Lark Play Dev Center Announces U.S./México Playwright Exchange Program

The Lark Play Development Center in collaboration with Mexico's National Fund for Culture and Arts (FONCA) is pleased to announce the 2011 U.S./México Playwright Exchange Program. For the sixth year the Lark will host playwrights from México and pair them with U.S. playwrights, actors, and directors for a ten day cultural exploration which establishes ongoing channels of communication between artists in both countries. This year's partners include Borderlands Theater (Arizona), Repertorio Español (New York), and the Mexican Cultural Institute.

The oldest of Lark's international exchange initiatives-which have involved artists from nearly 50 countries- this program focuses on the creation of stage-worthy translations of new plays from México; it also introduces the visiting international writers and guests to New York's theater scene, industry leaders, and the Lark community. Public readings of these newly translated works will be presented on November 12 and 13 at the Lark BareBones Studio®, followed by a closing night Celebración on November 14 at Repertorio Español. All events are free and open to the public.
This year's exchange includes Acheron: The River of Tragedy by Xavier Villanova, translated by Susana Cook (The Homophobes) , directed by Mariana Carreño-King; Absence by Victor Hugo Rascón Banda, translated by Caridad Svich (The House of the Spirits), directed by Barclay Goldsmith; Memorama by Mario Cantú Toscano, translated by Carmen Rivera (La Gringa), directed by Debbie Saivetz; and Pork Kidneys to Soothe Despair by Alejando Ricaño Rodriguez, translated by Daniel Jáquez (Associate Artist, The Miracle Theatre), directed by Olgá Sanchez.

The 2011 U.S./México Advisory Committee includes Maria Alexandria Beech (playwright), Luis Castro (Executive Director, Time Warner Philanthropic Initiatives), Migdalia Cruz (playwright), Henry Godinez (Resident Artistic Associate, Goodman Theatre), Daniel Jáquez (Calpulli Danza Mexicana), Marléne Ramírez-Cancio (Fulana and Hemispheric Institute), Debbie Saivetz (director), Caridad Svich (playwright), Andrea Thome (U.S./México Playwright Exchange Program Director), and Jose Luis Valenzuela (Executive Director, Latino Theater Company).

This program is a collaboration between the Lark and Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (Mexico's National Fund for Culture and Arts) with support from The Mexican Cultural Institute of New York, and City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs. The Washington Jefferson Hotel is the official hotel or the U.S./México Playwright Exchange Progam. The Lark is a proud participant in the 6th Annual Latin American Cultural Week, produced by PAMAR.

For more information on Lark Play Development Center, please visit www.larktheatre.org. A laboratory for new voices and new ideas, the Lark Play Development Center provides playwrights with indispensable resources to develop their work, nurturing artists at all stages in their careers, and inviting them to express themselves freely in a supportive and rigorous environment. The Lark reaches into untapped local populations and across international boundaries to seek out and embrace unheard voices and diverse perspectives, celebrating differences in language and worldviews. By encouraging artists to define their own goals and creative processes in pursuit of a unique vision, we believe we are reinvigorating the theater's ancient and enduring role as a public forum for discussion, debate and community engagement. The Lark is led by Artistic Director John Clinton Eisner, and Managing Director Michael Robertson.

Public Readings are November 12-13 at 3pm & 7pm. For a full schedule visit www.larktheatre.org.
They are at Lark BareBones Studio, 311 West 43rd Street, 5th Floor (between Eighth and Ninth Avenues).

Celebración is November 14 at 7:30pm at Repertorio Español, 138 East 27th Street (bet. Lexington & 3rd Ave).

ALL EVENTS ARE FREE. Reservations are required.

Visit http://www.larktheatre.org/programs/mexico2011.htm
or call 212-246-2676 x224.

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