A World Premiere!

Creating a brand-new play for the theatre is an exciting and involved process.

Having had such success with Paul Slade Smith’s previous plays; Unnecessary Farce, The Outsider and The Angel Next Door (which we also premiered at North Coast Rep), it was a natural to turn to Paul to create a new comedic script to kick off our 44th Season.

First the idea, then the beginnings of the early drafts, the discussion of casting and scheduling, the setting and requirements for production all start to line up. Countless conversations and intricate planning.

A workshop around the table leading into rehearsals and finally to performance — the birth of a brand-new play, Beside Myself, for Solana Beach and then the world!

Assembling a great team of actors and designers is key to the success of any theatrical venture, and especially with a new work that has no blueprint to follow. What we create here is now the standard that all others will begin with to create the show anew in other places. The decisions we make and the sensibility and artistic choices we employ are forever a part of the DNA of this script going forward.

I am so fortunate to have been able to collaborate with this talented and highly skilled group of theatre professionals. Their input and ideas have helped to craft and shape this play, and they have been a joy to work with.

The entire team at North Coast Rep is to be commended for their continuing dedication to bringing excellence to our stage. Our most communal of Art forms is well taken care of by this amazing staff of caring individuals.

I guess you can tell that I am grateful for the people that I get to work with, and for the lifetime I have been able to spend raising the human spirit to the special optic of the stage.

Please enjoy the world premiere of Beside Myself!

David Ellenstein
Artistic Director