Social Security
by Andrew Bergman
Directed by Charles Riendeau
September 11* – October 9, 2010
Our season starts with a hilarious adult comedy about the shattering of yuppie bliss, the timelessness of romance and an aged Jewish mother who turns her children’s lives upside down in the nicest way.
“… you can laugh out loud joyfully … for the play is a hoot and better yet, a sophisticated hoot.” N.Y.Post.
*Preview Night: Friday, September 10, 2010
Opening Night: Saturday, September 11, 2010
* Preview Night: Special pricing
Susan Andrews (Barbara Kahn) Social Security is Susan’s first production with Scripps Ranch Theatre. She was recently seen in Harvey at Lamb’s Players Theatre and as a storyteller for WriteOutLoud’s TwainFest. Susan is on the staff at Lamb’s, where her credits include A Man For All Seasons, Till We Have Faces and The Diviners. Other local credits include Defying Gravity, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, Auntie Mame, Dancing at Lughnasa and Jake’s Women at North Coast Rep. Susan is an on-air host for KPBS and a voice-over artist. Her favorite role, however, is that of “Mom” to 9-year old daughter, Hailey.
Trina Kaplan (Sophie Greengrass) is happy to be making her SRT debut. She is an Associate Member of ion Theatre, where she has appeared in The Cripple of Inishmaan, La Gaviota, Marat/Sade, and The Grapes of Wrath. At Avo Playhouse, she was in the production of The Magic Fire, which was honored with a Patté Award for Best Ensemble. She will appear in ion Theatre’s A Passage to India in November. Trina is a member of SAG and the Actors Alliance of San Diego.
Charles Peters (David Kahn) is thrilled to be making his first appearance at Scripps Ranch Theatre with such a talented cast and crew. Recent credits include Judge Littlefield and Caiaphas in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot (10th Ave. Theatre), Father Navarro in Violets Bloom at Sunset (Compass Theatre), Professor Moriarty and Mrs. Hudson (Aubrey Award) in Sherlock Holmes’ Excellent Adventure (Coronado Playhouse) and Jack in State of the Art (The Green Room at Twiggs). Some Film and TV credits include: Operation Warzone, General Hospital and The Dummy. For more information visit www.charles-peters.com. Love to Jenn for making it all worthwhile.
Jonathan Sachs (Martin Heyman) is very pleased to be making another appearance at SRT. Most recently he was seen here as Truman in last season’s Holiday Memories. Favorite shows to date are Lone Star, All in the Timing, The Grapes of Wrath, and The Guys. Concurrently with this show, he can be seen in his finest role as “Daddy” in his own home, the role he was truly meant to play and of which he is most proud. Julie…I love you. Payton..I love you. Sam and Peggy….don’t dig in the yard.
Goerge Soete (Maurice Koenig) started acting 45 years ago at the University of Wisconsin. Since then, he has appeared on stages in Cincinnati, OH, Trenton, NJ, and Phoenix, AZ. He has appeared at several San Diego theaters, including Diversionary (Fit to be Tied), New Village Arts (Nocturne), San Diego Opera (Peter Grimes), St. Cecilia (First Love), and the University of San Diego (Picasso at the Lapin Agile).
Sherryl Wynne (Trudy Heyman) has been performing on Orange County and San Diego stages for more years than she cares to admit. She was most recently seen on stage in Barefoot in the Park at the Broadway in Vista. Other favorite performances include roles in Steel Magnolias, Picnic, The Diary of Anne Frank, “Almost, Maine,” and Don’t Dress for Dinner. As always Sherryl thanks Andy and Sarah for never making fun of her to her face.
