'A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings'

Nilo Cruz' ADAPTATION OF GABRIEL GARCIA MARQUEZ' A VERY OLD MAN WITH ENORMOUS WINGS TO BE PRESENTED BY THE PLAYGROUND THEATRE IN SOUTH FLORIDA PREMIERE, TO BE PERFORMED APRIL 11-15, AT SHORES PERFORMING ARTS THEATER FOLLOWED BY APRIL 20-24 RUN AT MIAMI BEACH'S COLONY THEATER 

Stepping up to further enhance its growing reputation as South Florida's most provocative young people's theater, The PlayGround Theatre announces it has obtained the rights and will present Pulitzer Prize winner Nilo Cruz' adaptation of Nobel Prize winner Gabriel García Márquez' powerful story of faith and imagination, A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, in its South Florida premiere, Wednesday, April 11-Sunday, April 15 at Miami's Shores Performing Arts Theater, followed by a three-day run, Friday, April 20- Sunday, April 22, at Miami Beach's Colony Theater.

Directed by Stephanie Ansin, the ensemble cast of eight includes Melissa Almaguer, Meshaun Labrone Arnold, Jeff Keogh, Sandie Luna, John Page, Jesus Quintero, Valerie Stanford, and Ricky Waugh. Set and puppet design are by Emil Kapelush, costumes by Yana Glushanok, lighting by S. Ryan Schmidt, and original music Luciano Stazzone, Fernando Diez and Luciana De Oto sound design by Luciano Stazzone and choreography by Octavio Campos.

Recommended for ages 10 and up, A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, Cruz' first play for young people, was developed in 2002 at The Children's Theater Company in Minneapolis. Adapted by Cruz from Márquez' short story of the same title published in 1955 in the collection, "Leaf Storm and Other Stories," the play takes place in a remote Caribbean town where on one evening, a mysterious creature that resembles a very old man with enormous wings falls from the sky. Found by two children, fear turns to understanding when they, and eventually the villagers, realize this strange "angel" means them no harm, but is a symbol of the healing and love he can bring to their world.

In an artist's statement, Cruz wrote, "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings is close to my heart. I am attracted to Master Márquez' work because of his use of lyrical images. Like García Márquez, I make use of magic realism in my plays, although I call it realism that is magical. My characters usually leave their immediate reality through the imagination. The whole landscape of Mr. Márquez's work lends itself to grand and fantastic theater. He has a way of capturing both adult and young audiences with his whimsical and humorous imagination."

Award-winning author Gabriel García Márquez was born on March 6, 1928 in Aracataca, a town in Northern Colombia. He studied law for two years before changing direction and pursuing journalism. He has lived and worked all over the world writing for newspapers and magazines, and publishing serials, short stories, novels, and political essays. In 1975 Márquez helped to found the Colombian party "Firmes" and formed HABEAS, an organization dedicated to the assistance of political prisoners. In 1982 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Playwright Nilo Cruz's work has been produced at prestigious theaters across the U.S., including the Magic Theatre in San Francisco, the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, the New York Theatre Workshop, and The Public Theatre and New York Shakespeare Festival in New York. He has held residencies at The Royal Court Theatre and at The Public Theatre/New York Shakespeare Festival. He holds an MFA from Brown University. Born in Matanzas, Cuba, Mr. Cruz was raised in the U.S. and currently resides in New York.

Emil Kapelush is an internationally–acclaimed painter and graphic artist and has designed over 180 productions in Russia, Europe, Asia, and the U.S. Awards include a Golden Mask (Russia's Tony) for Shakespeare's The Tempest and Golden Mask nominations for Sophocles' Oedipus Rex, Strindberg's The Father, Chekhov's Platonov, and Gozzi's Turandot. Kapelush designed The PlayGround's previous productions Pluft, the Little Ghost and The Love of Three Oranges. A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings will open at The Shores Performing Arts Theater, 9806 NE 2^{nd Avenue, Miami Shores on Wednesday, April 11 at 10am. Additional performances Thursday, April 12 at 10am; Friday, April 13 at 10am; Saturday, April 14 at 11am & 3pm; Sunday, April 15 at 3pm; Saturday, May 26 at 11am & 3pm; and Sunday, May 27 at 3pm. At the Colony Theatre, 1040 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, performances are Friday, April 20 at 10am & 4pm; Saturday, April 21 at 11am & 3pm; and Sunday, April 22 at 3pm. Tickets to A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings are $15 each; $10 each for groups of 20 or more; $5 when purchased by students through Culture Shock. Free tickets are available for schools and community groups. Tickets are available by phone (305) 751-9550 ext 231; Fax (305) 751-9556; e-mail: info@theplaygroundtheatre.com; and website: www.theplaygroundtheatre.com.}

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