Crossing Borders Festival
June 28, 2012 - July 1, 2012
A free festival of new plays by Latino writers, lively conversations, and an outdoor neighborhood party
NOTE: THIS IS A FREE EVENT. PLEASE DISREGARD THE PRICING LISTED ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THIS PAGE.
This summer, Two River Theater is thrilled to present our second annual Crossing Borders festival of new plays by Latino writers, lively conversations, and an outdoor neighborhood party—all free and open to the public! Last year, more than 475 people attended our inaugural festival, and this summer we invite you to join us as we embark on four days of readings, discussions, food, music, and fun! Curated by guest artist Jerry Ruiz, Crossing Borders will feature a company of great actors and directors reading powerful, smart, funny, and personal stories, all written by adventurous playwrights who have found homes in two cultures.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
(Click the links below to reserve your free tickets to your chosen events)
Thursday, June 28
5:30pm Block Party
7:30pm INTRINGULIS (performed in English)
*This performance has a waiting list. Call the box office at 732.345.1400 for more info.
Friday, June 29
7:30pm PINKOLANDIA
Saturday, June 30
3:00pm ENFRASCADA
5:00pm Panel Discussion
7:30pm ICARUS BURNS
Sunday, July 1
3:00pm INTRINGULIS (performed in Spanish)
5:00pm Closing Party
THE PLAYS
We will be presenting these four plays by some of today's most gifted playwrights as staged readings. They will be performed 'bare-bones'-- without sets or costumes, by a group of talented actors with script in hand.
INTRINGULIS
Written and Performed by Carlo Albán
Directed by Erik Pearson
At the age of seven, Carlo Albán left Ecuador and came to America with his parents and two brothers on a tourist visa —and never left. In public, he was a normal American kid who became a successful child actor on Sesame Street; in private, his family concealed their status as undocumented immigrants, living with the fear of being found out and sent away. In a solo performance interwoven with folk songs, Carlo tells his moving, funny, and engaging story of wanting to belong in the country he calls home.
Intringulis will be read twice during the festival, once in English and once in Spanish.
Carlo Albán was born in Ecuador, grew up in Sayreville, New Jersey, and now lives in New York. He played Carlo on Sesame Street from 1992–1997. He continues to work regularly on film and television, and with theaters in New York and around the country.
ICARUS BURNS
By Christopher Oscar Peña
Directed by Daniella Topol
In the social landscape of the 2008 American presidential election, hope and change are giving rise to dreams. Two brothers work to reconcile desire, ambition, and integrity. A TV journalist tries to overcome his fear of telling his own story. And a family of new immigrants attempts to fight a cycle of abuse and make a better life. In this provocative and gripping new play, the lives of six people collide as they struggle to overcome their pasts, stay true to their beliefs, and take care of the people they love.
Icarus Burns will be read in English.
Christopher Oscar Peña is a playwright from California, where he was the first of his immediate family to be born on American soil. Shortly before his birth, his parents emigrated from Honduras, Central America. He now splits his time between New York and Chicago. His work has been developed or seen at The Public Theater, NYU Graduate Acting, INTAR, and many other companies.
ENFRASCADA
By Tanya Saracho
Directed by Jerry Ruiz
When Alicia finds out her fiancé’s been cheating on her, her friends reluctantly convince her to use folk magic to get him back—or at least get back at him. But with each visit to her ‘señoras’—or healers—the spells grow darker and Alicia becomes increasingly obsessed. This sharp ensemble comedy about women’s friendships depicts modern, upwardly mobile Latinas wrestling to reconcile who they’ve become with the culture they’ve come from.
Enfrascada will be read in English, although some dialogue in the play is spoken in Spanish.
Tanya Saracho was born in Mexico, spent her adolescence in South Texas, and now lives in Chicago. She is a writer, performer, and director. Her play El Nogalar, a re-telling of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard set in present-day Northern Mexico, was read at Two River Theater last summer as part of our first Crossing Borders festival.
