Production runs March 28-April 5

(Santa Ana)—Santa Ana College (SAC) will debut its spring production, Big Love by American playwright Charles Mee, Friday, March 28. First produced in 2000, Big Love, which is based on one of the earliest plays of the Western world, translates ancient societal expectations into modern life.

Big Love will have four performances beginning Friday, March 28 at Phillips Hall Theatre, 1530 W. 17th St. in Santa Ana. Show dates are March 28 and March 29 at 7:30 p.m. (the March 29th performance will offer sign language interpretation of the show for hearing-impaired patrons); and Saturday, April 5 at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. General admission is $20, and $12 for staff, seniors and students; SAC students pay $9.99. Due to the play’s mature content, it is best suited for adult audiences.

Based on the ancient Greek classic tragedy by Aeschylus, The Suppliant, the plot of the original Greek play is brought into modern times as fifty brides flee to a manor in present-day Italy to avoid arranged marriages to their fifty cousins. The grooms ambush the brides by helicopter in an effort to sway the outcome in their favor. As the brides and grooms wait for their wedding day, the characters raise the issues of gender politics, love, and domestic violence.

Big Love is directed by SAC Assistant Professor of theatre Chris Cannon.
 “This is a play that plays better than it reads, which is what a good play should do,” said Cannon. “Mee overcame polio at the age of 14 and his play, which is not structured, not smooth, but jagged, reflects the way life is. Our humanness is born out of suffering. There is no better classroom lesson for our student actors.”

Student actors have been chronicling their journey behind-the-scenes with a video series called #BigLoveDiarySeries.

The cast of Big Love features:

From Mission Viejo     Emily Lappi (Lydia)

From Santa Ana         Amanda Van Smaalen (Olympia)

From Tustin               Amy E. Smith (Thyona)

From Santa Ana        Diego Castro (Giuliano)

From Santa Ana        Ana Belen Reyes (Bella)

From Santa Ana        Lukas Garcia (Piero)

From Santa Ana        Vontre Stubblefield (Nikos)

From Santa Ana        Danny Gonzalez (Constantine)

From Santa Ana        Martin Alvarado (Oed)

From Santa Ana        Patsy Kendrick (Eleanor)

From Santa Ana        Dom Collins (Leo)

Ensemble Cast:

From Santa Ana        Leda Valencia

From Santa Ana        Elsie Aparicio

From Santa Ana        Maria Zuniga

From Santa Ana        Daisy Tornel

From Santa Ana        Lindsay Fawcett

From Santa Ana        Marco Garcia

From Santa Ana        Trent Brown

From Santa Ana        Christian Sanchez

From Santa Ana        Christian Martinez

From Santa Ana        Kristopher Fletcher

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.sac.edu/theatre or call (714) 564-5666

About Santa Ana College
Santa Ana College (SAC), which will turn 100 years old in 2015, serves about 18,000 students each semester at its main campus in Santa Ana. The college prepares students for transfer to four-year institutions, provides invaluable workforce training, and customized training for business and industry. In addition, another 10,000 students are served through the college’s School of Continuing Education located at Centennial Education Center. Ranked as one of the nation’s top two-year colleges awarding associate degrees to Latino and Asian students, the college is also recognized throughout the state for its comprehensive workforce training programs for nurses, firefighters, law enforcement and other medical personnel. SAC is one of two comprehensive colleges under the auspices of the Rancho Santiago Community College District. Visit www.sac.edu to learn more.