Chance Theater

Our core belief is, theater is like a “gym for empathy” where community members go to build the muscles of compassion and engage with people unlike themselves. Our mission is to contribute to a more connected, compassionate, and creative community. Chance Theater is dedicated to the creation of exciting theatrical experiences, taking artistic risks, and collaborating with gifted artists on passionate and provocative plays and musicals. We accomplish our mission by: producing powerful, socially-conscious, provocative, intimate theater experiences; generating participation and dialogue between our diverse communities; nurturing and supporting local artists; inspiring and empowering creative young minds.

In 1998, Artistic Director Oanh Nguyen and fellow Chance founders, including Erika C. Miller and Jeff Hellebrand, recognized a void in Orange County’s theater scene—there was no space dedicated to bold, intimate storytelling that challenged audiences and fostered meaningful dialogue. Determined to change that, this small but ambitious group began staging original works in unconventional venues, knowing that to truly make an impact, they needed a home of their own.

That home arrived in 1999, when Chance Theater debuted its first production in the unlikeliest of places—the back of an industrial park on La Palma Avenue. The debut season was scrappy and fearless, featuring entirely original works by local playwrights, including the company-created “But I Don’t FEEL Grown Up.” As audiences grew, so did the company’s vision.

The next decade was one of perseverance and progress. The Chance officially became a nonprofit, moved to a more visible location in the same complex (this time with a marquee to welcome street traffic), and doubled its space from 1,500 to 3,000 square feet. The company launched its award-winning Speak Up youth outreach program, became the only OC theater accepted into the Los Angeles Stage Alliance, and established a subscriber base. Productions gained regional recognition, earning accolades from critics and theater organizations alike.

By 2012, it was clear that The Chance had outgrown its space. With support from Arts Orange County, the company conducted a feasibility study and embarked on its first capital campaign. After raising almost $1 million, The Chance opened the doors to the Bette Aitken Theater Arts Center on January 25, 2014. This new home, featuring the 150-seat flexible Cripe Stage and the 50-seat proscenium Fyda-Mar Stage, provided the company with the creative flexibility to push the boundaries of immersive storytelling.

Now, a decade into its tenure at the Bette Aitken Theater Arts Center and as Anaheim’s Resident Theater Company, The Chance continues to elevate the standard for intimate theater in Southern California. Once described as “Off-Broadway in OC,” the company has grown into a nationally recognized arts institution, known for its daring productions, commitment to new works, and unwavering dedication to making theater an inclusive, transformative experience. And as we look to the next ten years, our ambitions have only grown—because at The Chance, the story is far from over.

Chance Theater has become a cornerstone of the Southern California arts community since its founding in 1999. As Anaheim’s official resident theater company, we are dedicated to producing intimate live theater experiences that provoke dialogue, foster empathy, and create a stronger, more connected community and artistic home. Our belief that theater is a “gym for empathy” drives us to tell bold, personal stories that engage our patrons in meaningful conversations about the human experience.

Our artistic programming features a vibrant Main Series of five plays and musicals, presented across two stages within the Bette Aitken Theater Arts Center: the 150-seat flexible Cripe Stage and the 50-seat proscenium Fyda-Mar Stage. Each season highlights regional and world premieres, reimagined classics, and productions that amplify diverse voices and perspectives. We push the boundaries of traditional theater, often transforming our flexible space to create immersive storytelling experiences. By shifting seating arrangements, we invite audiences to connect more deeply with the story, the artists, and each other, fostering a sense of anticipation and a truly communal experience.

For instance, in “Fun Home”, which tells Alison Bechdel’s journey as an LGBTQ writer and activist, we used an ‘alley’ configuration. This setup allowed the action to unfold along a spatial continuum, creating an intimate connection between the audience and the performers while enabling patrons to see each other from opposite sides, enhancing the shared experience. Similarly, in Sam Hunter’s “A Bright New Boise”, the audience was seated on either side of the stage in a square configuration. One side featured a fully scenic interior of a Hobby Lobby, while the opposite side evoked a parking lot with marked spaces, immersing patrons in the play’s evocative setting.

The Chance is also proud to champion regional premieres, bringing some of today’s most exciting and celebrated works to our community. In 2024, we presented “Gloria” by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, an incisive and darkly comedic exploration of office politics and ambition. The California premiere of “Ride the Cyclone” in 2023 offered a quirky, heartfelt musical journey of six teenagers navigating life after a surreal tragedy. Kristoffer Diaz’s “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity” electrified our stage in 2022 with its sharp, satirical look at professional wrestling and cultural stereotypes. Amid the pandemic in 2021, we virtually premiered Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama “Sweat”, capturing the raw struggles of factory workers in a changing America. These productions reflect our dedication to sharing bold and thought-provoking works with our audiences.

Our Holiday Literature Series adds family-friendly flair to the season with musical adaptations of beloved literary works, including “Emma”, “Anne of Green Gables”, “Little Women”, and “The Secret Garden”. Rotating every four years, this series brings timeless stories to life while enriching the holiday experience for audiences.

Our Theater for Young Audience Series entails professional actors performing in 1-2 plays or musicals annually designed to foster educational and emotional growth in young people. Each production includes at least one Relaxed Performance designed to welcome Neuro-diverse individuals, including persons with an Autism Spectrum Condition, sensory and communication disorders, or a learning disability.

New works remain at the heart of our mission through the On the Radar (OTR) Program, which offers established and emerging playwrights readings, workshops, and residencies to develop transformative pieces. (This program is detailed in the following section.)

