WOLF AT THE DOOR to Make Anchorage Debut at Perseverance Theatre

Perseverance Theatre, Alaska's premiere regional theatre, announced a co-production of WOLF AT THE DOOR by award-winning playwright Marisela Treviño Orta, presented in partnership with Arciniega Street Productions, a local queer and Latina-owned boutique production company specializing in cultural arts and queer entertainment. The production runs November 27th through December 13th at the UAA Fine Arts MainStage Theatre in Anchorage.

This new partnership pairs Perseverance's 47-year legacy of professional theatre made by and for Alaskans with a new generation of Alaska producers who build work from inside the communities it serves. Directed by Rio Alberto, this production of Wolf At The Door will notably be one that is written, produced, and directed by all Mexican-American artists.

'We at Perseverance Theatre are so proud and elated to be supporting Rio Alberto in their PT directorial debut as well as Arciniega Street's live theatre producing debut! We have longed to support the Mexican-American and Latine voices of Alaska and the perfect opportunity arose when Rio brought us this play and Kendra Arciniega,” said Perseverance Theatre's Artistic Director, Leslie Ishii. “We are also grateful to our Future of the American Theatre Mellon Foundation Cohort colleagues at Crowded Fire Theatre Company, who supported the early development of Wolf At The Door.'

About the Play

Isadora dreams of a life free from her abusive husband, Septimo. When a mysterious pregnant woman named Yolot appears on the grounds of their hacienda seeking shelter from the snow, Septimo devises a plot against her. Can Isadora find the strength to stand up to him? Can she and Yolot find a way to help each other? As a pack of wolves closes in on the hacienda, Isadora must decide what price she'll pay for her own freedom. Wolf at the Door is part of a cycle of fairy tales by Marisela Treviño Orta inspired by Latino folklore and mythology.

This show is recommended for audience members 16 and up, given the strong adult themes.

Wolf At The Door is the second play in Treviño Orta's cycle of 'Grimm Latine/o/x fairy tales,' which also includes The River Bride. Drawing on Aztec conceptions of the afterlife, the Guaraní legend of the luisón, and the European fairy-tale canon, the play is lush, poetic, and unflinching. It premiered in 2018 through the National New Play Network's Rolling World Premiere program and has since been produced by companies including American Players Theatre, Milagro Theatre, and Su Teatro.

About the Production Team

Rio Alberto is a queer Chicano theatre artist from Washington. A first-generation Mexican-American, Alberto's work explores interpersonal connection through the lens of family dynamics, influenced by their own cultural upbringing in rural Adams County, a predominantly Latino community. Seen most recently onstage in Anchorage and Juneau in Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Fun Home, and Devilfish, this production marks Rio's Alaska directing debut with Perseverance Theatre.

”To bring this story to Alaskan audiences is such a gift, and to do it with such a tremendously talented cast is nothing short of a dream come true,” said Wolf At The Door director Rio Alberto, “The story that Marisela has crafted is dreamy and dangerous in the same breath, and I can't wait to produce and present this piece here on Dena'ina Ełnena.”

Kendra Arciniega is a queer Mexican-American creative producer and curator based in Anchorage by way of South Texas. Her creative production background began in the TV, Film & Digital entertainment industry with her work spanning independent and major network projects alike. Now, with her partner and co-producer Mercedes, Arciniega Street Productions is moving into its sixth year of producing creative collaborations in drag, burlesque, live music, dinner shows, and queer nighttime culture with an expansion into scripted entertainment. Wolf At The Door marks their first live theatre production. 

'When I first read the play years ago, I fell in love with the story and how it was told through these courageous women. The themes of resistance, survival, and the thin spiritual veil spoke to me especially as a Latina raised in a multigenerational matriarchal family,' said Wolf At The Door co-producer Kendra Arciniega. 'Arciniega Street partnering with Perseverance Theatre to bring this incredible story to Alaska is such a dream, especially with director Rio Alberto, a longtime artistic collaborator whose vision we deeply admire. We're grateful to the whole Perseverance team for this special opportunity.'