World Premiere Of HOTEL HAPPY to be Presented at Houses on the Moon Theater Company This Winter

Houses on the Moon Theater Company will present the world premiere of the play HOTEL HAPPY, written by Camilo Almonacid (The Assignment), directed by Estefanía Fadul (Repertorio Español's Eva Luna), and featuring puppet direction by Matt Acheson (Broadway's War Horse). Performances will begin on Feb. 14th, open on Feb. 18th, and run through Mar. 3rd, 2024, at 122CC, 2nd Floor Theater, 150 First Avenue at East 9th Street, NYC 10009.  

Welcome to HOTEL HAPPY ! At this high-end erotic resort in Bogotá, Colombia, sex workers Sofi, Lulu, and Candela are hiding a displaced donkey after rescuing him from an unhappy fate. When three American mercenaries visit the hotel on a special mission, the women must protect their new friend at all costs because, as they will soon discover, he is no ordinary donkey.

A play about sexual tourism in Colombia and that industry's close connection to the country's ongoing armed conflict, HOTEL HAPPY explores U.S.-Colombian relationships using the power of absurdity to reflect how the decimating effects of war displace us all. This timely and ambitious project boasts a seven-person cast and an eighth character –a donkey – played by a life-size puppet!

"In our unwavering commitment to amplifying unheard voices and dispelling ignorance, 'Hotel Happy' illuminates the intricate dimensions of sexual tourism often overlooked in our societal discourse. Through the evocative power of theater, we endeavor to ignite essential dialogues and unite communities. 'Hotel Happy' serves as a conduit for understanding, challenging perceptions, and safeguarding the marginalized—exemplifying Houses on the Moon's dedication to sharing untold stories and nurturing empathy through the arts." – Emily Joy Weiner, Houses on the Moon Artistic Director .

Houses on the Moon is thrilled to announce the creative team for HOTEL HAPPY, which includes Tanya Orellana (Scenic Designer), Carolina Ortiz Herrera (Lighting Design), Haydee Zelideth Antuñano (Costume Designer), Daniela Hart, Bailey Trierweiler, Noel Nichols & UptownWorks (Sound Design), and Jamie Rose Bukowski (Prod. Stage Manager). Weathervane Theatre serves as Associate Producer.

HOTEL HAPPY plays at Mabou Mines' 122CC 2nd Floor Theater,  150 1st Ave. (between E. 9th and E. 10th Street). Tickets are $25 - $65 and are available at www.housesonthemoon.org . 

HOTEL HAPPY

Feb. 14th – Mar. 3rd, 2024; Opening night is Feb. 16th, 2024.

Performance schedule: 

Preview Week Schedule: February 14 – 18, 2024

Wednesday & Thursday at 8:00 pm; Friday at 7:00 pm; Saturday at 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm

Sunday at 2:00 pm & 7:30 pm

Post-Opening Schedule: Feb. 21st – Mar. 3rd, 2024

Wednesday – Friday at 7:00 pm; Thursday student matinee at 11 am.

Saturday at 2:00 pm & 7:30pm; Sunday at 2 pm

The running time is two and a half hours with an intermission.

Tickets are $25 -$65 and are available at 

HousesOnTheMoon.org  

Press Performances: February 15 at 8 PM; February 16 at 7 PM; February 17 at 2 PM & 7:30 PM; February 18 at 2 PM & 7:30 PM (opening). 

To arrange interviews or press seats, please contact JT Public Relations, joe@jt-pr.net .

Creative Team Bios:

Camilo Almonacid (Playwright) - Camilo is a multi-talented artist based in New York City with over ten years of experience creating dynamic stories that explore the diverse voices of America. Some of his notable plays include The Assignment (A.R.T/NY Theatres 2017), Westpine Myopes (Rita Goldberg Award 2014), Checkin In (Irv Zarkower Award 2012), For the Flies (Here Arts 2015), Church Of Why Not (Theatre 167 2015), After the Crowds (Queen's Museum, NY times Critics Pick 2014), and Shithole (Here Arts 2010). In addition to being a playwright, he is also a skilled freelance writer who has collaborated on branded content projects with major media outlets like Netflix, Remezcla, and Vice Media. Camilo Almonacid holds a BFA in acting from Rutgers University and an MFA in Playwriting from Hunter College. He is a proud member of the Dramatist Guild. You can find more information about his work at camiloalmonacid.com.

ESTEFANÍA FADUL (Director) - Estefanía Fadul is a Brooklyn-based Colombian-American director and co-Artistic Director of Ensemble Studio Theatre. Recent projects include the world premieres of Eva Luna by Caridad Svich (Repertorio Español), The Garbologists by Lindsay Joelle (Philadelphia Theater Company), Carla's Quince created with The Voting Project (Drama League Award nomination), Zoom Intervention by Noelle Viñas (Weston Playhouse, NYTimes Critics Pick), The Same Day by Stefan Ivanov (Sfumato Theatre, Bulgaria), and C. Quintana's Azul (Southern Rep) and Scissoring (INTAR). Estefanía has developed new work off-Broadway and regionally at The Public Theater, Playwrights' Realm, NYTW, Chautauqua, Audible, Goodspeed, Juilliard, and more. She is the inaugural recipient of New York Stage and Film's Pfaelzer Award and an alumna of directing fellowships at Clubbed Thumb, the Drama League, O'Neill/NNPN, Williamstown, and Repertorio Español. She serves on the Drama League's Board of Directors. She is a member of the Leadership Circle of the Center for Performance and Civic Practice, the New Georges Jam, The Latinx Theatre Commons Advisory Committee, the Lincoln Center Directors Lab, and SDC.

