Teatro Luna and Chicago Theater Sweatshop Premiere TABLES AND BEDS and YOUR PROBLEM WITH MEN, Now thru 4/14

Playwright and stage director, Emilio Williams, will receive two simultaneous productions of his works in Chicago. Born in Madrid, Spain, he is considered one of the leading new voices of the Spanish stage; he moved to Chicago in 2011, the city where his father was born and grew up. In this city, he founded The Chicago Theater Sweatshop, an international troupe dedicated to develop cross-cultural theater projects.

"Everything people say about the Chicago theater scene being welcoming and open to new ideas, is absolutely true" says the playwright whose comedy "Smartphones, a pocket-size farce" opened last summer at Trap Door Theatre. (The play will soon be published by the Martin E. Segal Theater Center in New York.) Also last summer, he co-directed the bilingual show of Barrel of Monkeys with Molly Brennan.

According to Ignacio Olmos, Director of Instituto Cervantes of Chicago: "Emilio is one of the great assets of contemporary Spanish theater. He has been able to perfectly connect with the bicultural Hispano-North American reality, which is the present and the future of the United States. Remember his name!"

:: ABOUT TABLES AND BEDS ::
"Tables and Beds" will be the inaugural production of The Chicago Theater Sweatshop, a new troupe dedicated to develop cross-cultural theater projects. The show will also be the US premiere of this acclaimed European "dramedy", which critics called "modern and intelligent." It was selected "Best Play-2010" among eighty plays from twelve countries.

This American premiere is directed by Williams and stars company members Géraldine Dulex and Chris Popio with Guest Artists Christopher Kauffman and Bryn Packard.

:: ABOUT YOUR PROBLEM WITH MEN ::
Your Problem with Men marks the first time Teatro Luna produces a show written by a male playwright. "Although at first glance the show might seem a far cry from the work that Luna is known for, the Ladies knew they wanted to produce this script as soon as they heard it read for the first time, last year," says Teatro Luna's Executive Director, Alexandra Meda. "The show is funny and complex and its central question was very appealing to our organization: What is our role as women in our romantic relationships? What types do we play and reject"?

Your Problem With Men presents Asun, a woman trapped in an emotional roller coaster ride, surrounded by a colorful string of characters: her parents, her two sisters, her ex-boyfriend, who has become now a shock jock radio personality and, oh yeah, the ghost of Jane Eyre. As the translation developed over the past year, the script also received a sold-out smash hit reading at Repertorio Español in New York City in fall 2012, in its original Spanish form.

This world premiere is directed by Alexandra Meda and features Abigail Vega, Marvin Quijado, and Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel.

Emilio Williams was born in Madrid, Spain, where he is widely regarded as one of the most promising playwrights of his generation. His work has been produced in Spain, France and the United States. Most recently, his comedy "Medea's got some issues" was selected Best International Show at United Solo Festival, Off Broadway at Theater Row, New York City. This summer he directed his own play "Smartphones- a pocket size farce" for Trap Door Theatre to critical acclaim. In 2010, his comedy "Tables and Beds, an unromantic comedy" was selected among 80 plays from 12 countries as the winner of the 4th Premio el Espectáculo Teatral.

Williams is the Artistic Director of the new theater troupe The Chicago Theater Sweatshop. The company is dedicated to producing new, groundbreaking, international comedies in Chicago, while forging creative links with theater artists in our Chicago, New York City, Europe and Latin America.

For more information, visit www.chicagosweatshop.blogspot.com.

Teatro Luna is America's all-Latina theatre ensemble dedicated to creating original devised and single-author work that honors Latina lives and showcases the talents of Latina/Hispana artists. Founded in 2000, Luna is dedicated to expanding the range of Latina roles visible on the Chicago stage and beyond. Luna produces a full season of their original full-length and one-off events year-round and tours colleges/universities, festivals and venues across the country with a blend of ensemble-created performances, workshops, and lectures.

Its varied education programs serve both Adult Latina/All Women of Color and Youth including our ambitious LUNALABS series dedicated to providing free training for women pursuing professional careers in playwriting, directing, producing, acting, and dramaturgy. 2012 marked the launch of the VERA LUNA YOUNG ARTIST LABS. Luna is an award-winning theatre company whose work has been featured in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, American Theatre Magazine, NBC, Univision, NPR, and other major outlets and publications on a wide spectrum ranging from scholarship to cultural, and everything in between.

Some of the company's most well-known work is currently on tour: S-E-X-Oh!, Machos! BE A MAN, Not Your Generic Latina, & Crossed: an investigation on borders & immigration.

For more information, visit www.teatroluna.org or like them on Facebook: facebook.com/teatrolunachicago or follow them at @teatroluna on Twitter.