Alternative Theater Ensemble And ITMéxico Present BRIDGING TURTLE ISLAND At Marin Shakespeare Company

Alternative Theater Ensemble (ATE) and IN THE MARGIN's (ITM) ITMéxico, in collaboration with Dominican University of California and Marin Shakespeare Company, will present Bridging Turtle Island, a free staged reading of new works by an extraordinary cohort of playwrights. The event will take place Thursday, September 18 at 7:00 p.m. at Forest Meadows Amphitheatre in San Rafael.

Bridging Turtle Island is more than performance—it is a collective heartbeat resonating through memory, defiance, and celebration. Rooted in ancestral storytelling, the project began in July 2024 during IN THE MARGIN's pilot residency ITMéxico in Sahuayo, Michoacán, and has since developed into a cross-border artistic collaboration. Supported by the California Arts Council's Impact Project and the CAC's Creative Youth Development program, the initiative pairs established professionals with early-career arts workers to hone their craft, build community, and elevate marginalized voices.

The reading will feature performances by Erin Rose Solorio, Angela Hernandez, Reg Sutphen, Tuger Xiong, Liliana Alva, Fredy Gomez Cruz, Chloë Parmelee-Laporte, and Grace Li Kostrzewa. It is produced by Leah Sanginiti (ATE ensemble member ), R. Réal Vargas Alanis (ATE Ensemble, Co-Founder and Core Leader ITM) and Brandon Rea Gonzales (ITM Ensemble), alongside ITMéxico resident producers Sonia Yvette Álvarez, Margarita A. Cacho, Whitney M. Reed, and Trinidad J, as well as Zoë Aiko Sonnenberg (ATE Ensemble Member).

Featured Playwrights

• Lauren Gunderson – One of the most produced playwrights in America, known for Silent Sky, The Book of Will, and I and You.

• Drew Woodson – Western Shoshone playwright and director centering Native stories with integrity and humanity (From Above at Kansas City Rep).

• Amber Kay Ball – Citizen of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians, a multi-practice artist whose work spans theater, multimedia, and beadwork (Finding BigFoot).

• R. Réal Vargas Alanis – Purépecha, 2-Spirit artist, playwright, and producer recognized nationally for radical, socially conscious artistic practices (Love is Bliss).

• W. Fran Astorga – Queer Latine playwright blending poetic text, humor, and bilingual storytelling (Exhaustion Arroyo at Cutting Ball Theater).