Hero Theatre to Host Maria Irene Fornes Play Festival

Hero Theatre announced today that the company's 2016/2017 season will commence with Festival Irene: Celebrating the Legacy of María Irene Fornés. The festival of plays will be presented as staged readings. It will include some of Fornés' most celebrated works in addition to featuring plays written by some of her students who are amongst some of the most prominent Latina/o writers in America today. Esteemed dramaturg, literary agent and founder of This Distracted Globe Consultancy, Morgan Jenness, will serve as consultant on the project.

"María Irene Fornés is one of the greatest writers in theater. When you think of the theater movement of the 60's and 70's, writers like Cuban-born María Irene Fornés and the great Luis Valdez immediately come to mind. They are our classic Latina/o playwrights. It's our honor to celebrate Irene's work," said Elisa Bocanegra, Hero Theatre's Artistic Director and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival 2015 inaugural Paul Nicholson Arts Management Fellow.

Festival Irene audience members will have a voice in selecting which one of Ms. Fornés' plays Hero Theatre will be presenting a full-production of next season. The festival will take place in Los Angeles. A full list of the plays and more details will be announced soon. All box-office proceeds for Festival Irene will be donated to the Alzheimer's Association and Ms. Fornés' medical fund.

Academy Award-winner Olympia Dukakis is Chair of Hero Theatre's Advisory Board. Other members include Michael Ritchie (Artistic Director of the Center Theatre Group), Bill Rauch (Artistic Director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival), "The Trip to Bountiful" director Michael Wilson, Tony Award-winner Darko Tresnjak, producer Jenny Gersten, Obie Award-winning Lisa Peterson, playwright Migdalia Cruz, casting director Judy Bowman and Sharifa Johka (Oregon Shakespeare Festival.)

For more information about Hero Theatre, visit www.herotheatre.org.