SCR’s Gala Opens New Social Season

The children are back to school; the grown-ups are back to galas.

For Orange County society, South Coast Repertory’s Onstage Ball on Saturday night marked the beginning of the season.

(The ball was not, however, the “first major society event to be held at the new Irvine Hilton and Towers,” as releases indicated; that might get some argument from supporters of Orangewood, who held their Orange Blossom Ball at the hotel last June.)

No doubt the Bard of Avon would have been pleased that master of ceremonies Paul Rudd used the line, “All the world’s a stage,” to open the “Onstage” show, an end-of-evening musical tribute to theater. The famous quote from “As You Like It,” which SCR will offer this season, helped underscore the mood of an affair at which “to be seen” seemed to play more than a supporting role.

The 550 guests, who made their entrances to fanfares by half a dozen liveried trumpeters, helped raise nearly $120,000 for the repertory theater, according to ball chairwoman Arden Flamson, who is also SCR board secretary. Assisting Flamson were Marilyn Nielsen, Margaret Karcher and Renee Segerstrom; Dot Clock served as patroness committee chairwoman.

The women traditionally dress to the teeth for the $250-per-plate event, and any number could have taken center stage.

Trustees vice president Kathryn Thompson wore a design by London-based Murray Arbeid from Neiman-Marcus, black chiffon on the bottom, the top spangled with little stars.

Kit Toth, one of the evening’s hostesses, made a splash with a most impressive emerald and diamond necklace. “It’s got a lock and key on the back,” she kidded.

Lindsay Schepis of Miami, who attended with past SCR board president Stewart Woodard, turned out in a bright red creation with a decidedly plunging neckline. “If my mother could see me in this dress she’d die,” admitted Schepis, who designs her own dresses as a hobby. “Lindsay flew out for the party,” Woodard said. “That’s classy, isn’t it?”

Schepis and Woodard enjoyed oysters on the half shell while admiring the immaculately executed ice sculptures, which are quickly becoming a Hilton signature. The ice palm trees, in fact, seemed awfully familiar . . . .

“Those are not the same sculptures,” assured Hilton food and beverage director Don Olivier, referring to sculptures that adorned the hotel’s official grand opening party last week. Ice melts, of course. Nearby was a tiki boat laden with crab claws and shrimp, “a shrimp boat, obviously,” said guest Jane Robinson.

Taking a break from the receiving line, new board of trustees president Geoffrey Stack shared plans for a major endowment drive at SCR to begin this year.

“We hope to raise $12 million over the next five years,” Stack said. “A little less than half the amount will be annual fund money, the remainder will be endowment fund money for facility expansion and for development of new plays.” According to Stack, SCR is taking a much more aggressive stance in soliciting new works by unknown playwrights. (When he’s not trustee-ing, Stack is developer of a residential site behind the Orange County Performing Arts Center: 770 apartments and condominiums “kitty-corner to SCR.”)

Guests enjoyed a five-course meal in the International Ballroom. Providing an inkling of chef Michael Watren’s creative leanings were cold poached salmon with sorrel sauce, a Palm Spring Salad (hearts of palm, orange and grapefruit sections and watercress in champagne dressing) and poached pears with praline filling dipped in chocolate for which, however, spoons alone proved inadequate.

Elegant centerpieces by Miles Randolph featured a papyrus stalk, a nandina branch, peach or white anthuriums and nautilus shells. “Those are chambered nautilus,” advised Jean Hilchey. “I went to a lecture just a few days ago . . . .” Music in the Miller Mood by Tex Beneke and his orchestra made dancing a pleasure but dinner conversation difficult.

The generally delightful, sometimes contrived 30-minute “Onstage” production was conceived and written by SCR’s literary manager Jerry Patch and Diane King (with contributions by Shakespeare, Bernstein and Gershwin) and directed and choreographed by Chet Walker.

SCR producing artistic director David Emmes was on hand to enjoy the show, which celebrated the company’s 21st anniversary, but artistic director Martin Bensen had a previous commitment: He was at a preview performance of the SCR production of Bertold Brecht’s “Galileo.”

Major gala benefactors were represented by Richard Flamson III of Security Pacific; Donald Bren of the Irvine Co., who arrived in time for dinner with Jennifer McKay; Robert Erburu and Tom Johnson of Times Mirror and the Los Angeles Times; William Lusk of John D. Lusk and Son; Robert Hilchey and Sam Goldstein of Rockwell International and Waldo Burnside and Jim Vandeburg of Carter Hawley Hale Stores Inc.