ON THE WINGS OF A MARIPOSA Opens First Stage's 2019/20 Main Stage Season

First Stage begins its 2019/20 main stage season with ON THE WINGS OF A MARIPOSA, a lyrical, bilingual play written by Playwright-in-Residence Alvaro Saar Rios and directed by Karen Estrada. This world premiere production is adapted from the book Ghost Wings by popular Milwaukee author Barbara Joosse, features original music and lyrics by Dinorah Márquez and is a collaboration with Latino Arts Strings Program and United Community Center. Ten-year-old Pilar breathes deeply of her grandmother's rebozo to relive memories of her beloved abuelita - making corn tortillas, dueling the monsters under the bed and journeying to the forest known as El Círculo Mágico. Slowly, the scent begins to fade - and with it, Pilar's memories of her grandmother. Amidst the monarch butterflies' annual migration and Día de los Muertos celebrations, audiences can soar with Pilar on her journey as she discovers that "when you love someone, they never really leave you." Supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

ON THE WINGS OF A MARIPOSA runs October 18 - November 10, 2019 at the Marcus Center's Todd Wehr Theater, located at 929 N. Water Street in downtown Milwaukee. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Marcus Center Box Office at 929 N. Water Street, by phone at (414) 273-7206 or online at www.firststage.org. Performance runtime is approximately 90 minutes, including intermission. Suggested for families with young people ages 5 - 17+.

Artistic Director Jeff Frank shared how ON THE WINGS OF A MARIPOSA came to fruition: "With over three years in development, the creation of this play has been a journey marked by joy, heart and an amazing collaborative spirit. While we were working on LOVABYE DRAGON, a musical adapted from Barbara Joosse's Dragon and Girl books, our Community Engagement Manager Lucia Lozano shared another book by Barbara - Ghost Wings. I found the journey of this young girl in Ghost Wings struggling with the loss of her abuelita - her grandmother - incredibly touching. I reached out to playwright Alvaro Saar Rios who we had worked with us before (MOLE HILL STORIES and LUCHADORA!) to see if he might be interested in working on this project. He also fell in love with the story and agreed to take on the challenge of adapting it for the stage. We both felt that Dinorah Márquez, director of the Latino Arts Strings Program, would be an incredible asset for us. I met with Dinorah, and discovered that this beautiful story that Barbara had written was set in the area of Mexico where Dinorah's family had grown up. She eagerly joined the team. One more piece of the puzzle came into place when the amazing First Stage alum and actor, Karen Estrada, agreed to direct the play."

Jeff continued, "We can't wait to bring this touching, joy-filled celebration of family to our audiences. The power of the story, combined with music composed by Dinorah and recorded with students from Latino Arts Strings Program, will make this a play we will all long remember."

Director Karen Estrada added, "In our play, one small human learns from countless generations how to put ritual in place to soothe grief, celebrate life and make friends with the aching joy of being human. She is unique, yet also entirely part of the whole. . . . We, our little community of theater-makers, are so pleased to tell you this story to remind you that we all share this particular migration, to remind you that you are not alone, to comfort you in your unique grief and to hold you in the awe of our shared humanity."

To learn more about the story on how ON THE WINGS OF A MARIPOSA came together, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGNX94gslJo&t=1s

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