Casting Announced For Javier Rivera DeBruin's LUCIERNAGAS at 14th Street Y Theater

National Queer Theater has announced that Teresa Yenque, Gabriela Garcia, Alexandra Taylor, Yasha Lelonek, and Gary Dooley have joined the cast of Javier Rivera DeBruin's new play Luciérnagas, which runs November 12-30 at The Theater at the 14th Street Y (on the corner 1st Avenue and 14th Street in Manhattan).

A semi-finalist for the 2019 New Dramatists Princess Grace Award, Luciérnagas (Spanish for "fireflies") is a story about heritage, legacy, and forgiveness. When Mal's maternal grandmother Lupe dies, she inherits a mysterious cabin in the woods. While visiting this small house for the first time, Mal encounters her estranged mother Silvia, the ghost of her grandmother, and a bioluminescent child named Xara who lives in the walls. Silvia declares ownership of the cabin, Mal struggles to break free from old patterns, and Xara demands to be seen. All the while they parse possessions, secrets, and family dynamics, over a weekend they won't soon forget.

Luciérnagas is directed by Carlos Armesto and co-presented by The Theater at the 14th Street Y. General admission for Luciérnagas is $25, plus a service fee of $2.99. Tickets may be purchased via The Theater at the 14th Street Y website, by calling 646-395-4310, or in person at the 14th Street Y.

The production team for Luciérnagas includes Andrew Perez (Production Manager), Melissa Barry (Stage Manager), Jacob Ettkin (COVID Safety Coordinator/Assistant Stage Manager), Gaya Chatterjee (Set & Props Designer), Germán Martínez (Sound Designer), Oriana Sophia (Costume Designer), and Betsy Chester (Lighting Designer).

"It is an immense privilege working with such a talented group of actors. We are expanding representation across race, gender, and sexuality with the people and stories we see onstage. This ensemble brings magic to Javier's brilliant and poetic new play," says Adam Odsess-Rubin, National Queer Theater's Founding Artistic Director.

Teresa Yenque (she/her) (Lupe) performs extensively in NYC Hispanic and American Theater, working closely with playwright and directors developing several new plays. Ms. Yenque made her Broadway debut with A Streetcar Named Desire next to Natasha Richardson. She just completed a successful run of Like Water for Chocolate at the GALA Theater in Washington DC and Amy Kazan's After the Blast at Lincoln Center. Currently, we can see her in The House of Bernarda Alba at the Spanish Repertory Theater and several films and TV programs.

Gabriela García (she/her) (Silvia) has an extensive international dance and musical theater career. She dedicated 12 years of her life at CHICAGO The Musical on Broadway as well as international companies. Film credits include In The Heights and Enchanted. TV credits include "New Amsterdam," "Succession" and "Jessica Jones." Recently, she worked as associate director/choreographer for Viva Broadway... When We See Ourselves, celebrating the return to Broadway. Other associate projects include Twelfth Night at the Delacorte and Movement Associate for Sweeney Todd at the Barrow Street Theater. She has taught dance around the world and has recorded numerous voiceover commercials for radio and TV for the national Hispanic market in the US and has narrated over 100 audiobook titles. She holds a BA in Performing Arts and is Co-Founder of R.Evolucion Latina. @dancinvida

Alexandra Taylor (she/her) (Mal) is an SAFD-certified actor combatant; she is thrilled and honored to be a part of Luciérnagas. Some recent theatrical credits include San Diego Repertory Theatre's Black Mexican (Rafa), Barefoot Shakespeare Company's Julia Caesar (Antonia), and Henry VI, Part I (Bishop of Winchester). She has also been featured on the true crime podcast Criminal Broads, in the mockumentary web series The Ensemble Experience, and in the horror film Crimson Leaves Pt 2: First Blood. Alextayloractor.com, @taylorrosealex on Instagram.

Yasha Lelonek (she/they) (Xara) is an actor, director, model, and multimedia visual artist from Atlanta, based in Brooklyn. She holds a BFA in Drama from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Through film, photo, live performance, and fine art, Yasha tells gender-expansive stories in the Black Trans dreamscape. She is the director and star of the multimedia film short Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair, creator of the painted-photograph series The Muses, author of the choreopoem FIEBRE, and star of the upcoming short films Pretty Boy and Las Tres Chicas. Since workshopping Jeremy O'Harris' Tell Me If I'm Hurting You at Playwrights Horizons and being selected and interviewed as a Trans cultural leader for The Kennedy Center's Arts Across America series, Yasha has made her NYC theatrical debut in a principal role with Luciérnagas. She enjoys painting, voguing, and writing poetry in her free time.

Gary Dooley (he/him) (George) Recent NY Theatre: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Blanche in a Wheelchair (Vineyard Theatre), Trial on the Potomac (reading) and F*ck Off, Julia (reading). Film/TV: The Good Fight (Donald Trump), Sweet Tooth (short) and Gossip Girl. Member AEA and SAG/AFTRA.

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