NORTH COAST REPERTORY THEATRE INVITES AUDIENCES
TO AN ENGAGING, HEARTWARMING CELEBRATION
OF FIVE GENERATIONS WITH SAN DIEGO PREMIERE OF
BIRTHDAY CANDLES
Written by Noah Haidle
Directed by David Ellenstein
June 4 – June 29, 2025

Solana Beach, Calif. – Playgoers are in for a treat as North Coast Repertory Theatre presents Noah Haidle’s BIRTHDAY CANDLES, a touching tribute to one woman’s life. Filled with laughter, tears and moments of reflection, the play explores the passing of time, the evolution of relationships, and the profound changes that occur in a person’s life from one year to the next. Through its characters and storytelling, BIRTHDAY CANDLES offers a unique perspective of life’s milestones. It honors five generations, an infinity of dreams, and one century-old cake. This is one party you won’t want to miss, so RSVP at the box office early to reserve yourself a place at the table.

David Ellenstein directs Matthew Grondin,* Katie Karel,* Martin Kildare,* James Newcomb,* Emelie O’Hara,* and Margot White* in BIRTHDAY CANDLES. The Design Team includes Marty Burnett (Set Design), Matthew Novotny (Light Design), Danita Lee (Costume Design), Ian Scott (Sound Design), Michael Wogulis (Props), and Peter Herman (Hair & Wigs). Philip Gold* is the Production Manager, and Victoria Hua, Production Assistant.

*The actor or stage manager appears through the courtesy of Actors’ Equity Association.

BIRTHDAY CANDLES previews begin on Wednesday, June 4. Opening Night is set for Saturday, June 7, at 8 pm. The play runs Wednesday, June 4, to Sunday, June 29, with performances on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7 pm, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2 pm and Sundays at 7 pm. Added matinee performances at 2pm on Friday, June 6, and Wednesday, June 25. A talkback session with the director and cast is scheduled for June 13.

 

BIOS:

NOAH HAIDLE (Playwright) is an award-winning playwright whose work has been seen on six continents. For the 2017-2018 season, he was the writer-in-residence at the National Theater of Mannheim, Germany, a position first held by Friedrich Schiller in 1785. A graduate of Princeton and Juilliard, Noah lives with his perfect wife Kelsey, their heaven-sent son Butch, a dog, a bunny, and a blue lobster named Suzanne.

DAVID ELLENSTEIN (Director) Born into a theatrical family; David has worked in theatres across the country. He currently serves as Artistic Director of North Coast Rep and the Artistic Director of Laguna Playhouse. A veteran of over 250 theatrical productions, other theatres include: Coconut Grove Playhouse, Papermill Playhouse, Portland Stage. Renaissance Theatre, Actor’s Theatre of Phoenix, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Laguna Playhouse, Southwest Shakespeare Company, AJTC, Meadow Brook Theatre, Portland Rep and Gaslamp Quarter Theatre. Winner of the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle Award for “2018 Director of the Year Award.” 

MATTHEW GRONDIN* (Billy/John) Matt is delighted to be making his North Coast Rep debut! Credits include District Merchants, Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing (South Coast Rep) Arsenic and Old Lace (La Mirada Theatre), Native Son (Kirk Douglas Theatre), The City of Conversation, Women of Jeopardy, Good People (Ensemble Theatre Company) Moon for the Misbegotten (Rubicon Theatre) Stupid F*cking Bird, Bad Jews (Stage West) The Thanksgiving Play (Dezart Performs), Friends Like These (NY Fringe), The Cripple of Inishmaan, Native Son (Antaeus Theatre – where he is a Company Member). Readings/Workshops include: Pasadena Playhouse, The Geffen Playhouse, South Coast Rep, EST/LA, Sacred Fools.

KATIE KAREL* (Alice/Madeline/Beth) is so happy to be returning to the North Coast, her theatrical home. Off Broadway: Lucky Duck, National Tour: Menopause the Musical 2; with North Coast Rep: Pippin, Always...Patsy Cline, Last of the Red Hot Lovers, and Sherlock Holmes & The Great Nome Gold Rush, and Laguna Playhouse: Tartuffe, The Remarkable Mr. Holmes. Selected Regional: Skylight, Indecent, The Humans, Chesapeake, You Can’t Take It with You, Valhalla, Heathers, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, Into the Woods, The Addams Family, Sunday in The Park With George, Sweeney Todd, 1776, In Trousers, a few Hairsprays and a couple more Patsy Clines. Her thanks to everyone at North Coast Repertory, and to the cast and creative team. Love to Gary. Karel is passionate about her mentorship with LLS, Imerman Angels, and Friend for Life Cancer Support Network as a survivor. Connect with Katie at www.katiekarel.com 

