La Posada Mágica Celebrates its 15th Consecutive Season at South Coast Rep

Blending the traditions of Mexican street theater and Latin Jazz, La Posada Mágica (The Magical Journey) returns to South Coast Repertory for its 15th consecutive holiday season. This contemporary counterpart to A Christmas Carol is written and directed by Octavio Solis with music by Marcos Loya. Performed in English, La Posada Mágica runs on the Julianne Argyros Stage from Dec. 11 through Dec. 23. Low-priced previews begin Dec. 11. Opening Night is Dec. 14 at 4:30 p.m. Tickets to La Posada Mágica may be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or in person at the SCR box office.

Set on Christmas Eve, La Posada Mágica is the story of Gracie, a 15-year-old girl who has lost her connection with the holiday after her baby brother's death earlier in the year. Despondent over the loss, she shuns her family's attempts to celebrate. When a posada of her neighbors arrives at her home, she is reluctantly swept along by their enthusiasm. Along the way Gracie blows out each procession candle, sending the march off course and onto an amazing journey. By its end, she and the others have re-discovered Christmas and community.

Playwright Solis based La Posada Mágica on the traditional Latin American Christmas observance in which community members make a procession through their neighborhood to commemorate Mary and Joseph's search for lodging. Jazz musician/composer Loya will perform his songs and music live at every performance.

Thanks to the generosity of Target, this year's presentation of La Posada Mágica includes a special Target Family Performance on December 20 at 11:00 a.m.

Octavio Solis is a playwright and director living in San Francisco. His works Lydia, June in a Box, Lethe, Marfa Lights, Gibraltar, The Ballad of Pancho and Lucy, The 7 Visions of Encarnacion, Bethlehem, Dreamlandia, El Otro, Man of the Flesh, Prospect, El Paso Blue and Santos & Santos have been mounted at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Dallas Theater Center, Magic Theatre, Intersection for the Arts, San Diego Repertory Theatre, San Jose Repertory Theatre, ShadowLight Theatre in San Francisco, Venture Theatre in Philadelphia, Latino Chicago Theatre Company, New York Summer Play Festival and Cornerstone Theater Company. His collaborative works include Burning Dreams, co written with Julie Hebert and Gina Leishman; Shiner, written with Erik Ehn and Great Highway, written with Wendy Weiner. Solis has received an NEA 1995-97 Playwriting Fellowship, the Roger L. Stevens Award from the Kennedy Center, the Will Glickman Playwright Award, a production grant from the Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays, the 1998 TCG/NEA Theatre Artists in Residence Grant, the 1998 McKnight Fellowship grant from Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis and the National Latino Playwriting Award in 2003. He is the recipient of the 2000-01 National Theatre Artists ResidenCy Grant from TCG and the Pew Charitable Trust for Gibraltar at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Solis is a Thornton Wilder Fellow for the MacDowell Colony, a New Dramatists alum, a member of the Dramatists Guild and an Associate Artist at SCR.

Marcos Loya is an accomplished musician, composer and a master of acoustic guitar. His debut CD, Love is the Reason, garnered an Independent Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year nomination. His film music is featured in director Robert Rodriguez' Once Upon a Time in Mexico as well as Deep Cover, The Waterdance, A Million to Juan, Old Gringo, Vibes, Stand and Deliver, Born in East LA, Hold Me, Kiss Me, Thrill Me and Kiss Me a Killer (for which he received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award). With Madonna, he recorded "La Isla Bonita" and appeared in the video.

The cast features Denise Blasor (Consuelo/Widow), Danny Bolero (Papi/Jose Cruz), Sol Castillo (Refugio/Buzzard), Gloria Garayua (Gracie), Miguel Najera (Horacio), Erica Ortega (Mariluz/Mom) and Teresa Velarde (Caridad/Widow). Joining Loya onstage is guitarist Lorenzo Martinez.

The creative team for La Posada Mágica includes Christopher Acebo (scenic design), Shigeru Yaji (costume design), Lonnie Rafael Alcaraz (lighting design), Marcos Loya (musical director), Linda Kostalik (choreographer) and Jennifer Ellen Butler (stage manager).

Socorro and Ernesto Vasquez are the Honorary Producers. Target is the Corporate Producer.

TICKETS to La Posada Mágica (The Magical Journey) can be purchased online at www.scr.org, by phone at (714) 708-5555 or by visiting the box office at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa. Performances begin on Dec. 11 and continue through Dec. 23. Ticket prices range from $14 to $35. Low-priced preview performances are available from Dec. 11-14. Performance times: Previews: Thursday, Dec. 11 at 7:45 p.m., Friday, Dec. 12 at 7:45 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 13 at 3:00 p.m. & 7:45 p.m and Sunday, Dec. 14 at 12:30 p.m. Regular Performances: Tuesday - Friday evenings at 7:45 p.m. Saturdays, Dec. 20 at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Sundays: Dec. 14 at 4:30 p.m. and Dec. 21 at 12:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Discounts are available for children 12 and under and groups of 15 or more.

LOCATION: South Coast Repertory is located at 655 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa, at the Bristol Street/Avenue of the Arts exit off the San Diego (405) Freeway in the Folino Theater Center, part of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Parking is available off Anton Blvd. on Park Center Drive.

CALENDAR: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (11/7-23), A Christmas Carol (11/29-12/27), NewSCRipts: Extraordinary Chambers (12/8), La Posada Mágica (The Magical Journey) (12/11-23), You, Nero (1/4-25), A Year with Frog and Toad (2/13-3/1), Noises Off (2/6-3/8), Goldfish (3/15-4/5).

Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory, under the artistic direction of David Emmes and Martin Benson, is widely recognized as one of the leading professional theaters in the United States. Founded in 1964, SCR is committed to theater that illuminates the compelling personal and social issues of our time, not only on its stages but through its education and outreach programs. While its productions represent a balance of classic and modern theater, SCR is renowned for its extensive new play development program, including the Pacific Playwrights Festival. Of SCR's more than 400 productions, 108 have been world premieres with subsequent stagings achieving enormous success across America and around the world. SCR-developed works have garnered eight Pulitzer Prize nominations with Margaret Edson's Wit winning the prize in 1999 and David Lindsay-Abaire's Rabbit Hole in 2007. Located in Costa Mesa, California, in 2002 SCR opened the Folino Theater Center, an expanded three-theater complex that includes the 507-seat Julianne Argyros Stage, the 336-seat Julianne Argyros Stage and the 94-seat Nicholas Studio.

 

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