Reading of QUERIDA SOR JUANA: THE DEATH OF THE PHOENIX OF MEXICO Comes to San Francisco

A staged reading of the new play, Querida Sor Juana: The Death of the Phoenix of México, written by Carolina Morones will take place on November 18 at The Women’s Building 3543 18th Street, San Francisco. No tickets or reservations are necessary. The reading will take place from 4:00 to 5:00 pm, preceded by tamales from Cafe de Olla at 3:30 pm.

The reading is directed by Karina Gutierrez. Cast includes Wilma Bonet**, Regina Morones, Gisella Freied, Amelia Trotter, and Christian Arteaga. Vanessa Ramos serves as the production’s Conductora.

This fan letter to the 17th century poet nun of Mexico, renown for her contributions to the question of women’s rights and education, was created by local Latinx theater artist Carolina Morones as a dramatic reading of the letters of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (1648-1696). Sor Juana was born near Mexico City in 1651, and is considered to be the first feminist playwright in the world, putting her own life at stake to do so. At age 19 she joined a convent to avoid being forced to marry. Her feminist views were considered radical and she defended her beliefs in a famous 1691 letter, arguing that women had the right to be educated, and accused men of being the cause of the problems they blamed on women.

In this production, Morones investigates themes relevant to Bay Area residents such as censorship, and women’s physical and intellectual autonomy. Relentlessly censored by church and state, Sor Juana’s prolific work as a scholar, poet, and playwright in the 17th century garnered her recognition as “the 10th muse of Mexico”.

Querida Sor Juana amplifies a female contemporary of Shakespeare’s, a criolla poet who is probably the most recognizable Mexican female artist after Frida Kahlo. Similar to Shakespeare’s value as cultural capital in the Anglo-American world, Sor Juana and her works are claimed by those Spanish-speaking people who read her works, see her plays, and the constant reinterpretation and iteration of both. 

This production is made possible in part by support from The Creative Work Fund and the Zellerbach Family Foundation.

**member Actors Equity Association

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