Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ 2015 play, in its Orange County premiere at Chance Theater, homes in on the world of publishing.

While movies that unfold in the workplace are fairly commonplace, plays in that setting are far and few between.
That makes “Gloria” something of interest for theater-goers. The dramedy by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins focuses on the lives of those in the U.S. workplace in general and the publishing industry in particular.
Along the way, it gives us an inside look at the cutthroat milieu of the ultra-competitive world of major media in the Big Apple circa the 21st century.
The play was developed at the off-Broadway Vineyard Theater and made its debut there in May 2015. In 2016, “Gloria” became a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
While “Gloria” has been on the scene for nearly a decade and covers topics most can relate to, it has never been produced in Orange County. Chance Theater is about to remedy that lack in a new production directed by Marya Mazor, who has a hefty roster of credits at the Anaheim Hills venue as well as throughout Southern California.
The Director Excavates the Play’s Themes and Significance
Mazor told Culture OC the play revolves around “a group of 20-something New Yorkers, working at a prestigious literary magazine, all of whom are vying to work their way up in an industry in decline.
“They’re fiercely competitive and, at times, deeply unkind to one another, and they struggle to find their place in a field that fosters a culture of scarcity and in which opportunities are dwindling.”
She said the play and playwright ask us, “What is the price we pay for success in today’s society?” Even more crucial: “Is it worth it?’”
Chance’s website describes the initial scenario as “the office of one of New York’s most esteemed cultural magazines.” The plot kicks into gear as “a seemingly normal day turns out to be anything but” as “a group of twenty-something editorial assistants recognize an opportunity to seize a career-defining moment.”
The character of Gloria, played at Chance by Branda Lock, uncovers the “cutthroat ambitions” of her peers, triggered by “a shocking event” that causes their otherwise routine day to “spiral into chaos.”
The troupe’s site asks us, “Who has the right to tell whose story?” and calls the play “simultaneously funny and shocking.” It calls the play “an adrenaline rush of a show as … Jacobs-Jenkins skewers the cutthroat, opportunistic culture of modern media.”