December 19, 2025

In This Issue

• Museum Director Appointed
• ArtsOC Announces Creative Edge Lecture Speaker
• SCR to Develop New Version of A Christmas Carol
• Creative Economy Conversation Coming to OC
• NEA Guidelines for 2027 Posted
• SCR and UC Irvine Partner on New Program

Museum Director Appointed at UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art

After a national search, Kathryn Kanjo has been appointed museum director of the UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art. Currently the David C. Copley Director and CEO of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, she will assume her new role in February 2026, where she will also oversee the UC Irvine Jack & Shanaz Langson Institute of California Art.

Read more here.

U.S. Poet Laureate Arthur Sze

Announced as ArtsOC's 2026

Creative Edge Lecture Speaker

Arts Orange County will present a live, in-person talk by United States Poet Laureate, Arthur Sze, at its 16th Creative Edge Lecture on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. in the Irvine Barclay Theatre. Sze was appointed by the Library of Congress as the 25th Poet Laureate of the United States on September 15 of this year. He is the first Asian American to hold the position. Since 1972, Sze has published twelve collections of poetry, receiving a 2024 National Book Foundation Science and Literature Award, and the 2019 National Book Award for Poetry. His 2014 collection, Compass Rose, was a finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Admission to the lecture is free of charge thanks to the generosity of sponsors, but reservations are required through the Irvine Barclay Theatre ticket office.

The Creative Edge Lecture, which focuses on the importance of innovation and creativity in all human endeavors, is presented in partnership with the Orange County Department of Education and the 4th District PTA. Ticket reservations may be made here. 

South Coast Repertory to Develop a New Version of “A Christmas Carol”

Richard Soto and Richard Doyle appear a scene from South Coast Repertory’s current production of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”

South Coast Repertory has commissioned award-winning playwright Amy Freed to develop a new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.” SCR Artistic Director David Ivers will direct the new show, which will replace the current version of “A Christmas Carol” that has attracted thousands of play-goers annually for the past 45 years. Freed has a long association with SCR, which has previously commissioned six of her works, starting in 1997 with “Freedomland,” a finalist for the 1998 Pulitzer Prize in drama. SCR will continue to stage its existing version of “A Christmas Carol” for the next several years while the new play is being developed.

Read more here.

Statewide Creative Economies in Action

Tour Lands in Orange County

The California Arts Council is partnering with Arts Orange County in bringing a conversation about the creative economy to the Huntington Beach Art Center on January 14 at 3:00 p.m. These town halls are a chance to connect with leaders and peers to share your perspective on the newly released Creative Economy Workgroup Strategic Plan. As the work moves into its public engagement phase, your input will directly help shape the statewide plan’s next steps.

Register here.

NEA FY 2027 Grants for Arts Projects Guidelines Now Available

Guidelines and application materials for the National Endowment for the Arts’ principal grants category, Grants for Arts Projects, are now available. These grants support projects taking place in any part of the nation’s 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. jurisdictions. Application deadlines are February 12, 2026, and July 9, 2026, for projects taking place beginning in 2027.

Read more here.

South Coast Repertory and UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts Launch Program for Emerging Artists

UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts Department of Drama Chair Joel Veenstra stands alongside South Coast Repertory’s Managing Director Suzanne Appel and Artistic Director David Ivers. 

Bridging the gap between the classroom and the stage, UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts and South Coast Repertory are partnering on “The Next Stage,” a new program that immerses MFA theatre students in professional theatre. “The Next Stage” will pair mentorship from SCR’s artists and leaders with onstage experience, classroom instruction and theatre attendance opportunities. The collaboration provides UC Irvine Department of Drama graduate students with paid, hands-on experience in acting, design, dramaturgy and stage management, equipping students with practical experience and insight into the operations of one of the country’s leading regional theatres.

Read more here.

We acknowledge with respect our presence on the ancestral lands of the Juaneño Band of Mission Indians - Acjachemen Nation and the Tongva People.