SCR’s David Emmes to speak at College of Performing Arts 2015 Commencement

South Coast Repertory’s David Emmes

Chapman University’s College of Performing Arts has announced that Dr. David Emmes, theatre director
and co-founder of South Coast Repertory, Orange County’s Tony Award-winning professional resident theatre, will deliver the keynote speech at the school’s 2015 Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 23 in the Chapman Stadium.

Dr. Emmes has been recognized as “a legend in repertory theatre history,” with a career that spans more than five decades. He received the Margo Jones Award for his lifetime commitment to theatre excellence and to fostering the art of American playwriting and has received numerous awards for productions he has directed during his SCR career.

He directed the world premieres of Amy Freed’s Safe in Hell, The Beard of Avon and Freedomland, Thomas Babe’s Great Day in the Morning, Keith Reddin’s Rum and Coke and But Not for Me and Neal Bell’s Cold Sweat; the American premieres of Terry Johnson’s Unsuitable for Adults and Joe Penhall’s Dumb Show; and the Southland premiere of Top Girls (at SCR and the Westwood Playhouse). Other productions he has directed include New England, Arcadia, The Importance of Being Earnest, Woman in Mind and You Never Can Tell, which he restaged for the Singapore Festival of Arts.

Dr. Emmes has served as a theatre panelist and onsite evaluator for the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as a panelist for the California Arts Council. He earned his B.A. and M.A. from San Francisco State University and his Ph.D. from the University of Southern California.