Brian Quijada's FLY ME TO THE SUN Will Make West Coast Premiere at the Fountain

 Newly arrived Fountain Theatre artistic director Raymond O. Caldwell directs the West Coast premiere of Fly Me to the Sun, written by two-time Jeff Award-winner and two-time Drama Desk nominated playwright Brian Quijada and featuring remixes and beats by Marvin Quijada. Opening night is set for September 6 at The Fountain Theatre, where performances continue through October 12. Three Pay-What-You-Will previews take place September 3 through September 5. The run will also include four Spanish language performances.

When Abuela Julia arrives from El Salvador to live with her family in a Chicago suburb, her grandson learns to see America through his grandmother's eyes — while also teaching her to enjoy simple American pleasures. Relaying the story in the style of a late-night talk show in which the young BQ (Gerardo Navarro) is the host and Julia (magically portrayed as a hand puppet) is his special guest, Fly Me to the Sun weaves Quijada's beautiful, semi-autobiographical story about the moments that move us and what calls us home. Meanwhile, older brother Marvin (Noe Cervantes) deejays, with a playlist that pays homage to R&B, hip-hop, Latin-American music and American standards.

“Fly Me to the Sun examines all that is gained within multigenerational homes and relationships,” explains Caldwell, who previously directed the play in Washington DC. “Intergenerational relationships are vital to society because younger generations need access to wisdom and experience, while an older generation needs cognitive/social stimulation and connections to legacy. Above all else, these relationships reduce loneliness and improve self confidence — what we all need now more than ever.”

Join the Fountain team for a complimentary mini-pupusa (El Salvador's national dish) and conversation in the upstairs café after every performance.

Fly Me to the Sun had its world premiere at DC's Logan festival, where DC Theatre Arts hailed it as “beautiful and deeply touching.”

The creative team at the Fountain includes scenic designer Michael Navarro; lighting designer Alison Brummer; sound designer Andrea “Slim” Allmond; media designer Deja Collins; Costume Designer Jeanette Godoy; and properties designer Jenine MacDonald. The production stage manager is Kimberly Sanchez Garrido. Barbara Herman executive produces for The Fountain Theatre.

The Fountain Theatre creates, develops, and produces new plays that bring to life the urgent social, political, and cultural issues of our time, reflecting the vibrant diversity of Los Angeles and the nation. Its educational outreach programs inspire young people to become engaged citizens and leaders of tomorrow. The L.A. City Council commended the Fountain for “achieving a position of leadership in the Los Angeles theatre community… producing meaningful new plays of social and political importance that enrich the lives of the citizens of Los Angeles.” The Fountain is the recipient of the Los Angeles Drama Critic Circle's Margaret Harford Award for sustained excellence in theater, presented for “outstanding productions of meaningful new plays and first-class performances spanning three decades.” Los Angeles Times theater critic Charles McNulty hailed the Fountain, stating, “No L.A. theater has done a better job of asking us to reexamine our lives through the lens of acute contemporary drama.” Recent productions include the Los Angeles premiere of Alabaster, a Pulitzer nominated new play by Audrey Cefaly about healing and the power of women which Stage Raw called a “deeply poignant psychological and emotional thriller”; and White Rabbit Red Rabbit by Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour, deemed  “important theater” by On Stage Los Angeles.

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