Latino Theater Company presents a poignant new comedy by multiple award-winning resident playwright Evelina Fernández (A Mexican Trilogy, The Mother of Henry). LTC artistic director José Luis Valenzuela directs the world premiere of Sleep with the Angels, set to run May 27 through June 26 at The Los Angeles Theatre Center. Low-priced previews begin May 19.
Sleep with the Angels injects a dollop of magical realism into the everyday lives of two working women. Molly, a busy attorney, has just separated from her husband and is in desperate need of a childcare provider. Juana has recently arrived from Mexico and is looking for a job. It's a perfect match! Soon, Molly and her kids are swept up into Juana's magical and charming ways. But just who is Juana, really?
"The play starts out on a whimsical note-Juana is a sort of indigenous Mary Poppins," says Valenzuela. "Before we realize what's happening, it has us thinking about serious issues: immigration, homophobia, parent-child relationships, marriage. The magical part is learning to be a real human being, and the complexity of that."
Elia Saldana and
Esperanza America star as Molly and the fantastical Juana. Saul Nieto plays Molly's 13-year old, gender curious son, Alex, and Victoria Tamez takes on teen angst-filled older sister, Cindy.
Randy Vasquez is Molly's estranged husband; Eduardo Roman plays family gardener Pablo; and Tina D'Marco portrays Molly's mom.
Like all Latino Theater Company work, Sleep with the Angels is infused with music as well as magic. Musician Robert Revell plays plaintive and joyous Mexican melodies throughout.
The creative team for Sleep with the Angels includes set, lighting and costume designers Emily and Cameron MacDonald-Mock; sound designer
John Zalewski; choreographer
Urbanie Lucero; and casting director Blanca Valdez. The stage manager is Henry "Heno" Fernandez.
Evelina Fernández is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter and actor who writes about the U.S. Latinx experience. Her plays include The Mother of Henry (recipient of the 2020 L.A. Drama Critics Circle Ted Schmitt Award for the world premiere of an outstanding new play, and nominated for two additional LADCC awards including "Outstanding Production"); A Mexican Trilogy (published by Samuel French, recipient of the L.A. Drama Critics Circle 2016 L.A. Drama Critics Circle Ted Schmitt Award for the world premiere of an outstanding new play); Solitude (Los Angeles Times Critic's Choice); Dementia (Los Angeles Times Critic's Choice); La Virgen De Guadalupe, Dios Inantzin (featured in both the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times); Hope: Part II Of A Mexican Trilogy (Ovation nomination for playwriting); Dementia (GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Theater Production in Los Angeles and four Ovation nominations); Charity: Part III Of A Mexican Trilogy (Backstage Critic's Pick); Premeditation (3 Ovation nominations). Evelina's 6-hour epic A Mexican Trilogy: An American Story ran at The Los Angeles Theatre Center in the Fall of 2016 to great acclaim. She was part of the CTG Writers Workshop where she began her "Virgin" series with The Mother of Henry. Other plays include Luminarias, La Olla, Liz Estrada In The City of Angels, Sleep With The Angels, Macario & Departera (for Teatro Vision) and more. She is currently commissioned by South Coast Rep and was a writer for Seasons 2 and 3 of the Emmy-nominated Hulu series East Los High,. She is currently developing A Mexican Trilogy for television with Wise Entertainment and Imagine Entertainment. She is a founding member of the Latino Theater Company, her artistic family at the LATC.
The Latino Theater Company is dedicated to providing a world-class arts center for those pursuing artistic excellence; a laboratory where both tradition and innovation are honored and honed; and a place where the convergence of people, cultures and ideas contribute to the future. Now in its 37th year, LTC has operated The Los Angeles Theatre Center, a landmark building in Downtown's Historic Core, since 2006.
Sleep with the Angels opens on Friday, May 27 at 8 p.m., with performances thereafter taking place on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. through June 26. Six preview performances take place May 19 through May 26 on the same schedule. Tickets range from $10-$48, except opening night which is $58 and includes a post-performance reception, and previews, which are Pay-What-You-Choose starting at $5.
The Los Angeles Theatre Center is located at 514 S. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90013. Parking is available for $5 with box office validation at Joe's Parking structure, 530 S. Spring St. (immediately south of the theater).
To purchase tickets and for more information, including up-to-date Covid-19 safety protocols on the date of each performance, call (213) 489-0994 or go to
www.latinotheaterco.org.
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