Wayward Voices Presents WAYWARD READS in May

In collaboration with Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble, Wayward Voices presents "Wayward Reads," a staged reading production of two one act plays written by BIPOC playwrights on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The Wayward Artist and Breath of Fire share a common goal of providing opportunities for BIPOC artists in theatre. Breath of Fire seeks to enrich the lives of Latinas in the visual and performing arts.

The featured plays are Three Conversations with my Dead Dad by Elvia Susana Rubalcava and Wilt by Baylee Shlichtman. Both playwrights hail from Orange County.

Three Conversations with my Dead Dad is a story about remembrance. Long after her father has passed away, Vero finally unpacks the boxes from her dad's house, only to find old books, pictures, and memories aren't the only things spilling out of them.

Wilt centers on Evan, who is on the run. When he wraps his car around a tree, he's rescued by two very different sisters and taken to their house. It's a place where objects appear at will, the walls are loud, and the flowers have their secrets. And then there's the stuffed elephant from Evan's past that just won't go away.

"These two plays speak to the different ways that we as humans take our pasts and try to move forward into the future," said Melanie Queponds, director of the staged reading. "Both plays touch on how wounds can be passed down from father to daughter, but with such beautiful, opposing tones. I hope that audiences can feel how we are gathering the fire through powerful stories about these women written by two fantastic playwrights."

The Wayward Artist continues its practice and promotion of IDEA, inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility as central to our commitment to serve the Orange County community.

All Wayward Voices shows are performed in the theatre of the Grand Central Art Center in downtown Santa Ana. For more information, or to donate to the Wayward Voices programming, please visit the Wayward Voices page here: https://www.thewaywardartist.org/wayward-voices

Breath of Fire, "a theater that cares [about] its surrounding community...producing vitally relevant and topical work" (Joel Beers, theatre critic and journalist), is an award-winning, only Latina theater company in Orange County, based in downtown Santa Ana, the corazón of the county-came into existence to support the work and enrich the lives of Latinas in the performing arts, to provide representation, opportunities, and leadership roles in traditional arts communities. Conceived in the early 2000's, receiving its non-profit status in 2007, has been making an indelible mark on the Orange County arts scene and the greater Los Angeles area and beyond. Awarded as a Community Leader by OC Human Relations as "a group who has made extraordinary contributions to the county in the area of human and or civil rights." In that time, it has produced more than 20 world premieres.

Since its 2015 re-emergence, Breath of Fire continues to strive to support its mission and to create a more just, more equitable community by: supporting the creative growth of theater artists from historically underrepresented communities, with an emphasis on the Latina community; telling stories that reflect the full complexity and diversity of our community; and sharing stories with our community, in places where people are. Founded on the principles of ensemble collaboration and artistic risk, Breath of Fire Latina Theatre Ensemble is also committed to developing new works by local and national BIPOC artists. For more information visit: breathoffire.org or follow @boflte.

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