El Patio Comes to The 2nd Chi International Latino Theater Festival

CLATA presents the North American premiere of El Patio (The Patio), a play created and performed by Costa Rica's Teatro Abya Yala, as part of DESTINOS - the 2nd Chicago International Latino Theater Festival. Performances are September 27-30 in Steppenwolf's 1700 Theatre, an 80-seat cabaret-style space connected to Steppenwolf's own Front Bar: Coffee and Drinks, 1700 N. Halsted St., Chicago. Show times are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $25. For tickets and information, visit steppenwolf.org or call (312) 335-1650.

Two men, one stage. El Patio asks what does it mean to be a man in today's world? What kind of role models can men look to as they confront constantly changing attitudes in terms of masculinity? How has the emergence of woman's movement, of female empowerment, affected men's sense of who they are and how they allow themselves to behave?

These are just a few of the questions that inspire El Patio. The result of a dynamic creative process of almost two years in the making that include physical improvisation, re-working of famous movie scenes, original song and even tango, El Patio is the theatrical response to the profound crisis of nature of masculinity in the world today. Ultimately, El Patio proves to be a direct and visceral experience, both for men and woman, adults and adolescents, that challenges audiences to confront notions of who they are, who they are not, and who they want to be.

El Patio is written by Oscar Gonzàlez, David Korish and Janko Navarro, directed by David Korish, and performed by Oscar Gonzàlez and Janko Navarro.

Teatro Abya Yala, founded in 1991 by Roxana Avila and David Korish, is an independent theater in Costa Rica dedicated to creating original stage works. In addition to creating and performing shows, the company maintains training and research spaces, offers workshops, conferences and seminars at the national and international level, and actively produces and promotes artistic and cultural activities in Costa Rica and Central America. For more information, visit teatro-abyayala.org.

The North American premiere of El Patio is presented at Steppenwolf 1700 Theatre as part of the LookOut Series. LookOut is Steppenwolf's performance series that presents the work of artists and companies across genre and form. Emerging artists and performance legends, quintessential Chicago companies and young aspiring ensembles, familiar Steppenwolf faces and new friends. For information, visit steppenwolf.org/lookout.

DESTINOS - the 2nd Chicago International Latino Theater Festival DESTINOS - the 2nd Chicago International Latino Theater Festival, is the signature program of the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA), a transformative cultural engine helping drive the city's local Latino theater community to a more prominent level.

The second annual DESTINOS festival, running September 20-November 4, 2018, brings together top Latino theater artists and companies from Chicago, the U.S. and around Latin America for seven weeks of shows, panels and student performances. This year's DESTINOS celebrates Latino theater artists and companies from the host city, Chicago, alongside artists from Dallas, Los Angeles, Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Performances are staged in venues throughout the city, from Chicago's marquee live theaters, to intimate stages and cultural institutions in predominantly Latino neighborhoods.

Visit the DESTINOS website, clata.org, for the full festival schedule including free roundtable discussions that will address the current state of contemporary Latino theater, in a time when cross-cultural understanding has never been more important. Or, follow DESTINOS on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to receive first notice of all festival events.

The second annual DESTINOS 2018 festival is supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Field Foundation of Illinois, The Joyce Foundation, the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, The Chicago Community Trust, Choose Chicago, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Illinois Humanities, Southwest Airlines, Allstate, ComEd, Wintrust Bank, Corona Extra, Yes Press and Univision Chicago. For more information, visit clata.org or call (312) 631-3112.

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