The Wayward Artist Announces Season Three!

Season three at the Wayward Artist kicks off 2020 exploring the idea of identity. After grounding the inaugural season in faith and exploring the meaning of family in season two, The Wayward Artist reflects on its first two seasons and explores the identity of the company as well as the intricacies of human identity in season three. Through stories of diversity, culture, adolescence, existential searching, and social media, season three stands by and pushes the boundaries of the company's mission.

To launch the season of identity, the Wayward Artists are holding strong to their mission to "produce works unknown" with the second world premiere in their three years of existence. In partnership with Michael-Miguel Productions and funded by a Santa Ana Arts Grant, the Wayward Artist presents "Feliz" by Michael J. Mejia. Directed by LA-based director and teaching artist, Rosa Lisbeth Navarrete, the play follows a Mexican-American family in Bakersfield, CA filled with secrets of addiction, desire and identity. Within the world of Latinx magical realism, the family must finally face the truth they are all avoiding. Feliz kicks off season three on April 17 and runs through May 1, 2020.

Over the summer, Resident Artist Reed Flores directs "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee." The musical features music and lyrics by William Finn and book by Rachel Sheinkin. "Spelling Bee" follows a group of six unique teenagers as they vie for the spelling bee championship of a lifetime. Through personal anecdotes, the characters interact with members of the audience and battle their way through the county spelling bee. The Wayward Artist's summer musical runs July 10 - 26, 2020.

Opening September 18, 2020, Director of Dance Natalie Baldwin McAllen directs the company's third dance concert "Identity: A Dance Collaborative." In order to support the art of dance and movement, "Identity" will use visual art in partnership with dance and music. Exploring race issues, sexual identity, relationships, and social media, "Identity" is a dance collaborative that probes the understanding of self by storytelling through dance and visual art.

Closing the season is "The Nether" by Jennifer Haley. Directed by Artistic Director Craig Tyrl, "The Nether" runs November 13 - 22, 2020. The sci-fi thriller takes place in the Nether, a virtual wonderland that provides total sensory immersion. The virtual world allows users to create an avatar identity and explore their imaginations, but the story quickly turns when a young detective uncovers disturbing information. The play follows her journey of interrogation into the darkest corners of the imaginations in the Nether.

Grand Central Arts Center in downtown Santa Ana, CA is currently the home of the Wayward Artist. Tickets range between $15-$25 and can be purchased online at http://www.thewaywardartist.org/buy-tickets-4567.

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