Raices Theatre Company to Produce Karen Zacarias' MARIELA IN THE DESERT

On Friday, January 20th, 2017 Raíces Theatre Company will open its latest production, Mariela In The Desert by Karen Zacarías. This theatrical drama features the story of a family marked by artistic passions and a tragic past set in the desert region of Mexico. Mariela In The Desert will run Thursdays at 7:30 PM, Fridays, Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 6 PM until Sunday, February 5th. There will be talkbacks with the cast after each Pay-what-you-can Thursday performance.

Mariela and José were once the golden couple of the inner circle of Mexico's most famous artists. Together they built a family and an artist commune to host friends Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Rufino Tamayo. But now their daughter has grown up, their friends are too famous to call, and artistic inspiration has been strangled by isolation and lies. Set in the northern Mexican desert in 1950, Mariela In The Desert is a deadly mystery-a layered yet profoundly honest story of what happens to a family when creativity is forced to dry and wither away.

"If Mariela's life is the terrain, her need to create is water," said Director Rebecca Ward. Without water, there is only the desert. "Each character is lacking something vital to their existence," Ward said. "They are all wandering in the desert. And this play is filled with funny. You're going to laugh." Ward adds that the nature of this play should leave a lasting impression on audience members well after the final scene plays out. "When I leave the theater, I'm happiest when I am still in the piece even though I'm out on the sidewalks," she said.

Mariela In The Desert is directed by Rebecca Ward and stars Melinda Capeles Rowe, Lissette DeJesus, Rolando Martín Gómez, Sean Marciniak, Carlos Rafael Maggiolo and Victoria Pérez. Performances are at the Subversive Theatre Collective, 3rd Floor, 255 Great Arrow Ave., Buffalo, NY 14207. General admission tickets are $20 each while tickets for students and seniors are $15 each. Tickets can be reserved by calling 716-381-9333 or by visiting raicestheatrecompany.com.