Photo Flash: Teatro Luna's LUNATIC(A)S, 11/14-12/20

Chicago's All Latina Theatre Company has never shied away from difficult topics or taboo issues, and their new take on everyday lunacy is no exception. In the Ensemble's trademark and irreverent style, the ladies of Teatro Luna prepare to really "show you crazy" by returning to Lunatic(a)s for a full remount-kicked Luna-style and crazier than ever-with the addition of new stories and musical numbers.  Lunatic(a)s plays November 14 – December 20, 2009 at Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago.  Tickets are currently on sale at www.teatroluna.org.  

"We are so excited to be revisiting this piece... this play is quintessentially Luna, it tackles our namesake, The Moon (La Luna) and places our true-life stories in the context of myths and superstitions about women, Latinas and the moon," says Award-winning playwright Tanya Saracho and Director/Developer of Lunatic(a)s. "After Machos, SÓLO Tú and Jarred, we felt it was time to step back into our character shoes, and recapture what we know how to do best; the ensemble-built show of multiple perspectives. As we usher in our 10 year anniversary (June 2010 Luna celebrates its 10th birthday), we knew that revisiting this show was the right choice for our unique ensemble. You're going to see what you have come to expect from Luna: choral pieces, autobiographical stories, original music, talented Latina performers...we are bringing all the Luna swagger this time around."

LUNATIC(a)S has some strong language and is presented in English with a sprinkle of Spanish.

WHERE: Chicago Dramatists, 1105 W. Chicago Ave.

WHEN: Previews: Nov 14 – 16, 2009 at 7:30 pm
      Opening: Nov 18, 2009 at 7:30 pm
      Runs: Nov 18 - Dec 20, 2009 (with a possible extension Jan 7 - Feb 21, 2010)
      Thursdays - Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 6:00 pm

WHO:  Directed by: Tanya Saracho, Artistic Director of Teatro Luna

Tickets for previews are $12.00.  General tickets are $15.00 on Thursdays & Sundays and $20 on Fridays and Saturdays.  Tickets are now on sale online at www.teatroluna.org.  For Group Sales call (773) 878-LUNA (5862).  Please visit www.teatroluna.org for more information.

TEATRO LUNA is Chicago's first and only all-Latina theater ensemble dedicated to creating original work that honors Latina lives and showcases the talents of Latina/Hispana artists. Founded in 2000, Teatro Luna is dedicated to expanding the range of Latina/Hispana roles visible on the Chicago stage and beyond. Previous shows include Generic Latina, Dejame Contarte, Kita y Fernanda, The Maria Chronicles, SÓLO Latinas, S-e-x-Oh!, Quita Mitos, Lunatica(s), MACHOS, SÓLO Tú and JARRED (A Hoodoo Comedy). Teatro Luna tours colleges and festivals across the country with a blend of ensemble-created performances, visit www.teatroluna.org for more information.  

Tanya Saracho was born in Sinaloa, México and moved to Texas in the late 1980s. She is a resident playwright at Chicago Dramatists and Teatro Vista, as well as an E.S.B. Institute for the Study of Women and Gender/Goodman Theatre Fellow. As Founding Artistic Director of Teatro Luna, Chicago's all-Latina theater ensemble, Saracho's writing has been featured in most of Teatro Luna's ensemble-built works including Generic Latina, Dejame Contarte, The Maria Chronicles, SOLO Latinas, SOLO Tu, S-E-X-Oh! and Lunatic(a)s. Productions include Our Lady of The Underpass with Teatro Vista (2009), Surface Day with Chicago Children's Humanity Festival (2008) and Jarred (A Hoodoo Comedy) with Teatro Luna (2008). Tanya's play Kita y Fernanda, a finalist for the 2003 Nuestras Voces playwriting competition, received productions at Teatro Luna (2003) and 16th Street Theatre (2008). Other awards include The Ofner Prize given by the Goodman Theatre, Finalist for the Christopher B. Wolk Award at Abingdon Theatre in NYC, nominee for the Wasserstein Prize, and winner of the Khan Award. Recently, she was named as a recipient of the 3ARTS Artists Award. Saracho's solo play Quita Mitos received a world premiere with Teatro Luna in November of 2006 and has toured colleges and festivals, including the International Hispanic Theatre Festival and the Goodman's Latino Theatre Festival. Tanya's sold-out, musical adaptation of Sandra Cisneros' The House on Mango Street just closed at Steppenwolf Theatre.

Photo credit: Johnny Knight

Belinda Cervantes

The cast of Teatro Luna's Lunatic(a)s

The cast of Teatro Luna's Lunatic(a)s