CASA 0101 Theater to Stage World Premiere of DRUNK GIRL

CASA 0101 Theater continues its 15th "Quinceañera" Anniversary Season by presenting the World Premiere of DRUNK GIRL and other stories your mother warned you about becoming, written by Josefina López, with additional plays written by Rocio Diaz and Libette Garcia. The production will be presented on the theater's Main Stage located at 2102 East First Street (at St. Louis Street across the street from the Hollenbeck Police Station), Boyle Heights, CA 90033 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and on Sundays at 5:00 p.m., September 25 - October 18, 2015. A $10 Discounted Preview performance will be given on Thursday, September 24, 2015 at 8:00 p.m.

DRUNK GIRL and other stories your mother warned you about becoming is a series of plays exploring the struggles of women to have power over their bodies, their lives and their destinies. DRUNK GIRL is a collection of 16 short plays, monologues and sketch pieces. The subject matter, which explores physical abuse and recovery, and objectification and societal attitudes, is for mature audiences only. Individuals under 18-years-of-age must be accompanied by an adult.

Josefina López, Playwright and Producer of DRUNK GIRL, said: "As a writer I feel it's important to bring to light difficult and sometimes controversial subject matters which oftentimes aren't discussed openly in public. I want to give voice to those who are afraid to speak out and express their inner truths. In my latest work, DRUNK GIRL, I candidly explore the very serious topic of physical abuse. The current scandal surrounding actor Bill Cosby, who is in headlines around the world, has brought the topic of rape to the forefront, and was the inspiration for one of the pieces I wrote in this collection."

Claudia Duran, Producer and a Director of DRUNK GIRL, added: "Our goal with this production is to heighten our audience's awareness in a dramatic and entertaining way about physical abuse, including societal attitudes, objectification, manifested psychological damage and the recovery process for victims. I plan to have Questions and Answers after Sunday matinee performances for the first three weeks of the run to give audiences an opportunity to become part of the conversation."

CASA 0101 Theater's sponsors include: The California Endowment, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and The Herb Alpert Foundation. This production is made possible in part from a grant from The California Endowment.

DRUNK GIRL will feature nine actors portraying 68 roles in a series of 16 short plays, monologues and sketch pieces, under the direction of three directors, Claudia Duran, María G. Martínez and Elvia Rubalcava.

The cast includes: Alex Alpharaoh (of Hollywood), Henry Alexander Kelly (Garden Grove), Henry Madrid (of Long Beach), Juanita Medina (of Monterey Park), Rosa Navarrete (El Sereno), Melissa Perl (of Encino), Samuel Solorio (of East Los Angeles), Jasia Topete (of El Sereno) and Maia Villa (of Monterey Park).

DRUNK GIRL is composed of the following 16 short plays, monologues and sketch pieces: "Life Is Not A Fairy Tale," "Stick-Her," "I Want You," "A Real Man," "Asking For It," "Alex - The Self Defense Instructor," "Unlucky Man," "Stand Up For Women," "Lolita Corazon," "Red Flag Game Show," "Can Finally Laugh About It," "A Second Chance," "Devil Inside Her," "Drunk Girl," "Pink Scars" and "Yes, Let's Have Sex."

The play's Production Team includes: Josefina López (of Boyle Heights), Artistic Director, CASA 0101 Theater, Playwright, Producer; Emmanuel Deleage (of Boyle Heights), Executive Director, CASA 0101 Theater; Edward Padilla (of Boyle Heights) Casting Director, Board President, CASA 0101 Theater; Claudia Duran (of Van Nuys), Producer, Director; Lindsey Haley (of Inglewood) Producer; María G. Martínez (Pico Rivera) Director; Elvia Rubalcava (Fullerton) Director; Marco DeLeon (of Los Angeles) Set Designer; Abel Alvarado (of Los Angeles) Costume Designer; Julius Bronola (of Los Angeles) Assistant Costume Designer; Vincent Sanchez (of Commerce) Sound and Video Designer; Josh Cuellar (of Los Angeles) Lighting Designer; Sophia Sanchez (of Los Angeles) Stage Manager; Estibaliz Giron (of Boyle Heights) Assistant Stage Manager; Wendy Castro (of Los Angeles) Assistant Director; Guadalupe Arellanes (of Los Angeles) Communications and Outreach Coordinator; Jimmy Centeno (of Los Angeles) Art Exhibit Curator; Mark Kraus (of Los Angeles), Webmaster; Gabriela López de Dennis, Soap Studio Inc. (of Los Angeles), Key Artwork Design and Program; Ed Krieger (of La Crescenta), Production Photographer and Steve Moyer Public Relations (of Los Angeles), Press Representative.

Tickets during the four-week run on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 5:00 p.m., September 25 - October 18, 2015, are $20 per person for General Admission; $17 per person for Students and Seniors; and $15 per person for Boyle Heights residents. Discounts for Groups of 10 or more will be available at $15 per person. This show is recommended for mature audiences only. Individuals under 18-years-of-age must be accompanied by an adult. Advance reservations are highly recommended. A Discounted Preview will be presented on Thursday, September 24, 2015 at 8:00 p.m. Question and Answer Sessions will be held with select members of the cast and crew following the performances on Sundays, September 27th, October 4th and October 11th.