Matt Acheson (Puppet Director) is a puppet and theater artist based in Brooklyn for 20 years and now living in Pittsburgh, PA. He is a founder of AchesonWalsh Studios, a kinetic creation studio providing design, fabrication, direction, and performance services, whose clients include Amazon Studios, Broadway, Radio City Music Hall Lincoln Center Theater, The Alliance Theater, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Long Wharf Theatre, Radio City Music Hall, Disney Cruise Lines, Cirque du Soleil, and the Yale School of Drama. Currently, AchesonWalsh Studios is designing and fabricating large-scale creatures for Other World, a new musical which will open this winter in Baltimore. Matt has had the pleasure of working with many exceptional artists, including Basil Twist, Dan Hurlin, Mabou Mines, Lee Breuer, Paula Vogel, Chris Green, Metropolitan Opera, The Swedish Marionette Cottage, MTV, Lake Simons and Nami Yamamoto, and directed and curated The Puppet Lab, an experimental puppet festival at St. Ann's Warehouse for over a decade. He was the Puppetry Director for War Horse during its run at Lincoln Center Theater and for the North American tour.

TANYA ORELLANA (Scenic Designer) (she/her) designs performance spaces for theatre, opera and immersive experiences. Collaborations include For The People by Larissa FastHorse and Ty Defoe at The Guthrie Theatre, Big Data by Kate Atwell directed by Pam MacKinnon at A.C.T., Oedipus directed by Jenny Koons at The Getty Villa,  We the Peoples Before directed by Roberta Uno at The Kennedy Center, The Industry's Sweet Land, an immersive opera directed by Yuval Sharon and Cannupa Hanska Luger at LA State Historic Park, Long Beach Opera's Voices from a Killing Jar by Kate Soper, directed by Zoe Aja Moore,  LEAR by Marcus Gardley directed by Eric Ting (Calshakes), and The Kind Ones by Miranda Rose Hall directed by Lisa Peterson (Magic Theatre). She is a member of Wingspace Theatrical Design and an organizing member of La Gente: The Latine Theatre Production Network. She received her MFA in Scenic Design from CalArts and is a recipient of the Princess Grace Fabergé Theatre Award. www.tanyaorellana.com

Carolina Ortiz Herrera (Lighting Design) is a Mexican-born and New York-based Lighting Designer for theater, opera, and dance. Broadway: Good Night, Oscar (Belasco & Goodman Theatre); Regional: American Mariachi (Alley Theatre & Arizona Theatre Company); Born with Teeth (Guthrie & Alley Theatre); Native Gardens (Dallas Theatre Center); Everything Rises (BAM & Royce Hall); 4000 Miles, Doubt, A Parable (Westport Country Playhouse); I & You (Bristol Riverside Theatre); Macbeth, Until the Flood (Merrimack Theatre Repertory); All's Well That Ends Well (Oregon Shakespeare Festival); The Railroad Children (Northern Stage); Seven Guitars (Yale Repertory Theatre). Other theatre: Hedda Gabler & Winter's Tale (Bedlam Theatre Company); Yellowman, an Audelco Awards Best Lighting Design Nominee (Billie Holiday Theatre); Sweeney Todd (Yale Drama); Titus Andronicus,and The Skin of Our Teeth (Yale University Theatre). Dance & Opera: Cruzar la Cara de la Luna (Minneapolis Opera); I as Another (BAC); Florencia en el Amazonas (Shubert Theatre); The Silent Lyre (Lighten Theatre); and The Cunning Little Vixen (Opera Theatre of Yale). Carolina is the Lighting Director for Calpulli Mexican Dance Company, and she worked as a Lighting Supervisor for the Santa Fe Opera for three seasons. Member of United Scenic Artists Local 829. Education: MFA, Yale School of Drama. www.carolinaeortiz.com

Haydee Zelideth ANTUÑANO (Costume Designer) is a Chicana artist and costume designer. Clothes carry on public conversations with others and share stories about who we are, who we are not, and who we wish to be. They are a means of exploring how image can open up perceptions of race, class, socioeconomic status, and more - all of which is what most interests her. She grew up on both sides of the Mexican border and these experiences inform her point of view and how she approaches her work, giving depth, dimension and color to the specificities of someone's life. www.haydeezelideth.com

Founded in 2001, HOUSES ON THE MOON THEATER COMPANY is a home for unheard stories. Their projects begin with relationship building, collaboration, and partnership with grassroots community organizations to identify an urgent social need; a vital untold story that must be heard. Their creation process includes extensive research, first-person storytelling workshops, and interviews, and their work is presented Off Broadway as well as in non-traditional spaces throughout New York City, the US, and internationally. Whether they are LGBTQ asylum seekers, undocumented youth, individuals impacted by gun violence or families grappling with mass incarceration , Houses on the Moon collaborates with communities to theatrically amplify their untold stories, create awareness, offer support, and ultimately foster a more empathetic world.

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