my parents took me
to see my first play, I was
mesmerized. It was a book come
to life!
“Literature and theater offer a
chance to expand one's
horizons. It gives a chance to
step back and observe others'
experiences that parallel one's
own. I have found few things in
life more valuable than the
experience live theater
offers. It provokes and even
demands, if not a response, at
the very least, one's thought.”
Jill Drexler also has
more to say about the
achievements of the theater. "At
SRT we work with limited budgets
and often with people who work
for less than they could get at
other theatres. They do it for
the love of the art. That may
sound corny, but for me there is
a great thrill in creating a
show -- the collaboration of the
words, the designers, the
director and actors to present
an evening of entertainment and
meaning to an audience."
SRT now has around 1,000
subscribers. If you enjoy seeing
quality theater close to home,
why not join them and subscribe
to see next season’s
productions. Call 858-578-7728
for more details.
Scripps Ranch Theatre's
2008 – 2009 Season
The Dining Room
-- a heart-warmer by A.
R. Gurney
September 5 – October 4, 2008
Eavesdrop on the comings and
goings in one room over the span
of fifty years. The dining room
where birthday parties,
celebrations, dinners and
holidays occur is the perfect
setting for such discovery. Come
watch six or eight actors play
50 roles in 18 scenes – whew!
This Pulitzer Prize nominee is a
whirlwind of a play. At times
humorous, meaningful, witty and
touching, it is always an
engaging story of the American
family. Rated G
The Last Night of
Ballyhoo -- a
comedy/drama by Alfred Uhry
November 7 – December 6, 2008
By the author of
Driving Miss Daisy,
this Tony Award-winning comic
drama examines the challenges of
a Jewish family living in the
Bible Belt. It is Christmas
1939, and the Freitags have a
Christmas tree in their living
room. The family gets pulled
apart and then mended together
as they face where they came
from and who they are. “A
charming, wonderfully crafted
play.” (Variety) Rated G
The Shadow Box --
a drama by Michael
Cristofer
January 16
January 31, 2009
In this Pulitzer Prize- and Tony
Award-winning play, three
families face the impending loss
of a loved one in a manner that
spans the human condition:
touching, tearful, courageous,
hopeful and at times
surprisingly hilarious. The
Shadow Box is not about
dying but about embracing life,
its finality and the meaning of
close friends and family. “A
beautifully realized drama;
often as funny as it is moving.”
(Washington Post) Rated PG-13
(Mature Concept)
All This and
Moonlight --
a comedy by Charles R. Johnson
March 13 – April 11, 2009
A delightful romantic comedy
about a photographer who cannot
forget a former girlfriend. In
fact, her memory haunts him and
even accompanies him on his new
dates, and we all know, 'two is
company, three’s a crowd.' A
play reminiscent of the
sophisticated comedies of the
forties and fifties, All
This and Moonlight will
have you thinking back to your
first true love. Rated PG
Chapter Two
-- a comedy by Neil Simon
May 15 – June 13, 2009
We are all familiar with the
typically witty Neil Simon play,
but Chapter Two is a
richer, more engrossing tale.
It’s a rocky road for two
not-so-young lovers in Simon’s
semi-autobiographical play.
Laughter and heartache mix as a
recent widower and divorcée
struggle to commit or not to
commit. “Lovely, whimsical and
touching.” (N.Y. Post). Rated PG
(Adult Situations)
To purchase season tickets or tickets for individual productions, please call 858-578-7728.WIN AN SRT SEASON TICKET
Tell us in 50 words or less what play would definitely get you off the sofa and into the theater?Explain the reasons behind your suggestion and win a 2008-9 season ticket. Send your entries to: scrippsranchtheatre@hotmail.com