Free Parking is available on several streets surrounding the theatre. Free Parking is also available on Fridays and Saturdays only at the Boyle Heights City Hall Parking Lot located at 2130 East First Street (at Chicago Street) by entering the lot from Chicago Street; the lot is closed on Sundays. METRO bus stations are located on First Street in Boyle Heights at both Soto Street, and at Boyle Street (Mariachi Plaza), within a short walking distance to the theatre.

For tickets, please call the CASA 0101 Theater Box Office at 323-263-7684, E-mail tickets@casa0101.org, or buy online at www.casa0101.org. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/casa0101theater and follow us on Twitter @CASA0101

During the course of the run of the play an Art Exhibit will be on display in the Jean Deleage Art Gallery located in the lobby of CASA 0101 Theater. The Art Exhibit, Luz (Light), Heart and Unity will feature the works of artists Megan James (of Riverside), who will be exhibiting hand sketches, and Zareh (of Glendale) who will be exhibiting drawings and mixed media. The Exhibit will run from September 19 - November 8, 2015. An Opening Reception will be held on Saturday, September 19, 2015 from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. The Closing Night Reception will be held on Sunday, November 8, 2015 from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. Both receptions with include conversations with the artists. Jimmy Centeno (of Los Angeles) serves as the Curator of the Art Exhibit.

Josefina López (Founding Artistic Director, CASA 0101 Theater, Producer and Playwright of DRUNK GIRL) is a renaissance woman. The prolific and renowned award-winning playwright and screenwriter is currently celebrating her 15th "Quinceañera" Anniversary Season at CASA 0101 Theater, as well as the 25th Anniversary of her signature first full-length play, Real Women Have Curves, which is currently playing as the opening production of the 2015-16 Season at Pasadena Playhouse. The play, Real Women Have Curves, inspired her Sundance Film Festival award-winning screenplay of the same name, co-written with George LaVoo. López is currently teaching two courses the University of Southern California: Teaching The Pacific Rim and a research class called Directed Research for dramatic writing students.

Claudia Duran (Producer and Director) has been involved with CASA 0101 Theater since 2007. She has directed over a dozen shows with Chicanas Cholas y Chisme, a Latina Womyn's Theater Festival on a mission to empower and give voice to Latinas from all walks of life. Duran wrote, directed, and produced the feature Sofia for Now, which screened at national and international film festivals. She has received both the Up And Coming Filmmaker award and Best Director award at BHLIFE for her comedy The Last White Dishwasher.

Lindsay Haley (Producer) is an 8th grade dropout, GED recipient, teenage mom, former farmworker, community activist and homegirl hailing from the Westside. Her poetry, short stories and journalistic articles focusing on Chicano/Latino arts and culture have been published over the course of 30 years. She made her debut as a playwright and producer with the first production of CASA 0101 Theater's Chicanas, Cholas, y Chisme in 2013 and has remained as its producer for the last three years. Her play, Favorite Cousins, will be produced by the Latino Theater Company at the Los Angeles Theater Center.

Rocio Diaz (Playwright) is a poet, actress, writer, singer, dancer, co-producer, and an activist. She is recently in her fourth year at Cal State LA, where she majors in Theatre. At CASA 0101 Theater she was part of the extended third production of the Chicanas, Cholas, y Chisme, ¿Yo Sola Y Que?, as a performer and poet. She first became involved at CASA 0101 Theater as Assistant Stage Manager (for two productions) and Assistant Director (for one production). Later her ambition for theatre lead her to become one of the 19 writers of Chicanas, Cholas, y Chisme at CASA 0101 Theater.

Libette Garcia (Playwright) is an actress, writer, director, editor and survivor. She appeared in ABC's Off the Map as Anna, as "Pickles" in the 70's stylized Burger King Commercial "Hawaii Cops," and can be seen in the national Nissan commercial, "Ride of Your Life." As a filmmaker, she received an honorable mention for her Lifestyles Condom Commercial that she wrote and directed. She graduated with honors, received an Academic Excellence Award from the University of Hawaii for Theater and has had extensive acting training in NYC, Honolulu and Los Angeles. This year Garcia was invited to audition for the prestigious CBS Sketch Comedy Diversity Showcase.

María G. Martínez (Director) recently presented Por Mi Causa Hablara Tu Espiritu (For My Cause Your Spirit Will Speak) as part of CASA 0101 Theater's Chicanas Cholas y Chisme's ¿Yo Sola Y Que?. Martínez's previously published and produced works include: Breakfast With My Mother, a 60-minute play about care giving and dementia (presented under TeAda Productions); Breaking My Father's Rules, a personal healing story, and Maricela, Yo Soy Joaquina, Tai-Chisme and Parece Que Fue Ayer, short Chicano plays produced as part of the Chicanas, Cholas y Chisme Theater Festival at CASA 0101 Theater.

Elvia Rubalcava (Director) is a non-fiction writer, poet, playwright, director, and art educator. Her first play, Sala de Amor y Guerra was selected to be part of Fullerton College's 2013 Playwrights Festival. A workshop 10-minute version of it was in Chicanas, Cholas, y Chisme 2014 New Works Festival at Casa 0101 Theater. Her theatre life started as the board president and teaching artist for Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble, where in 2011 she debuted as a director and producer collaborating with Decolores Queer Orange County in Queer Latin@ Monologues, a series of monologues from the Queer Latina/o perspective in Orange County.

Photo by Ed Krieger

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