Profile Theatre to Present EYES FOR CONSUELA, Begin. 1/16

PROFILE THEATRE (Adriana Baer, Artistic Director) proudly presents EYES FOR CONSUELA by Sam Shepard, the inaugural production in its 2014 season dedicated to the work of the playwright. Performances begin on January 16, 2014 and will be the company's premiere in their new home at Artists Repertory Theatre. Tickets are currently on sale at Profiletheatre.org.

Written in 1998 and based on the story "The Blue Bouquet" by Octavio Paz, EYES FOR CONSUELA tells the story of a lost soul, Henry, an American man who throws himself into the Mexican jungle chasing The Shadows, ghosts, and passions of his life. As observed by NY Magazine when the play was first written, "...it is all about seeing and not seeing, about various forms of blindness, physical, emotional, existential. And about the sacrifices love entails. It is quirkily unpredictable and laughingly unsettling."

"Eyes for Consuela is a beautiful play, deceptively gentle and wonderfully poetic. I chose it to kick off our Shepard season because it is a brilliant representation of Shepard's greatest gift: his skill with language and musicality," said Profile Theatre Artistic Director Adriana Baer. "This is a piece that lures us in and surprises us with such specificity - of time and place and a longing for something better - that somehow reveals itself to be universally recognizable."

Sam Shepard was born in 1943 in Fort Sheridan, Illinois. He worked as a farmhand and musician before moving to New York to begin his career as a playwright. His first productions, one-acts Cowboys and The Rock Garden, were performed at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery. His first full-length play, La Turista, was performed at the American Place Theatre and won an Obie Award in 1967. MR. Shepard spent several seasons with La MaMa and Caffe Cino in New York and as playwright-in-residence at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco. In 1979, he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for Buried Child. His screenplay for Paris, Texas won the Golden Palm Award at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival. In 1986, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and in 1992 he received their Gold Medal for Drama. MR. Shepard is also a director and film actor.

Director Mikhael Tara Garver is making her Profile Theatre directing debut. Credits include directing works at Atlantic Theater, The Public Theater, and Siti Company in New York, Steppenwolf Theater Company, and Court Theatre in Chicago, and American Repertory Theater in Boston.

The cast for EYES FOR CONSUELA includes Andrés Alcalá (Amado), last seen at Profile in Lisbon Traviata. Other credits include two seasons with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and productions with Artists Rep. Gilberto Martin Del Campo (Viejo) is a graduate of The Portland Actors Conservatory and has appeared in Portland with Miracle Theatre Group, Artists Rep, and NW Classical Theatre Company. Michael Mendelson (Henry) returns to Profile for his fifth production. He has worked extensively throughout Portland, most recently directing and performing in Mistakes Were Made at Artists Rep (where he is an Artistic Associate and Resident Artist). Crystal Muñoz (Consuela) is making her Profile Theatre debut having performed throughout the area with Portland Playhouse, Milagro Theatre, Portland Shakespeare Project, and Post5 Theatre Co. Edna F. Vazquez (musician) is a singer/songwriter, originally from Mexico, who has achieved national exposure singing on television shows like "Tengo Talento, Mucho Talento" and "Sábado Gigante Internacional con Don Francisco."

The production team includes Seth Reiser (Scenic Design), Carl Faber (Lighting Design), Jessica Bobillot (Costume Design), Sharath Patel (Sound Design), and Sara Ludeman (Properties Design). The stage manager is D Westerholm.