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PHOTOS: FIRST LOOK AT LA GOLONDRINA (THE SWALLOW) AT REPERTORIO ESPAÑOL

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Guillem Clua’s LA GOLONDRINA (The Swallow) started previews on Friday, January 20, 2023, at Repertorio Español (Gramercy Arts Theater). The production’s official opening night is on Friday, January 27, at 8 pm and runs throughout the year.

Take a look at our photos below.

Inspired by the attack in a gay nightclub in Orlando where 49 people were killed, The Swallow is a highly emotional work exploring how loss can simultaneously separate and unite people. The play reflects on the loss of the many lives that continue to be stolen by attacks on the LGBTQ+ community in this country, and how we need to heal together despite our differences.

ABOUT THE PLAY: Ramón seeks the help of a strict singing teacher, Amelia, to work on his vocal technique before singing at the memorial service for his beloved mother. During an explosive evening of confessions, it becomes clear that they are not only united by music, but by their individual struggle to deal with the aftermath of a terrorist attack.

LA GOLONDRINA is directed by Ismanuel Rodríguez and starring Zulema Clares and Rafa Sánchez. The creative team includes Ismanuel Rodríguez (Lighting Design), David Chacón Perez (Scenic Design), Milton Cordero (Video Design), Fernando Then (Costume Design), Cristian Gautier (Sound Design), Patricia Marjorie (Props Design), Fernando Then (Production Manager), Tim Gutteridge (English Translation), Francisco Rivera (Assistant Director), Carlos Gallego (Texturing and Scenic Painting), and Sara Buitrago (Subtitles).

For a complete show schedule and more information, contact the theater directly at 212-225-9999, visit the box office at 138 E 27th Street NY, NY 10016, or visit repertorio.nyc.

Photo Credit: Michael Palma Mir.

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REPERTORIO ESPAÑOL ANNOUNCES 2022-2023 SEASON

Photos: Guillem Clua | Alejandra Ramos Riera
Photos: Guillem Clua | Alejandra Ramos Riera

PREMIERE – GUILLEM CLUA’S
LA GOLONDRINA (The Swallow)
Directed by Ismanuel Rodríguez
Starring Zulema Clares and Rafa Sánchez
Premieres January 21, 2023

NEW YORK PREMIERE – ALEJANDRA RAMOS RIERA’S
MALAS MAÑAS (Bad Manners)
Winning play of The Miranda Family ‘Voces Latinx’ 2020 National Playwriting Competition.
Directed by Jorge Rodulfo
Premieres April 21, 2023

NEW PERFORMANCES SCHEDULED – ISABEL ALLENDE’S
EVA LUNA
By Caridad Svich
Directed by Estefanía Fadul
TICKETS HERE>

The season also features a repertory of 8 productions, including THE HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA, LA GRINGA, EL QUIJOTE, IN THE TIME OF THE BUTTERFLIES, THE LADY SIMPLETON, THE BRIEF AND WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO, FILOMENA MARTURANO and SAULO GARCÍA.

All the productions are in Spanish and will be presented with English translation except for Saulo García’s comedies.


Repertorio is proud to announce its 55th 2022-2023 Season. This season includes two exciting new productions in addition to nine more that remain part of the rotating repertory. Together they reflect the company’s dedication to presenting the best of Latinx theater. Thanks to the support of The Miranda Family, the company will continue to host its annual VOCES LATINX National Playwriting Competition. In addition, the education program ¡DIGNIDAD! is projected to serve over 18,000 students this year.

Rafael Sánchez, Repertorio’s Executive Artistic Director shared that “Repertorio has always been about producing the best Latinx theater in the United States. We aim to produce new plays that add to this repertory of intelligent, relevant, and entertaining works that appeal to different audiences through diverse styles. This year, the new plays deal with the human foibles that are both Latinx and universal. They intellectually portray individuals who face challenges and sometimes, despite themselves, succeed in achieving happiness. It is with such great pride that Repertorio can present works by playwrights whose works and talents are unparalleled and to whom attention must be paid.”

ABOUT “LA GOLONDRINA” (The Swallow)
Ms. Amelia, a meticulous and well-respected singing coach, receives Ramon, a young man who wants to improve his vocal technique so he can sing a tribute at his recently deceased mother’s memorial. The chosen song, “La Golondrina”, has a special meaning for him and, apparently, also for Amelia, who, despite her initial reticence, agrees to give him a lesson. As the afternoon progresses, the two characters unravel the details of their past, deeply marked by a terrorist attack in a bar.

