MITF Presents World Premiere Of LAS ESCENAS DE LA CRUZ 7/17 Thru 8/1

Rooted in true stories and oral histories, LAS ESCENAS DE LA CRUZ/SCENES FROM THE CROSS, is a new play about the poignant and unexpected struggles of recent immigrant youth, performed by the very people who lived them. On Friday, July 17, LAS ESCENAS will make its already sold-out World Premiere as part of the 10th Annual Midtown InterNational Theatre Festival. Presented by Carlton Industries and iDoTheater, an iPOWER project, LAS ESCENAS tours to Mexico later this year in partnership with the not-for-profit Ipsoculta.

Through eight vignettes, actual "scenes from the cross" from Mexico to the U.S. are told in through theatrical traditions including Brechtian agitprop, French farce and American realism. The drama captures the struggles of recent immigrant youth, with stories conceived, created and performed by those very people. The collective concept was generated by members of iDoTheater, a project within the larger NYC non-profit iPOWER. Director and playwright Daniel Carlton scripted the scenes out of their improvisational sessions and submitted the piece for MITF consideration.

"I was extremely impressed with Daniel's drive, ambition and excitement regarding his theatre company's dedication to helping immigrant youth," says Susan Rankus, artistic director of international plays for MITF. "I was also impressed with his team-a large group of driven and committed individuals all inspired by the cause."

The Ensemble cast includes Navit Bautista, Faushell Brito, Xiaodeng Chen, Jose Degante, Jessenia Hernandez, Carlos Jimenez, Emanuel Jimenez, Maxy Jimenez, Joanna Rodriguez, Joel Rodriguez, Jose Rodriguez and Cecilio Ximeyo.

Playwright/Director Daniel Carlton has worked as an actor and teaching artist in more than 35 states across the U.S. As an actor, he spent eight years in New York, regional and touring theater. He is a recipient of a S.A.R.T.A. (Sacramento Area Regional Theater Award) for Best Actor in a Play ("The Laramie Project" at the Harbor Theater, CA), a Leonardo Da Vinci Award for Best Actor in a Musical ("Cowboys!" at Wings Theater, NYC) and an O.O.B.R. Award (Off Off Broadway Review) for Outstanding Achievement. Favorite roles include Lysander in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (Marin Shakespeare, CA) and Don Pedro in "Much Ado About Nothing" (American Shakespeare Center, VA). As a teaching artist, Carlton has facilitated the creation of original works by young people in public schools throughout New York.

LAS ESCENAS DE LA CRUZ runs from July 17-August 1, 2009 at The Dorothy Strelsin Theatre, located in the Abingdon Theatre Complex, 312 W. 36th St (between 8th and 9th Avenues), 1st Floor, New York, NY, 10019. Tickets are $18 ($15 for students and seniors) and available by calling 866-811-4111 or www.midtownfestival.org. Performances take place on July 17 at 7:30 p.m. (SOLD OUT), Saturday, July 18 at 3:00 p.m.; Sunday, July 19 at 4:00 p.m.; Press & VIP Night on Tuesday, July 21 at 6:30 p.m.; Thursday, July 25 at 1:00 p.m. and Wednesday, August 1 at 7:00 p.m. Run time is 60 minutes with no intermission.

Carlton Industries is an arts organization that is focused on community empowerment. Founded by award-winning performer and educator Daniel Carlton, Carlton Industries creates programs that foster language as a means of understanding and expression in its mission to illuminate crucial, hidden realities that act as barriers to global progress.

iPOWER, Immigrant People Organizing and Working for Empowerment and Rights, is a community organization based in New York City. Their mission is to inspire youth activism, providing empowering learning opportunities and leadership development that responds to the needs of immigrant youth and build on existing strengths and knowledge, to achieve a vision of society that values freedom, equality and compassion above all and for all. iDoTheater is one of iPOWER's many program offerings. More at http://www.ipoweryouth.org/.

Now in its 10th year, the Midtown InterNational Theatre Festival (MITF) celebrates the diversity of theatre in New York City and abroad. The festival represents a fantastic, often paradoxical, adventurous, and intriguing cross-section of the theatre community. The MITF proudly hosts production companies from across the country and around the globe, uniting talent in one of the biggest theatre capitals in the world. The 2009 festival runs from July 13 through August 3. More at http://www.midtownfestival.org/.

Photo: Cecilio Ximeyo and Carlos Jimenez
Photo credit: Jeffrey Corrick

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