Picasso presents Gernika at Santa Monica Playhouse

A staged-reading to mark the 40th anniversary year of Gernikas return to Spain in 1981. On April 26, 1937, Hitlers Condor Legion bombed Gernika, the sacred city of the Basques. Terrified, a mother sends her children to Englandbut only sees one of them ever again. Picasso paints his anti-war masterpiece Guernica, vowing never to display it in Spain until democracy returnshe dies before this happens. Interweaving fictionalized characters with image, music, videos and historical events from 1937 to 2012, Picasso Presents Gernika considers the connections between war, art and human suffering. It had its first staged-reading at Chino Community Theatre in May 2019, and the play continues to resonate powerfully (though unfortunately) with current refugee and human rights crises.One performance only,a Saturday matinee, to support the Santa Monica Playhouse Written by Dr. Begoa Echeverria, directed by Dr. Annika Speer, featuring Lillyanna Lopez; Maksil Lorenzo; Bella Merlin; Kai Perillo; Jeff Richards; Blessin Simpson; and Natalia Toher. Gernika graphic design by Diana Hyatt.