Photo Flash: MOTHER ROAD Celebrates Opening Night at Arena Stage

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater presents Octavio Solis' Mother Road, a sequel to John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. Mother Road premiered at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2019 and will run at Arena Stage from February 7 - March 8, 2020 in the iconic in-the-round Fichandler Stage.

The story follows the terminally ill William Joad and his quest to pass down his Oklahoma family farm to a descendant among the Joads who migrated west. When he discovers that the Joad's are now Mexican-American Jodes', he and his only living heir, Martín, must confront their ideas of family, legacy and America. Inspired by Steinbeck's classic, the two men travel from California back to Oklahoma, making an epic and entertaining journey on the Mother Road all while forging an unlikely bond and coming to terms with their brutal past.

This powerful new play, written by Octavio Solis (El Paso Blue, Quixote), examines the crossroads of family, immigration and the American dream.

Making their Arena Stage debuts and reprising their roles from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival production are Mark Murphey (Syracuse Stage's To Kill a Mockingbird) as William Joad, Tony Sancho (Oregon Shakespeare Festival's La Comedia of Errors) as Martín Jodes, Amy Lizardo (California Shakespeare Theater's The Tempest) as Mo and Cedric Lamar (Oregon Shakespeare Festival's The Wiz) as James/Cook.

Also making their Arena Stage debuts are David Anzuelo (Woolly Mammoth's Oedipus El Rey) as Abelardo/Ranch Hand, Natalie Camunas (Cleveland Playhouse's Native Gardens) as Amelia/Chorus Leader, Ted Deasy (Broadway's The Great Society) as Roger/William's Father/State Trooper/ Ranch Hand/Chorus, Derek Garza (Oregon Shakespeare Festival's Othello) as Curtis/Abelardo's Father and Kate Mulligan (Oregon Shakespeare Festival's Hairspray) as Ivy/William's Mother/Police Officer.

Tickets may be purchased online at arenastage.org, by phone at 202-488-3300 or at the Sales Office at 1101 Sixth Street, SW, D.C.

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