ABOUT “MALAS MAÑAS” (Bad Manners)
A 37-year-old ex-convict is released after serving a long sentence for a crime he committed in self-defense. Once he is paroled, he decides to reconnect with his father confronting the difficulties of adapting and re-integrating back into society by starting with his own family.

ABOUT “EVA LUNA”
Isabel Allende’s novel is re-imagined for the stage by OBIE-winning playwright Caridad Svich. This play tells the coming-of-age story of EVA LUNA, a woman born into poverty who rises up through the world to find her voice as a storyteller and a reflector of history. Enchanting, comical, and sly, EVA LUNA follows the character’s journey from childhood to adulthood and, along the way, allows us to meet an array of characters that would change the course of Eva’s life forever.

TICKETS AND GENERAL INFORMATION
By phone: 1-212.225.9999 | Online: repertorio.nyc
In-person: 138 East 27th Street, New York, NY 10016
(Between Lexington and Third Avenues. Subway: # 6, N or R to 27th Street)

ABOUT REPERTORIO ESPAÑOL
Repertorio Español was founded in 1968 by Artistic Director René Buch and Producer Gilberto Zaldívar and has become one of the most successful Off-Broadway theatres. The Company was founded with the mission of producing the finest Spanish-language theatre from Latin America and Spain as well as plays written by Latinx artists. The Company presents a rotating repertory of plays, musicals, and dance concerts every year. Its productions are seen by over 34,000 people annually at its home, the historic Gramercy Arts Theatre, and on tour. Every year, approximately 18,000 students are introduced to the heritage of Spanish language theatre through its education program, ¡DIGNIDAD!

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REPERTORIO ESPAÑOL IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE 2022-2023 NEW YORK COMMUNITY TRUST VAN LIER FELLOWSHIPS

VAN LIER ALL 2

James Bruenger-Arreguin, Kathleen Capdesuñer, and Ana Luz Zambrana have been chosen for The New York Community Trust Van Lier Fellowships.

Fellows will develop their craft by directing two productions in the summers of 2022 and 2023.

Three emerging, talented, and ambitious directors will have their artistic vision showcased at Repertorio Español’s Gramercy Arts Theatre, taking the opportunity of using Repertorio’s artistic and technical resources while working alongside Repertorio’s staff and Company. The first production premieres on Friday, July 15, 2022.

Through The New York Community Trust Van Lier Fellowships, funded Repertorio provides professional development opportunities, and cultivates and mentors emerging Latinx/Latine directors living in New York City (ages 18-30) and gives the directors the opportunity to mount a professional production at Repertorio.

WINNERS OF THE NEW YORK COMMUNITY TRUST VAN LIER FELLOWSHIPS

JAMES BRUENGER-ARREGUIN

James Bruenger-Arreguin

James Bruenger-Arreguin: Born in Los Cabos, Mexico, raised in Denver, CO, James is an NYC-based Latinx/Latine director and producer currently working at the Creative Development office at Disney Theatrical Group. He has worked and collaborated with the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Theatre Aspen, The 24 Hour Plays, Southern Colorado Repertory Theatre (Associate Artistic Director). Recent Credits: Colorado Spring Fine Arts Center: Guadalupe in the Guest Room and To Slay the Dragon. SCRT: The Last Five Years (Director), Evita (Director/Choreographer) Fly by Night (Choreographer), University of the Arts: Pop The Musical Exhibition (Director), and Momentos (Director). BFA in Directing, Playwriting + Production from the University of the Arts. www.directordeteatro.com

“The Van Lier Fellowship at Repertorio Español is a one-of-a-kind gift to the next generation of Latinx artists. The fellowship invites us to join an artistic home and community in which we are asked to investigate our creative voice and aesthetics over two summers. My belief is that directing theatre is all about participation and crafting an empowered space where artists can create freely. I am honored to be in this cohort and am thrilled by the opportunity to build at an institution whose mission is to celebrate Latinx culture and the Spanish language through live performance.”


