See below for more details about all of the upcoming shows in 2025. Also, check out our 2025 OTR New Play Reading Series featuring two new plays by 2025 Resident Playwright Benjamin Benne (writer of Chance’s 2024 production of Alma), as well as new plays by 2018 Chance Fox Fellow Khanisha Foster, Ravi Kapoor, 2018 Resident Playwright Joanna Garner, and 2023 Resident Playwright Keiko Green.
A message from our 2025 Executive Season Producers
Bette & Wylie Aitken
Dear Friends,
Live theater is back, and we couldn’t be more grateful for your support in getting here. It’s a new season, and you’re as much a part of it as anyone on stage. Since reopening, Chance Theater has moved from being a “hidden gem” to a shining example of resilience.
When the pandemic hit, Chance did everything to keep the lights on. They rallied with virtual shows, Zoom conversations between audiences and artists, and shifted their education programs online. The staff even took pay cuts to keep things going, never letting go of their commitment to the art and the community. Thanks to people like you, Chance survived and has come back stronger, ready to share more stories.
Many friends helped us get here. You know who you are, and you are deeply appreciated. Your support made it possible for Chance to keep its doors open. We’re grateful beyond words, and we hope you know how much your kindness means to all of us.
If you believe in Chance as much as we do, help us keep the momentum going. Share the story. Spread the word. Your passion and dedication make all the difference. We can’t wait to welcome you back to the theater, along with the new members you’ll bring along.
Looking forward to seeing you soon.
MAIN SERIES of exciting plays and musicals
2025 Season Producers Bette & Wylie Aitken
2025 Associate Season Producers The Family of Mary Kay Fyda-Mar
Book, Music & Lyrics by Jonathan Larson
Script Consultation by David Auburn
Directed by H. Adam Harris
Music Direction by Lex Leigh
January 24 – February 23, 2025
at the Bette Aitken theater arts Center
on the Cripe Stage
» Before Jonathan Larson wrote Rent, he had to pay it.
Get ready to experience the electrifying mind behind Rent! Before Jonathan Larson revolutionized Broadway, he was a young man struggling to make his mark. This autobiographical musical, set in 1990, is a raw, humorous, and heartfelt journey of a composer on the brink of turning 30—waiting tables and wondering if he’ll ever write that soaring song that will change everything. His girlfriend wants to get married and move out of the city, and his best friend is making big bucks on Madison Avenue. Will he give up his dream and sell out just to keep the lights on? Will he lose the love of his life? Scored by music that redefined a genre, tick, tick… BOOM! takes you on the writer’s journey that led to a Broadway blockbuster. It’s a must-see for anyone who’s ever chased a dream. If you loved Rent, this show will speak to your soul. Don’t miss the chance to experience the genius of Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning composer Jonathan Larson in a whole new way!
NOTE: This show contains mature content and strong language.
Written by 2011 Resident Playwright Adam Szymkowicz
Directed by Matthew McCray
February 28 – March 23, 2025
at the Bette Aitken theater arts Center
on the Fyda-Mar Stage
» World Premiere of a 2023 Chance Theater OTR Staged Reading
Morning light filters through the kitchen window. Marie brews the coffee—black. Paul asks for sugar. Marie says the sugar is out of reach. So they drink it black. Paul wonders, “Do we drink it black because the sugar is out of reach or because we like it that way?” For Paul and Marie, a lifetime of love is woven into these small rituals, their days filled with playful quibbles, knowing glances, and the gentle rhythm of routine. But lately, those routines are shifting. Paul is forgetting things—small things, at first. A name, a place, the way home. And yet, through the confusion and the loss, there is still love. There is still laughter. There is still Marie, holding Paul’s hands in hers, reminding him of the life they built together. From Chance Theater’s 2011 Resident Playwright Adam Szymkowicz, this world premiere is a heart-wrenching and unexpectedly humorous meditation on memory, devotion, and what it truly means to hold on – to the past, to each other, and to the fleeting beauty of now.
