Teatro Círculo celebrates its 20th
Anniversary with World Premiere of
La caída de Rafael Trujillo by Carmen Rivera
A play
about the events that led to the implosion of a ruthless dictatorship
Carmen Rivera’s dramatic explorations of
spiritual cleansing activate a desire,
as well as a great conundrum, for
Latina/os navigation between
the beaches of the Caribbean and the Hudson River.
~ Jason Ramírez, Ph.D. – author of Carmen Rivera: Theatre of Latinidad
Teatro Círculo (www.teatrocirculo.org), an award-winning Off Broadway theater company
known for its inventive presentations of Spanish and Latin American classics
and contemporary works, continues the celebration of its 20th Anniversary Season with the highly anticipated
World Premiere of La caída de Rafael Trujillo, the latest play by Carmen Rivera.
Regarded as one of the most prolific U.S. Latina
playwrights, Rivera is the creative force behind box office blockbuster’s such
as "CELIA: The Life and Music
of Celia Cruz” (co-written with Candido Tirado) and "La Lupe: My Life, My Destiny.” Her
play, LA GRINGA, winner of the 1996
OBIE Award, is the longest running Latino show in Off Broadway history. Rivera’s
work on La caída de Rafael Trujillo spans over 5 dedicated years of intensive scholarship,
primary research, first-person interviews, as well as source material from
CUNY’s acclaimed Institute for Dominican Studies and more.
In La caída de Rafael Trujillo, Rivera, an NYU alumnus whose
graduate studies focused on Latin American dictatorships, sets up a series of
events--internal uprisings, betrayal, international pressures and political intrigue,
as well as the personal failures that led to the downfall of Rafael Leonidas Trujillo
Molina. The controversial ruler of the Dominican Republic governed his country
with an iron fist and massive blood shed for more than 30 years. Delving into the
last phase of his life, the play, based on historical facts and punctuated with
Rivera’s inimitable creative narrative, tells a moving story of a man whose
desire for absolute power poisoned his humanity and terrorized a nation.
“La caída de Rafael Trujillo reflects
on how so many Latin American people as well as continental Spaniards have
survived the trauma and violence of dictatorships. With the U.S. Latino
community being front and center in national dialogues, a story line such as
this speaks to the remarkable resiliency of these communities and how they have
committed to move forward in the spirit of democracy despite the enormous challenges
they faced in their respective societies,” explains playwright, Carmen Rivera.
This production will be directed by award
winning director Cándido Tirado and features a formidable pan-Latino cast: Iván
Camilo (as Johnny Abbes), Johary Ramos (as ensemble/various roles), Adriana
Sananes (as Doña María, wife of Gen. Trujillo), Renoly Santiago (as Don Paco
Escribano), Fermín Suárez (as Joaquin Balaguer), Ed Trucco (as Diplomat), Eva Cristina Vásquez (as the lover of Gen.
Trujillo) and in the lead role of Trujillo, José Cheo Oliveras. Set
design by Jorge Dieppa and lighting design by María Cristina Fusté. Harry Nadal
designed the historical costumes and Rubén Darío Cruz is the multimedia
designer. For this production, noted Dominican scholar and historian José Novas
has been the dramaturgical and cultural consultant and Bersaida Vega translated
the play into Spanish.
Limited
engagement: October 16 to November 2, 2014 at Teatro Círculo’s newly renovated
theater at 64 East 4th Street in Manhattan; performed in Spanish with English
supertitles.
WHAT:
World Premiere * La caída de Rafael Trujillo by
Carmen Rivera.
WHEN:
Show run: October 16 to
November 2, 2014
Evening performances take
place on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Shows start at 8pm.
Matinee performances on Sunday.
Shows start at 3pm.
TICKETS & INFO:
Phone: OvationTix at 866 811 4111
PRICE:
$25 General Admission.
$20 Students,
Seniors & Groups of 15+ .
WHERE:
Teatro Círculo, 64 East 4th
Street (Between Bowery and 2nd Avenue), New York City.