KATHLEEN CAPDESUÑER

Kathleen Capdesuñer

Kathleen Capdesuñer [she/her] is a Florida grown, immigrant raised, Cuban-American director, producer and generative artist working in theatre and film. Kathleen is a fiercely generous collaborator who leads democratized modes of creation to decolonize the current artistic canon. Kathleen is an alum of: The Roundabout Directing Fellowship, The Civilians R&D Group, MTC John Alper Directing Fellowship, The 24 Hour Plays: Nationals and McCarter Theatre Center Directing Apprenticeship. She’s also developed and directed work with: Roundabout, Atlantic Theatre Company, Yale, EST, Noor Theatre, Columbia, Teatro LATEA, Moxie Arts New York, McCarter Theatre, NYU, and internationally in the Fringe Festival circuit. www.kcapdesuner.com

“It is an honor to join Repertorio Español as a Van Lier Fellow. I am excited to delve into two distinct and vital plays in the Latinx canon and bring it to life through a modern feminist lens.”


ANA LUZ ZAMBRANA

Ana Luz Zanabria
(Ella/Her) is a Puerto Rican actor, director, and critic. She received her BFA at UCF with a minor in Humanities, training as well at: Atlantic Co, BADA at Oxford University, and SBIFF. She is a SDC Directing Fellow, a Kennedy Center Directing Initiative alum, and a participant of Jose Solís’s BIPOC Critic Lab. She is currently a member of the “Did They Like It?” Cohort and a Latiné Musical Theatre Lab Associate. Growing up as a Boricua in South Dakota —with her media diet ranging from Rebelde to The Lizzie McGuire Movie— sparked her need to create stories that explore the diasporic experience of POC in our world.

“Being a Van Lier fellow gives me a platform to explore the diasporic life of latinidad in contemporary and classic Spanish works. Hoy día you can be latiné but grow up in South Dakota —just like I did— but that doesn’t mean that I didn’t grow up eating mofongo or listening to Olga Tañón. This fellowship is allowing not only room but support in exploring the growing intersections of our cultura. Me toca el alma que vieron mi mente “gringa” y dijeron que eso todavía es ser Latina.”

THE NEW YORK COMMUNITY TRUST
A public charity, The Trust is a grantmaking foundation dedicated to improving the lives of residents of New York City and its suburbs. We bring together individuals, families, foundations, and businesses to build a better community and support nonprofits that make a difference. We apply knowledge, creativity, and resources to the most challenging issues in an effort to ensure meaningful opportunities and a better quality of life for all New Yorkers, today and tomorrow.

GENERAL INFORMATION
By phone: 1-212.225.9999 | Online: repertorio.nyc

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EVA LUNA HACE SU ENTRADA TEATRAL EN REPERTORIO ESPAÑOL CON ESTUPENDO ELENCO

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Por Nilda Tapia McKenna

La aclamada novela de la chilena Isabel Allende, “Eva Luna”, sube a escena en el Teatro de Repertorio Español, el 3 de junio, 2022, de la mano de la galardonada dramaturga Caridad Svich y dirigida con mucha amplitud de criterio por la colombo-americana Estefanía Fadul, de destacada labor en el teatro de desarrollo norteamericano.

Con un elenco fuera de lo acostumbrado por Repertorio, la producción logró un equipo de personalidades del teatro latinoamericano que hizo brillar esta presentación hasta en los mínimos detalles.
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Comencemos por la ambientación escénica que la considero muy bien lograda para esta obra. Gira alrededor de un andamio que se mueve constantemente, al mismo estilo que Pepe Cibrian, hijo, concibió el “Drácula” a finales del Siglo XX, obra que fuera vista ya por tres generaciones de teatristas de Buenos Aires y que aparentemente ha dejado huellas.  Traer esa ambientación para Eva Luna fue tan eficaz como inspiradora. El andamio nos dijo de dónde venía nuestra protagonista. De un ambiente casi precario y en contínuo movimiento, donde la vida de la joven era tan efímera como insegura.  Los distintos caracteres de esta obra se iban añadiendo sigilosamente para cambiar cada escena con esa sutileza que un elenco de creadores ejecuta. Excelente el detalle de movimiento escénico. 

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Los momentos cruciales de la vida de Eva fueron extraídos de la novela original con la agudeza selectiva que ha mostrado la Svich en tantas otras ocasiones, ya sea con obras de Vargas Llosa como García Márquez. Ella logra con su síntesis obras de una calidad única en su género.

