CASA 0101 Theater Presents World Premiere Production of Josefina Lopez's PINATA DREAMS

CASA 0101 Theater, Josefina López, Artistic Director, will present the World Premiere of the play, Piñata Dreams, a fantastical, magical journey for the whole family. Written by Josefina López and directed by Corky Dominguez, Piñata Dreams celebrates Piñatas, Alebrijes (brightly colored Mexican art sculptures of fantastical creatures) and the courage to be oneself.

The production will be presented on CASA 0101 Theater''s Main Stage, 2012 East First Street (at St. Louis Street), Boyle Heights, CA 90033 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 5:00 p.m., December 5 - 28, 2014. The play will open on Thursday, December 4, 2014 at 8:00 p.m. A Discounted Preview performance will be given on Wednesday, December 3, 2014 at 8:00 p.m. There will be a Special Saturday Matinee on December 27, 2014 at 3:00 p.m.

Josefina López said, "I''ve always wanted to write a holiday show for children and their families celebrating my Latino heritage and I finally wrote it. This story is inspired by the story of the Alebrijes and the story of the Piñatas. I wanted kids to know this story and for parents to understand that some children are special and are meant to be artists."

Corky Dominguez said, "The story is not too complex and yet it has so many layers when one begins to dig and excavate. One layer for me is the artist''s nature, it resonates very clearly as I recall from my early childhood memories of what it was like to be artistic. As a kid, I remember the act of creating was a piece of cake. I was 'crafty'' and loved making art with my whole being. I know now this was a gift. My struggles and challenges, like the character J.J. in the play, were in academic learning. Embracing and understanding left and right brain activity is what we learn as we grow, hell, I''m still learning. There is NO shame in being an artist, but society sometimes has a different view, and this could play heavy in a young person''s mind."

The play stars Noah Logan Martinez as J.J., a fourth generation piñata maker, with an Ensemble Cast consisting of Isaiah Cazares, Evy De La Cruz, Jose A. Garcia, Sophie Goldstein, David Guerra and Suzanne Santos.

CASA 0101 Theater''s sponsors include: The California Endowment, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and The Herb Alpert Foundation.

The play''s Production Team includes: Josefina López, Artistic Director, CASA 0101 Theater & Playwright; Sherrie Lofton, Producer; Anisa Hamdan, Producer; Jennifer Madrid, Associate Producer; Corky Dominguez, Director; Alyssa Champo, Stage Manager; Karlo Ishibashi, Assistant Stage Manager; Cesar Holguin, Set Designer; Maura McGuiness, Lighting Designer; Dori Quan, Costume Designer; Suzanne Linares, Producing Assistant/House Manager; Jorge Villanueva, Board Operator; Estibaliz Giron, Board Operator; Crystal De La Torre, Original Art Work; Sylvia Cortes, Outreach/Social Media; Mark Kraus, Webmaster and Steve Moyer Public Relations, Press Representative.

A Discounted Preview Performance will be presented on Wednesday, December 4, 2014 at 8:00 p.m. for $10.00 per person at the door. Opening Night is Thursday, December 5, 2014 at 8:00 p.m. The play will be presented for a four-week run on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 5:00 p.m. from December 5 - 28, 2014 at CASA 0101 Theater, 2012 East First Street (at St. Louis Street) across the street from the Hollenbeck Police Station), Boyle Heights, CA 90033.

Tickets during the four-week run are $20 per person for General Admission; $17 per person for Students and Seniors and $15 per person for Boyle Heights residents. Discounts for Groups of 10 or more will be available at $15 per person. This show is recommended for all ages. Advance reservations are highly recommended.

Free Parking is available on several streets surrounding the theatre. Free Parking is also available on Fridays and Saturdays only at the Boyle Heights City Hall Parking Lot located at 2130 East First Street (at Chicago Street) by entering the lot from Chicago Street; the lot is closed on Sundays. Public transportation is also available at the Metro Gold Line Stations located at Mariachi Plaza and Soto Streets on First Street in Boyle Heights, CA. For tickets, please call the CASA 0101 Theater Box Office at 323-263-7684, E-mail tickets@casa0101.org, or
buy online at www.casa0101.org . Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/casa0101theater .

