Greenway Court Theatre
544 N Fairfax Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036
URBAN THEATRE MOVEMENT IN RESIDENCY AT GREENWAY COURT THEATRE
PRESENTS
BY OLIVER MAYER
BASED ON YERMA BY FEDERICO GARCIA LORCA
AND DIRECTED BY EDGAR LANDA AND MARLENE FORTE
For Group Sales Contact tmoon at greenwayartsalliance.org
Yerma is desperate for a child, but her husband Juan shies from her touch. How can she reconcile her urge for motherhood, maintain her sense of honor, and still do her job without going mad? Set in an elite university, YERMA IN THE DESERT focuses on the custodial and public safety staff who clean up the mess and tell no tales in a Trumpian dystopia where personal grudges lead to deportation and worse. Even in this dry place, Yerma craves the wet closeness of love.
This production is made possible through the support of the Greenway Residency Program and Greenway Court Theatre, programs of Greenway Arts Alliance.
For 20 years, Greenway Arts Alliance has united communities through art, education, and social enterprise. For more information, visit greenwayartsalliance.org.
GREENWAY ARTS ALLIANCE
PRESENTS
ADAPTED BY AWARD-WINNING PLAYWRIGHT AMY LUDWIG
BASED ON THE CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED NOVEL BY SANDRA CISNEROS
AND DIRECTED BY ALEXANDRA MEDA
For Group Sales Contact tmoon at greenwayartsalliance.org
THE CAST FEATURES
ELIZABETH NUNGARAY ESTELLA GARCIA
ALEX ALPHAROAH FRANCELI CHAPMAN CHRISTINE MANTILLA
ISRAEL LOPEZ REYES GRACIELA LIZET RODRIGUEZ MIEBAKA YOHANNES
PERFORMANCES RUN FROM SEPTEMBER 29 – OCTOBER 28, 2017
WITH THE OFFICIAL PRESS OPENING ON SEPTEMBER 30
AT GREENWAY COURT THEATRE
PRESENTED IN CELBRATION OF
GREENWAY ARTS ALLIANCE’S 20th ANNIVERSARY
AS PART OF THE GREENWAY READS COLLABORATION BETWEEN
GREENWAY COURT THEATRE AND GREENWAY INSTITUTE FOR THE ARTS
LOS ANGELES, CA (Aug. 30, 2017) – Greenway Arts Alliance (Whitney Weston and Pierson Blaetz, Co-Founders and Co-Artistic Directors) will present THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET, adapted for stage by award-winning playwright Amy Ludwig (2006 LA Weekly Theater Award for “Best Adaptation” of The House on Mango Street) and directed by Alexandra Meda (Artistic Director of Chicago’s Teatro Luna). Based on the New York Times best-selling book of the same name by Sandra Cisneros, THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET will play at Greenway Court Theatre (544 N. Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles) from September 29 – October 28, 2017, with the official press opening taking place on Saturday, September 30.
The cast of THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET features:
Elizabeth Nungaray as Esperanza
Your Problem with Men and Enrique’s Journey at Los Angeles Theatre Center.
Nungaray is an ensemble member of Teatro Luna.
Estella Garcia as Older Esperanza
South Coast Repertory’s The Long Road Today by Jose Cruz Gonzalez.
Cecil in Watts Village Theatre’s Meet me at the Metro.
Alex Alpharoah as Ensemble
Noche de Boda at Frida Khalo Theatre, Don’t Talk About It, SP!T About It at
Greenway Court Theatre, Urban Unrest at Sacred Fools Theatre, and others.
Franceli Chapman as Ensemble
Den of Thieves at the Hollywood Fringe Festival.
Christine Mantilla as Ensemble
World premieres of The Anatomy of Gazellas (Playwrights Arena) and Soledad by Janine Salinas Schoenberg (Casa 0101 Theatre) and Demeter in the City by Sarah Ruhl (Cornerstone Theater Company).
Graciela Lizet Rodriguez as Ensemble
Rodriguez played the role of Valeria Lopez in Baño de Damas with Tierra Blanca Arts Center.
Greenway Court Theatre’s Don’t Talk About It, SP!T About It.
Miebaka Yohannes as Ensemble
Miebaka has performed on stages on Off Broadway, television and film.