Andrea Velasco, actriz, directora, cantante chilena, nos creó una Eva Luna con una marcada ingenuidad, nutrida por una innata perspicacia de la niña que tiene que luchar hasta por un suspiro para conseguir sobrellevar los avatares de su sobrecargada vida junto a su madre cuya indigente existencia cuenta solo con su natural perspicacia de madre y protectora. La Eva de la Velasco nunca olvida lo aprendido y sigue escalando posiciones hasta logar su deseado cometido: convertirse en narradora de sus propias vivencias y llegar a brillar haciéndolo.

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Entre un excelente elenco, siempre surgen los que más pesan y más conocimiento tienen de las tablas que pisan. La cubana Zulema Clares se pasó de lista en La Señora como en La Patrona. El ecuatoriano Fernando Vieira estuvo estupendo en La Mimí, y el argentino-americano Gonzalo Trigueros supo comunicar su presencia por esa calidad que le brinda el cine a los actores que saben proyectar aún sin parlamento.  Muy notable su Huberto Naranjo como su Kamal.  Y el venezolano Pablo Andrade jugó cómodamente con su papel del joven atractivo Rolf Carlé. Belange Rodríguez sobresalió tanto como Consuelo como con Elvira.

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Un renglón aparte merecen Rafael V. Cañals Pérez en la exquisita coreografía de movimiento, como Lauren Kiele DeLeón en coreografiar la lucha escénica como la íntima y el grupo Dots por el diseño escenográfico y por el manejo exquisito del andamiaje. Un logro escénico.

Otro acierto para esta aplaudida producción fueron las proyecciones a cargo de Stefanía Bulvarella.  Y no quisiera cerrar mis comentarios sin mencionar a la asistente de dirección, Valeria Llaneza, cuyo aporte no puede negarse debido a la gran influencia que tuvo esta obra en su concepción muy rioplatense. 

En pocas palabras, podemos decir lo mismo que la gran Isabel Allende dijo luego de presenciar otro acierto de Caridad Svich, “La Casa de los Espíritus”: –cuánto se ha logrado con tan poco dinero y tanto talento. 

Ojalá la pandemia en Chile merme sus efectos y Doña Isabel pueda regresar a los Estados Unidos a ver su Eva Luna en una producción que hará historia.

TICKETS > 

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REPERTORIO ESPAÑOL ANNOUNCES THE WINNERS OF THE 2021 MIRANDA FAMILY VOCES LATINX NATIONAL PLAYWRITING COMPETITION

FROM THE FOUNTAIN by Joel Pérez for first place, in the second edition of the competition. The playwright will receive a cash award of $3,000.

Repertorio Español announces the winners of The 2021 Miranda Family Voces Latinx Playwriting Competition, an initiative to develop and promote Latinx plays that resonate with and accurately depict the Latinx experience. The competition is inclusive of all playwrights who are at least 18 years of age and residents of the United States or Puerto Rico.

“I am so humbled by and grateful for this incredible honor. The Voces Latinx National Playwriting Competition showcases so many thought-provoking, exciting, and vital pieces of theater that should be part of the canon of American theater. I urge theaters across the country to develop and program the plays by the artists featured in this competition and open your doors and stages to a diverse range of Latinx voices. We are here. We have been here. We are American theater.” – Joel Pérez

The 2022 Miranda Family Voces Latinx National Playwriting Competition begins now! Submissions are due by Tuesday, February 1, 2022. A readings series will be held in June of the top 5 plays. For info please visit www.repertorio.nyc/voceslatinx or email aav@repertorio.org.

WINNERS OF THE 2021 MIRANDA FAMILY VOCES LATINX NATIONAL PLAYWRITING COMPETITION

1st Place: (Award: $3,000)
FROM THE FOUNTAIN by Joel Pérez from New York, NY.