Our deep commitment to community engagement is demonstrated through partnerships with local nonprofits and organizations such as Breath of Fire Latina Theatre Ensemble, Hispanic Education Endowment Fund, LGBTQ Center of OC, Mercy House, Project Independence, and Viet Creatives Collective to name a few. These collaborations help us reach and resonate with underserved communities.

For our shows, we actively seek female and POC individuals in positions both onstage and behind the scenes. In terms of diversity on stage, you need only look at our recent 2024 season. “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” starred a queer actor whose character explores subjects of sexual abuse, genital mutilation, and personal identity. The cast of “Tiny Beautiful Things” included a transgender actor who notably portrayed a transgender man seeking advice about family and relationships. Our play “Alma” explored the dynamics of mother-daughter relationships, politics, and the American Dream through an immigrant lens, with Latina actresses playing Alma and Angel.

Chance Theater’s work has not gone unnoticed. We are the only Orange County theater to receive the prestigious National Theatre Company Grant from the American Theatre Wing, and we’ve garnered numerous Orange County Theatre Guild, Ovation, and Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards for our productions. Our dedication to excellence has made us a sought-after partner for institutions like Aurora Theatre Company, the Getty Museum, Oregon Contemporary Theatre, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, and South Coast Repertory, extending the reach of our productions, both regionally and nationally, beyond Anaheim.

Above all, Chance Theater is a gathering place for artists, audiences, and neighbors. From moderated post-show discussions for every Main Series production to meet-the-cast events for TYA and Holiday productions, we prioritize creating spaces where stories spark connections. Through our artistic vision, we seek to inspire compassion, provoke dialogue, and strengthen the community we proudly call home.

At Chance Theater, we believe in the power of storytelling to inspire, challenge, and connect. But bringing bold, thought-provoking theater to life requires more than passion—it takes resources. As a nonprofit organization, ticket sales cover only half of our operating costs, making the support of our community essential to keeping our mission alive. Thanks to the generosity of donors, volunteers, and sponsors, we continue to create transformative theater experiences while expanding our outreach and education programs.

Our commitment to artistic excellence means not only deepening our craft but also ensuring that artists are compensated fairly for their work. The Artist Fund directly supports the creative professionals who bring our productions to life, allowing us to increase artist compensation and provide them with the resources they need to produce extraordinary work.

Through our Speak Up education and outreach programs, we empower voices that need to be heard. This includes Veterans Speak Up, where those who have served our country share their stories; Speak Up – Take a CHANCE, a theater workshop for at-risk teens; and Spectrum Speak Up, designed for teens on the autism spectrum to express themselves through performance. These programs offer participants a platform for self-expression while fostering understanding and connection within the community.

Fresh perspectives fuel the future of American theater, and the OTR New Works Fund helps us develop groundbreaking new works through our On the Radar (OTR) New Works Series and Resident Playwright program. By supporting emerging voices in theater, this initiative ensures that the next generation of playwrights has a platform to share their stories with the world.

For those who want to go beyond the audience and step behind the scenes, our Honorary Producer program offers an exclusive opportunity to be part of the artistic process. Whether supporting a single play as an Associate Producer or sponsoring an entire season as an Executive Producer, these donors provide the critical funding that makes our productions possible while enjoying a behind-the-scenes experience that brings them closer to the creative journey.

A lasting legacy begins with a vision. In 2024, we established the Chance Theater Artist Endowment, ensuring long-term financial stability for our productions, education, and outreach programs. Additionally, charitable bequests and planned gifts from generous supporters will also help sustain the Chance for generations to come. Every contribution—whether through time, talent, or treasure—plays a vital role in the Chance Theater story. Your support doesn’t just keep the lights on; it fuels artistic innovation, amplifies diverse voices, and strengthens our community. Join us in shaping the future of theater—because the best stories are the ones we create together.

Serving Orange County, Los Angeles County, Riverside County, Ventura County and San Diego County (Most of Southern California), with primary emphasis on Orange County.

Because of COVID-19, the doors to our theater were closed for over a year and a half. Recovering from the shutdown has been unlike any previous moment in our 25-year history. Yet even through this incredible hardship, we are proud of the many new online programs we instituted to keep our artists and community connected when so many were left isolated and lost. From our plays and concerts on film, readings of new plays on Zoom, short video series like Chance Encounters that connected us with artists from past Chance shows and Some Good News OC that entertained us with silly sketches while lifting up good news and good deeds from our local community, to Chance Cyber Chats where our community watched professionally recorded live productions of plays and musicals and gathered online to hear more about them and connect with Chance staff and artists, to our Broadway zoom series that connected our community with Broadway talents, and more. All towards continuing our mission to contribute to a more connected, compassionate, and creative community. Even more moving was the number of amazing people that stepped up in big ways to support the Chance and helped us back on our feet. These generous individuals are true heroes of the Chance. We are forever grateful. Beyond the effects of the shutdown, our current challenges include inflation- everything just costs more- and the new California legislature that was originally aimed at Uber Drivers has recategorized all of our independent artists as employees which has cost us an additional 30% per artist. We are an intimate theater company passionate about our role in the cultural landscape of Orange County and committed in our ability to nurture the next generation of theater artists. We hope that you consider getting involved and supporting Chance Theater so we may continue to do so.

For a performing arts company of its size, Chance Theater is extraordinary in its commitment to exciting, bold work of very high quality, and its maintenance of singular community outreach programs for Veterans and teens. In addition, the Chance develops new work, by established and emerging playwrights, contributing immeasurably to the art form. I’m delighted to serve on its Board, which is impressively proactive, rigorous in its fiduciary responsibility and collaborative to a fault, at every level. -Bruce Goodrich, immediate past Chair