Greenway Arts Alliance Presents WET: A DACAmented Journey

Greenway Arts Alliance will present the critically acclaimed WET: A DACAmented Journey written and performed by Alex Alpharaoh and directed by Daphnie Sicre.

The production will kick off Greenway's25th Anniversary Season at Greenway Court Theatre in Los Angeles (544 N. Fairfax Avenue). Performances begin on October 22 and run to November 13. The opening dates for WET: A DACAmented Journey are Saturday, October 22 at 8:00 p.m. for the English-language performance and Sunday, October 30 at 7:00 p.m. for the Spanish-language performance. For tickets and the schedule of the English- and Spanish-language performances, visit GreenwayCourtTheatre.org.

After an eight-city national tour, the award-winning solo performance WET: A DACAmented Journey will see its first theatrical reboot at Greenway Court Theatre. WET is the story of what it means to be an American in every sense of the word except for one: on paper. Chronicling the story of Anner Cividanis' Journey as an undocumented American, the play captures the desperation that DREAMers experience with limited options of adjustment of status under a broken U.S. Immigration System. Praised as a deliverance beyond the scope of "movies, Netflix, video gaming, and cyber entertainment" by LA WEEKLY, WET unravels the mental, emotional, and psychological hardship in the thrills between hilarity and heartbreak.

"WET was one of those shows that always had a buzz with my theater buddies, but they didn't get a chance to see it due to a limited run," said Pierson Blaetz, Greenway Arts Alliance Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director. "I'm happy that Los Angeles audiences will get another chance to see this important play."

Whitney Weston, Greenway Arts Alliance Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director added, "We are grateful to Alex Alpharaoh for performing his incredibly powerful play in both Spanish and English. This will allow Greenway to reach more audiences and share WET: A DACAmented Journey to a wider Los Angeles community."

Playwright and performer Alex Alpharaoh shared, "I first stepped foot into Greenway Court Theatre as a fan of Da Poetry Lounge in 2010. The following year, I visited the Melrose Trading Post for the first time. In 2017, I was in Greenway's production of The House on Mango Street directed by Alex Meda. That production gave me the opportunity to join Actors Equity Association. That same year, Pierson and Whitney gave me an opportunity to become a teaching artist through their GreenwayREADS program, and I've been a part of the Greenway Arts Alliance family ever since. In 2018, I was invited to produce a night of my spoken word play titled "Don't Talk About It, SP!T About It" on the Greenway Court Theatre Stage as part of the inaugural Get Down Festival. I am grateful for the artistic and professional development opportunities that I have received and feel deeply honored to share my most important theatrical work to date on the Greenway Court Theatre stage. Greenway has provided me and WET: A DACAmented Journey with a home."

Playwright and performer Alex Alpharaoh is a multi-disciplined award-winning performance artist from Los Angeles. Alpharaoh earned his reputation as an emcee and spoken word artist by honing his skills in various venues throughout Los Angeles including Da Poetry Lounge, Project Blow'd, etc. He's performed in venues throughout the country including D.C.'s Busboys and Poets, and New York's renowned Nuyorican Cafe. Beyond his artistic talents, Alex is also an educator, social worker, and activist. Notably, Alex has been a resident teaching artist for Greenway Arts Alliance since 2017, sharing with hundreds of students his passion for poetry and vision for a more equitable future. In participation with "GreenwayREADS," a program at Greenway Arts Alliance that engage high school students with experienced artists and literature, the theatrical reboot of WET will illuminate students on the current state of the nation and the lives of the often silenced and the forgotten.

Director Daphnie Sicre just finished directing the two musical monologues for So Proudly We Hail at the Hollywood Fringe (New Musicals Inc.), and two live stage readings Negra-the Musical (Robey Theatre Company) and You can cry if you want to by Natalie Camunas (The Road Theatre). Last summer she directed the live production of Waiting (Playwrights' Arena) by Daniel A. Olivas, prior to a year of Zoom productions: Black Mexican (San Diego Rep/Latinx New Play Festival), This Bitch by Adrienne Dawes (Austin Latinx New Play Festival), Diversity Awareness Picnic by Leah Nanako Winkler (LMU), Talking Peace by France-Luce Benson (Fountain Theatre) plus multiple stage readings. Teaching theatre at LMU, she directing debut was In the Heights before the pandemic hit, followed by Everybody by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins upon returning to campus. Select New York City directing credits include: Jose Casas's 14 (BMCC), Shower Me by Sheyenne Brown (FringeNYC), Stranger by Kendra Augustin (Stage Black), where she won Best Director and the AUDELCO nominated Not About Eve by Karl Williams.

Joining the WET: A DACAmented Journey creative team with playwright Alex Alpharaoh and director Daphnie Sicre are set designer Christopher Murillo, scenic design collaborator Daniel Beltran a.k.a. Skiyu, lighting designer Azra King-Abadi, sound and projection designer Omar Ramos, and production stage manager Graciela Rodriguez.

This production is also the final component of Greenway's literacy program, GreenwayREADS, where LAUSD English and Drama classes work with Greenway Institute for the Arts' teaching artist and see a matinee performance of the play at the Greenway Court Theatre free of charge.

Alex Alphharoah's WET: A DACAmented Journey originally opened in 2017 at the Ensemble Studio Theatre in Los Angles. The production starred Alpharaoh and was directed by Kevin Comartin. WET later received an eight-city national tour.

WET: A DACAmented Journey will play at Greenway Court Theatre, 544 North Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90036 from October 22 - November 13, 2022; with the official press opening on Saturday, October 22 at 8:00 p.m. for the English-language performance and Sunday, October 30 at 7:00 p.m. for the Spanish-language performance. The regular performance schedule is Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 7:00 p.m. The second Spanish-language performance is on Saturday, November 5 at 3:00 p.m. Regular ticket prices are $28 with general admission seating. Tickets are available at GreenwayCourtTheatre.org. For more information call 323-673-0544 or visitGreenwayCourtTheatre.org. Free parking is available in the Fairfax High School parking lot on Fairfax and Clinton, directly adjacent to the theatre.

Greenway Arts Alliance (GAA) was Co-Founded in 1997 by artists-activists Whitney Weston and Pierson Blaetz, both of whom serve as Co-Artistic Directors for the organization. The organization is a community-based nonprofit, whose mission is to unite communities through its art (Greenway Court Theatre), education (Greenway Institute for the Arts) and enterprise (Melrose Trading Post) programs. GAA is based on the campus of Fairfax High School. Greenway Institute for the Arts (GIA) fosters education through creativity by offering both in-school and after-school multidisciplinary arts programs. Classes and workshops are offered at no cost to Fairfax High School students. Presented with opportunities to engage with professional artists, young people can discover their individual voices and passions. Through Greenway's unique partnership with Fairfax High, students are exposed to a myriad of opportunities for creative collaboration through Greenway Court Theatre and at the Melrose Trading Post.

Greenway Court Theatre was initially built by Fairfax High School students in 1939 as a class project and used as a Social Hall by both students and faculty. It sat virtually unused for many years until it was finally renovated into a professional 99-seat theatre by Greenway Arts Alliance in 2000, to benefit both the school and the surrounding community. Greenway Court Theatre has a rich history of presenting and producing diverse bodies of work. Greenway has opened its door to many main-stage productions, weekly open mic poetry, festivals and world premieres that have moved to larger venues and toured across the country. Mohammed Ali Ojarigi serves as Producing Director of the Greenway Court Theatre.

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