Playwright Bio: Joel Pérez is an award-winning actor and writer living in NYC. His theater work includes Fun Home (Broadway), Kiss My Aztec! (La Jolla Playhouse) and Sweet Charity (New Group; Lortel Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical). TV work includes Jesus Christ Superstar Live! (NBC), Person of Interest (CBS) and Odd Mom Out (Bravo). He writes and performs with the musical theater sketch show SHIZ. He recently wrote and performed Black Beans Project at The Huntington Theatre and his new solo musical comedy Playing With Myself at Ars Nova. His play, The Church of the Holy Glory, premiered at Ars Nova ANTFest 2018. He is a 2021 Time Warner 150 Artist Grant recipient for his original comedy pilot You’re Tired. You’re Poor. He is a 2019 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow in Playwriting from NYFA. Follow him at @misterjoelperez and visit www.joelperez.com

About FROM THE FOUNTAIN: After an extended self-imposed exile, Fernando returns to his hometown to attend the funeral of his Pentecostal pastor father, Ernesto, at the church he grew up in. Memories flood Fernando’s mind as he attempts to sort through the wreckage of his fractured family. From the Fountain is a play about faith, home, and what we are willing to sacrifice for our family.

2nd Place: (Award: $2,000)
MACHINE LEARNING by Francisco Mendoza from Brooklyn, NY.

Playwright Bio: Francisco Mendoza is an Argentinian writer currently living in Brooklyn, NY, after spending several years in Brazil. His work has been developed or presented at The New Group, the MacDowell Colony, and Northern Stage, among others. His scripts include stage plays Machine Learning (The Lark’s Playwrights Week, Yale Drama Series Runner Up, San Diego Rep Latinx Festival), Tooth For Tooth (Finalist, Sundance Theater Lab; Finalist, Princess Grace Fellowship), and Patriarch (Great Plains Theatre Conference). notrealmendoza.com

About MACHINE LEARNING: When his estranged, alcoholic father is diagnosed with liver cancer, computer scientist Jorge dreams up a nursing app to manage the disease in his stead. As the machine’s capabilities grow, however, the possibility of leaving it in charge of the treatment becomes more real, forcing Jorge to reckon with his responsibilities as a son—and as a creator.

3rd Place: (Award: $1,000)
AGOSTO INFINITO by Antonio García del Toro from Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.

 

Playwright Bio: Antonio García Del Toro is a Puerto Rican playwright, theatre director, and professor of language and literature, backed by a vast trajectory in professional theatre from a young age. His works in literary criticism and creation have been published in numerous specialized magazines. For more than fifty years he has been an active participant in the world of professional Puerto Rican theatre, most recognized for his direction and dramaturgy. Dr. García del Toro, recently retired from the Inter American University of Puerto Rico where he taught courses in Puerto Rican Language and Literature, Italian, and Theatre for more than thirty years.

About AGOSTO INFINITO: Following the death of his young son, a professor and his wife flee from a country ruled by one of the most fearsome dictators of the Twentieth Century. Under a new assumed identity, the couple open and operate a bookstore in a small city and spend the following years under the fear of their past catching up to them. The arrival of a young psychologist disrupts their present forcing them to relive the past and helping them make way towards a better future.

Runners Ups (Award: $500)

THE EL PASO PLAY: 23 ACTS OF KINDNESS by Gregory Ramos from Rancho Mirage, CA



Playwright Bio: Professor and Chair of the University of Redlands Department of Theatre Arts where he teaches directing, playwriting, and diversity in the U.S. American Theater. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, began his professional career as a dancer, and has taught at the University of Texas at El Paso and The University of Vermont. MFA, Playwriting UCLA. He’s a member of the Actor’s Equity Association and The Lincoln Center Director’s lab.

About The El Paso Play: 23 Acts of Kindness: Inspired by interviews with community members in El Paso, Texas in the months after the mass shooting at Walmart in 2019 and told through 12 characters’ stories and impressions of the event, the play explores immigration, gun control, and the rise of white supremacy in America. Part docudrama, part theatrical montage, and part prayer for the future of America, a community reaches toward our shared humanity and collective healing.

PRINCESS CLARA OF LOISADA by Matt Barbot from Brooklyn, NY



Playwright Bio: Matt Barbot is a writer from Brooklyn, NY. His play El Coquí Espectacular and The Bottle of Doom received its world premiere at Two River Theater in January of 2018. The Venetians was a winner of Roundabout Theatre Company’s 2019 Columbia@Roundabout New Play Series. Matt received his MFA from Columbia University and was recently a New York Theatre Workshop 2050 Fellow and a member of The Civilians’ R&D Group.

