Greenway Arts Alliance Announces I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER Cast & Creative Team

Greenway Arts Alliance has announced the cast and creative team for I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER, adapted for the stage by Isaac Gómez (Steppenwolf Theatre's La Ruta, Off-Brodway's the way she spoke, Netflix's Narcos: Mexico, Kings of America) and directed by Sara Guerrero (UCI'sThe Sweetheart Deal, The Playhouse's She Kills Monsters). Based on the New York Times best-selling book of the same name by Erika L. Sánchez (Lessons on Expulsion, Crying in the Bathroom), I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER plays at Greenway Court Theatre (544 N. Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles) for a four-week limited engagement from February 3 - 25, 2024.

I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER follows Julia, a Chicago high school student as she navigates trials and tribulations of following her dreams of becoming a writer alongside the death of her sister, Olga-who might not have been quite as perfect as she seemed. This poignant and vibrant new work is a love story of young Chicanas who, in trying to find the truth about the people and the world around them, end up finding themselves.

The cast of I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER features Gabriela Machuca as Julia (At the Gathering, I Lost My Phone), Heather Lee Echeverria as Olga/Others (New Swan Shakespeare Festival's As You Like It, Member of Brown Bag Theatre Company), Presciliana Esparolini as Ama/Others (Mayans M.C., La Jolla Playhouse's Billy the Kid), Michael Uribes as Apa/Others (The Unofficial, Unsanctioned Obama Musical, FountainTheatre's Detained), Christian Zamudio as Junga/Others (Juniors, Station 19), Jacob Cherry as Conner (Rogue Machine's A Bright New Boise, Odyssey Theatre Ensemble's Accommodation), Andrew Colford as Mr. Ingman(Theatre Barn's The Nerd, Bristol Valley Theater's To Kill A Mockingbird), and Noelle Howe as Lorena/Others(OCCT's Hairspray, Attic Community Theater's Urinetown: The Musical.

Joining Isaac Gómez and Sara Guerrero are set designer Christopher Scott Murillo, lighting designer Karyn Lawrence, sound designer Vincent Oliveri, projections designer Sam Clevenger, costume designer Carolyn Mazuca, technical director Rene Parras, director of movement and creative collaborator Estela Garcia, casting by Michael Donovan / Richie Ferris - CSA, intimacy director Carly DW Bones, and stage manager Pam Noles.

"During the pandemic, we were in discussions about producing Erika L. Sánchez beautifully written novel I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER, which was masterfully adapted by Isaac Gómez. We're so thrilled to finally be presenting this production directed by the visionary Sara Guerrero," said Greenway Arts Alliance Co-Founder and Co-Producing Artistic Director Whitney Weston. She added, "The Latinx population in the Los Angeles Unified School District is over 70%, and this stunning play speaks to, and is, the story of so many students we serve with our GreenwayREADS program. We're super excited that over 600 LAUSD students will be reading the book, working with our teaching artists, and seeing this production."

"For almost a decade, we have been producing meaningful shows under our GreenwayREADS program. Hands down, the reason for our success is choosing stories that matter to current and future theatergoers. Young audiences will continue going to theater if they see themselves reflected in the characters on stage," stated Greenway Arts Alliance Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director Pierson Blaetz.

In this year's GreenwayREADS program, the selected novel I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER,students are engaged through a dynamic curriculum. Teachers collaborate with skilled Teaching Artists, using theatre games and activities to explore the novel's themes. The focus is on fostering a passion for both reading and theatre. Following the five-week sessions, students attend a professional staged production of the book, where they can meet the actors, author, and/or playwright in enlightening talkback sessions.

Greenway Arts Alliance's educational wing, the Greenway Institute of the Arts (GIA), will incorporate the novel and stage production into Fairfax High School's curriculum through the GreenwayREADS program. Greenway's multi-disciplinary approach to programming will focus on the novel's themes while bringing it to life on stage and through arts education and special events. GreenwayREADS program have included George Orwell's 1984, Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street, among other novels.

I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER will play at Greenway Court Theatre, 544 North Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90036. Performances run from February 3 to February 25, 2024. The performance schedule is Saturdays and Sundays at 7 p.m., with the addition of Friday, February 2 at 8 p.m. General admission tickets are $40, and student/senior (65+) discounted tickets are $15. Tickets are available online at GreenwayCourtTheatre.org. For more information call 323-673-0544 or visit GreenwayCourtTheatre.org. Audience engagement activity include a talkback with Isaac Gómez, Sara Guerrero and the cast on Saturday, February 3, immediately after the performance.Additional talkbacks with creative team members will be announced at a later date.

I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER includes the following: mature themes, mentions of sexual violence, simulated sex, violence, drug use, depiction of death, depictions of self-harm and suicidality.

This production's proud community partner is Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble.

Erika L. Sánchez's I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER was originally published in 2017 by Random House Children's Books. Sánchez was a National Book Award Finalist. The book was a #1 on The New York Times Best Seller list. The novel was later adapted for the stage by Los Angeles based playwright Isaac Gómez in 2020 at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, and in January 2023, the play was presented at Seattle Rep. America Ferrera will be making her directorial film debut with I AM NOT YOUR PERFECT MEXICAN DAUGHTER.

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