La Jolla Playhouse Announces World-Premiere Without Walls (WOW) Production: LA LUCHA

La Jolla Playhouse has announced a brand new project as part of its acclaimed Without Walls (WOW) series: La Lucha, a world-premiere immersive experience created by award-winning artist David Israel Reynoso and his company Optika Moderna (WOW Festival productions of Las Quinceañeras, Waking La Llorona).

Presented in partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD), La Lucha will take place at MCASD's downtown location at the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Building, 1100 Kettner Blvd, beginning May 11, with previews taking place April 27 - 30, in tandem with the Playhouse's 2023 WOW Festival. For tickets and information, please visit the official La Lucha ticketing partner Fever or LaJollaPlayhouse.org.

Inspired by Lucha Libre - where professional Mexican wrestlers use masks and high-flying maneuvers to astonish and captivate audiences - La Lucha transports audiences to a realm of ringside thrills and backstage secrets. As you move through mysterious portals, newfound heroes confront their greatest adversaries. You may find yourself in the middle of the action or at the side of the ring, cheering the death-defying match - either way, you won't want to miss the unforgettable world of La Lucha.

No Proscenium listed La Lucha as one of the most anticipated new works of 2023: "The company never fails to elicit wonder with beautifully crafted experiences that leverage Reynoso's well-honed aesthetic and Mexican heritage... A new Optika Moderna warrants a visit to San Diego all on its own."

"We are delighted to partner with MCASD to launch this fascinating new Without Walls project at their re-imagined downtown campus," said Christopher Ashley, The Rich Family Artistic Director of La Jolla Playhouse. "David's work is always stunning and surprising, taking audiences on a scintillating, interactive journey into a singular world of his own creation. La Lucha is no exception and we can't wait to share it with San Diego."

"By joining forces, MCASD and La Jolla Playhouse are allowing local creator David Israel Reynoso to realize his bold vision," said Kathryn Kanjo, MCASD David C. Copley Director and CEO. "The artistic production evokes a story of love, loss, and honor through the trope of Mexican wrestling, subject matter which resonates in this binational region. The collaboration offers audiences a distinctive experience imagined by an acclaimed local artist in the theatrical world."

La Jolla Playhouse's Without Walls (WOW) series has become one of San Diego's most popular and acclaimed performance programs. This signature Playhouse initiative is designed to break the barriers of traditional theatre, offering immersive and site-inspired works that venture beyond the physical confines of the Playhouse facilities. Over the last ten years, the Playhouse has been commissioning and presenting this series of immersive, site-inspired and virtual productions throughout the San Diego community, including eight stand-alone productions, fourteen Digital WOW pieces, and five WOW Festivals.

Optika Moderna is a ground-breaking, immersive company led by San Diego's David Israel Reynoso, the Obie Award-winning costume designer for the Off-Broadway runaway hit Sleep No More (Punchdrunk/Emursive). At La Jolla Playhouse, he designed Las Quinceañeras (2019 WOW Festival), Waking La Llorona (2017 WOW Festival), Liz Lerman's Healing Wars (2015 WOW Festival), Digital WOW's Portaleza, as well as to the yellow house, Queens, Tiger Style! and The Darrell Hammond Project. His other regional scenic and costume design credits include The Old Globe, American Repertory Theater, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Lyric Stage and Gloucester Stage, among many others. He is the recipient of the Elliot Norton Award in Costume Design and a multiple nominee for the IRNE and BroadwayWorld awards.

The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) is the region's foremost forum devoted to the exploration and presentation of the art of today. Open since 1941, we welcome all audiences to reflect on their lives, communities, and the ever-changing world through the powerful prism of contemporary art. Between two MCASD locations - one in the heart of downtown San Diego and the other in the coastal community of La Jolla - we showcase an internationally-recognized collection. MCASD's dynamic exhibition schedule features a vast array of media in an unprecedented variety of spaces, along with a growing dedication to community experiences and public programs. As a cultural hub, MCASD seeks to catalyze conversation in our region.

La Jolla Playhouse is a place where artists and audiences come together to create what's new and next in the American theatre, from Tony Award-winning productions, to imaginative programs for young audiences, to interactive experiences outside our theatre walls. Founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer, the Playhouse is currently led by Tony Award winner Christopher Ashley, the Rich Family Artistic Director of La Jolla Playhouse, and Managing Director Debby Buchholz. The Playhouse is internationally renowned for the development of new plays and musicals, including mounting 110 world premieres, commissioning 65 new works, and sending 33 productions to Broadway - including the hit musical Come From Away - garnering a total of 38 Tony Awards, as well as the 1993 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre.

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