Charles Riendeau (Director) was last seen at SRT as the co-star of I’m Not Rappaport , opening our 2009-10 season. Previously he appeared here in Lion in Winter and Arsenic and Old Lace, and directed Red Herring, The O’Connor Girls, and All This and Moonlight. Other acting credits: The Foreigner, Hay Fever, Bedroom Farce, and On Golden Pond at the Avo in Vista; in New York and San Diego in The Secret Life of Emily Dickinson; numerous roles with New Village Arts, North Coast Repertory, The Old Globe, ion, The Fritz, and Sledgehammer. He directed Welcome to Ramallah for Compass, and Barefoot in the Park for The Broadway in Vista. In December he will direct a reading of Dylan Thomas’s Under Milkwood for Carlsbad Playreaders. Charlie also serves on the board of the S.D. Shakespeare Society.
Martin Astl (Production Manager) is pleased to continue his association with Scripps Ranch Theatre, having co-produced last season’s Not Now, Darling. Although by his characterization still a ‘rookie’ in the theatrical world, Martin has been a supernumerary with San Diego Opera since 2008. He also will be serving as Production Manager for SRT’s next production, Deathtrap.
Ted Crittenden (Set Designer and Set Construction Manager) This is Ted’s second design outing at Scripps Ranch Theatre, his first being The O’Connor Girls, and he has managed the construction of previous SRT sets, including Chapter Two and last season’s magnificent set for I’m Not Rappaport. He recently designed Diversionary Theatre’s Speech and Debate, and Coronado Playhouse’s Cinderella. His theatrical portfolio can be seen at www.tedcrittenden.com. Ted thanks his parents Alan and Diane for watching his three sons while he worked on this show.
Mitchell Simkovsky (Lighting Designer) is a veteran of many SRT productions, and also has designed lighting for many other San Diego theaters. This season Mitchell will be designing the lighting for four out of our five productions.
Debbie Sullivan (Costume Designer, Props Manager) is happy to be part of the production staff of Social Security, which is her second show with SRT, having thoroughly enjoyed her previous production here, last season’s highly successful Over The River and Through the Woods. Debbie has worked with the San Diego City and San Dieguito School Districts as a costumer for the past four years, is a member of the San Diego Costume Guild, and attended the 2010 Costume College in August.
Vanessa Thomas (Asst. Stage Manager) just moved back to Mira Mesa after graduating from Humboldt State University with a degree in music. She spent the summer in Santa Rosa working as a musician and props artisan at a local theater there. This is her first show with SRT, but she looks forward to more.
Clifford Wright (Stage Manager) is a graduate of Scripps Ranch H.S. and is currently a theater major at San Diego Mesa College, with a focus on acting. There he has stage managed Bertolt Brecht’s The Good Person of Szechwan, and performed in Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors and Roy Conboy’s Strictly A Formality. In addition, Clifford has experience in scenic design, and has served as SM or ASM for a number of San Diego productions, including Innermission Theatre’s production of Dog Sees God (SM), ion Theatre’s production of David Rabe’s Hurly Burly (ASM), and Intrepid Shakespeare’s production of Macbeth (ASM). Clifford hopes to further his education and career in theater in the San Diego community.
Scripps Ranch Theatre has another winner. It is a charming comedy with soul. The powers that be at the theatre know their audience well and cater to the perceived tastes. This is indicated by the productions coming up. They are mostly the tried and true… – Chuck Baker (for Hitch), San Diego Theatre Scene
The ‘carpe diem’ message may be heavy-handed, but the comedy is light, and Scripps Ranch Theatre nails it, with a fine and funny cast, under the assured direction of Charlie Riendeau. And you don’t have to like gefilte fish to enjoy it. – Pat Launer – Center Stage, Jazz 88.3
Yet SRT (now in its 34th season) does an entertaining job of staging the wayward 1986 comedy just the same, with a likable cast that — under the longtime actor Charlie Riendeau’s direction — puts the soft pedal to the sometimes slapstick-y music of Bergman’s dialogue. – James Hebert, Night & Day, San Diego Union Tribune
What are ticket holders saying…
SOCIAL SECURITY was SUPER!!! We loved it!! – M. Tyson
San Diego Theatre Scene – September 24, 2010
JAZZ 88.3 – September 2010
San Diego Union Tribune – September 16, 2010