Written by Lloyd Suh
Directed by Shinshin Yuder Tsai
May 16 – June 8, 2025
at the Bette Aitken theater arts Center
on the Cripe Stage
» Regional Premiere of the 2022 New York Times Critic’s Pick
In 1834, 16-year-old Afong Moy, the first Chinese woman to set foot in America, sailed into New York Harbor to be featured in a museum. She sees herself as a representative of China, here to educate and entertain. Or, in the eyes of the paying public, is she merely a display to be mesmerized by? Moving and sharply funny, this play follows the idealistic Moy as she travels through America as a living exhibit for decades. Over the course of her travels, The Chinese Lady shares her impressions of a young country struggling to define itself. Inspired by a true story, Lloyd Suh’s critically acclaimed play, The Chinese Lady, is a poetic, whimsical tale that paints a unique portrait of the United States as seen through the eyes of this remarkable young Chinese woman.
NOTE: This show contains mature content and strong language.
Book and Lyrics by Steven Sater
Music by Duncan Sheik
Based on the Play by Frank Wedekind
Directed by Jocelyn A. Brown
Music Direction by Robyn Manion
Choreography by Mo Goodfellow
July 11 – August 10, 2025
at the Bette Aitken theater arts Center
on the Cripe Stage
» Winner of 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical
Based on Frank Wedekind’s groundbreaking play, Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik’s brilliant rock score and searingly emotional book bring the story of sexual awakening, youth revolt, and self-discovery into a new century. It’s 1891, and the grown-ups hold all the cards. Headstrong Melchior and naive Wendla stumble into each other’s arms, passionate and curious, while anxious Moritz struggles to live up to the stringent expectations of society. With only each other for guidance, this group of young men and women travel the fraught and rocky path of adolescence, discovering their bodies, their minds, and themselves along the way. Winner of eight Tony Awards, Spring Awakening features an electrifying fusion of morality, sexuality, and rock and roll, delivering a story that packs a powerful emotional punch.
NOTE: This show contains mature content and strong language.
Written by Heidi Schreck
Directed by Katie Chidester
October 3 – October 26, 2025
at the Bette Aitken theater arts Center
on the Cripe Stage
» Orange County Premiere of the Winner of NY Drama Critics’ Circle for Best American Play & Pulitzer Prize for Drama Finalist
Heidi Schreck’s timely, hilarious, and deeply felt play breathes new life into our country’s most important document. Fifteen-year-old Heidi paid her college tuition by speaking in (and winning) debate competitions across the country. Now older, she resurrects her teenage self to tell the story of four generations of extraordinary women in her family whose lives were shaped by the Constitution. Nominated for two Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize finalist, Schreck’s boundary-breaking play reimagines our founding document and considers how it will shape the next generation of Americans.
NOTE: This show contains mature content and strong language.
Book & Lyrics by Susan DiLallo
Music & Lyrics by Danny Abosch
Based on the popular book series by Jane O’Connor
and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser
Directed by Laura M. Hathaway
Music Directed by Robyn Manion
Based on original staging by Kelly Todd
March 28, 2025 — April 13, 2025
at the Bette Aitken theater arts Center
on the Cripe Stage
» 20th Anniversary of the best-selling book series!
Making a triumphant return to the Chance, Fancy Nancy is back for another delightful adventure! Bring the family and watch as Nancy and her friends – Bree, Rhonda, Wanda, and Lionel – prepare for their very first show, Deep Sea Dances. Nancy is absolutely certain (that’s fancy for 100% sure) that she and Bree will be chosen as mermaids. But when another girl lands the coveted mermaid role, Nancy is stuck playing a dull, dreary tree. Can she bring her signature fancy flair to the role, even if it’s not the one she had in mind?
Book, Music, & Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse
Directed by James Michael McHale
Music Directed by Lex Leigh
November 28 – December 21, 2025
at the Bette Aitken theater arts Center
on the Cripe Stage
» This Winter, the past comes calling.
Scrooge! The Musical is a heartwarming and festive adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic novella A Christmas Carol, featuring music, lyrics, and book by Leslie Bricusse. Set in Victorian London, the story follows the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, a cold-hearted moneylender who despises Christmas and lives a life devoid of compassion and joy. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, who warns him to change his ways or suffer a grim fate in the afterlife. Scrooge undergoes a profound experience of redemption over the course of a Christmas Eve night, after being visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. With a score full of memorable songs, including music for which composer Bricusse received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score for the film adaptation, Scrooge! The Musical blends humor, drama, and uplifting messages in a celebration of redemption and the true meaning of Christmas.
