Program A
Food For the Dead Directed by: Maddie Jeul Farias and Angela Rangel A note from the directors: Food For The Dead is a satirical comedy that focuses on a Mexican-American family. On Halloween, during the traditions for Day Of The Dead, Candela’s children visit her for dinner. Her youngest daughter shows up unexpectedly with her “friend” she reveals that she is gay! This shocks her family - including her deceased father in hell. Through acceptance, the play ends with the family feeling liberated to live their lives truthfully. This play is extremely personal to me and I was really excited to direct a play by Josefina Lopez. I think she is a brilliant playwright and having one of her plays be the first one I direct at UCSC is memorable. For my directorial concept, I wanted to do a staged telenovela due to all of the twists and turns in the plot. To highlight the Queer Latina experience, I did unconventional casting and had the gay men characters be played by women. Please enjoy Food For The Dead. Content warnings: Homophobia, Mentions of Domestic Abuse, Verbal Abuse Couples Therapy Directed by: Junebug Sonnenberg and Tavion Collins Couples Therapy, covers the journey of an interracial couple as they attend counseling at the request of their wedding planner. It's going to counseling where they are faced with the skeletons hidden in the closet and the truths they have tried to run from. I am also the playwright, this play is derived from my book, Greyism:Black People In a White Society. The couple within the play is the manifestation of the relationship between White America and the Black Community. And the therapist is the embodiment of my feelings on the relationship. I hope the audience takes in the story and enjoys the performance. Content warnings:abusive relationship dynamics, extremely brief cursing/strong language |
Program B
Chaos Theory Directed by: Ansh Chaudhari and Carlie Floyd A note from the directors: Welcome to "Chaos Theory," Anuvab Pal's insightful exploration of love, intellect, and identity. Set against the backdrop of academia, the play follows Sunita and Mukesh's unconventional relationship from their days at St. Stephen's College to their tenure at Columbia University and beyond. Through witty banter and intellectual sparring, they navigate the complexities of life, love, and culture. As they circle each other like particles in quantum physics, their connection defies societal norms, yet grapples with strong themes such as casual internalized racism and patriarchy. "Chaos Theory" challenges us to reflect on the nature of human connection and the consequences of unspoken biases. Join us for a journey of laughter, introspection, and revelation as we delve into the intricate webs of relationships and the search for meaning in a chaotic world. We hope you enjoy the performance!! <3 Content warnings: Strong language and depiction of death. Blood at the Root Directed by: Kylah Washington and Isabella Percy A note from the directors: Blood at the Root is a phenomenal production highlighting the intersectionality of racism and Homophobia in the eyes of the youth. Written by Dominique Morriseau, this story is based on the true events of the Jenna Six. The Jena Six were six black teenagers in Jena, Louisiana convicted in the 2006 beating of another student. Journalists considered this an example of racial injustice since the teenagers initial subsequent charges were attempted second-degree murder. This play emphasizes the importance of the youth's role in historically orchestrating change for future generations. I hope you enjoy the show as much as we enjoyed capturing it's essence. Content warnings: Historical Traumatic Imagery & Offensive language depicting Racism and Homophobia. |