The Messenger
Awards and Recognition
- FINALIST Carbonell Awards - Outstanding New Work
- ROLLING WORLD PREMIERE National New Play Network
Reviewer Quotes
“ 3.5 Stars! Thoughtful, engrossing theater! ”
OC Register
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Season Producer
Bette & Wylie Aitken
Associate Season Producer
The Family of Mary Kay Fyda-Mar
Executive Producers
Sophie & Larry Cripe
David & Danice Limberg
Rachelle Menaker & Eddie Schuller
Associate Producer
Susan Bowman & Freddie Greenfield
Linda Maggard
On the Cripe Stage…
What does it cost to stay silent? What does it take to finally speak?
From the playwright who brought you Matinicus: The Story of Abigail Burgess comes a gripping new play about memory, resilience, and the courage to resist hate.
Based on real events in both our past and much more recent history, The Messenger brings together the voices of four women across generations, each wrestling with prejudice, survival, and the choice to raise their voices against hate. At the heart of the play is Georgia Gabor, a Hungarian Holocaust survivor whose verbatim testimony demands that history not be forgotten. Her story resonates alongside imagined women from 1969, 1993, and 2021, all based in Pasadena, as each faces their own battles with injustice.
This gripping new work is both remembrance and rallying cry. It challenges us to ask where our own voices are needed today, and reminds us that silence has never been neutral.
Please be aware: The Messenger includes intense themes, scenes, events, and discussions that may be unsettling to some viewers. Click here for more details.
“A timely and moving story of survival and the costs of blinding ourselves to the past.”
OC Tribune“The Messenger is scarily relevant, attendance should be required.”The Stages of MN
“… this highly praised young playwright continues to be someone to watch…. engaging…fun with a satisfyingly intelligent underpinning. Sophisticated, but all of it comes from well-observed human truths.”TheatreMania
Community Partners
Interested in becoming a Community Partner? Find out more HERE!
Show artwork designed by KC Wilkerson, kcwdigital.com.
- Holocaust-related material
- Antisemitism
- Bigotry and Racial Prejudice
- Hate, Harassment, and Discrimination
- Contextual Historical Violence
- Anti-Asian racism
- Sexual Assault
- Suicide
Special Events:
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Community Spotlight
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Pride Night
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Wine Night
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
Join us before and after the performance for a happy hour and get to know our community partners. Schedule is subject to change. Saturday, April 11, 2026 starting at 2:00PM.- 2:00 PM - Mingling in the Chance lobby over light bites and Happy Hour drinks. Be sure to meet our Community Partners!
- 3:00 PM - The show begins! We can't wait for you to see this performance!
- 4:30 PM - Participate in a post-show conversation with the Cast and our Community Partner.
- 4:45 PM - The event comes to an end.
PRIDE NIGHT
Join us for our Pride Night, where theater lovers who share an identity can connect over refreshments and conversation before enjoying a performance. Schedule is subject to change. Saturday, April 11, 2026 starting at 7:00 PM.- 7:00 PM - Mingling in the Chance lobby over light bites and Happy Hour drinks.
- 8:00 PM - The show begins! We can't wait for you to see this performance!
- 9:30 PM - Participate in a post-show conversation with the Cast and each other.
- 9:45 PM - The event comes to an end.
WINE NIGHT
Back by popular demand, Wine Night features a free wine tasting of 4 signature wines, curated by the themes of the show, for the first 50 patrons in the door. Members and their guests receive priority access. Schedule is subject to change. Friday, April 10, 2026 starting at 7:00PM.- 6:45 PM - Check-In Starts
- 7:00 PM - Wine Night starts. Enjoy free exclusive wines!
- 7:45 PM - Wine Night ends. Get prepared for the show!
- 8:00 PM - Show starts
Are you part of a Community Organization? Contact us at [email protected] for information on special discounts and fundraising opportunities.
IN PERFORMANCE
IN REHEARSAL
Venue Bette Aitken theater arts Center
- Full-Service Bar
- Free Parking
- Conveniently Located
At a Glance
- Approximate Running Time:
- 1 hour, 30 minutes with no intermissions
- Special Notes:
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- Post-show discussion after each performance.
- Join us for Opening Night as a Gold Member.
- Babes in arms and children under 4 are not permitted.
- 30% off for groups of 10 or more.
- Pay-What-You-Can Preview Performances
- Free, Convenient Parking
Very professional and not to be missed performances. I thought it was very well done, thought provoking.
Excellent performance & touching topic
each character and all together gave a very nice opportunity for reflection on how and when to speak and act in the face of cruelty and injustice. always appreciate the talk-backs after the performances, and very nice to visit with the cast in the lobby
It’s a wake-up call to always guard against, and fight, hatred. I would have appreciated better hints in the script as to which characters were acting in each time period, as to the 1969 and 1993. I initially misunderstood and thought that Kallie Pong’s and Megan Sigler’s characters were representing the same year, and I further mistakenly thought that Megan’s character was Kallie Pong’s character’s best friend (“Mylie”–the one who was later run over in a hate crime).
subject matter is very emotional
Exceptional writing & acting. I love the chat with the cast after the Plays.
“I absolutely loved the show—it felt especially poignant given the current climate in America. The story haunted both me and my mother; we spent the entire weekend analyzing its layers. We found ourselves drawing meaning from each character, and were deeply impressed by how the narrative was woven together with overarching themes and impeccable performances.
I truly wish the show had a longer run; it deserves an extended engagement. Work like this is so necessary right now—it wakes people up and encourages us all to pay attention to what’s happening in our world.”
Nothin could have been better. Possibly adding microphone for the actors talk, post show. It was hard to hear at times.
Very powerful message which couldn’t be more timely at this point in American history.
Relevant to the current political situation
the performance was spot on for the times we are living in now
Great performance!
An important true story with local connections (Pasadena) that everyone should know about.
The messenger is a thought-provoking experience with excellent delivery by the performers. My two guests really appreciated the opportunity to attend.
Great play. I was shocked about what the Huntington did for General P. Criminal that they concealed the Nuremberg Laws, illegally taken out of Germany, for > 50 years and not made accessible for the trials. Great acting, impactful play and important discussion following.
Theater is my church. It’s where I can see and feel others POV and expand my empathy and compassion. Sound and lighting are terrific. Sounds is hard to do correctly and Chance always does it well.
All four women were exceptional. The piece itself is incredibly powerful and the actors did an absolutely amazing job telling this highly-relevant story. Everyone should see this play.
It was excellent! We brought friends and they also thought it was “fantastic!”
The play is timely, invites discussion, and is so well written , staged and performed!
Powerful message
Love all the characters. The set. The different layers of storylines.
It was one of the best shows I have seen in a while and was extremely emotionally compelling and timely.
I thought the play was excellent! Well Written, interesting story – Especially historical basis, great acting.