Book by Cara Lustik and Matthew Hardy
Music by Randy Klein
Lyrics by Matthew Hardy
Orchestrations and Vocal Arrangements by Randy Klein
Based on the popular book series by Jane O’Connor
and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser
December 5, 2025 — December 21, 2025
at the Bette Aitken theater arts Center
on the Fyda-Mar Stage
» Back by Popular Demand! A Christmas as fancy as Nancy!
Back by popular demand, it’s a holiday season filled with elegant wrapping paper, festive decorations, Christmas cookies with sprinkles – and of course, the tree! After all, there is no such thing as too much tinsel. Ooh, la la! This year, Nancy is especially excited. After selling some of her old gowns and accessories, she’s finally able to buy a brand-new sparkly tree topper. She simply cannot wait to decorate the Christmas tree. But when things don’t go as planned, can Nancy still make Christmas as splendiferous as she dreamed?
» Staged Reading of at the very bottom of a body of water
Marina swims in a circle of routine: every week, she goes to her local fish store, buys a catfish, and makes soup. But this week, her usual fishmonger has disappeared and the comfort of her ritual has been destroyed! But does destruction only mean pain and suffering, or could it also mean the possibility for new and grander experiences? She’s about to find out.
Helen gave up her whole life to move to the desert and help her husband run his family’s fading fireworks business only to find out she is actually the laughing stock of the town. Her husband has been cheating — for years — and everyone knows it. Now alone and confused about who she would have been without him, Helen takes to lighting up her own sky and makes a sexy romp of an experiment to discover who she left behind. In this funny, sexy, heartbreaking romp, Helen becomes electric in a place where friction is the biggest danger and leads us to the biggest mystery of all — who burned the whole factory to the ground?
Based on Molière’s Tartuffe, Tea for Toofi by Ravi Kapoor is a mad-cap farce set in 1980s Orange County, CA and tells the story of a retired computer engineer who invites a Hindu priest into his home to put his godless family to rights. But the priest may have more than spiritual matters on his mind. A play about having too much “stuff”.
Ravi Kapoor is an actor/writer/director based in LA but hailing from Liverpool, UK. He wrote and directed the feature Four Samosas currently on Hulu, and he directed and co-wrote the feature Miss India America, also on Hulu. Some of the plays he has written and directed include Oh Sweet Sita, which played in both London and Toronto and was named a top ten play of the year by London Time Out. He was a series regular on the shows Gideon’s Crossing and Crossing Jordan.
Siblings Mary and Johnny were raised in the same Christian cult. Now in their 40s, the still religious Mary is having a crisis of faith and is in need of a miracle. Her now secular brother offers a controversial solution. When reunited on a remote mountain in New Mexico, surrounded by energy vortexes, rumors of aliens, and a golden eyelash palm pit viper named Daisy, they wonder: Did they ever know the same God?
Punk AF
by 2018 Resident Playwright Joanna Garner
July 30 & August 3, 2025
» LAB Workshop & Staged Readings of Punk AF
Holly is mad, you might even say angry as hell. But as a 40-something well-established career woman, she can’t just go around screaming, now can she? Longing for the wild expression of her teen days, Holly plans a girls reunion weekend with a secret mission: to reunite the high school all-girl punk band of their youth. The only problem: no one is even remotely punk anymore. As they navigate the realities of how much they’ve changed— and the important ways they haven’t—five old friends reignite the fire of their riot grrrl past to contend with the injustices of adulthood.
NUCLEAR is a brand-new full-length play, commissioned by Manhattan Theatre Club and the Sloan Foundation, following the story of Ray, a rockstar of the nuclear power industry, and Hana, a newcomer questioning the viability of this dying field. This comedy about office politics explodes with the Fukushima nuclear disaster, caused by the 2011 tsunami, causing a chain reaction with everyone asking: How can anyone find order in this chaos? And how can we harness this energy?
