En Garde Arts Presents FANDANGO FOR BUTTERFLIES (AND COYOTES) Inspired By The True Stories Of Undocumented Immigrants

Inspired by interviews with undocumented immigrants from Latin America living in New York, En Garde Arts (Anne Hamburger, Founder and Artistic Director) is thrilled to present the world premiere of Fandango for Butterflies (and Coyotes) in all five boroughs of New York City, kicking off on Thursday, February 6 at the historic Ellen Stewart Theatre at La MaMa. The piece will take the form of a fandango, a community celebration where stories are brought to life through live performance, music, and dance.

On the eve of city-wide ICE raids, a group of immigrants gather in an undisclosed community center in NYC for a fandango. As fear encroaches - fear for family left behind in their home countries, fear for loved ones in the middle of their dangerous journey to New York, fear of leaving the sanctuary of the community center simply just get a bag of ice - a sense of camaraderie builds between the participants. Strangers become friends, friends become family, and the fandango plays on.

Fandango for Butterflies (and Coyotes) is a beautifully rendered expression of hope and celebration of community shared through music, dance, and storytelling.

Free tickets are offered to audience members who bring their jaranas and participate in the fandango during this theatrical celebration!

"Two and a half years ago, we turned our focus towards using the full producing and artistic resources of En Garde Arts to humanize the struggles, hopes, and dreams of the undocumented," explains En Garde Arts Founder and Artistic Director Anne Hamburger. "The dehumanization of the undocumented in the United States lays at the feet of the rhetoric of our politicians, the sounds bites expressing hatred on social media, but also emanates from a lack of experience with people coming from different cultures. Using theatre to paint people in flesh and blood terms can help build bridges to understanding. This is what the theatre is uniquely positioned to achieve and why I've chosen to produce Fandango."

The performances will be in English and Spanish with supertitles, making it fully accessible to Spanish and English-speaking audiences.

Fandango for Butterflies (and Coyotes) is written by Andrea Thome and directed by José Zayas. Original music by Sinuhé Padilla and choreography by Alexandra Beller. The all Latinx design team includes Johnny Moreno (scenic and projection design); Maria Cristina Fuste (lighting design); Fabian Fidel Aguilar (costume design); Marcelo Añez (sound design); and Mariana Carreño King (translation). The Production Stage Manager is Carolina Arboleda.

The cast features Jen Anaya (Tamar of the River with Prospect Theater Company), Silvia Dionicio (Black Panther Woman at New York Theater Workshop Next Door), Andrés Quintero (Bat Out of Hell at New York City Center), Frances Ines Rodriguez (performances with Murray Hill at Le Poisson Rouge, Joeʼs Pub, Knitting Factory, etc), Martín Solá (On Your Feet, Coram Boy on Broadway), and Roberto Tolentino (Romeo and Juliet with Classical Theater of Harlem). They are joined by on-stage musicians Sinuhé Padilla and Tania Mesa.

Produced by En Garde Arts (Anne Hamburger, Founder and Artistic Director; Heather Cohn, Executive Director), Fandango for Butterflies (and Coyotes) runs from Thursday, February 6 - Saturday, March 28 at the following venues:

February 6 - February 15
Presented by La MaMa
La MaMa (66 East 4th Street, btw Bowery & 2nd Ave, Manhattan)
Thursday - Saturday at 7 pm; Sunday at 3pm, with an added performance on Monday, February 10 at 7 pm
Press Opening: Monday, February 10 at 7 pm

February 20 - 21
In Association with LaGuardia Performing Arts Center
LaGuardia Performing Arts Center (31-10 Thomson Ave, Long Island City, Queens)
Thursday and Friday at 7:30 pm

March 6
Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanic Garden (1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island)
Friday at 7 pm

March 12
In Partnership with Lehman Stages
Lehman Stages (250 Bedford Park Blvd W, Bronx)
Thursday at 7 pm

March 20 - 21
In Association with Open Hydrant at The Point
The Point (940 Garrison Ave, Bronx)
Friday at 3 pm & 7:30 pm and Saturday at 3 pm

March 26 - March 28
In Association with Irondale Ensemble Project
Irondale Center (85 S Oxford St, Brooklyn)
Thursday - Saturday at 7:30 pm

Single tickets, which are $10 - $45, go on sale on December 16, 2019. To purchase tickets and for more information, visit https://engardearts.org/