Joining Alexandra Meda’s creative team are choreographer Ysaÿe McKeever (Teatro Luna’s Generation Sex), projection and environment designer Corwin Evans, costume designer Beryl Brachman, lighting designer Azra King-Abadi, and sound designer Jesse Mandapat.
THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET centers around the life of young Latina Esperanza Cordero, as she undergoes her personal journey into adulthood. As she matures, Esperanza encounters the harsh realities of puberty as well the hardships witnessed in her family and her Mango Street neighborhood. Despite all she witnesses and endures, Esperanza seeks hope and persists toward a better future.
Ludwig’s adaption of THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET received national critical acclaim. The Chicago Tribune said, “Some plays open up their world so completely they cast a thick spell. That’s the triumphant case with director Amy Ludwig’s joyous and generous adaptation of The House on Mango Street.” And, “Amy Ludwig’s respectful stage adaptation honors Cisneros’ eloquent writing,” said the Los Angeles Times.
“THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET is currently banned from Tucson, Arizona schools. Why? Sandra Cisneros’ powerful words take us to the heart of how it feels to grow up as an outsider. In today’s climate, that’s a story we need to share and celebrate, not to silence,” said THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET adaptor Amy Ludwig.
Director Alexandra Meda said, “The story of Esperanza, her young desire to shake the sky and soar above her ‘House on Mango Street’ and the special kind of fear and hate that is directed at immigrant families, is a very personal touchstone for so many readers over the last 20 years — including this cast and creative team. The isolation, violence, and limitations that surround Esperanza feel all too familiar in the current state of affairs we find ourselves in today in the United States. I am thrilled to be working with this exciting talented cast in exploring the contemporary relationships we have as a society to this family and neighborhood that was brought to life over 25 years ago.”
THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET is presented in celebration of Greenway Arts Alliance 20th Anniversary year, which kicks off on October 8, 2017. For two decades, the nonprofit GAA has been uniting communities through art, education and social enterprise. Greenway, a community leader and role model in social enterprise, runs the Greenway Court Theatre (a professional 99-seat theater), the Greenway Institute for the Arts (an arts education program at Fairfax High School, Title 1 high school in Los Angeles) and the Melrose Trading Post (a weekly open-air arts based marketplace). An all-day community celebration of Greenway Arts Alliance’s 20th Anniversary will take place at the world famous Melrose Trading Post on Sunday, October 8.
The acclaimed novel, The House on Mango Street, has been used as required reading in educational institutions all around the nation. Continuing this theme of education, Greenway Arts Alliance’s educational wing, the Greenway Institute of the Arts (GIA), will incorporate the novel and stage production into Fairfax High School’s curriculum through the GreenwayReads program. Greenway’s multi-disciplinary approach to programming will focus on the novel’s themes while bringing it to life on stage and through arts education and special events. Three hundred students will participate in GreenwayReads and will have the opportunity to see the stage production at select matinee performances. Last year, GIA and GCT kicked off the GreenwayReads program with Greenway’s production of George Orwell’s 1984.
“It was important that we choose a book and play that reflect the lives of the students at Fairfax High School, Esperanza’s story in THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET is the story of so many students at Fairfax,” said Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director Whitney Weston of Greenway Arts Alliance.
“We reached out for recommendations from our amazing community of artists and educators who have supported us over Greenway’s 20-year history. We agreed that staging a classic that so beautifully portrays the power of place and home for an immigrant family is a must-see in our current political climate,” added Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Greenway Arts Alliance, Pierson Blaetz.
“Most of the professional staff and crew of GreenwayReads participate in the student sessions, before and after the performances. For many students, it is the first time they have ever seen a professional play, and after the program, it’s amazing to see them actively invested and excited about theatre,” said Weston. “Pierson and I are grateful that our cast and crew share Greenway Arts Alliance’s mission of uniting communities through art.”
THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET will play at Greenway Court Theatre, 544 North Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90036. Performances begin September 29, 2017 and play through October 28, 2017 with the official press opening on Saturday, September 30 at 8:00 p.m. Performance schedule is Fridays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Note: There will be no matinee performance on September 30. Tickets go on sale on Friday, September 1, 2017. General admission tickets are $30, and student/senior (65+) discounted tickets are $15. Tickets are available online at GreenwayCourtTheatre.org. For more information call 323-673-0544 or visit GreenwayCourtTheatre.org.