PINKOLANDIA
By Andrea Thome
Directed by Jose Zayas
Two young sisters living in Reagan-era Wisconsin create imaginary worlds to make sense of their Chilean parents’ exile and troubled marriage. One daughter copes by wrestling with the political and cultural issues she’s hearing about, the other by escaping into a world of pure fantasy. Pinkolandia is a deep, inventive play about finding home in a new place.
Pinkolandia will be read in English, although some dialogue in the play is spoken in Spanish.
Andrea Thome is a Chilean-Costa Rican, Wisconsin-born, self-described ‘mutt’ who grew up navigating the multiple landscapes and languages that inhabit her plays. She now lives in New York, where she currently co-directs FULANA, a media collective that creates cutting political/cultural parodies (www.fulana.org), and directs the Lark Play Development Center’s U.S.-México Playwright Exchange.
Curator Jerry Ruiz was born and raised in South Texas, and has lived in New York for most of the past 10 years. His most recent directing credits include Love Goes to Press for the Mint Theater; Mariela en el Desierto (Mariela in the Desert) by Karen Zacarías for Repertorio Español; Enfrascadaby Tanya Saracho for Clubbed Thumb; Sangre, a re-telling of Blood Wedding by Mando Alvarado for NYC Parks SummerStage; 26 Miles by Quiara Hudes; and other plays. His upcoming projects include A King of Infinite Space, a modern spin on Hamlet by Mando Alvarado, for SummerStage. Jerry was a recipient of the 2009-2011 NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Directors, a 2011 Phil Killian Directing Fellow at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, a Van Lier Directing Fellow at Second Stage from 2007-2009, and a member of the 2008-2009 Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab.He has a BA in English Literature from Harvard and an MFA in Directing from UC San Diego.
Calendar
Artists
Jerry Ruiz
Curator - 2012 Crossing Borders Festival
Curator Jerry Ruiz was born and raised in South Texas, and has lived in New York for most of the past 10 years. His most recent directing credits include Love Goes to Press for the Mint Theater; Mariela en el Desierto (Mariela in the Desert) by Karen Zacarias for Repertorio Espanol; Enfrascadaby Tanya Saracho for Clubbed Thumb; Sangre, a re-telling of Blood Wedding by Mando Alvarado for NYC Parks SummerStage; 26 Miles by Quiara Hudes; and other plays. His upcoming projects include A King of Infinite Space, a modern spin on Hamlet by Mando Alvarado, for SummerStage. Jerry was a recipient of the 2009-2011 NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Directors, a 2011 Phil Killian Directing Fellow at Oregon Shakespeare Festival, a Van Lier Directing Fellow at Second Stage from 2007-2009, and a member of the 2008-2009 Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab.He has a BA in English Literature from Harvard and an MFA in Directing from UC San Diego.
Andrea Thome
Writer - PINKOLANDIA
Andrea Thome is a Chilean-Costa Rican, Wisconsin-born, self-described ‘mutt’ who grew up navigating the multiple landscapes and languages that inhabit her plays. She now lives in New York, where she currently co-directs FULANA, a media collective that creates cutting political/cultural parodies (www.fulana.org), and directs the Lark Play Development Center’s U.S.-Mexico Playwright Exchange.
Carlo Alban
Writer and Performer - INTRINGULIS
Carlo Alban was born in Ecuador, grew up in Sayreville, New Jersey, and now lives in New York. He played Carlo on Sesame Street from 1992–1997. He continues to work regularly on film and television, and with theaters in New York and around the country.
Christopher Oscar Pena
Writer - ICARUS BURNS
Christopher Oscar Pena is a playwright from California, where he was the first of his immediate family to be born on American soil. Shortly before his birth, his parents emigrated from Honduras, Central America. He now splits his time between New York and Chicago. His work has been developed or seen at The Public Theater, NYU Graduate Acting, INTAR, and many other companies.
Tanya Saracho
Writer - ENFRASCADA
Tanya Saracho was born in Mexico, spent her adolescence in South Texas, and now lives in Chicago. She is a writer, performer, and director. Her play El Nogalar, a re-telling of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard set in present-day Northern Mexico, was read at Two River Theater last summer as part of our first Crossing Borders festival.