Phoenix Theatre Presents WHEN THE DEAD CRY 9/23

The Phoenix Theatre of Indianapolis announces the Midwest Premiere of When the Dead Cry (Cuando Los Muertos Lloran). Conceived and written by former IPS Superintendent Dr. Esperanza Zendejas, this multi-media one-woman show is brought to life through narration, photos, video and both live and recorded music, opening Thursday, September 23 in the Frank and Katrina Basile Theatre at the Phoenix and playing for four performances that weekend.

In keeping with the Phoenix' on-going effort to represent the growing Latino culture in Indianapolis, When the Dead Cry (Cuando Los Muertos Lloran) will be presented in Spanish on Thursday, September 23 at 7:00 pm and Sunday, September 26 at 2:00 pm. The Spanish performances are at the Duke Energy CheapSeats price of $15.00. Friday, September 24 and Saturday, September 25 performances will be in English and are $25.00 for adults and $15.00 for individuals 20 and younger.

Across America the hope of thousands of immigrants comes to an end as they disappear, never to see their loved ones again. This event tells the story of two such souls who spent eight years waiting in the city morgue for someone to claim them and for their souls to be set free. The catalyst for the script was a brief, but powerful article in a newspaper that caught the eye of Dr. Zendejas, current superintendent of the Alisal Union School District in Salinas, California. Local musician John Alvarado, Trustee Lecturer of Guitar, IUPUI Department of Music and Arts Technology will be providing accompaniment for all performances.
"In 2004, I read that these men were found in Gilroy (California) and had been in the morgue seven years," Zendejas said. "It reminded me so much of stories from my hometown in Mexico. People would go looking for the American Dream and they would get lost in the translation." Her concern that these two John Does not languish and vanish in anonymity was such that Zendejas, after almost a year of negotiations with authorities, managed to have the bodies shipped to her small, mountainous hometown of La Yerbabuena, Michoacán.

Once in La Yerbabuena, the two men received a proper burial, complete with church service and music-filled funeral procession from the church to the hilltop graveyard 1.5 miles away. When the Dead Cry (Cuando Los Muertos Lloran) was created to tell the story of the eight-year journey taken by these two unidentified men. During this story-telling event, Zendejas plays many roles, including the wife left behind contemplating the loss of her husband and the mother who has suffered a loss few can understand.
"This is something that really reached my heart," Zendejas said of the story. "As a girl, I always heard discussions of the men who never returned to their hometowns in Mexico. Ever since I learned to read, I've been reading obituaries and looking for those without a name." Her own father was an illegal alien, and Zendejas reflects that "This could have been his story." Phoenix Producing Director Bryan Fonseca sees this unique theatrical event as performance art, which makes it "A perfect fit for the Phoenix." Fonseca goes on to say "The Basile theatre is a wonderful venue for this event where the world of these two men is recreated in an intimate and warm environment."

When the Dead Cry (Cuando Los Muertos Lloran was created not only as the story of these two unnamed individuals, but as a celebration of their lives and the lives of all people who come to America to live the dream, whether they make it or not. "These men were somebody's sons, somebody's husbands, somebody's father," Zendejas said. "They were, I believe in my heart, innocent victims."

Dr. Zendejas will be in Indianapolis on Thursday, August 26, 2010 and is available for interviews during the day starting at 9:00 am. Please contact Lori Raffel to schedule a time to discuss this unique theatrical event with the playwright/performer at the phone and email listed above.

About the Artists

Zendejas, the youngest of nine children, was born in rural Michoacan, Mexico. Her parents were migrant farm workers. Her father, who worked illegally in California, brought his daughter, "Espy," over the border to the United States in 1961 when she was 9 years old. After becoming a U.S. citizen in 1973, Zendejas moved to the San Diego area where she received a bachelor's degree from San Diego State University in 1975 then earned her master's degree in counseling from the University of San Diego in 1977, and her school administration credentials two years later.

After completing a doctorate at Stanford University in 1985, Zendejas worked at several California school systems and in 1992 became superintendent in Brownsville, Texas, working in a large district of 40,000 students. In 1995, Zendejas became the first Hispanic woman superintendent of Indianapolis Public Schools. She quickly launched ambitious programs to improve schools and cut costs, but both her policies and her personality stirred controversy and after two years in office she announced her resignation. She left the district in December 1997.

John Alvarado received his Bachelor of Music in Performance from DePaul University in Chicago where he was a recipient of the DePaul University Talent Scholarship. While there he was an active supporter of contemporary music, participating in the Chicago Young Composers Festival, Northwestern University New Music Festival, DePaul's New Music program as well as co-founding New Media Productions, a performance art company designed to support, create, and provide a venue for modern performance art.

Alvarado is a regular performer in Indianapolis, having played at venues such as the Indiana History Center, Indianapolis Art Center, Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art, Indianapolis Artsgarden, IUPUI, and Butler University as well as numerous performances on the radio show, Indy Arts and Entertainment. In addition to his work as a soloist, he regularly collaborates with other performing artists including spoken word and dance performances. He is also a founding member and current president of the Indiana Society of the Classical Guitar. In 2008 he was awarded the prestigious Innovative Artist award from Indiana University for his work.

Ticket Prices

In keeping with the Phoenix' on-going effort to represent the growing Latino culture in Indianapolis, When the Dead Cry (Cuando Los Muertos Lloran) will be presented in Spanish on Thursday, September 23 at 7:00 pm and Sunday, September 26 at 2:00 pm. The Spanish performances are at the Duke Energy CheapSeats price of $15.00. Friday, September 24 and Saturday, September 25 performances will be in English and are $25.00 for adults and $15.00 for individuals 20 and younger.

All seating is general admission on a first-come, first-served basis. Performance times are: Thursday, September 23 - 7pm (Spanish); Friday, September 24 and Saturday, September 25 - 8pm; Sunday, September 26 - 2pm (Spanish).

Doors open ½ hour prior to curtain for seating. The Phoenix Pub, located inside the theatre, offers beer, wine, soft drinks, coffee, and bottled water, as well as treats, and all refreshments may be taken into the theatre and consumed during the performance.

For more information about any Phoenix Productions or to purchase tickets, call The Phoenix Theatre box office at 317.635.7529. Tickets may also be purchased online. The theatre's website is www.phoenixtheatre.org.

ABOUT The Phoenix Theatre
"The Phoenix Theatre has cornered the market on hip new works." -- Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune

The Phoenix Theatre is Indiana's only professional Contemporary Theatre, and has presented productions to challenge and entertain the Indianapolis community for 28 years. An Equity house, the Theatre presents the Midwest and Indiana premieres of many popular Broadway and Off-Broadway plays, and has presented more than 82 world premieres in its quarter century. The Phoenix operates the 130-seat proscenium Mainstage as well as the 75-seat cabaret-style black box Frank & Katrina Basile (buh-SEAL) Theatre. The Phoenix Pub, located in the Basile Theatre, serves beer, wine, coffee, soft drinks, water, and treats, and patrons may take all refreshments into either theatre. Both venues are housed along with administrative offices in a renovated 1907 church in downtown Indianapolis' historic Chatham Arch neighborhood, part of the Mass Ave Arts & Theatre District. The Phoenix Theatre is a member of the National New Play Network and the League of Indianapolis Theatres, and is supported by the Indiana Arts Commission, the Arts Council of Indianapolis, and the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as local corporate and foundation funders and more than 500 individual donors.

 

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