THE DISPLACED runs at the Potrero Stage, 1695 18th Street in San Francisco September 10 through October 2.
Crowded Fire Theater has announced their return to in-person theatre with the West Coast Premiere of THE DISPLACED by Isaac Gómez, directed by CFT Artistic Director Mina Morita, with Associate Director Karina Gutiérrez, and featuring Jordan Maria Don and Troy Rockett. Crowded Fire will welcome their community of theater lovers back in-person to the Potrero Stage with this visceral, gleeful, terror-filled feast exploring gentrification and displacement.
Marísa and Lev, a couple whose rocky relationship is already clouded by ghosts of the past, are moving into a historic Chicago apartment when a dark and mysterious message appears. Soon, the couple is united in -- and divided by -- terror, as the previous tenants make their pain known. Gomez's funny, razor-sharp script questions who is complicit in an act that leaves deep scars on homes and communities.
From Directors Mina Morita and Karina Gutiérrez, "There's this feeling when you're able to lose yourself in a horror show, your adrenaline pumping and breathless laughter shaking loose. We keep talking about how this play is a feast, a gleeful, terror-filled, feast for the senses. We could not imagine a better way to come back to live theater, to get our hearts pumping in unison again in response to what's up on stage. At the same time, the themes of displacement and gentrification are still very much present in the Bay area. Every media-frenzied 'exodus from San Francisco!!' that we've seen in our lifetime ends up feeling like a gold rush, with outsiders swooping in to snap up the best house and apartment deals they can find. For those of us still trying to hang on, despite diminished employment opportunities -- or for those of us swooping in, trying to make the most of the moment -- this show's themes are going to be important to talk about right now."
Directors Morita and Gutiérrez will lead this two-hander featuring Jordan Maria Don as Marísa and Troy Rockett as Lev. Designers and the creative team include Carlos Aceves (scenic design), Alice Ruiz (costume design), Stephanie Anne Johnson (lighting design), Christopher Sauceda (sound design), Jenny Cedillos (props design), Devon LaBelle (special effects design), Maya Herbsman (intimacy choreography), Carla Pantoja (fight choreography), Toni Guidry (stage manager), and Mylo Cardona (assistant stage manager).
Producing in the time of COVID means that public safety is at the top of their mind. In addition to the city-regulated mask mandates, they have additional spacing, limited capacities, and vaccine requirements. A video-on-demand option will be available for those who find themselves unable to join in person. In addition, all tickets for this production will be pay-what-you-can, recognizing the many ways that the extended shutdown has financially impacted their community. View their full COVID safety plan here.
THE DISPLACED runs at the Potrero Stage, 1695 18th Street in San Francisco September 10 through October 2 (press opening Friday, September 17). Cast photos available at http://www.crowdedfire.org/press/ and http://www.crowdedfire.org/displaced/
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