La MaMa Announces Talk Back Series for Catherine Filloux's KIDNAP ROAD

KIDNAP ROAD - a new play by Catherine Filloux, based on the real-life story of a female presidential candidate held in captivity for six years by terrorists in Colombia - will be given its world premiere production this spring, presented by La MaMa at its First Floor Theatre (74 E. 4 St.), with previews beginning tomorrow, April 27, prior to the official press opening on April 30.

Directed by Elena Araoz, the cast of KIDNAP ROAD includes Kimber Riddle and Marco Antonio Rodriguez.

In KIDNAP ROAD, Filloux revisits the 2002 abduction of Ingrid Betancourt, a former senator and anti-corruption activist who, while running for President of Colombia, was kidnapped by the Marxist revolutionary terrorist organization, the FARC. The play depicts her ordeal through 'intrusive memory' (a form of PTSD) as her captors, her deceased father, her children, God and a fellow hostage who becomes her lover in captivity populate the kaleidoscope of her trauma.

There will be a series of conversations after select shows, surrounding themes in Kidnap Road. The play runs approximately 70 minutes with no intermission, and the talk backs happen immediately following the show, lasting no more than a half hour.

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Saturday, April 29, 2017 7:30pm Performance

In conversation with Patricia Davis about the book she co-authored with Dianna Ortiz, "The Blindfold's Eyes" regarding the abduction of Sister Dianna Ortiz in Guatemala.

Patricia Davis was a 2015-2016 fellow in Arena Stage's Playwrights' Arena. Her most recent play, Digna, is based on the life of Mexican human rights activist Digna OchoA. Davis is the former director of the Guatemala Human Rights Commission.

Monica Trausch is a Brooklyn-based writer originally from Los Angeles. Her play "The ABCs" will premiere at The Complex Theater in Hollywood this summer.

Sunday, April 30, 2017 2pm Performance

A post-performance conversation surrounding themes in Kidnap Road with Pirronne Yousefzadeh, a Brooklyn-based theatre director, writer, and educator and Martha Wade Steketee, dramaturg, critic, researcher, and theater adjudicator.

Pirronne Yousefzadeh's productions have received fifteen Barrymore nominations, including Outstanding Direction and Outstanding Production.

Martha Wade Steketee works with playwrights, reviews scripts, and serves on boards including American Theatre Critics Association and Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas.

Thursday, May 4, 2017 7:30pm Performance

Order and Disorder in Latin America: a conversation with Alexander Santiago-Jirau.

Alexander Santiago-Jirau is Director of Education at New York Theatre (NYTW). A Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) practitioner who studied and worked with Augusto Boal, Alex has facilitated numerous workshops throughout his career. He is on the faculty for the Program in Educational Theatre at NYU's Steinhardt School.

Sunday, May 7, 2017 2pm Performance

Artists of Kidnap Road in conversation with Caridad Svich.

Caridad Svich received 2012 OBIE for Lifetime Achievement, and the 2011 American Theatre Critics Association Primus Prize. Her plays, in English and Spanish, have been seen across the US and abroad. As a translator she is best know for her translations of Federico Garcia Lorca's plays.

Friday, May 12, 2017 7:30pm Performance

Jeanine Tesori in conversation with Kidnap Road's artistic team.

Jeanine Tesori is an American composer and musical arranger. She is the most prolific and honored female theatrical composer in history, with five Broadway musicals and five Tony Award nominations.

Saturday, May 13, 2017 7:30pm Performance

In conversation with Shilpa Darivemula and Rohini Bhatia the medical students who created The Aseemkala Initiative: The use of dance to tell stories of illness and healing is ancient and powerful. We aim to preserve diversity and promote authentic engagement among indigenous communities through the shared experience of sickness and healing.

Sunday, May 14, 2017 2pm Performance

In conversation with Toni Shapiro-Phim and Amy Lee Sanford about artistic explorations of the legacies of violence and displacement, especially in Cambodia.

Toni Shapiro-Phim's research and writing examines the relationship of the arts to violence, migration, conflict resolution and gender concerns. PhD in anthropology from Cornell, focusing on dance and war in Cambodia. Director of Programs at the Philadelphia Folklore Project.

Amy Lee Sanford, born in Cambodia and raised in the United States, is a performance and installation artist.

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