Josefina López (Playwright) is best known for authoring the play and co-authoring the film Real Women Have Curves, a coming-of-age story about Ana, a first-generation Chicana torn between pursuing her college ambitions, a personal goal, and securing employment which is a family expectation. Along the way, Ana confronts a host of cultural assumptions about beauty, marriage and a woman''s role in society. Although Real Women Have Curves is Lopez'' most recognized work, it is only one of many literary and artistic works she has created since her artistic career began at 17.

Born in San Luis Potosi, Mexico in 1969, Josefina López was five-years-old when she and her family immigrated to the United States and settled in the East Los Angeles neighborhood of Boyle Heights. López was undocumented for 13 years before she received Amnesty in 1987 and eventually became a U.S. Citizen in 1995. She is the recipient of a number of other awards and accolades, including a formal recognition from U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer''s 7th Annual "Women Making History" banquet in 1998; and a screenwriting fellowship from the California Arts Council in 2001.

She and Real Women Have Curves co-author George LaVoo won the Humanitas Prize for Screenwriting in 2002, The Gabriel Garcia Marquez Award from Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn in 2003, and the Artist-in-Residency grant from the NEA/TCG for 2007. López lectures on a variety of issues at over 200 universities, colleges, high schools and Women''s conferences all over the nation including Yale, Darmouth, USC and UCLA.

Even though she is best known for the success of Real Women Have Curves, López has had more than 80 productions of her plays throughout the United States. In addition, she also paints, writes poetry, performs, designs, and is a mother of two boys and resides in Silver Lake. She is the Founding Artistic Director of CASA 0101 Theater in Boyle Heights. At CASA 0101 Theater her commitment is to teach screenwriting and playwriting and nurture a new generation of Latino artists. López is actively working to create an Artist District in Boyle Heights where theater, arts, music can flourish and create opportunities for the many talented artists who reside in Boyle Heights or grew up in Boyle Heights and want to return to contribute.

López is presently developing the musical version of Real Women Have Curves for Broadway. Her first novel titled Hungry Woman in Paris came out in 2009. She wrote a play to protest SB1070 titled Detained in the Desert, which won her many awards. López produced her first feature based on Detained in the Desert as well as directed the first Chicana feminist horror film titled Fifty One Fifty which won "Best Film" at the Latina Short Film Festival at the Ventura County Museum of Art. She is currently developing an ABC Drama titled The Fabulous Fernandez Sisters. Her play Clean Start co-written with Kathy Fischer is going to be presented at CASA 0101 Theater in January 2015. She is also working on a comedy about Pirates and numerous writing projects for the stage, screen and for print. For more information please visit www.josefinalopez.co , www.rwhcstudio.com and www.casa0101.org .

Corky Dominguez (Director) recently directed Dyanne Asimow''s play Day of the Dead at Olvera Street''s Pico House and at the Breed Street Shul in Boyle Heights. He directed the critical acclaimed production of Anna In The Tropics at Sierra Madre Playhouse, several productions at CASA 0101 Theater including their 20-year anniversary production of Real Women Have Curves, as well as play productions at Miles Memorial Playhouse, The Inglewood Playhouse, Highways Performance Space, Beverly Hills Playhouse, Bitter Truth Theater, Barnsdall Theatre, and the Ivar Theatre.

He served as one of the directors for the Los Angeles One-Minute Play Festival, John Lion New Plays Festival, Company of Angels New Play Festival and Ojai Playwrights Conference. His production of This Land was performed at Stramash '95, West Lothian, Scotland, and at the Cockpit Theater, London, England. He is an Associate Artist with Cornerstone Theater and has served as an assistant director on several productions at Center Theatre Group.

As a choreographer he has worked and staged many musicals for high schools, colleges/universities and local theatres. He works as an acting coach, mask and movement workshop leader, and in general, as a Theatre Teaching Artist. Dominguez is an advocate for youth theatre programs, and currently teaches with the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA), The Geffen Playhouse, Inner-City Arts, CASA 0101 Theater and Camp Bravo Performing Arts Camp. For tickets, please call the CASA 0101 Theater Box Office at 323-263-7684, E-mail tickets@casa0101.org, or buy online at www.casa0101.org . Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/casa0101theater .