About PRINCESS CLARA OF LOISADA: With Mamá long gone and Papá in a trance, Lower East Side middle schooler Clara and her older brother José try to distract themselves from their bleak reality with fanciful stories. When strange events make the siblings realize these stories might be true – that, in fact, they may be making them come true – Clara is faced with a choice, and José will fight a magical battle for his sister’s destiny.

GENERAL INFORMATION
By phone: 1-212.225.9999 | Online: repertorio.nyc

ABOUT THE MIRANDA FAMILY FUND
For over 40 years, The Miranda Family has championed community activism. They have created and supported institutions that have served underserved populations throughout New York City, across the country, and in Puerto Rico. They continue to foster the family’s commitment to advocacy for education, the arts, and social justice – along with a sustained focus on relief and rebuilding efforts in Puerto Rico post-Hurricane Maria.

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REPERTORIO ESPAÑOL ANNOUNCES THE PREMIERE OF “LA CELESTINA” THE TRAGICOMEDY OF CALISTO AND MELIBEA. A NEW ADAPTATION BASED ON FERNANDO DE ROJAS’ GOLDEN AGE MASTERPIECE.

“LA CELESTINA” begins previews on Friday, February 8th and premieres on Tuesday, February 12th, 2019 at Repertorio Español’s historic Gramercy Arts Theater located at 138 East 27th Street in Manhattan, New York.

The play is adapted and directed by Leyma López. The cast includes Zulema Clares as La Celestina, Gonzalo Trigueros as Calisto, Carmen Borla as Melibea, Gerardo Gudiño, Maria Cotto, Gilberto Gabriel Díaz as well as Imanol Fuentes, Sandra Gumuzzio and Mario Peguero making their company debuts.

Repertorio Español is proud to announce the premiere of Fernando de Rojas’ “LA CELESTINA” the historic first novel/play (a novel which is written in dialogue form) in Spanish literature adapted and directed by the Company’s Resident Director, Leyma López. The tragicomedy of Calisto and Melibea originally published in 16 acts in 1499 during a period of conflict, change, and ultimately, disharmony in Spain—one that the great scholar Américo Castro dubbed “the conflictive age.”

ABOUT THE PLAY
La Celestina is the tale based on same source material as “Romeo and Juliet” of a passionate love affair that ends in tragedy. Calisto, a young nobleman enters the garden of Pleberio in pursuit of his falcon. There he sees Pleberio’s daughter, Melibea, and falls madly in love with her, and enlists “La Celestina” to help seduce her.

Performed in Spanish with English Supertitles.

PREVIEWS
Friday, February 8, 2019 8:00 PM
Saturday, February 9, 2019 8:00 PM
Sunday, February 10, 2019 3:00 PM

OPENING NIGHT: Tuesday, February 12, 2019 7:00 PM

PERFORMANCES:
Wednesday, February 13, 2019 11:00 AM
Friday, February 15, 2019 08:00 PM
Saturday, February 16, 2019 03:00 PM
Friday, February 22, 2019 11:00 AM
Friday, February 22, 2019 08:00 PM
Friday, March 1, 2019 08:00 PM
Sunday, March 31, 2019 03:00 PM
Friday, April 5, 2019 11:00 AM
Friday, April 12, 2019 08:00 PM
Friday, May 3, 2019 11:00 AM
Friday, May 10, 2019 08:00 PM
More performances to be announced through 2019 & 2020.

FERNANDO DE ROJAS – PLAYWRIGHT
Fernando de Rojas (d. 1541), the author of “La Celestina”, was born in the fifteenth century in Puebla de Montalban near Toledo, Spain. “La Celestina” is the only book that Rojas ever wrote, and few details of his life have ever come to light. What is known is that he was a lawyer by trade, educated at the prestigious University of Salamanca and that he belonged to a noble family of Conversos, or Jews who adopted Christianity. The genesis of “La Celestina” also carries with it an air of mystery. According to Rojas, he came across the first act, entitled The Comedy of Calisto and Melibea, while in Salamanca. This first act had supposedly been penned by an anonymous author. Rojas found himself so enchanted with the work that he decided to expand and complete it during a two-week vacation from practicing law. From the nucleus first act was born a novel in dialogue from about two young lovers from different backgrounds who take a popular ideal of love in Rojas’s era to an extreme that bears tragic consequences for themselves and those around them.

