Artistic Director David Ivers and Managing Director Suzanne Appel.
Photo by Scott Smeltzer.
While its productions represent a balance of classic and modern plays and musicals, SCR is renowned for its extensive new-play development program—The Lab@SCR—which includes one of the nation’s largest commissioning programs for emerging, mid-career and established writers. Of SCR’s more than 550 productions, one-quarter have been world premieres. SCR-developed works have garnered two Pulitzer Prizes and eight Pulitzer nominations, several Obie Awards and scores of major new-play awards. Located in Costa Mesa, CA., SCR is home to the 507-seat Segerstrom Stage, the 336-seat Julianne Argyros Stage and the 94-seat Nicholas Studio. www.scr.org
COSTA MESA, Calif.—South Coast Repertory (Artistic Director David Ivers and Managing Director Suzanne Appel) announced its expanded 2026-27 season today, which features nine productions. Season highlights include Raymond Lee returning to SCR as Hamlet, Stephen Sondheim’s and James Lapine’s musical masterpiece Into the Woods as the latest installment in the American Icons series and a unique rotating repertory—the recent Off-Broadway hit Mother Russia by Lauren Yee paired with Oscar Wilde’s classic comedy, The Importance of Being Earnest.
SCR’s 63rd season also includes the West Coast Premiere of Blind Runner, the international hit from Mehr Theatre Group and Iranian writer/director Amir Reza Koohestani, and two world premieres that will anchor the 2027 Pacific Playwrights Festival: Three-headed Monster by JuCoby Johnson and The Ingenue by Eleanor Burgess. Family-centered programming includes Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, adapted by Jerry Patch, and the Theatre for Young Audiences and Families production of How I Became a Pirate, book, music and lyrics by Janet Yates Vogt and Mark Friedman and based on the book “How I Became a Pirate” by Melinda Long with illustrations by David Shannon.
SCR’s 63rd season also includes the West Coast Premiere of Blind Runner, the international hit from Mehr Theatre Group and Iranian writer/director Amir Reza Koohestani, and two world premieres that will anchor the 2027 Pacific Playwrights Festival: Three-headed Monster by JuCoby Johnson and The Ingenue by Eleanor Burgess. Family-centered programming includes Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, adapted by Jerry Patch, and the Theatre for Young Audiences and Families production of How I Became a Pirate, book, music and lyrics by Janet Yates Vogt and Mark Friedman and based on the book “How I Became a Pirate” by Melinda Long with illustrations by David Shannon.
The 2026-27 season reflects programming changes established in SCR’s recently adopted strategic plan, which includes more classics, modern masterpieces and the continuation of an annual musical on the Segerstrom Stage, and a dedication to world premieres and exciting new hits on the Julianne Argyros Stage. In addition, audiences will now enjoy a world premiere in SCR’s most intimate space—the 94-seat Nicholas Studio. Moving one world premiere to the Nicholas Studio not only creates more opportunities to experience the powerful, inspiring storytelling SCR is known for, it also frees up the Segerstrom Stage for an additional spring production.
David Ivers (Artistic Director) is responsible for the overall artistic operation of the theatre. The 2019-20 season was the first he programmed for SCR and during that season, he directed She Loves Me. In addition, he directed the 2024 production of Joan—both the world premiere at SCR and the 2025 East Coast premiere at Barrington Stage Company—the 2021 Pacific Playwrights Festival reading of Coleman ’72 by Charlie Oh and the 2022 reading of Spenser Davis’ A Million Tiny Pieces. He spent August 2023 directing Guthrie Theater’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest.
Suzanne Appel
Managing Director & Co-CEO, South Coast Repertory
For more than two decades, Suzanne Appel has pursued a personal mission to bring people together through transformative experiences led by form-challenging artists. Working in partnership with Artistic Director David Ivers and reporting to the Board of Trustees, Appel is responsible for providing strategic leadership for SCR’s long-term sustainability and growth. She oversees SCR’s business operations, including fund-raising, marketing and community relations.
David Ivers (Artistic Director) is responsible for the overall artistic operation of the theatre. The 2019-20 season was the first he programmed for SCR and during that season, he directed She Loves Me. In addition, he directed the 2024 production of Joan—both the world premiere at SCR and the 2025 East Coast premiere at Barrington Stage Company—the 2021 Pacific Playwrights Festival reading of Coleman ’72 by Charlie Oh and the 2022 reading of Spenser Davis’ A Million Tiny Pieces. He spent August 2023 directing Guthrie Theater’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest.
He was last seen onstage at SCR as John in Richard Greenberg’s world premiere of A Shot Rang Out and as part of his SCR tenure, created the theatre’s Outside SCR program in partnership with Mission San Juan Capistrano. Prior to his appointment as Artistic Director, he directed the SCR-Berkeley Repertory Theatre co-production of One Man, Two Guvnors.
Before arriving to SCR in his current capacity, Ivers was artistic director for Arizona Theatre Company and, before that, served more than 20 years as an actor and director at Utah Shakespeare Festival, with the last six as artistic director. He was a resident artist at Denver Center for the Performing Arts for a decade, acting in and/or directing more than 40 plays, and has helmed productions at many of the nation’s leading regional theatres, including the Guthrie Theater, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Berkeley Repertory Theatre and South Coast Repertory.
Ivers’ early career included serving as associate artistic director of Portland Repertory Theatre and appearing in productions at some of the nation’s most prestigious theatres, including Portland Center Stage and the Oregon, Alabama and Idaho Shakespeare festivals. He has taught at the University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, Southern Utah University and Southern Oregon University. He earned his BA from Southern Oregon University and his MFA from the University of Minnesota.
Suzanne Appel
Managing Director & Co-CEO, South Coast Repertory
For more than two decades, Suzanne Appel has pursued a personal mission to bring people together through transformative experiences led by form-challenging artists. Working in partnership with Artistic Director David Ivers and reporting to the Board of Trustees, Appel is responsible for providing strategic leadership for SCR’s long-term sustainability and growth. She oversees SCR’s business operations, including fund-raising, marketing and community relations.
Her accomplishments as Managing Director of Off-Broadway’s Vineyard Theatre (2017-2024) include expanding the revenue-generating capacity of the organization, bringing on seven new board members, negotiating a two-production, industry-first producing partnership with Audible (David Cale’s Harry Clarke and Ngozi Anyanwu’s Good Grief), and transferring four Tony-nominated productions to Broadway. She is perhaps most proud of working with Artistic Director Sarah Stern to keep all Vineyard Theatre full-time staff employed during the COVID pandemic and developing a 2022-2026 plan raising all arts worker wages.
Suzanne joined The Vineyard after serving as Director of External Affairs for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Prior to her role at Hubbard Street, she served as Managing Director at Cutting Ball Theater in San Francisco, where she nearly doubled the organization’s operating budget and built a two-plus-month operating reserve in four years.
She was awarded the Alfred Drake Award from Brooklyn College, an honor given to an accomplished theatre professional who has made significant contributions to the American theatre. Her previous positions include roles with Dance Theater Workshop, Yale Repertory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Wesleyan University. Suzanne’s volunteer work includes serving on the Board for Arts Orange County and South Coast Metro Alliance. Previously she served as Chair of the Wesleyan Fund (2020-2024). She is a graduate of Wesleyan University, Yale School of Drama and Yale School of Management (MFA/MBA).
South Coast Repertory
South Coast Repertory
655 Town Center Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Ticket Services/Box Office: (714) 708-5555
