Scripps Ranch Theatre opens the ‘Diva’ season
By Ashley Shah
Scripps Ranch Theatre’s 2025-2026 season has been proclaimed the “Diva” season. It will begin in September this year and end in May 2026 with four productions.
“We always pick the shows that speak to us, and we feel are good choices. As we were looking at the plays we picked for this season, we realized every single one of them revolves around a strong woman. So, we thought that this is a theme, the ‘diva’ is the theme,” Scripps Ranch Theatre artistic director Jill Drexler said.
The first show, “Kimberly Akimbo,” opens Sept. 26 and ends Oct. 19. The play is a dark comedy.
“The main character, Kimberly Akimbo, has a genetic disorder that accelerates her aging process. She is going on 16, but her body is that of someone four times her age,” Drexler said. “You would think that this is a sad show because this girl is going to die soon, but it’s not. Kimberly is just such a presence. She’s zany and funny. Her family is so dysfunctional, but in a funny way.”
The second show is called “Master Class,” which runs from Nov. 14 to Dec. 14. The show is a co-production with The Roustabouts Theatre Co.
“Maria Callus is the main character who is a famous opera singer. Apparently, when at Julliard, she taught some master classes. This show presents her teaching in these classes,” Drexler said. “These are opera students, and she’s very hard on them, but in a good way. She wants to show them how challenging it is to be an opera singer. She basically invented the word diva. She also had an interesting upbringing, so we get to see some of that in flashbacks and dream sequences. We get to see the strong woman under the opera singer.”
Maria will be portrayed by Sandy Campbell, a renowned actor in San Diego.
“Sandy is such a great actor, and we just know that a lot of people will come out to see her in any performance. We are so excited to have her for this show,” Drexler said.
The third production, “Donna Orbits the Moon,” will run from Jan. 23 to Feb. 15, 2026. The production is a one-woman comedy show.
“This production is about a woman, Donna, who seems like the typical mom and devoted wife. She has bake sales. She seems like she would be the all-American woman, but there is something off about her. During the play we found out what is wrong with her and what is making her do some bizarre things,” Drexler said. “Throughout the play, we also see that she is very focused on space and that’s why it’s titled the way it is.”
The last show, called “Lend Me A Soprano,” by Ken Ludwig, is a farce. The show will run from April 24 to May 17.
“Many years ago, Ken Ludwig wrote a show called ‘Lend Me A Tenor.’ It’s a fabulous and hysterical show. A couple of years ago, he decided he wanted to rewrite it, and he changed all the roles for men to be played by women, and vice versa. Everything is reversed, and that is this show.” Drexler said. “The show takes place in an opera house. They have hired this hugely successful soprano to come and sing ‘Carmen.’ She is a true diva. She likes men and she is after the men in the company. She likes to drink. When she turns up, things go very wrong. We watch the madcap ways that are used to fix the situations.”
Drexler is hoping that this season is uplifting.
“Each of these plays is really fun. We have not chosen anything terribly dark. Some of these may sound dark, but they are actually deep. We’ve tried to say people need to laugh right now. People want to come to the theatre and have an uplifting experience, rather than a play that drags you down,” she said. “We’ve been so pleased to see people come back to the theatre post the pandemic. We want people to keep coming back and to commit to the season this year. We are excited to see what energy this season will bring.”
Visit scrippsranchtheatre.org.