This story was produced by the OC Theatre Guild as part of a community media partnership with Culture OC. It was written and edited independently by the Guild’s selected contributors. This collaboration supports our effort to celebrate and amplify the vibrant arts and culture scene in Orange County.

‘The Salonnières’ at Cabrillo Playhouse — From left, Megan Theodorou and Carla Naragon. Photo courtesy of Cabrillo Playhouse

By OC Theatre Guild

November 3, 2026

Written for OC Theatre Guild by Anne Reid

Cabrillo Playhouse

‘The Salonnières’

When: Nov. 13 – Dec. 13, 2026

Where: 202 Avenida Cabrillo, San Clemente

More Info: 949-492-0465, www.CabrilloPlayhouse.org

Set in Paris before the French Revolution, Liz Duffy Adams’ “The Salonnières” follows Madeleine, a young woman whose father has arranged for her to marry an older nobleman to settle his debts. Desperate to escape the marriage, she seeks refuge with her late mother’s friends, a group of aristocratic women who gather in a literary salon to share stories and discuss ideas considered radical for their time. When her intended husband arrives looking for her, the women must find a way to protect her. But it’s Françoise, the salon’s maid, who ultimately becomes the unlikely hero.

The gathered women use familiar fairy tales to challenge the traditional roles of wives and daughters, turning stories about obedience into opportunities to question male authority. Yet while these aristocratic women consider themselves progressive thinkers, their privileged lives are very different from that of Françoise. Unlike the women she serves, Françoise has neither wealth nor social standing to protect her, but her intelligence and resourcefulness prove more valuable than either.

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The action unfolds over a single afternoon in the salon’s reception room, where the women can speak openly without fear of judgment from the outside world.

“They are beautiful women in gilded cages,” Director Angela Cruz said.

“It’s been so much fun discovering the comedy in these scenes,” she said. “It’s also fascinating to explore French folklore and the familiar fairy tales that grew out of it, including ‘Bluebeard,’ ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and ‘Cinderella.’”

The reference to “Bluebeard” is particularly fitting as Madeleine’s intended husband, Claude, the Duc de la Beauchêne, has reportedly buried two previous wives, recalling the French fairy tale about a wealthy nobleman whose wives mysteriously disappear.

Cabrillo Playhouse Producing Artistic Director Michael Lopez said he was drawn to the play’s setting in pre-revolutionary Paris and the contemporary perspective playwright Adams brings to the period. Powdered wigs, corsets and period music help establish the atmosphere of 18th-century Paris. The set incorporates Cruz’s birdcage concept, along with shadow puppetry designed for the theater’s intimate space.

“The Salonnières” marks Cruz’s debut at Cabrillo Playhouse.

“After giving me a tour of the theater, Lopez said he wanted a woman to direct, and I looked at it as a challenge to myself to do something new that I’d always wanted to try,” Cruz said.

“Angela has a definite vision for this show,” Lopez said. “Her talent, sharp focus and dedicated leadership continue to elevate this entire production.”

Cruz herself began performing in children’s theater at age five and continued acting through high school and college. A directing class in 2001 sparked her interest in working behind the scenes, particularly in exploring activism and representation through theater.

She went on to study directing at UC Santa Barbara and pursued graduate-level studies at UC Irvine. Her background includes internships in New York, work with OC-Centric and Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble, and the development of new plays, including bilingual productions. She also directed productions at UC Irvine.

For Cruz, “The Salonnières” offers audiences more than an afternoon of comedy and fairy tales. Beneath the elaborate costumes and witty exchanges is a story about women determined to have a say in their own futures, even when society gives them little opportunity to do so.

More than two centuries later, their struggle for independence remains familiar.