South Coast Repertory is a professional resident theatre, founded in 1964 by David Emmes and Martin Benson. The Tony® Award-winning theater is widely regarded as one of America's foremost producers of new plays. SCR's extensive new play development program consists of commissions, residencies, readings, and workshops, from which up to five world premieres are produced each season.
The theatre season (September – June) includes works drawn from classic and modern theatre repertoires, with plays on the 507-seat Segerstrom Stage and on the 336-seat Julianne Argyros Stage, plus a Theatre for Young Audiences performance. The Nicholas Studio is SCR’s 94-seat black box theatre. Formerly the Second Stage, the Nicholas Studio was transformed from a thrust layout into an intimate 5-row space in 2002. The theatre is used by SCR’s Youth and Professional Conservatory.
SCR offers a variety of outreach and education programs and is renowned for its new play development program of works by emerging and established writers, presented each season in public reading and during the Pacific Playwrights Festival. Forty percent of the plays SCR has produced have been world, American or West Coast premieres. In 1988, SCR received the Regional Theatre Tony® Award for Distinguished Achievement, particularly in the area of new play development.