LEYMA LÓPEZ – DIRECTOR
Born in San José de las Lajas in La Habana, Cuba. From 2001 to 2005 she went to school for direction and acting in the School of the Arts in San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba and in 2009 received her degree in Acting and The Arts from The Superior Institute of La Habana. López was the founder and director of Rompecalles in 2007, a theatrical project focused on investigating classic text. In this project, she created adaptation of “Fedra” and “Asamblea de mujeres” (The Assembly of Women), two big stories in Greek mythology, which won the award of Festival Olga Alonso and the Municipal of San José de las Lajas award for Best Play.

López is presently Resident Director of Repertorio Español. She was the recipient of the Van Lier Award for Young Directors in 2012. At Repertorio Español she directed: “Por Gusto” (For Pleasure), “El Loco por Fuerza” (Insane by Force), “Hierba mala nunca muere” (Weeds Won’t Die), “Aire Frío” (Cool Air), “La Fiaca”, “Valor, agravio y mujer” (Courage, Betrayal, and a Woman Scorned) and a series of readings highlighting the works of 17th Century women playwrights. She has received various nominations and awards for ATI, ACE and HOLA.

TICKETS >

GENERAL INFORMATION
Phone: 1-212.225.9999 | Website: repertorio.nyc

138 East 27th Street, New York, NY 10016
(Between Lexington and Third Avenues. Subway: # 6 to 23rd Street, W or R to 28th Street)
Monday 8:00am-6pm | Tuesday – Friday 8am-8pm|Saturday 10am-8pm | Sunday 10am-7:00pm

Discounts available for seniors, military and students with valid identification.

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REPERTORIO ESPAÑOL PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF PULITZER PRIZE WINNING PLAYWRIGHT NILO CRUZ’S “EXQUISITA AGONÍA” (EXQUISITE AGONY).

Photo by Matt Pilsner

“Exquisite Agony” begins previews on Friday, May 25th and premieres on Wednesday, May 30th, 2018 at Repertorio Español’s historic Gramercy Arts Theater located at 138 East 27th Street in Manhattan, New York.

 The play will be directed by José Zayas. The cast includes Luz Nicolas, Germán Jaramillo, Gilberto Díaz, Pedro de León, Soraya Padrao, and Gonzalo Trigueros.

Repertorio Español announces the World Premiere in Spanish of Nilo Cruz’s “Exquisita agonía” (Exquisite Agony). This is Repertorio’s fourth premiere of a play by Nilo Cruz. The Company has proudly produced the World Premiere in Spanish of his Pulitzer Prize winning play “Anna in The Tropics” in 2004, and the World Premieres in Spanish of “Lorca in a Green Dress” in 2006 and “The Color of Desire” in 2011.

The New York Times raved about Repertorio’s production of “Anna in the Tropics” stating that “[the play] has found its natural language in Repertorio Español’s new production… It sounds and feels like a very different play in Spanish from the ‘Anna in the Tropics’ in English…its lyrical, poetic flights seem much more at home.”

PREVIEWS:

Friday, May 25, 2018 8:00 PM

Saturday, May 26, 2018 8:00 PM

Sunday, May 27, 2018 3:00 PM

Monday, May 28, 2018 3:00 PM

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 7:00 PM

 

OPENING NIGHT:

Wednesday, May 30, 2018 7:00 PM

 

PERFORMANCES:

Thursday, May 31, 2018 7:00 PM

Saturday, June 2, 2018 8:00 PM

Sunday, June 3, 2018 3:00 PM

Saturday, June 9, 2018 8:00 PM

Sunday, June 10, 2018 3:00 PM

Friday, June 15, 2018 8:00 PM

Sunday, June 24, 2018 3:00 PM

Saturday, June 30, 2018 8:00 PM

Friday, July 6, 2018 8:00 PM

Sunday, July 15, 2018 3:00 PM

Saturday, July 21, 2018 8:00 PM

Friday, July 27, 2018 8:00 PM

Friday, August 3, 2018 8:00 PM

Sunday, August 12, 2018 3:00 PM

Thursday, August 16, 2018 7:00 PM

Saturday, August 25, 2018 8:00 PM

 

More performances to be announced through 2018 & 2019

Performed in Spanish with English Subtitles. 

