Seattle Public Theater Names The Price Of Ambition In FADE

Seattle Public Theater opens its 2018/19 Season #CONFRONTINGAMERICA with Tanya Saracho's witty, true-to-life comedy FADE. In FADE, Mexican-born television writer Lucia is hired to work for a ruthless Hollywood studio. She soon discovers that the studio's Mexican-American custodian, Abel, has a windfall of plot ideas -- but as their friendship grows, his stories begin to blur with hers, leading to unexpected consequences.

"From the opioid crisis to class struggles, from abortion to interracial adoption, our 2018/19 Season confronts issues facing us as nation through the lens of individual experience," says Seattle Public Theater's Co-Artistic Director Kelly Kitchens. Helmed by Latinx director Pilar O'Connell, who also works at the organization as its resident Casting Associate, FADE was chosen to be a part of #CONFRONTINGAMERICA for its intersectional conversation around class, culture, and the price of ambition faced by many women of color in professions dominated by white men. (Seattle Public Theater's twelve-person staff is all women: a rarity in the industry.)

The cast for FADE features Ana Maria Campoy (Lucia) and Marco Voli (Abel). Campoy's bilingual, site-specific production of PROOF, approved by playwright David Auburn, has toured King County for the past two summers. "In a time when we are seeking to define what makes someone an American," says Campoy, "FADE is a new story of the Latinx community, one that is not focused on immigration or gang violence. It's about two individuals trying to figure out how they belong and pursue their American dream without sacrificing a larger part of themselves."

FADE's production team includes Pilar O'Connell (Director); Jenny Littlefield (Scenic Designer); Ahren Buhmann (Lighting Designer); Michael Owcharuk (Sound Designer); Fantasia Rose Oslund (Costume Designer); Jodi Sauerbier (Props Designer); Erin Sutter (Stage Manager); Jaeger Snyder (Assistant Stage Manager); and Maria Manness (Production Manager).

Tanya Saracho was born in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, México. She is a Chicago playwright who currently writes for Television (her work has been seen on HBO's "Looking," "Girls," and "Devious Maids."). Named "Best New Playwright" by Chicago Magazine, Saracho has had plays produced at: Oregon Shakespeare Festival, The Goodman Theater, Steppenwolf Theater, Teatro Vista, Teatro Luna, Fountain Theater, Clubbed Thumb, NEXT Theater and 16th Street Theater. Saracho was named one of nine national Latino "Luminarios" by Café magazine and given the first "Revolucionario" Award in Theater by the National Museum of Mexican Art. She is currently the showrunner of "Vida" on Starz.

Seattle Public Theater produces compelling and socially relevant theater to spark conversation and ignite empathy in order to foster an intellectually curious and inclusive world. Every year, Seattle Public Theater produces five shows as part of its professional Mainstage season at its location in Green Lake in addition to its robust education program and community events.

seattlepublictheater.org/fade

To post a comment, you must register and login.