Milagro Theatre Presents OEDIPUS EL REY, 5/3-5/26

OEDIPUS EL REY, written by Luis Alfaro and directed by Elizabeth Huffman, is set to take the stage at the Milagro Theatre May 3-26. Performances will be heeled Thursdays at 7:30PM, Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM and Sundays at 2PM. Tickets will range from $15-$29 and can be purchased at www.milagro.org or 503-236-7253.

With Chicano swagger and sly sense of humor, Luis Alfaro transports Sophocles’ tragedy to the streets of East L.A. Here Oedipus does hard time for ripping off a Costco, Jocasta splashes on the Jean Naté while glued to “All My Children” and the oracle takes cash only. But the word on the street is not good and the passion Oedipus has for one woman will violate a most sacRed Law. This play, which is presented in English with some Spanish, contains strong language and adult situations.

OEDIPUS EL REY is certainly written for an English-speaking audience. But as a Chicano adaptation of the Greek classic, the play is peppered with Spanish words and phrases. The seamless combination of Spanish and English is an important part of the South Central LA culture that provides the backdrop for the play.

OEDIPUS EL REY is the winner of the Glickman Playwright Award and playwright Luis Alfaro was nominated for the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award.

OEDIPUS EL REY was first produced in a rolling world premiere by Magic Theatre, San Francisco, CA, The Theatre @ Boston Court, Pasadena, CA, and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, Washington, DC, as part of the National New Play Network’s Continued Life program.

Luis Alfaro works in theatre, performance, poetry, short fiction, and journalism. A Chicano born and raised in downtown Los Angeles, Luis is the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation fellowship and is the only playwright to have received two Kennedy Center Fund for New American Play awards in the same year. A former Resident Artist at the Mark Taper Forum for ten years, Luis served as Director of New Play Development. His plays and performances have been seen throughout the Americas and Europe and include Electricidad; Oedipus el Rey; Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner; Black Butterfly; No Holds Barrio; Bitter Homes & Gardens and Straight as a Line. He has taught throughout the country and is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Southern California. He has an award-winning solo recording, down town, an Emmy for his short film, Chicanismo, and his first screenplay, From Prada to Nada, was produced and released by Lionsgate. Luis is currently working with the Magic Theatre in San Francisco, CA on the World Premiere of his new play, Bruja.

Elizabeth Huffman is thrilled to be directing for the first time with Miracle Theatre Group. Her most recent directing projects were King John for Northwest Classical Theatre Company, Oedipus the King and Trojan Women for Classic Greek Theatre of Oregon, and her next directing project is David Mamet's play November for the JANE Theatre Company, opening June 21, 2012 at Theatre/Theatre. Elizabeth will also be performing in her new one woman show: You Belong to Me by Steven Wolfson, as part of the 1 Festival on June 1 & 2, 2012 at Headwaters Theatre. For more information visit her website at www.elizabethhuffman.com.

 

The Miracle Theatre Group has been dedicated to bringing the vibrancy of Latino theatre to the Northwest community and beyond for more than 27 years. In addition to its national tours, Miracle provides a home for Spanish and Latin American arts and culture at El Centro Milagro, where it enriches the local community with a variety of community outreach projects and educational programs designed to share the diversity of Latino culture. For more information about the Miracle Theatre Group, visit www.milagro.org or call 503-236-7253.

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