Photos: World Premiere of THE STORYTELLER OF EAST L.A.

Check out production photos from the world premiere of The Storyteller of East L.A. at the Los Angeles Theatre Center in downtown L.A.

Now in previews, the show written by Latino Theater Company resident playwright Evelina Fernández and directed by artistic director Jose Luis Valenzuela, is set to open Saturday, April 18, and runs through May 17.

Developed in the company’s Circle of Imaginistas playwriting group and set in East L.A., where Fernández grew up, the play blends intimate family drama with elements of magical realism to explore themes of memory loss, family dynamics and the complexities of caring for aging loved ones.

Lucy Rodriguez and Sal López (founding members of the Latino Theater Company alongside Fernández and Valenzuela) star as Mercedes, a 90-year-old woman with dementia, and Serafina, the guardian angel with whom Mercy interacts in “The Other Place,” a liminal space existing somewhere between memory and reality. As Mercy’s health declines, her daughters Grace and Mary (Zilah Mendoza and Brenda Banda) and granddaughter Lulu (Blanca Isabella) are forced to confront unresolved tensions and make difficult choices about her care. Their fragile caregiving arrangement is further strained when Mercy’s nighttime caregiver stops coming, afraid to leave home during ICE immigration raids. Daytime caregiver Josefa (Ruth Livier) faces similar fears, even as she tries to ensure that Mercy’s care continues.

Check out production photos here!

Photo credit: Grettel Cortes Photography