South Coast Repertory and UCI Arts Launch Pilot Program for Emerging Artists

The Next Stage places UC Irvine Drama students into South Coast Repertory's professional environment, providing real-world Experience, mentorship and more

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., Dec. 9, 2025 — Bridging the gap between the classroom and the stage, UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts (Claire Trevor Dean of the Arts Tiffany López and Department of Drama Chair Joel Veenstra) and South Coast Repertory (SCR) (artistic director David Ivers and managing director Suzanne Appel) are partnering on a new program—The Next Stage —that immerses M.F.A. theatre students in professional theatre. The Next Stage will pair mentorship from SCR’s artists and leaders with invaluable onstage experience, classroom instruction and theatre attendance opportunities.

The collaboration provides UC Irvine Department of Drama graduate students with paid, hands-on experience in acting, design, dramaturgy and stage management, equipping students with practical experience in real-world productions, mentorship from professional artists and invaluable insight into the operations of one of the country’s leading regional theatres.

The program serves as a model for partnerships nationwide, replicating and innovating a template that has worked for a small number of professional theatres nationally that partner with Master's of Fine Arts programs.

“Since 2019, it’s been one of my goals to formalize this vitally important and mutually beneficial relationship between UC Irvine and South Coast Repertory,” said Ivers. The Next Stage program will offer both institutions a predictable and reliable partnership to advance learning in theatre. It’s also beautiful example of collaboration on the institutional level, as well as for individual artists — both students and professionals. Along my decades-long career path, I’ve had the great privilege of creating theatre with the stellar faculty, students and alumni of The Claire Trevor School of the Arts. I’ve been directed by Robert Cohen and Eli Simon, and I’ve worked extensively with Andrew Borba, Philip Thompson, Lonnie Rafael Alcaraz and many others. Together, we’ll make a great impact on tomorrow’s artists and artistic leaders. Go Anteaters!”

“The Next Stage represents the very best of what we strive to do at UCI Arts, creating professional pathways that connect our students to Orange County’s thriving creative economy,” said López. “We are deeply committed to expanding access to hands-on experiences that prepare students for meaningful careers in the arts. This partnership with South Coast Repertory exemplifies how higher education and professional organizations can work together to cultivate the next generation of artists and leaders who will shape the future of live theatre and creative communities.”

The Next Stage begins in January 2026 with a residency program in SCR’s rotating repertory of Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza. UC Irvine M.F.A., Ph.D. and undergraduate students will immerse themselves fully into the theatre’s 2025/26 season centerpiece, while receiving hands-on instruction from Ivers, directors Marco Barricelli (God of Carnage) and Lisa Rothe (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?), designers and stage managers and SCR Theatre Conservatory Teaching Artists. God of Carnage runs Jan. 23-March 21, 2026 and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? runs Jan. 24-March 21, 2026, both on the Segerstrom Stage.

Image: (left to right) David Ivers, Suzanne Appel and Joel Veenstra outside of SCR. Photo by Will Tee Yang.

“The Next Stage is a hope-and joy-filled step forward for the future of M.F.A. education and the theatre field," said Appel. "Universities across the country are cutting back on professional training programs while theatres are searching for sustainable models. This pilot program addresses those challenges and brings productions of the classics and other great plays on a large scale to audiences. This will help us attract audiences, particularly young people. Expanding South Coast Repertory’s 50-plus year education mission to include professional training for M.F.A. students from UC Irvine is the kind of investment that will provide generations of dividends, paid in spectacular live theatre experiences for our audiences.”

The program will engage more than 500 UC Irvine students. Two UC Irvine M.F.A. students will serve as understudies, while between three and eight M.F.A. students in design, stage management or Ph.D. students in dramaturgy will be immersed in those disciplines during the productions. In addition, 40 undergraduate actors will receive course credits for instruction and 400 undergraduate and graduate students will attend performances of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and God of Carnage.

Along with those practical experiences, Ivers will provide coaching and audition tips to M.F.A. acting students and professional teaching artists from SCR’s highly respected Theatre Conservatory will teach acting classes for undergraduates. 

The Next Stage embodies UC Irvine’s mission to advance knowledge through research, teaching and creative expression by documenting the program as a research-based model for arts education, while delivering applied, experiential learning within a professional environment. It also fosters creativity and innovation through live theatre practice.

The $1.5 million program, inclusive of the repertory productions at SCR, is supported by funding from a number of donors, including The Nicholas Endowment, The Claire Trevor School of the Arts and Department of Drama, SCR Season Producers Apriem Advisors, Lead Repertory Honorary Producer Michael Ray, Repertory Honorary Producers Richard and Lisa de Lorimier and Timothy and Jean
Weiss, honorary producers of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Elaine and Mike Gray, the honorary producers of God of Carnage.

“We’re thrilled about the partnership between SCR and UCI, which opens up exceptional opportunities for students,” said Daniel T. Stetson, trustee and executive director of The Nicholas Endowment, whose mission is to enrich our community and the world by supporting the performing and visual arts, assisting in the advancement of science and education, and engaging other charities to make a difference in people’s lives. “Through this collaboration, students will receive top-tier training from some of the most respected professionals in the industry. They’ll also have the chance to apply and refine their newly developed acting skills on stage at SCR.”

About South Coast Repertory: Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, founded in 1964, is led by Artistic Director David Ivers and Managing Director Suzanne Appel. SCR is widely recognized as one of the leading professional theatres in the United States. 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. SCR’s education programs foster the next generation of artists and audiences through a variety of ticketing and learning opportunities, including the award-winning Theatre Conservatory, which offers year-round acting and playwriting classes for kids, teens and adults. 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

About the Claire Trevor School of the Arts: The UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts is where scholarly research and creative activity converge. As the only comprehensive arts school in the University of California system, it includes four departments: art, dance, drama and music. The school offers 15 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and two minors that combine rigorous artistic training with a world-class liberal arts education. Named for Academy Award-winning actress Claire Trevor, the school presents more than 200 public performances, exhibitions and lectures each year. Students and faculty engage in studio practice, performance, academic study and interdisciplinary research, often collaborating across campus and within the community. Recognized nationally for its excellence, access and affordability, the school prepares the next generation of creative leaders who shape culture, drive innovation and make a difference in the world. For more information, visit www.arts.uci.edu.

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu.