ATC Presents World Premiere of WELCOME TO ARROYO'S, 4/15-5/16

American Theater Company (ATC) closes its 25th season with the World Premiere of Kristoffer Diaz's Welcome to Arroyo's. The production is directed by ATC Ensemble Member Jaime Castañeda and will run April 15 - May 16, 2010 at American Theater Company, 1909 W. Byron Street, Chicago. Press Opening is Monday, April 19, 2010 at 7PM.

New York City. 2004. Two DJ narrators spin a hip-hop tale of two siblings' desire to transform their family-run bodega into New York City's next cultural sensation. On the heels of the Off-Broadway premiere of his critically-acclaimed play, The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Diety, ATC premieres this hilarious and heartwarming celebration of the urban rhythms of life and love. Audiences can purchase beverages pre- and post-show at Martyr's, a neighboring music venue, and a rotation of guest DJ's will spin a post-show party after each performance.

"Welcome to Arroyo's is the first full-length play I ever wrote, and it will always have a very special place in my heart," says Diaz. "I'm thrilled to be working with Jaime, PJ, this incredible cast, and a great Chicago theater like ATC to finally stage the world premiere of my baby."

"Diaz creates unique theatrical events or parties onstage that are fun, keenly smart and moving," says director Jaime Castañeda. "The varied themes that run through this play, from the history of Hip Hop to our own identity and familial bonds, make this one of the best plays I've ever worked on."

"Arroyo's is the future of American theatre," adds Paparelli. "Kris has created a community party that brings everyone together to celebrate our uniqueness."

Welcome to Arroyo's is also the centerpiece for ATC's American Mosaic education program. Over 30 ATC teaching artists collaborate with over 700 Chicago Public School students exploring both the literary and performance aspects of the play. The will students rehearse individual scenes in their classrooms and join with students from across the city to perform inter-scholastic student productions of the play on the actual set of the ATC production. The project culminates in the students attending the professional production. The program is sponsored by the Polk Bros. Foundation and the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation.

Welcome to Arroyo's will feature ATC Ensemble Members Joe Minoso as Alejandro Arroyo and Sadieh Rifai as Lelly Santiago. Other featured cast members will include Jackson Doran as Trip Goldstein, Christina Nieves as Amalia Arroyo, GQ as Nelson Cardenal, and Edgar Miguel Sanchez as Officer Derek.

The designers are Keith Pitts (Scenic Co-Designer), David Ferguson (Scenic Co-Designer), Charles Cooper (Lighting Designer), Rick Sims (Sound Designer), Christine Pascual (Costume Designer), Rasean Davonte Thomas Johnson (Projection Designer), and Dana Nestrick (Stage Manager).

Kristoffer Diaz (Playwright) made his Chicago debut in 2009 with The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, produced by Victory Gardens in association with Teatro Vista. His plays have been produced and developed by InterAct, Mixed Blood, the Hip-Hop Theater Festival, The Lark, the Summer Play Festival, the Donmar Warehouse, and South Coast Repertory. Kristoffer was one of the creators of Brink!, the apprentice anthology show at the 2009 Humana Festival of New American Plays.

He is a playwright-in-residence at Teatro Vista, a recipient of both the Future Aesthetics Artist Regrant and the Van Lier Fellowship (New Dramatists), and a member of the Ars Nova Play Group.

Jaime Castañeda (Director) One for the Road (DirectorFest), Crave, Closer, Blue/Orange, Nocturne, Sonnets for an Old Century, Tapas (FireStarter Productions), Red Light Winter (Perseverance Theatre), Miracle Day (45 Bleecker), Biggest A**hole Ever Born (Intar), Long Way Go Down (Hotink festival), Attack of the Asians (Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts-reading), This is How it Goes (Amphibian Stage Productions), Lincolnesque, A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant, Art (Circle Theatre). Jaime has also assistant directed productions at the Atlantic Theater Company, Old Globe Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Center Theatre Group and the recent revival of Speed the Plow on Broadway. At American Theater Company, he served as assistant director on the True West and Topdog/Underdog repertory, and recently became an ensemble member. Jaime has received a Drama League fall fellowship, a 2008 Princess Grace Award (with ATC), various Dallas/Fort Worth Critics awards and a TCG New Generations grant. Jaime is the Artistic Leadership Associate at the Atlantic Theater Company and serves as Artistic Director for FireStarter Productions.

Welcome to Arroyo's will be performed at American Theater Company, 1909 W. Byron St. in Chicago. Previews are Thursday, April 15, 2010 through Saturday, April 17, 2010 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, April 18, 2010 at 3 p.m. Press opening is Monday, April 19, 2010 at 7:00pm. Regular performances run Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m.

Parking is available on the street and at the metered lot on the corner of Lincoln and Berenice. ATC is wheelchair accessible. Tickets are $30 in advance and $10 at the door during previews. Throughout the regular run, tickets are $35 - $50. Student and group discounts are available. ATC's box office is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. on performance Saturdays and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on performance Sundays. For reservations or further information, call 773-409-4125 or visit www.atcweb.org .

About American Theater Company
American Theater Company is an ensemble of artists committed to producing new and classic American stories that ask the question, "What does it mean to be an American?" ATC's Ensemble includes Usman Ally, Patrick Andrews, Kareem Bandealy, Jaime Castañeda, Joe Minoso and Sadieh Rifai.

ATC's Latino Audiences Program is sponsored by The Boeing Company Charitable Trust.
American Theater Company is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, and CityArts II. Additional valuable support is provided by the Alphawood Foundation, the Bruce B. Boyd Foundation, the Elizabeth F. Chaney Foundation, Chicago Community Trust, the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, the Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, the Mayer and Morris Kaplan Family Foundation, the Polk Bros. Foundation, the MacArthur Fund at Prince Charitable Trust, and the Shubert Foundation.

 

 

 

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