MARTIN KILDARE* (Matt/William) Broadway credits include Scar in The Lion King, A Raisin in the Sun, Timon of Athens, The Government Inspector, and The Herbal Bed. Also, as Bill in the North American tour of Mamma Mia! Off-Broadway appearances include Pride’s Crossing, Honor and the River, Candida, Labor Day, and Three More Sleepless Nights. For North Coast Rep, Bloomsday and Human Error. Recently, The Remarkable Mr. Holmes and Love Among The Ruins at the Laguna Playhouse. Other LA area theaters include Mark Taper Forum, Musical Theatre West, South Coast Rep, A Noise Within, La Mirada and 3D Theatricals. Nationally, over a dozen major regional companies, including a combined ten seasons with the California, Alabama and Utah Shakespeare Festivals. Film/TV: “Joker 2,” “Palm Springs,” “Clipped,” “Superstore,” “NCIS,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Law and Order” and many others. He studied at Stanford University, the American Conservatory Theatre, Theatre des Amandiers, in Paris, and Shakespeare’s Globe in London. 

JAMES NEWCOMB* (Kenneth) The Old Globe: Twelfth Night, Coriolanus, and Much Ado About Nothing. San Diego Rep: Honky, Zoot Suit, Brooklyn Boy, and The Illusion. North Coast Rep: The Homecoming, Christmas Carol (as told by one man who cares - Streamed), How the Other Half Loves. Cygnet Theatre: Roy Cohn in Angels in America (Craig Noel award). Other Theatre: Oregon Shakespeare Festival (14 Seasons), Denver Center Theatre (9 Seasons), The Public Theatre, B.A.M. Utah Shakespeare Theatre, Shakespeare & Company (founding member), The Goodman, Chicago Shakespeare, Berkeley Rep. South Coast Rep, Portland Center Stage, Missouri Rep, Arizona Theatre Co., and Geva Theatre. Representative Roles include: Oxford Society Award for Richard III (O.S.F.)

EMELIE O’HARA* (Joan/Alex/Beth) Regional Theatre credits include:  Henry VI Parts 2 & 3, Macbeth (Utah Shakespeare Festival); A Midsummer Night's Dream (Colorado Music Festival); Romeo & Juliet (Redhouse Arts Center); Hamlet, Comedy of Errors, Henry VI Parts 2 & 3, Edward III, Cymbeline, Troilus and Cressida (Colorado Shakespeare Festival); Little Women, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Cincinnati Shakespeare Festival); Sense and Sensibility and The Electric Baby (Arvada Center for the Performing Arts), Becket (Drive Theatre); Love’s Labour's Lost (Courage Theatre); Macbeth (Sierra Repertory Theatre); Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Merlin (Theatricum Botanicum); The Lady M Project (Local Theatre Co.); and Private Lives (Adobe Theatre). Film credits include: “Don’t Blink,” “Stained Glass Windows.” TV credits include: Starz, USA, Lifetime. International: Kerry Tribe’s Critical Mass, London. Training: Moscow Art Theatre, Gaiety School of Acting.

MARGOT WHITE* (Ernestine Ashworth) Margot is thrilled to return to North Coast Rep, where she just received a Craig Noel Award for her portrayal of Beatrice in A View From the Bridge. Other favorite credits include: Broadway: Farinelli & the King (Belasco); Love, Love, Love (Roundabout); Constellations (MTC), Aaron Sorkin’s The Farnsworth Invention (Music Box); Off-Broadway & Regional: The Refugees, (Gulfshore Playhouse/World Premiere); Dirty Dancing (International Tour); The Traveling Lady (E.S.T, Dir Horton Foote); Pericles (Red Bull); Unspeakable (Harlem’s Apollo); Sweat (Pioneer Theatre); Talley’s Folly (The McCarter w/ Richard Schiff),Curious Incident.. (CTRep), for which she received the CT Critics Circle Featured Actress Award. TV/Film/Podcast: “FBI," “Bull," “Unforgettable," "L&O," "L&O: Criminal Intent," "Blue Bloods," “Limetown," “Ask for Jane." In addition to her acting career, she’s the founder & creator of Sweets of Adversity, a baking company specializing in creative concessions for special events, along with catering the edible props for shows On and Off-Broadway. More at margotwhite.com & sweetsofadversity.com

PHIL GOLD* (Stage Manager) is pleased to return to North Coast Rep with Birthday Candles after last summer’s production of Camelot. Tours: Sisterella (European) and Soul Doctor (San Diego run). Off Broadway: Miss America’s Ugly Daughter. Recent regional credits include: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The Little Mermaid, Little Shop of Horrors, Million Dollar Quartet, Richard III, Love Among the Ruins, The Wizard of Oz, Joseph…, The Realistic Joneses, and the world premieres of Dark of the Moon: A New Musical and All Things Equal.

NORTH COAST REPERTORY THEATRE ANNOUNCES DYNAMIC 2025-2026 SEASON

Featuring Three World Premieres, Acclaimed Classics, and the Return of a Holiday Favorite

Solana Beach, CA – North Coast Repertory Theatre proudly unveils its exciting 2025-2026 season, offering audiences an eclectic mix of world premieres, beloved classics, and theatrical treasures. Under the artistic direction of David Ellenstein, the upcoming season promises to deliver exceptional theatrical experiences for patrons of all tastes.

