Press Contact
Mark Shapiro
858-578-7728
pr@scrippsranchtheatre.org

Show Opens September 5th and runs until October 4th

“We are inaugurating our 30th season with a Pulitzer Prize winning play.” said Jim Caputo, Executive Director, Scripps Ranch Theatre. “Written by A.R.Gurney, one of our premier playwrights, this slice of Americana will tickle your funny bone and touch your heart.”

The Dining Room lets you 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 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 PG

The play is set in the dining room of a typical well-to-do household and consists of a mosaic of interrelated scenes—some funny, some touching, some rueful—that, taken together, create an in-depth portrait of a vanishing species: the upper-middle-class WASP. The actors change roles, personalities and ages as they portray a wide variety of characters, from little boys to stern grandfathers, and from giggling teenage girls to Irish housemaids. Dovetailing swiftly and smoothly, the varied scenes coalesce, ultimately, into a theatrical experience of exceptional range, compassionate humor and abundant humanity.

“The dining room of a house can have many fascinating stories to tell,” says Jill Drexler, SRT’s Artistic Director, “This A. R. Gurney play will inspire you to think about families and how precious and fragile our relationships to others can be.  In this SRT production, you will recognize yourself in many of the characters and see your own relationships with others mirrored in the some of the scenes that take place in this room.  The situations are funny, touching, and honest.  They all strike a chord of - " yes, that's how it is."

Our 30th anniversary season presentation of “The Dining Room” is directed by Eric Bishop and co-produced by Ruth Carlson and Meghan Kaheny. It features Sherri Allen, Dagmar Fields, Allison MacDonald, Kate Nelson, Wyatt Ellison, Greg Hall and  Max Macke.

For the 2008-2009 season, we have formulated a new subscription program that allows our supporters to customize their season subscription, starting at $55 for 4 plays and $65 for five.  All performances are held in the Legler Benbough Theatre on the campus of Alliant International University (formerly United States International University) at 10455 Pomerado Road in Scripps Ranch, one-half mile east of the I-15/Miramar-Pomerado Road exit. 

Performances are on Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.  There will be special Saturday matinees on the last weekend of each show’s run. For season tickets, more information and reservations, please check the Website www.scrippsranchtheatre.org or call 858-578-7728. Scripps Ranch Theatre encourages patrons to make reservations early as performances sell out quickly. 

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