Second Stage Reading Series
The Year of Magical Thinking
"This happened on December 30, 2003. That may seem a while ago but it won’t when it happens to you…” Joan Didion’s best-selling memoir about the sudden loss of her husband and daughter is brought to life in this stunning and powerful one-woman show that the New York Times called “an indelible portrait of loss and grief.” An uplifting, arresting and powerful drama that explores the question: how does the soul process grief and loss?
By Joan Didion
Directed by Phil Johnson
Featuring Sandy Campbell
January 27 & 28, 2024 2 pm
Diversionary Theatre
4545 Park Blvd, San Diego, CA 92116
Meet the Cast
Sandy Campbell
Actor (Joan Didion)
Associate Artist at Lamb’s Players: Jane, A Christmas Carol, The Light in the Piazza, The Music Man, American Rhythm, 1776, Fiddler on the Roof, Boomers and Beau Gest. Resident Artist at Cygnet Theater: Parade, Noises Off, The Norman Conquests, A Little Night Music, Communicating Doors, Assassins. San Diego REP: Mother Road, Rapture, Blister, Burn, Clybourne Park. Other favorites include Handbagged (Moxie), Zhivago ( La Jolla Playhouse), Passion and Master Class ( ION), Mr. And Mrs Fitch (Backyard Renaissance), Sister Act (SDMT), Macbeth (Intrepid Shakespeare Company). Sandy has won several San Diego Critics Circle Awards for her acting. She is also a cabaret artist and her CD Crazy World is available on Amazon and Apple Music. She recently directed Good People for Oceanside Theatre Company and will be Assistant Director for Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 at Cygnet later this Spring. Many thanks to Phil Johnson and thank YOU for supporting live theater!
Meet the Creative Team
Joan Didion
Playwright
Joan Didion is a highly influential American author, essayist, and playwright. Her writing, characterized by its incisive analysis and personal narrative, explores diverse topics, from politics to her own life experiences. Notable works include
Slouching Towards Bethlehem (1968), The White Album
(1979), and the memoir
The Year of Magical Thinking (2005), which later became a successful play. Didion's precise prose and introspective style have earned her numerous awards, including the National Book Award, making her a significant figure in American literature.
Phil Johnson
Director
Phil Johnson is the Artistic Director and proud co-founder of The Roustabouts Theatre Co. He’s directed for The Roustabouts, Scripps Ranch Theatre, Playwrights Project, and started the new Great Jewish American Playwright Series/JPlays at the JCC. He’s appeared at almost all San Diego theaters and in numerous original solo shows including
A Jewish Joke which opened Off-Broadway in NYC in 2019. As an actor, he’s played in Les Misérables on Broadway and on tour; Canadian production of Sunset Boulevard; and the 1st National Co. of Miss Saigon. He is a two-time winner of the SD Critics Circle Craig Noel Award for acting, and he is a founder of the San Diego Theatre Alliance.