The season opens with the world premiere of BESIDE MYSELF (September 10 – October 5, 2025), a witty, surreal comedy by acclaimed playwright Paul Slade Smith. This innovative work explores identity and modern anxiety through a revolutionary medical procedure that creates an unexpected double dose of identity crisis. From the clever mind behind The Angel Next Door, The Outsider, and Unnecessary Farce, this comedic exploration promises to sparkle as two versions of one woman, trapped in a single body, wrestle for control with hilarious and profound results. Directed by David Ellenstein.

Following this is the San Diego premiere of EISENHOWER: This Piece of Ground (October 22 – November 16, 2025), featuring Tony Award Winner John Rubinstein. This powerful one-man tour de force transports audiences to Gettysburg, where an elderly Eisenhower reflects on his monumental military leadership and transformative presidency. Through masterful storytelling and rich historical detail, critics have called this compelling drama "awesome and awe inspiring in one" and "a show that could go straight to Broadway." Directed by Peter Ellenstein.

The holiday season brings the return of audience favorite 2 PIANOS 4 HANDS (December 11 – December 31, 2025), featuring Richard Todd Adams and Max Roll under the direction of Tom Frey. This musical comedy takes audiences on a journey about would-be careers as concert pianists, as the talented duo trade stories about piano lessons, pushy parents, and eccentric teachers while playing everything from Bach to Billy Joel. Broadway World praised it as "clearly made with love," noting that "both actors are incredibly accomplished pianists, and they are also very funny comedic actors."

The new year kicks off with another world premiere, LOUISA GILLIS (January 14 – February 8, 2026) by Joanna McClelland Glass, directed by David Ellenstein. This sophisticated psychological thriller explores family bonds, betrayal, and the possibility of healing in the aftermath of a haunting incident from 40 years ago. Glass's searing new drama weaves a masterfully crafted battle of wits and words laced with humor, where secrets unravel and alliances shift as a brilliant but fractured family grapples with the power of forgiveness.

Spring 2026 brings the world premiere adaptation of THE MALTESE FALCON (March 4 – March 29, 2026) by Matthew Salazar-Thompson, directed by Todd Nielsen. This electrifying adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's noir masterpiece features five versatile performers transforming between roles with quick-change artistry and acute timing to bring 1920s San Francisco's underbelly to hilarious life. The ensemble navigates through a labyrinth of deception and desire while delivering taut, unsparing prose that crackles with tension and mirth.

James Sherman's heartwarming romantic comedy BEAU JEST (April 22 – May 17, 2026) follows, directed by Omri Schein. This delightful Jewish-American story weaves together vibrant traditions, sizzling chemistry, and joyous celebrations. The Wall Street Journal noted it "has a lot to say about nuclear families of any ethnic persuasion," while the Chicago Sun Times called it "hilarious and quite moving" with wonderful blending of farce and genuine insight.

Summer begins with THE MOST HAPPY FELLA (June 3 – June 28, 2026), a new intimate version of Frank Loesser's romantic musical masterpiece directed by Jeffrey B. Moss. Set against the sun-drenched vineyards of California's Napa Valley, this passionate tale of unexpected love features soaring melodies, tender ballads, and vibrant Broadway showstoppers. The New York Times praised it as "a work in which you can hear the sound of a man's heart singing, openly and unabashedly."

The season concludes with Molière's classic SCAPIN (July 22 – August 16, 2026), adapted by Bill Irwin & Mark O'Donnell and directed by Christopher Williams. This timeless romp reimagined with contemporary American flair features Molière's crafty servant spinning outrageous schemes and disguises. Physical comedy and razor-sharp wit collide in what Culture Vulture called "a two-hour laugh riot" and "a generous gag-fest, packed with rib-tickling delights."

Subscriptions and individual tickets are now available through the North Coast Repertory Theatre box office. For more information or to reserve seats, please visit www.northcoastrep.org or call (858) 481-1055.

 

Season 44 Opening Nights:

BESIDE MYSELF – World premiere

SEPT 13 – 8PM

EISENHOWER – San Diego premiere

OCTOBER 25 – 8PM

LOUISA GILLIS – World premiere

JANUARY 17 – 8PM

JANUARY 18 – 2PM

THE MALTESE FALCON – World premiere

MARCH 7 – 8PM

BEAU JEST

APRIL 25 – 8PM

THE MOST HAPPY FELLA

JUNE 6 – 8PM

SCAPIN

JULY 25 – 8PM

 

About North Coast Repertory Theatre

North Coast Repertory Theatre is a professional equity theatre founded in 1982. Now celebrating its 43^rd season, North Coast Rep has received critical acclaim from media and audiences alike. North Coast Rep prides itself on employing the majority of its actors from Actors' Equity Association and staging provocative, entertaining, and intellectually stimulating plays.

CONTACT:
Nancy Richards
Director of Marketing & Communications
North Coast Repertory Theatre
(917) 873-6389
Nancy@northcoastrep.org