Goodman Theatre And The Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA) Co-Present MENDOZA

In a unique addition to its upcoming 2018/2019 Season, Goodman Theatre and the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA) will present the U.S. premiere of Mendoza by Los Colochos of Mexico City-the latest in a 30-year history of premiering works by prominent local, national and international Latino playwrights and theater companies. Mendoza is presented as part of Destinos-the 2nd Chicago International Latino Theater Festival, a seven-week festival of Latino theater artists and companies from Chicago, the U.S. and Latin America in shows, panels and student performances at venues citywide. A radically reimagined adaptation of William Shakespeare's Macbeth, Mendoza is a tale of ambition, blood and power by Antonio Zúñiga and Juan Carrillo, directed by Carrillo and presented in Spanish with English supertitles. The limited engagement of Mendoza appears October 2-7, 2018 at Goodman Theatre (170 N. Dearborn); tickets ($25-32; subject to change) go on sale Friday, August 24 by telephone 312.443.3800 or online GoodmanTheatre.org/Mendoza.

Mendoza is among the three world premieres, three North American premieres, three U.S. premieres and four Midwest premieres featured at 2018 Destinos. Destinos takes place September 20 - November 4; complete festival programming and ticket information available at Clata.org. Chicago Community Trust is the Sponsor Partner of Mendoza and Corona Extra is the Official Beverage Sponsor of Mendoza and Destinos.

"We are proud to premiere this bold, explosive piece by Los Colochos-one of Mexico City's most exciting emerging theater companies-during our 2018/2019 Season," said Artistic Director Robert Falls. "We're thrilled to partner for the first time with the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance, which has quickly become an essential addition to our city's vibrant cultural landscape, and help shine a light on some of the hottest new work of the international stage."

Over the past three decades, Goodman Theatre has premiered works by notable Latinx playwrights, including John Leguizamo, Tanya Saracho, Luis Alfaro, Quiara Alegría Hudes, Kristoffer Diaz, Rogelio Martinez, Karen Zacarias, José Rivera and Charise Castro Smith. Under the direction of Goodman Resident Artistic Associate Henry Godinez-a "leader of Chicago's burgeoning Latino community" (The New York Times)-the Goodman introduced more than 160,000 Chicagoans to prominent international, national and local companies in its Latino Theatre Festival, a recurring event that transformed the Goodman into a hub of cultural exchange. Participants include Compañia Marta Carrasco (Spain); Comediants (Spain); Teatro Buendía (Cuba); Teatro de Ciertos Habitantes (Mexico); Pia Fraus (Brazil); Universes (New York); Culture Clash (Los Angeles); and Chicago's Aguijón Theater Company, Luna Negra, Urban Theater Co., Teatro Luna, Teatro Vista and artists like Laura Crotte and Gustavo Leone.

"Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA) finds this collaboration with Goodman Theatre essential to broaden visibility for Latino artists," said CLATA Executive Director Myrna Salazar. "With the production of Mendoza by Los Colochos for Destinos 2018, we all demonstrate to Chicago audiences the resilience and determination of the Mexican spirit-as well as their strong, unyielding cultural traditions."

Returning to camp one night, General Mendoza stumbles across a prophetic witch who claims that he will lead the army. Spurred into action by his wife, he begins a seemingly endless chain of grisly murders. This thrilling, fast-paced and blood-soaked ensemble production is inspired by the work of iconic Mexican writers like Juan Rulfo (Pedro Páramo) and Elena Garro and interwoven with Mexican history-set against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution and evocative of the gruesome events that exploded into the world's consciousness with the 2014 Ayotzinapa massacre.

Los Colochos Teatro, a six-year-old company based in Mexico City, is comprised of professional performers committed to a quality, critical and national theater. The company has participated in national and international festivals, and have had seasons in Mexico City in forums like Teatro Sergio Magaña, Teatro El Milagro, Labtrece, Centro Cultural Carretera 45, Foro A poco No, Teatro El Granero and Foro La Gruta. Productions include El Juego de la Silla, a show of puppets for children about the Mexican Revolution; El Enigma del Serengeti, a farce about the desolation; and Mendoza, an adaptation of William Shakespeare´s Macbeth.

CLATA was founded in 2016 as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization by Myrna Salazar and the three most prominent Chicago Latino arts organizations: National Museum of Mexican Art (NMMA), International Latino Cultural Center (ILCC) and Puerto Rican Arts Alliance (PRAA), with the generous support of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The first annual Destinos festival in the fall of 2017 ran for five weeks, and presented 61 performances by 10 companies from Chicago, U.S. and Latin America. In sum, last year's inaugural festival engaged approximately 8,000 people, including more than 850 students who attended matinee performances and participated in post-show discussions with artists, directors and playwrights. The second annual Destinos 2018 festival is supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Field Foundation of Illinois, The Joyce Foundation, the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, The Chicago Community Trust, Choose Chicago, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Illinois Humanities, Southwest Airlines, Allstate, ComEd and Corona Extra. For more information, visit clata.org or call (312) 631-3112.

"AMERICA'S "BEST REGIONAL THEATRE" (Time magazine), Goodman Theatre is a premier not-for-profit organization distinguished by the excellence and scope of its artistic programming and civic engagement. Led by Artistic Director Robert Falls and Executive Director Roche Schulfer, the theater's artistic priorities include new play development (more than 150 world or American premieres), large scale musical theater works and reimagined classics (celebrated revivals include Falls' productions of Death of a Salesman and The Iceman Cometh). Goodman Theatre artists and productions have earned two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards, over 160 Jeff Awards and many more accolades. In addition, the Goodman is the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in August Wilson's "American Century Cycle" and its annual holiday tradition A Christmas Carol, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2017, has created a new generation of theatergoers. The Goodman also frequently serves as a production partner with local off-Loop theaters and national and international companies by providing financial support or physical space for a variety of artistic endeavors.

Committed to three core values of Quality, Diversity and Community, the Goodman proactively makes inclusion the fabric of the institution and develops education and community engagement programs that support arts as education. This practice uses the process of artistic creation to inspire and empower youth, lifelong learners and audiences to find and/or enhance their voices, stories and abilities. The Goodman's Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement is the home of such programming, most offered free of charge, and has vastly expanded the theater's ability to touch the lives of Chicagoland citizens (with 85% of youth participants coming from underserved communities) since its 2016 opening.

Goodman Theatre was founded by William O. Goodman and his family in honor of their son Kenneth, an important figure in Chicago's cultural renaissance in the early 1900s. The Goodman family's legacy lives on through the continued work and dedication of Kenneth's family, including Albert Ivar Goodman, who with his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton, contributed the necessary funds for the creation of the new Goodman center in 2000.

Today, Goodman Theatre leadership also includes the distinguished members of the Artistic Collective: Brian Dennehy, Rebecca Gilman, Henry Godinez, Dael Orlandersmith, Steve Scott, Chuck Smith, Regina Taylor, Henry Wishcamper and Mary Zimmerman. David W. Fox, Jr.is Chair of Goodman Theatre's Board of Trustees, Denise Stefan Ginascol is Women's Board President and Megan McCarthy Hayes is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.

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