Photos: World Premiere of THE STORYTELLER OF EAST L.A.
Now in previews, the production opens April 18.
Check out production photos from the world premiere of The Storyteller of East L.A. at the Los Angeles Theatre Center in downtown L.A.
Now in previews, the show written by Latino Theater Company resident playwright Evelina Fernández and directed by artistic director Jose Luis Valenzuela, is set to open Saturday, April 18, and runs through May 17.
Developed in the company’s Circle of Imaginistas playwriting group and set in East L.A., where Fernández grew up, the play blends intimate family drama with elements of magical realism to explore themes of memory loss, family dynamics and the complexities of caring for aging loved ones.
Lucy Rodriguez and Sal López (founding members of the Latino Theater Company alongside Fernández and Valenzuela) star as Mercedes, a 90-year-old woman with dementia, and Serafina, the guardian angel with whom Mercy interacts in “The Other Place,” a liminal space existing somewhere between memory and reality. As Mercy’s health declines, her daughters Grace and Mary (Zilah Mendoza and Brenda Banda) and granddaughter Lulu (Blanca Isabella) are forced to confront unresolved tensions and make difficult choices about her care. Their fragile caregiving arrangement is further strained when Mercy’s nighttime caregiver stops coming, afraid to leave home during ICE immigration raids. Daytime caregiver Josefa (Ruth Livier) faces similar fears, even as she tries to ensure that Mercy’s care continues.
Check out production photos here!
Photo credit: Grettel Cortes Photography
Lucy Rodriguez and Blanca Isabella
Lucy Rodriguez and Sal Lopez
Zilah Mendoza, Lucy Rodriguez, Sal Lopez and Blanca Isabella
Zilah Mendoza, Lucy Rodriguez, Blanca Isabella and Sal Lopez
Lucy Rodriguez and Sal Lopez
Zilah Mendoza, Brenda Banda, Blanca Isabella and Sal Lopez
Zilah Mendoza, Brenda Banda and Sal Lopez
Zilah Mendoza, Blanca Isabella, Lucy Rodriguez. Brenda Banda, Sal Lopez and Ruth Livier
Sal Lopez, Blanca Isabella, Lucy Rodriguez, Brenda Banda and Zilah Mendoza
Blanca Isabella, Lucy Rodriguez and Zilah Menoza
Blanca Isabella and Lucy Rodriguez
Sal Lopez, Blanca Isabella, Lucy Rodriguez, Brenda Banda and Zilah Mendoza
Downstage: Ruth Livier, Sal Lopez Upstage: Brenda Banda, Zilah Mendoza and Blanca Isabella
Ruth Livier, Lucy Rodriguez and Sal Lopez
Blanca Isabella, Sal Lopez and Lucy Rodriguez
Zilah Mendoza, Blanca Isabella, Sal Lopez, Lucy Rodriguez and Brenda Banda
Ruth Livier and Lucy Rodriguez
Blanca Isabella
Lucy Rodriguez
Sal Lopez and Lucy Rodriguez
Lucy Rodriguez and Sal Lopez
Zilah Mendoza, Brenda Banda, Lucy Rodriguez, Sal Lopez and Blanca Isabella
Blanca Isabella, Ruth Livier and Lucy Rodriguez
Blanca Isabella and Lucy Rodriguez
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