CONSTELLATIONS by Nick Payne to be Presented at Chain Theatre in April

"Constellations" by Nick Payne delves into the infinite possibilities of a love relationship, questioning the difference between choice and destiny based on the notion of parallel universes.  To add an ethnic dimension to these themes, The Company We Keep (TCWK), a theater company of primarily Latinx artists, will revive the play April 18 to 28 at Chain Theatre, 32 West 36th Street, starring Maria Isabella Rojas and Michael Garrett Boxleitner, directed by Cristina Duarte.

The play investigates romance and fate in context of parallel universes.  A woman quantum physicist (Marianne) and a male beekeeper (Roland) meet at a barbecue. They hit it off, or perhaps they don't. They go home together, or maybe they go their separate ways.  It is a beautiful and heartbreaking romance about free will, friendship and love based in quantum multiverse theory.  It originally opened at England's Royal Court in 2012 and on Broadway in 2015. 

Essentially, the play explores the infinite paths that two people can take to be together or be apart. It postulates that there is a multiple set of parallel universes in which any number of versions of our lives and deaths play out simultaneously. The experiment of TCWK's rendition is: with Marianne being Dominican and Roland being Anglo, can it heighten our perception of the workings of their hearts?  The audience is challenged to ask, are they meant for each other, must they explore other realms, or will mortality simply take over, as it does in the short life cycle of bees?

The staging concept is minimalist.  The action jumps from one universe to another, but there are no costume changes: the shifts are indicated by radical lighting changes. At one point, the language of the play changes to ASL.

About the comany 

Maria Isabella Rojas (Marianne) is a Dominican-American actor, writer and producer based in NYC. She earned a Bachelor’s in Performing Arts and Social Justice from University of San Francisco and trained in acting at Atlantic Acting School and with Billy Lyons at Wynn Handman Studios.  She appeared in a Latiné production of "Aztec Pirates and the Insignificance of Life on Mars" by David Davila at Chain Theatre, which she co-produced with Lone Star Media, an all-Latinx theater collective, in 2023. She has also appeared on SNL and in "Zounds!" a satirical comedy about Greek Mythology, at the Edinburg Fringe Festival. Selected theater credits also include "Hare Trilogy" (The Wild Project), "The Motherfucker with the Hat" (The Flying H) and "Good People" (Santa Paula Theatre Center). She is a co-founder of MARLEX Films, an indie film production company. (www.mariaisabellarojas.com)

Michael Garrett Boxleitner (Roland) earned an Associate in the Arts degree from LCC in Michigan and is a graduate of the Maggie Flanagan Studio in NYC.  His stage roles include Peter in "The Diary of Anne Frank," Alex in "The Little Dog Laughed,"  Paul in "Barefoot in the Park," Iago/Romeo in "Goodnight Desdemona Good Morning Juliet," Romeo in "Romeo and Juliet," Orpheus in "Eurydice,"  D’Artagnan in "The Two Musketeers," Orsino in "Twelfth Night"  and  George Emerson in "A Room With A View" (National Tour). On-camera, he has appeared in "FBI: Most Wanted."

Director Cristina Duarte is a director, actor, writer, and acting teacher. She holds an MFA in Directing from Brooklyn College, an MA in Theatre from Hunter College and a BA in Literature from Bard College. She is an alumna of the Stella Adler Studio of Acting.  Formerly Artistic Director of Santa Fe Playhouse, she has directed numerous productions in NYC and Santa Fe including the premiere of Jon Jory's comic farce, "The Almost Unbelievable Christmas Spectacular" at the Greer Garson Theatre in Santa Fe. Her film directing credits include the documentary "Phoebe Brand: A Dedicated Life" (IMDB).  She has appeared in recurring roles on "Law and Order," "One Life to Live," "All My Children" and on "Saturday Night Live" as a supporting cast member. Her play "Room for Memories" was a finalist in the TRU Voice Playwrighting Series. She is a member of SDC. (www.cristinaduartedirector.com). 

David Castaneda is Lighting Designer.  Evan Frank is Scenic Designer.  Mike Lawler is Technical Director/Sound Designer.  Alex Olsen is ASL Consultant.  Gavin Petersen is Stage Manager.  Joseph Cobb is Assistant Stage Manager.  Soraya Sussman is Producer.  Alexis Sussman is Co-Producer.

 The Company We Keep (TCWK) Theater Company was founded in 2023 as a co-company of Marlex Films LLC to provide a vital space for emerging and diverse theater artists. Marlex Films, an indie film company founded in 2020, has presented three shorts and is in pre-production for its first feature.  The goal of TCWK is to offer theater with unique and intimate stories that identify with the various communities its founders embrace.

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