LAFPI

In Julia Cho’s Aubergine, sometimes a meal is more than just food. A man shares a bowl of berries and a young woman falls in love. A mother meticulously prepares her son’s favorite dish to keep him from leaving home. And a Korean-American son cooks soup for his ailing father to say what words cannot. The perfect bite transcends time and cultural differences in this poetic tale of love, loss and healing. Lisa Peterson directs.

The story centers on the relationship between Ray, a Korean-American man, and his father. Theirs is a complicated and thorny relationship—with the sharpest thorn stemming from the fact that Ray is a chef, a profession his father finds unworthy. Added to that is their fundamental disagreement about food. To Ray, cooking is an art form. His father prefers a package of ramen. They just don’t speak the same language, figuratively and literally.  When Ray finds out that his father is dying, their relationship journey changes.

The cast includes Bruce Baek, Joy DeMichelle, Jinn S. Kim, Jully Lee, Irungu Mutu, Luzma Ortiz and Sab Shimono.

Cho has had numerous works produced and commissioned by South Coast Repertory; among her plays are The Language Archive and Office Hour. Her other plays include The Piano Teacher, Durango, The Winchester House, BFE, The Architecture of Loss and 99 Histories. She has been a resident playwright at New Dramatists since 2004. Her work has been produced at the Vineyard Theatre, The Public, South Coast Repertory, Long Wharf Theatre, Playwrights Horizons, New York Theatre Workshop, East West Players, Boston Court Pasadena and Silk Road Theatre Project, among others. Honors include the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, Barrie Stavis Award, the Claire Tow Award for Emerging Artists, and the L. Arnold Weissberger Award. She is an alumna of the Juilliard School and New York University’s Graduate Dramatic Writing Program.

Previews run Oct. 19-24:  Saturday, Oct. 19, at 8 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 20, at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Oct. 22-24, at 7:30 p.m.

Regular performances:
Evening Performances:Sundays at 7 p.m.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, at 7:30 p.m.
Fridays, Saturdays, at 8 p.m.

Matinees:   Saturdays at 2:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m.

ASL-interpreted: Saturday, Nov. 9, at 2:30 p.m.

Post-Show Discussions: Wednesday, Oct. 30, and Tuesday, Nov. 5. Discuss the play with cast members of Aubergine during free post-show discussions led by South Coast Repertory’s literary team. Segerstrom Stage.

Inside the Season: Saturday, Nov. 2, from, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Led by members of SCR’s literary staff, this lively two-hour session includes in-depth interviews with cast members and artists from the production staff, revealing secrets and offering insights into SCR’s production of Aubergine. Segerstrom Stage. Tickets are $12 and may be purchased in advance or at the door.

Artistic Director Conversation: Thursday, Nov. 7. In this post-show chat, Artistic Director David Ivers joins the audience for a lively, all topics welcome, conversation.

American Sign Language-Interpreted: Saturday, Nov. 9, at 2:30 p.m.

For complete information, visit: www.scr.org.

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