Magic Theatre Presents Legacy Revival Of Luis Alfaro's OEDIPUS EL REY

Magic Theatre (Loretta Greco, Artistic Director and Kevin Nelson, General Manager) announced today the complete cast and creative team for the 10th Anniversary Legacy Revival of Luis Alfaro's Oedipus el Rey, the Company's final production of the 2018-2019 season. Oedipus el Rey will be directed by Loretta Greco, who also directed Magic Theatre's World Premiere of Oedipus el Rey in 2010. Previews begin on Wednesday, May 29, 2019 at Magic Theatre's Fort Mason location (Fort Mason, 2 Marina Blvd., Building D, 3rd Floor, San Francisco, CA 94123), with a press opening on Friday, June 7, 2019 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets range from $15 - $75 and are on-sale now at MagicTheatre.org.

"It doesn't seem possible that ten years have passed since we premiered Luis's profound reimagining of Oedipus," said Loretta Greco, Magic Theatre's Artistic Director, "but it's been produced all over the country since, and Luis and I are thrilled to bring it back to Magic where it all started!"

"If plays are indeed living breathing organisms that reflect the times we are in," said Oedipus el Rey Playwright Luis Alfaro, "then Oedipus el Rey, my adaptation of the Greek classic, continues to be an outlet for me in challenging the mystery of our obsession with youth and incarceration. In the same time that we built 22 prisons, we built only one U.C. school in our state. Our prison population has grown by 500% and we currently house over 150,000 prisoners in California. It cost almost $70,000 to house an inmate, but only $9,000 to educate a young person. You do the math. The classics remind us of the stories that we must continue to tell until we find new ways forward. Come get jolted and hear the myth of Oedipus, or... maybe the testimony of someone currently in the system..."

Set in South Central L.A., Oedipus el Rey is a gritty and electrifying take on the Greek tragedy, written by the acclaimed Magic playwright Luis Alfaro. Oedipus is reimagined as a young man whose dreams of controlling his own destiny soar beyond the prison walls where he's spent his life. In a place where everyone is trapped by desperation, violence, and history, can one man transcend his own story? Love, family, and belief collide in this chilling, muscular odyssey that asks: what's fate and what's just the system?

The cast of Oedipus el Rey will feature Esteban Carmona* as "Oedipus," Lorraine Velez* as "Jocasta," Sean San José* as "Coro," Juan Amador as "Coro," Armando Rodriguez* as "Coro" and Gendell Hing-Hernandez* as "Coro."

*Member of Actors' Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers.

In addition to Mr. Alfaro and Ms. Greco, the creative team includes Hana Kim** (Scenic/Projection Design), Ulises Alcala** (Costume Design), Wen-Ling Liao** (Lighting Design), Jake Rodriguez (Sound Design), Amanda Marshall (Stage Manager), Sonia Fernandez (Dramaturg), Libby Martinez (Props Design) and Jacquelyn Scott (Tattoo Design).

**Member of United Scenic Artists local USA 829, the union of designers, artists, and craftspeople in the entertainment and decorative arts industries.

Magic Theatre's 2018-2019 season is produced by John F. Marx and Nikki Beach, Toni Rembe and Arthur Rock, Clay Foundation West, Sandra Hess, Kathryn Kersey and Larry Goldfarb. Oedipus el Rey is produced by Nancy Livingston and Fred Levin.

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