Tickets Now On Sale For The World Premiere Production Of Jesús I. Valles' BATHHOUSE.PPTX At The Flea

The Flea has announced that tickets are now on sale for the world-premiere production BATHHOUSE.PPTX, written by Jesús I. Valles and directed by Obie Award winner Chay Yew. BATHHOUSE.PPTX will run at The Flea Theater (20 Thomas Street) from Tuesday, March 19 through Monday, April 22, with opening night set for Saturday, March 23.

In line with The Flea's radical new operating model, BATHHOUSE.PPTX has been developed in partnership with Valles as co-producer on all elements of their production.

BATHHOUSE.PPTX was selected as the 2023 recipient of the Yale Drama Prize judged by Jeremy O. Harris, and it is the first recipient of The Flea's production commission program, an open call program that provides a finishing commission and full production to an experimental new work by a Black, brown or queer artist. 

The Flea's Artistic Director, Niegel Smith says, “Every so often you come across a play that is epic in scale, written with delicious language and yet deeply personal, with characters that seize you as they careen toward their desires. Jesús' play grabbed the attention of the entire Flea staff. As soon as we read it, we knew we had to bring it to production!”

Lauren Britt-Elmore, The Flea's Executive Director, is thrilled BATHHOUSE.PPTX is the first show of her tenure. “Everything about this play, from its style and themes, to its long-standing developmental relationship with The Flea, to the professionalism and care our team is affording the production, makes me so proud. The Flea will bring this show to life in a way only we can. I can't wait to open our doors and introduce Jesús to the world,” she said.

“This is one of the most exciting speculative fictions I've encountered in years, using a unique dramaturgy to explore a queer history that is quickly being erased,” said Jeremy O. Harris. “It brought to mind the works of many heroes like Samuel Delany, Martin Crimp, and Kathy Acker.”

As previously announced, BATHHOUSE.PPTX will feature Sam Gonzalez as the ‘Presenter,' a queer latiné student, whose PowerPoint presentation on the history of cleanliness and bathing quickly starts to burst at the seams with appearances from the ghosts of a bathhouse at the end of the world, A Conquistador! Wearing One of Those Hats!, A Very Real Twink, and even Laura Linney.

This deft, ensemble driven production also includes a bevy of characters from past and present that are all inhabited by a shape shifting cast of actors including Claudia Acosta as ‘Chela' and others, Manuel C. Alcazar as ‘Daniel' and others, Esteban Andres Cruz as ‘Mx. Vazquez' and others, Yonatan Gebeyehu as ‘Shaun' and others, and Gilbert Diego Sanchez as ‘Carlos' and others.

The design team includes You-Shin Chen (Scenic Design), Reza Behjat (Lighting Design), Haydee Zelideth Antuñano (Costume Design), John Gasper (Sound Design) Nicholas Hussong (Projection Design), and David Anzuelo (Intimacy and Fight Direction). BATHHOUSE.PPTX's Production Stage Manager is Bea Perez-Arche and the Assistant Stage Manager is Abi Rowe.

About The Flea

The Flea was refounded in 2021 with the mission to support and invest in experimental art by Black, brown, and queer artists. The Flea provides space, financial support, producing partnership and other resources so that they may develop and share their vision in community with audiences.

For more information, please visit www.theflea.org.

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