“ Yee shows a deft hand in meshing sexual, social, medical and cross-cultural issues with a combination of dream sequences, fantasies and touches of surrealism ”
What to expect when you’re expecting…
someone else’s baby
Americans Katie and Craig are having a baby with Suraiya, a surrogate from India. As all three “parents” anxiously await the baby’s due date, Katie and Suraiya are attacked by flights of their imagination: a seductive Frenchman and a sharp-tongued fetus. Fresh off its successful first production at Victory Gardens in Chicago, the Chance is excited to produce the West Coast Premiere of this hilarious and highly theatrical journey into 21st century parenthood by Resident Playwright Lauren Yee.
“Benjamin Kamine directs playfully, alert to irony: In tone and pace, the production often evokes “Modern Family” on a minimal set (by Bruce Goodrich).” — Los Angeles Times
“Splendidly acted and directed” — StageSceneLA
Watch the official trailer for Samsara.
Check out this video of Chance Theater resident playwright Lauren Yee, talking about the inspiration for Samsara. The video was made by Victory Gardens, who presented the world premiere in Chicago earlier this year.
Does the Baby Come Out Brown? from Victory Gardens on Vimeo.
Post-show chats, (free) 15 minutes on average
After every performance (unless otherwise noted)
Join us for one of our intimate post show conversations after each performance. Ask questions, learn more about the artists, reflect on what you've seen and share your response.
Sunday Salon (free), 30 minutes
Sunday, May 10 at 6:15pm
Get a glimpse at the design of Samsara with a special preshow design presentation from one of the show's designers (to be announced soon). Also, after the show, we will expand on our post-show chats with the cast & crew with a hosted discussion led by a Chance staff member. You do not need to be seeing the show on May 10th to attend the Salon. All are welcome.
Additional events like Design Preview Parties, Opening Nights, Director Dinners, and Cast Parties are exclusive benefits of membership.
Contact Erika Miller at erika@chancetheater.com or call (714) 777-3033 for more information.
Outstanding, both writing and acting!. Loved the theater.
— Sheri Kupehand
We enjoyed Samsara very much. It is quite clever and deals with a subject that is problematic for many couples. We appreciated that it incorporated humor into something that could have been relentlessly painful. It had a nice balance of humor and frustration. The couple were quite appealing, and we grew to like them. The surrogate and her “son” were pleasantly surprising. I’m not sure what we were expecting, but we found them to be quite interesting characters, as was the Frenchman.
— Mary & Bill Sampson
A very funny, fast-paced and surprisingly moving production. The scenes between the expectant mother and her unborn child were by themselves worth the price of admission, and the play presents a most unexpected resolution. Definitely not the show I was expecting to see (in a good way). Excellent cast, as usual.
Outstanding, both writing and acting!. Loved the theater.
We enjoyed Samsara very much. It is quite clever and deals with a subject that is problematic for many couples. We appreciated that it incorporated humor into something that could have been relentlessly painful. It had a nice balance of humor and frustration. The couple were quite appealing, and we grew to like them. The surrogate and her “son” were pleasantly surprising. I’m not sure what we were expecting, but we found them to be quite interesting characters, as was the Frenchman.
A very funny, fast-paced and surprisingly moving production. The scenes between the expectant mother and her unborn child were by themselves worth the price of admission, and the play presents a most unexpected resolution. Definitely not the show I was expecting to see (in a good way). Excellent cast, as usual.