CRACKUP: THE REPUBLICAN IMPLOSION AND THE FUTURE OF PRESIDENTIAL POLITICS
By Samuel L. Popkin
Oxford University Press
Release date: May 2021
A consistently surprising analysis of how and why the Republican Party imploded in the last decade, setting the stage for the rise of Trump and extremist candidates more generally.
In Crackup, the eminent American politics scholar Samuel L. Popkin tells the story of how the Republican Party fractured into uncompromising groups with irreconcilable demands. Changes in campaign finance laws and the proliferation of mass media opened the way for newly energized groups to split the party. The 2002 "McCain-Feingold" campaign finance reform bill aimed to weaken the power of big corporations and strengthen political parties by ending corporate donations to the parties. Instead, it weakened legislative leaders and made bipartisanship toxic.
Popkin argues that moving money outside the political parties fueled the rise of single-issue advocacy groups and Super PACs funded by billionaires with pet issues. This allowed self-promoting politicians to undermine colleagues with an unprecedented use of tactics once only used to disrupt the other party. One such politician was Ted Cruz, who effectively promoted himself at the expense of the party, mobilized other obstructionists in Congress, and blocked compromises on immigration and healthcare. Into this abyss came Donald J. Trump, who took advantage of the party's inability to do anything for Republican voters struggling with economic decline. No other candidate, when forced to try to satisfy the irreconcilable demands of major donors and party leaders, could offer a credible alternative to his moon-promising bravado.
A gripping structural explanation of why the GOP ended up with Trump as their standard bearer, Crackup forces us to look at the deeper forces set in motion two decades ago. Unless the system for financing elections changes, we will continue to see opportunists emerge-in both parties-to block intra-party compromise.
THE SOCIETY OF WONDER
A La Jolla Playhouse Digital WOW Commission
By Animal Cracker Conspiracy
Dramaturgy by Gabriel Greene
Released digitally in September-October 2020 (WORLD PREMIERE)
A group of visionaries called The Society of Wonder once discovered that every backyard contains a secret portal to an underground kingdom of inspiration and hope. But that was long ago, before the monolithic Xebos Corporation brought our natural world to the brink of collapse. When five seemingly unrelated characters begin to receive mysterious signs from an enigmatic Cyborg, it’s up to them to decipher the clues before all is lost. Will the Society rise again? Award-winning San Diego-based puppetry company Animal Cracker Conspiracy presents this whimsical six-part series of videos that will transport audiences to a unique world that looks uncannily like our own.
FLY
Book by Rajiv Joseph
Music by Bill Sherman
Lyrics by Kirsten Childs & Rajiv Joseph
Choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler & Stephanie Klemons
Directed by Jeffrey Seller
Dramaturgy by Gabriel Greene
La Jolla Playhouse: February 18 - March 29, 2020 [performances ended March 11 due to Covid-19]
Two major Tony Award-winning Broadway veterans team up with two of the most exciting writers in American theatre today to bring a cherished tale into the present. Wendy’s life is about to change forever when she meets a boy named Peter, a pirate named Hook, and a beguiling, beautiful Crocodile, who’s much more than meets the eye. In this thrilling, funny, dangerous look at J.M. Barrie’s novel Peter and Wendy, a whole new Neverland comes to life. Fly will take audiences on an adventure propelled by a powerful and percussive score, dynamic choreography and aerial acrobatics.
THE LUCKIEST
By Melissa Ross
Directed by Jaime Castañeda
Dramaturgy by Gabriel Greene
La Jolla Playhouse: June 30 - July 28, 2019 (WORLD PREMIERE)
Lissette is a vibrant and fiercely independent young woman. But when a sudden diagnosis shatters her world into pieces, she finds herself at odds with her mother and her best friend, who each come bearing strong opinions wrapped in good intentions. With an overwhelming amount of choices to make in a very short amount of time, Lissette is forced to navigate between the two while unflinchingly forging her own path for her future. Developed during the Playhouse’s 2018 DNA New Work Series, this tender, funny and keenly-observed play explores the uncertain and sometimes heartbreaking territory of how we choose to take ownership of our lives.
PUT YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER
By Ike Holter
Directed by Lili-Anne Brown
Dramaturgy by Gabriel Greene
La Jolla Playhouse: June 2 - 30, 2019 (WORLD PREMIERE)
Caroline and Rolan’s first date begins as a pretty average night that ends at Caroline’s house in an upscale Chicago suburb. But when the city around them begins exhibiting signs that something is terribly wrong, they quickly have to learn to trust each other to stand a chance against the horrors outside the gate. Equal parts romantic comedy and old-school thriller, this new play from one of Chicago’s hottest playwrights explores new beginnings at the end of the world.
