Teatro Luna Adds LULLABY To 2010/11 Season Lineup, Runs 10/4-17

Teatro Luna, Chicago's All-Latina Theatre, makes a change moving to the Greenhouse Theater Center for the second production of their 10th anniversary season celebration with a quirky new play entitled Lullaby, penned by one of their very own, Diane Herrera. This fall, the Lunaticas take on the mythological, all things bizarre in this twilight zone inspired play. Lullaby runs October 4 - 17, 2010 at the Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave., Chicago. Directed by Artistic Associate Maria Enriquez and Founding Ensemble Member Miranda Gonzalez, and featuring an exciting group of new ladies on the TL stage. Tickets are currently on sale at www.greenhousetheater.org for $12, $15, $20, and $25.

What happens when an all-Latina cast explores the bizarre world of Bigfoot, aliens, werewolves, and mermaids? Take a trip to dreamland as Playwright and Ensemble Member Diane Herrera guides us through the twilight zone and smartly examines themes of love, death, loneliness, motherhood, and magic in the second offering in Teatro Luna's 10th Anniversary Season, Lullaby. This play marks another step forward in the production history of the company: Lullaby is the third full-length production written by an ensemble member and the first direct product of the pilot year of our Luna PlayLab. Let Teatro Luna tuck you in with our cantos de cuna unlike any you've heard.

"Lullaby is one of those plays that Teatro Luna feel's an incredible amount of enthusiasm for, particularly because its one of our own. It is so outside of the box in terms of the kind of work people are used to from Teatro Luna, but that is fundamentally one of the reasons we needed to produce it!" says Managing Director Alex Meda. "We started as an actor-driven organization, and performers still are at the heart of what we do. But, as we grow, we placing a larger emphasis on creating a safe space for Latina playwrights to push themselves, experiment, and play with kooky concepts. And although Lullaby is not the traditional, cheeky TL, you're going to see our mark all over this play--particularly in the aural environments Composer Miles Polaski and Sound Designer Andrew Wheatley are creating."

"I was extremely fortunate to have been able to develop Lullaby through the PlayLab 2 workshops of the Luna Incubation Series," says playwright Herrera. "I was able to bring in scene after scene to a loving, supportive environment of Latina writers who could be honest yet positive about their feedback. I'm grateful that Teatro Luna is giving me the opportunity to have this play produced. . . it makes me proud to be part of an organization that does indeed support Latina artists from start to finish. In my case, I started as a company member writing pieces for ensemble-built shows, to writing solo plays, and now a full-length play! It's been quite a journey!"

Lullaby is presented in English.

WHAT: Lullaby, written by Diane Herrera and presented by Chicago's All-Latina Theatre Company

WHERE: Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave.

WHEN: Preview: October 4, 2010 at 8:00 p.m.
Opening: October 6, 2010 at 8:00 p.m.
Runs: October 6 - 17, 2010, Wednesdays - Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 3:00 and 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 3:00 p.m.

WHO: Directed by: Maria Enriquez and Miranda Gonzalez; Workshopped with Allyson Gonzalez; Featuring: Angelica Acedebo, Maria Enriquez**, Miranda Gonzalez*, Christina Igaravidez, Beatriz Jamaica, Gabby Ortiz, and Lauren Villegas*

*Denotes Ensemble Membership **Denotes Artistic Association

Written by: Diane Herrera (Ensemble Member)

Production Team: Producer: Alex Meda for Teatro Luna; Stage Manager: Amy Prindle; Composer: Miles Polaski; Set and Props Design: James Ogden; Sound Design: Andrew Wheatley; Costume Design: Christine Pascual; Lighting Design: Mac Vaughey (Artistic Associate)

HOW MUCH? PREVIEWS: $12.00. GENERAL: $12.00, $15.00, $20.00, and $25.00

TO PURCHASE TICKETS:
Tickets now on sale online at www.greenhousetheater.org
For Group Sales call (773) 878-LUNA (5862) (not a reservation line)
Please visit www.teatroluna.org for more information.

Diane Herrera is an Ensemble Member with Teatro Luna as well as the PlayLab Director for the Luna Incubation series. She has participated as a writer/performer in several Teatro Luna ensemble projects, including The Maria Chronicles and S-E-X-Oh: The Remix! and most recently wrote and understudied for GL 2010: Not Your Generic Latina. Two of her solo works, "The Dress" and "Pregnant Pause," were performed in Chicago as part of Teatro Luna's productions of Solo Latinas and Solo Tu. Another solo piece, "The Job," premiered at Sola Voce Estrogenius in New York. Other recent acting credits include El Grito del Bronx at the Goodman Theater and A Dozen Guns N Rosas at Gorilla Tango Theater. Diane has extensive sketch comedy-writing and improv experience as well. She has produced several shows with Midtown and ¡Salsation!, including My Big Fat Quincenera. She is currently performing with MARIA, an all-Latina Improv group. On the playwriting side, Diane had her 10-Minute play, Homecoming, featured in Chicago Dramatists' Many Voices Workshop 2007 and received the top prize for Chicago Dramatists' Many Voices Project 2006 10-Minute Play competition with her piece titled Unidentified. Other productions include Coffee Talk at the Chopin Theater and staged readings of Our Family Moment at Teatro Luna. Diane is a graduate of the Second City Conservatory and has a BFA in Playwriting from The Theatre School at DePaul University (formerly the Goodman School of Drama). She thanks Teatro Luna for this exciting opportunity to showcase her work. She also thanks Eddie for being amazing and supportive, and Allie and Amelia for their kisses and hugs.

About Teatro Luna: Teatro Luna is Chicago's first and only all-Latina theater ensemble dedicated to creating original work that honors Latina lives and showcases the talents of Latina/Hispana artists. Founded in 2000, Teatro Luna is dedicated to expanding the range of Latina/Hispana roles visible on the Chicago stage and beyond. Previous shows include Generic Latina, Dejame Contarte, Kita y Fernanda, The Maria Chronicles, SÓLO Latinas, S-E-X-Oh!, Quita Mitos, Lunatic(a)s, MACHOS, SÓLO Tú, JARRED (A Hoodoo Comedy), S-E-X-Oh!: The Remix!, Lunatic(a)s 2009, and GL 2010: Not Your Generic Latina. Teatro Luna tours colleges and festivals across the country with a blend of ensemble-created performances, visit www.teatroluna.org for more information. To book Teatro Luna for a performance at your next event, email: touring@teatroluna.org

Central to its mission is Teatro Luna's commitment to nurture Latina talent and develop new plays. The driving forces behind the mission are Teatro Luna's Artistic Ensemble and Artistic Associate Collective, including:
Ensemble Members: Dr. Liza Ann Acosta, Diane Herrera, Miranda Gonzalez, Suzette Mayobre, and Lauren Villegas.
Artistic Associates: Desiree Castro, Maria Enriquez, Ilana Faust, Petrucia Finkler, Marie Antoinette Flores, Diana Pando, Christine Pascual, Tamara Roberts, and Mac Vaughey.

Visit Teatro Luna Virtually: watch artist interviews and videos at www.youtube.com/teatroluna, catch the latest backstage news on our blog, teatroluna.wordpress.com; Friend us at Facebook.com/TeatroLunaChicago, follow us at Twitter.com/teatroluna, and stay tuned for our new website launching October 2010.

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