ABOUT THE PLAY

Exquisite Agony is a delicate but relentless story, which explores a middle-aged woman’s obsessive quest to find fragments of love in a young man who has received the gift of life when he receives a new heart. A moving play of great warmth about the survival of a modern family who must confront the past in order to move forward.

NILO CRUZ – PLAYWRIGHT

Nilo Cruz is a Cuban-American playwright whose work has been produced widely around the United States and Europe. His plays have been seen at McCarter Theatre, New York’s Shakespeare Festival’s Public Theatre, Manhattan Theatre Club, Arena Stage, Victory Gardens, Repertorio Español, South Coast Rep., Arena Stage, Mark Taper Forum, Victory Gardens, New York Theatre Workshop, Magic Theatre, Minneapolis Children’s Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Florida Stage and many others.  Internationally, his plays have been produced in Canada, England, France, Australia, Germany, Belarus, Costa Rica, Colombia, Panama, Japan, Russia, and in many cities throughout Spain.  In 2003 he won the Pulitzer Prize and the Steinberg Award for Drama for his play “Anna in the Tropics” and was nominated for a Tony award.  In 2009 he won The Helen Merrill and The Laura Pels Mid-Career Playwriting Award as well as the Fontanals-Cisneros USA Fellowship in literature. Cruz is a frequent collaborator with noted composer Gabriela Lena Frank.  He recently wrote a set of orchestral songs, “La Centinela y la paloma” (The Keeper and the Dove), for Dawn Upshaw and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, which was conducted by Joana Carneiro.  His monologue Farhad and the Secret of Being, composed by Jim Bauer, was performed as part of the New Voices Musical Festival.  He taught playwriting at University of Iowa, Brown University, NYU Gallatin School and Yale University.

JOSÉ ZAYAS- DIRECTOR

Resident Director Zayas began working with Repertorio in 2004 when he was selected as a fellow of the Van Lier Young Directors Project. Ever since, he has directed seven productions for the company and was named Resident Director in 2013. His production of Caridad Svich’s “The House of the Spirits”, based on Isabel Allende’s novel, at Repertorio Español, won multiple ACE and HOLA awards, including best production and director. Other credits with Repertorio include “Madre, el drama padre”; “Letters to a Mother”; “Nowhere on the Border”; “No Better Friend”, “No Worse Enemy”; “In the Time of the Butterflies”; “Love in the Time of Cholera”, “Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter”, “Burudanga”, “In the name of Salomé” and “Blind Spot”. Outside of Repertorio Español Zayas has participated as director and assistant for a number of productions.

This project was made possible with the support from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund as part of Repertorio’s 50th Anniversary.

 

TICKETS AND GENERAL INFORMATION >

By phone: 1-212.225.9999 | Online: repertorio.nyc

In person: 138 East 27th Street, New York, NY 10016

(Between Lexington and Third Avenues. Subway: # 6, N or R to 28th Street)

Monday 8:00am-6pm| Tuesday – Friday 8am-8pm|Saturday 10am-8pm|Sunday 10am-7:00pm

Tickets start at $17

Discounts available for people over 60 years of age and students with valid identification.

 

ABOUT REPERTORIO ESPAÑOL

Founded in 1968 by stage director René Buch and the late producer Gilberto Zaldívar, and joined by Robert Weber Federico in 1971, who now serves as Executive Producer, REPERTORIO has presented an unparalleled body of theater that promotes and divulges the rich heritage of Hispanic theater. Spanish masters like Calderón, Lope de Vega and García Lorca, renowned playwrights from Latin America and the growing body of American writers who capture the Latino experience in the U.S.—from Portland, LA, NYC, Washington DC, Texas, Washington Heights, Denver and Chicago– are all at home in REPERTORIO’s programming. As well, the company has presented acclaimed translations of plays by Edward Albee, Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams, Gian Carlo Menotti and Noel Coward.

The Company presents a rotating repertory of 13 different plays, musicals and dance concerts in over 300 performances every year. Its productions are seen by over 50,000 people annually at its home, the historic Gramercy Arts Theatre and on tour. Every year, approximately 20,000 students are introduced to the heritage of Spanish language theatre through its education program, ¡DIGNIDAD!

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