DIANA
Book & Lyrics by Joe DiPietro
Music & Lyrics by David Bryan
Directed by Christopher Ashley
Dramaturgy by Gabriel Greene
La Jolla Playhouse: February 19 - April 14, 2019 (WORLD PREMIERE)
New York Stage and Film: July 23, 2017 (Developmental reading)
In 1981, an assistant kindergarten teacher married the Prince of Wales and, overnight, became the most famous woman in the world. But behind the fairy tale, there was a troubled marriage and a young woman struggling to find her voice. Facing an entrenched monarchy and unprecedented media scrutiny, Princess Diana surprises everyone – including herself – as she grows into a global phenomenon and manages to change the world.
THE YEAR TO COME
By Lindsey Ferrentino
Directed by Anne Kauffman
Dramaturgy by Gabriel Greene
La Jolla Playhouse: December 4 - 30, 2018 (WORLD PREMIERE)
Every New Year’s Eve a family gathers in their Florida backyard to ring in the coming year. In between dips in the pool, politically incorrect banter and a highly-anticipated onion dip, their relationships grow and fracture in moments that become family legend. Unfolding backwards in time, The Year to Come shows how the promise of our future is shaped by the lens of our past.
Rising playwright Lindsey Ferrentino introduces us to a distinctly American family whose evolution mirrors the turbulence of the 21st century.
THE SQUIRRELS
By Robert Askins
Directed by Christopher Ashley
Dramaturgy by Gabriel Greene
La Jolla Playhouse: June 5 – July 8, 2018 (WORLD PREMIERE)
Winter is on its way, and the squirrels are restless. Mistrust is growing between the rich Gray Squirrels and the outcast Fox Squirrels. When a wily outsider gets in the mix, he ignites an epic animal kingdom soap opera teeming with rebel armies, conspiracies, and divided family loyalties. No squirrel will go unharmed in this deliciously demented new comedy.
Tony Award winner Christopher Ashley (Come From Away) directs Tony Award nominee Robert Askins' (Hand to God) ambitious, outlandishly funny (and downright furry) new play.
THE CAKE
By Bekah Brunstetter
Directed by Casey Stangl
Dramaturgy by Gabriel Greene
La Jolla Playhouse: February 6 – March 4, 2018
Jen lives in New York but has always dreamed of getting married in her small North Carolina hometown, so she heads down south with her partner to ask Della, her late mother's best friend, to do the honors of making the wedding cake at her bakery. Della's cakes are legendary, even earning her a spot as a contestant on "The Great American Baking Show." She is overjoyed at Jen's request, until she realizes there's not just one bride, but two – forcing her to re-examine some of her deeply-held beliefs, as well as her own marriage. Faith, family and frosting collide in this touching and timely new play.
WILD GOOSE DREAMS
By Hansol Jung
Directed by Leigh Silverman
Dramaturgy by Gabriel Greene
La Jolla Playhouse: September 5 – October 1, 2017 (WORLD PREMIERE)
A North Korean defector who has left her family behind and a lonely South Korean father start an unlikely online romance as they each attempt to allay their fears and alienation in this inventive, lyrical and darkly humorous piece directed by Tony-nominated and Drama Desk Award-winning Leigh Silverman (Violet, Chinglish).
Read the San Diego Union-Tribune's review: "Wild Imagination Gives 'Goose Dreams' Wings"
AT THE OLD PLACE
By Rachel Bonds
Directed by Jaime Castañeda
Dramaturgy by Gabriel Greene
La Jolla Playhouse: July 5 – 30, 2017 (WORLD PREMIERE)
In her mid-40s and facing a breaking point, a literature professor returns to her childhood home in Virginia only to discover two young people camped out on her lawn. This keenly-observed, intimate new play about the search for the roads not taken is directed by Playhouse Associate Artistic Director Jaime Castañeda, who helmed the theatre’s acclaimed productions of Tiger Style! and Guards at the Taj.
The San Diego Union-Tribune calls the play a "finely crafted character study...at its best [it] feels as though we've dropped in on human interactions both prosaic and profound."
ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE
Book by Greg Garcia & Mike O’Malley
Music by Jimmy Buffett
Directed by Christopher Ashley
Dramaturgy by Gabriel Greene
La Jolla Playhouse: May 9 – June 18, 2017 (WORLD PREMIERE)
Imagine a place where the sun is hot, the ocean’s warm, and the drinks are as cold as they are plentiful. Welcome to Margaritaville, the island paradise where city folk get away from it all and the locals get into the kind of trouble you can almost always sweet talk your way out of.
Featuring both original songs and your most-loved Jimmy Buffett classics, this new musical is the story of a part-time bartender, part-time singer, and full-time charmer named Tully who thinks he’s got life all figured out. Until a beautiful career-minded tourist steals his heart and makes him question everything.
ESCAPE TO MARGARITAVILLE announces post-La Jolla tour dates, Broadway engagement!
MISS YOU LIKE HELL
Book & Lyrics by Quiara Algeria Hudes
Music & Lyrics by Erin McKeown
Directed by Lear deBessonet
Dramaturgy by Gabriel Greene
La Jolla Playhouse: October 25 - December 4, 2016 (WORLD PREMIERE)
When a whip-smart, deeply imaginative teenager agrees to take a road trip with her free-spirited Latina mother, neither can imagine where it will take them. Chance encounters with a medley of characters along the way brings them closer to understanding what sets them apart — and what connects them forever. Featuring compelling original songs that are every bit as diverse and eclectic as America, MISS YOU LIKE HELL is a new musical that exudes the joy, love and frustration of being a family in a changing country.
"The most anticipated musical of the season." The New York Times (see full article and a video HERE)
The New York Times debuts a video of "Over My Shoulder," a song from MISS YOU LIKE HELL performed by Daphne Rubin-Vega and Erin McKeown.
"Captivating...a beautifully original work...As unconventional (and unassuming) a musical as 'MISS YOU' turns out to be, it’s one that embraces an impressive spectrum of styles, ideas and people — and stands as a tuneful and affecting act of artistic democracy." James Hebert, San Diego Union-Tribune
THE LAST TIGER IN HAITI
By Jeff Augustin
Directed by Joshua Kahan Brody
Dramaturgy by Gabriel Greene
La Jolla Playhouse: June 28 – July 24, 2016 (WORLD PREMIERE CO-PRODUCTION)
Berkeley Repertory Theatre: October 14 – November 27, 2016
It’s the final night of Kanaval in Haiti, and a group of abandoned children spend it trading fantastic folktales until the line between reality and fiction blurs. At daybreak, the oldest plans to leave for a new life but discovers the story of his future and past are in the hands of someone else. Set in a world that is utterly real and remarkably imaginative, this unforgettable new play from Jeff Augustin weaves Haitian lore into a contemporary narrative of survival and betrayal.
THE LAST TIGER IN HAITI has been nominated for a 2016 San Diego Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Play!
"Extraordinary...Both an ode to the art of storytelling and a probing, potent example of it, Jeff Augustin's fiercely lyrical 'THE LAST TIGER IN HAITI' haunts like the mythical figure of its title." James Hebert, San Diego Union-Tribune
"The enduring appeal of theater isn’t about whiz-bang special effects. Audiences spanning cultures and epochs are drawn to the art form for something much simpler: the thrill of a good story so well told that it piques the strength, however dormant, of our own imaginations. It makes us feel like children again. 'THE LAST TIGER IN HAITI,' a world premiere by Jeff Augustin that opened Friday, Oct. 21, at Berkeley Rep, taps into that age-old power with spunk, humor and grace." Lily Janiak, San Francisco Chronicle
JUNK: THE GOLDEN AGE OF DEBT
By Ayad Akhtar
Directed by Doug Hughes
Dramaturgy by Gabriel Greene
La Jolla Playhouse: July 26 – August 21, 2016 (WORLD PREMIERE)
The Deal. The Board Room. The Takeover. This is the battleground where titanic egos collide, where modern day kings are made and unmade. It's a world where debt is an asset and assets are excuses for more debt, a world where finance runs the show. How did we get here? How did the world we once knew change?
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ayad Akhtar takes us back to the hotbed of the ‘80s and offers us an origin story for the world that finance has given us, a sexy and epic thriller about an upstart genius hell-bent on changing all the rules.
JUNK announces Broadway transfer -- will open at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater in Fall 2017!
JUNK wins the San Diego Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Play!
JUNK has been nominated for a 2016 San Diego Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New Play!
Read the LA Times' review of Ayad Akhtar's "thrilling," "dramatically enthralling" new play.