By Ian August
Directed by Kandace Crystal
January 23rd – February 15th, 2026
Preview Performance: Friday, January 23rd at 7:30pm
Opening Night Saturday, January 24th at 7:30pm
Scripps Ranch Theatre continues their “Diva” Season 46 with Donna Orbits the Moon, written by Ian August. Directed by Kandace Crystal and featuring Susan Clausen as Donna, this one-woman show runs January 23rd – February 15th on the campus of Alliant International University. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm. There is a preview performance on Friday January 23rd at 7:30pm and Press Opening is Saturday, January 24th at 7:30pm. Patrons can purchase Tickets online at www.scrippsranchtheatre.org or contact SRT Patron Services at 858-395-0573.
Donna Orbits the Moon by Ian August is a comedic one-woman show about anger, grief, Apollo 11, and the importance of baked goods… Something is not quite right with Donna: She’s a loving mother, a devoted wife, and a minor celebrity to all the bake sale planners in town–but something is making her spacey, and she’s not sure what it is. Therapy is out of the question–and church isn’t the place to share one’s distress. August draws a tender dimensional portrait of a woman whose trauma is so relatable, whose heart is so big, and whose intentions are so earnest, we are rooting for her to take that one brave step, even before we know why.
“This is a play that discovers and celebrates the cracks in the façade, the unknowable in the ordinary, the humanity in the humble.” — nytheatre.com
Scripps Ranch Theatre presented this piece as a filmed play reading in late 2020, when Covid prevented patrons from attending theatre in person. They are thrilled to have the opportunity to give this beautiful story a fully produced run as a part of their “Diva” season.
Playwright Ian August shared “It’s been fifteen years since I began to tell Donna’s story. I was between jobs, and I remember waking up in the middle of the night hearing her midwestern cadence in my head. I would jot down notes for myself, and type them up in the morning, perched on the edge of the bed after my husband went off to work. She spoke to me for two weeks–not unlike the voice Donna herself hears in the play—and like her, I attempted to work out what it was she was doing there. It was only later, after the first draft was finished, that I understood why she was speaking to me, and what she was trying to say. And also, why she resisted saying it. I am amazed that even now, fifteen years later, her mystery still resonates with so many women. And I’m grateful to Scripps Ranch Theatre–and the phenomenal team of Kandace and Susan–for choosing to revisit Donna’s journey this season. I think SRT’s audiences are going to fall in love with Donna, and I can’t wait for them to experience her story.”
Director Kandace Crystal added “I love working with Scripps Ranch Theatre and I’m grateful to have the opportunity to partner with Susan again. Directing a one person show is always tricky and you must be a collaborator with your actor. Bringing Donna to life this time will absolutely be different—who she was when we put this on film all those years ago most certainly isn’t who she is today. Donna navigates her grief, her anger, and humanity as a whole but this time, both Susan and I are different. That’s the beautiful thing about picking up a production more than once–finding ways to mine out even more from Donna’s story.”
Production Team for Donna Orbits the Moon
Kandace Crystal – Director
Madison Mercado – Stage Manager
Ruth Russell – Producer
Duane McGregor – Set Design and Dressing, Props Design, Scenic Painting
Christy Reid – Set Construction Manager
Mashun Tucker – Lighting Design
Ted Leib – Sound Design and Projections
Kandace Crystal – Costumes
Rhiannon McAfee – Dialect Coach
Ian August (Playwright)Ian August is a NJ based playwright and lyricist, whose works have been performed across the U.S., as well as in Canada, Australia, the UK, South Korea, and Bermuda. His plays have been developed at Local Theatre Company, the PlayPenn New Play Conference, Capital Repertory Theater, Durango PlayFest, the Powerhouse Theatre Festival (Vassar / New York Stage and Film), Great Plains Theatre Commons, Ashland New Plays Festival, Red Mountain Theatre Company, Orlando Shakespeare Theatre, New Jersey Repertory Company, Wordsmyth Theatre Company, the Garry Marshall Theatre, UC Davis Dept. of Theatre and Dance, the Philadelphia Artists Collective, the Williamstown Theatre Festival, the NY, Philly, and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, and elsewhere.
Mr. August is a member of the American Theatre Group’s ATG PlayLab, and a graduated member of PlayPenn’s playwriting lab, The Foundry. Two of his plays for teens have been published by Uproar Theatrics and are available on barnesandnobles.com. Several of his short plays have been published by Sam French Inc., Smith and Kraus Publishing, the One-Act Play Depot, and Pipeline / Applause Books. He was a 2019 Playwright in Residence at the William Inge Center for the Arts in Independence, Kansas, and graduate of Goddard College’s Creative Writing MFA Program. In 2021, Mr. August was the recipient of an Independent Artist Fellowship from the NJ State Council on the Arts. He is also an adjunct professor of Playwriting at Stockton University in Stockton, NJ. Mr. August lives at a boarding school with one husband, and four cats. They are all adorable.
Kandace Crystal (Director) Kandace Crystal (she/her) is a multi-hyphenate theatremaker & Florida State alum. Her directorial credits include: Plays by Young Writer’s 2023 & 2024 (Playwrights Project), The Color Purple (New Village Arts), and Disney’s The Lion King, Jr. (Junior Theatre). She’s happy to be back at SRT working with Susan on Ian’s beautiful piece!
Susan Clausen (Donna) Susan is thrilled to have the opportunity to explore Ian August’s beautiful piece with this talented team. She most recently performed at Oceanside Theatre Company as Margie in Good People. Scripps Ranch Theatre credits include Good People, Absurd Person Singular, Moonlight and Magnolias, California Suite and How the Other Half Loves. Lamb’s Players Theatre credits include The Nerd, Harvey, A Man For All Seasons, ‘Till We Have Faces and The Diviners. Susan performed in Write Out Loud‘s Twainfest from 2010 – 2020 and portrayed Clara Schumann for the San Diego Symphony. Other local credits include Defying Gravity, The Last Night of Ballyhoo, Auntie Mame, Dancing at Lughnasa and Jake’s Women at North Coast Rep. Susan hosted the three part docuseries Lights, Camera, Friendship on the Spectrum with Joey Travolta’s Inclusion Films.
Scripps Ranch Theatre is located on the campus of Alliant International University. Performances run from January 23rd – February 15th, 2026 on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm. Patrons can purchase Tickets online at https://scrippsranchtheatre.org or call 858-395-0573.
About Scripps Ranch Theatre
Scripps Ranch Theatre (SRT) is a professional theatre company located on the campus of Alliant International University and is celebrating its 46th Season. Helmed by Artistic Director, Jill Drexler, Scripps Ranch Theatre produces a mainstage season in their intimate 118 seat space. SRT strives to share stories that engage the heart and mind. To learn more, visit www.scrippsranchtheatre.org
Susan
CLAUSEN COMMUNICATIONS
Public Relations
– Connecting the Community –
Current Clients Include:
Leave a Reply