LOS ANGELES MISSION COLLEGE THEATRE ARTS
Bringing professional theatre training and productions to Los Angeles's Northeast Valley since 2015
Letters From Cuba
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LA Mission College Theatre Arts will present Letters From Cuba, the final play by legendary Cuban-American playwright, Maria Irene Fornés, directed by Christian Barillas.
Letters From Cuba will be presented in the LA Mission College AMP Theater from November 15-24. Tickets range from $10-20 and go on sale on October 22 through www.lamcstage.com, where you can find the full performance schedule, including dates and times.
Based on three decades of letters that Fornés received from her brother in Havana, Letters From Cuba drifts between Cuba and New York City, spanning a decade across the turn into the 21st century. On a two-story set designed by guest artist Dorothy Hoover, Cuba hovers over windows, doors, hallways, and the fire escape of a cramped New York apartment where three young artists—Fran, Joseph, and Marc—bob-and-weave, their hearts afire with poetry, music, dance, and longing. Above them, Fran’s brother, Luis, struggles under a Communist regime, desperate to reunite with his sister while inextricably tied to home.
Letters From Cuba is directed by Christian Barillas (Blood Wedding). The cast of six includes Julia Chavez as Fran (understudy: Diana Jimenez), David Beltran as Joseph, Juda Gonzalez as Marc, Arturo Diaz Zeleya as Luis, Diana Martinez as Enrique, and Abraham Cortez as Gerardo/Jerry. Scenic design is by Dorothy Hoover, lighting design by instructor Bri Pattillo, and costume design by instructor Lena Sands. Stage management is by Andrea Felix-Gonzalez and Ali Barrera.
Letters From Cuba is presented through special arrangement with Paladin Artists.
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PERFORMANCES
Friday, Nov 15, 2024 7:00 PM
Saturday, Nov 16, 2024 7:00 PM
Sunday, Nov 17, 2024 2:00 PM
Thursday, Nov 21, 2024 7:00 PM
Friday, Nov 22, 2024 7:00 PM
Saturday, Nov 23, 2024 7:00 PM
Sunday, Nov 24, 2024 2:00 PM​​
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CAST
Fran
JULIA CHAVEZ
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Joseph
DAVID BELTRAN
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Marc
JUDA GONZALEZ
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Luis
ARTURO DIAZ ZELAYA
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Enrique
DIANA MARTINEZ
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Gerardo/Jerry
ABRAHAM CORTEZ
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Fran understudy
DIANA JIMENEZ
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CREATIVE TEAM
Director
CHRISTIAN BARILLAS
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Scenic and Props Designer
DOROTHY HOOVER**
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Lighting Designer
BRI PATTILLO*
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Costume Designer
LENA SANDS*​
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PRODUCTION TEAM
Producer ROBERT CUCUZZA
Stage Manager ANDREA FELIX-GONZALEZ
Assistant Stage Manager ALI BERRERA
Production Manager BRI PATTILLO*
Technical Director AARON BLOKKER*
Assistant Technical Director JOSHUA OCHOA
Costume Supervisor FAWN TRIGILI-QUINN**
Costume Assistant KIARA CABAN
Props Assistant. JULIANA GARCIA
Build Team NATHAN CAMPOS, DIEGO GODINEZ, ALEX HOLT, PORTER McFADDEN, SOHAIL RAHMAN,
Poster Artist R. SIKORYAK
* LA Mission College faculty or staff
** Guest Artist​​​​​
María Irene Fornés (Havana, Cuba/New York City, 1930-2018)
Biography by Anne García-Romero from "Fifty Key Figures in Latin American and Latinx Theatre," edited by Paola Hernández and Analola Santana (Routledge, 2022)
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María Irene Fornés, considered by many to be the mother of Latinx playwriting, was an influential and award-winning playwright, director, and teacher. Born in Havana, Cuba, Fornés, the youngest of six children, immigrated to the United States in 1945 with her sister Margarita, and mother Carmen, a former schoolteacher. Earlier that year, her father Carlos, a low-level bureaucrat in Cuba’s civil service, died of a heart attack at the age of fifty-three. Fornés and her sister were raised by their mother in New York City, where she resided for the rest of her life. Fornés wrote and directed more than fifty plays that were produced throughout the United States and internationally including in Cuba, Peru, England, France, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Russia, and India. Tango Palace (1963) was her first produced play and Letters from Cuba (2000) was her final play. She won an unprecedented nine Obie Awards and her play, What Of The Night? (1990) was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. Fornés eschewed identity politics yet her work has been described as feminist, Latinx, lesbian, and avant gardist. She was also an influential educator, teaching playwriting across the US, and especially through her founding of the Hispanic Playwrights in Residence Lab (HPRL 1981-1992), at International Arts Relations (INTAR), a New York City theatre committed to producing works by Latinx writers, where she trained many celebrated Latinx playwrights of the late twentieth century. During her final years, Fornés suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, and was cared for by family, friends, former students, and colleagues, while she resided at the Amsterdam House in New York City, where she died in 2018. Her later years are poignantly captured in the award-winning documentary film, The Rest I Make Up (2018), directed by Michelle Memran.
Letters From Cuba information
Please read the following important information.
DURATION
The show runs 65 minutes with no intermission.
AGE ADVISORY
Unless specified as “children’s theatre,” which this show definitely is not, kids under ten are generally too restless and unpredictable to attend. No matter how interesting you think it may be for your toddler, they will get restless and make sudden sounds and movements that are distracting to both the actors and audience.
CONTENT ADVISORY
Although Letters From Cuba contains adult themes, there is nothing in the production that should offend the average audience member.
PLEASE ARRIVE AHEAD OF TIME
We start our shows on time. Entering the theater after the show has begun can disturb both the audience and actors. Make sure that you arrive at the box office no later than 15 minutes before show time.
TRAFFIC ADVISORY
If you are attending a Thursday or Friday performance, we strongly urge you to leave extra time to arrive before showtime. There is often excessive traffic on both freeways and local roads on those days.
LOCATION ADDRESS
Los Angeles Mission College
13356 Eldridge Avenue
Sylmar, CA 91342
THE AMP THEATER
The AMP Theater is located in the Arts, Media & Performance building, next to the parking structure.
PARKING
Free of charge, in the parking structure or on Eldridge Street.
BOX OFFICE
The box office opens one hour before show time.
CELL PHONES, PICTURES AND VIDEOS
Cell phone usage of any kind is absolutely prohibited during the show. The light from screens is distracting not only for your neighbors, but especially for the actors. Photographs or video recordings of the show are also prohibited.
