The Los Angeles Theatre Center Announces Its New Fall Season: Face Of The World 2012

The Los Angeles Theatre Center, a landmark facility in Downtown's 

Historic Core, embarks on its sixth fall season under the
stewardship of The Latino Theater Company. There will be a full roster of
plays from the venue’s Cultural Roundtable, a collaborative group of
resident companies. The plays include “Faith” “Empanada for a Dream”
“Flipzoids” and “La Virgen de Guadalupe, Dios Inantzin” from The Latino
Theater Company; and “Anna Lucasta” from Robey Theatre Company. There will
also be visiting artists presenting plays, music and dance.
 

Face of the World 2012 will be where international and local
artists unite, reflecting the diversity of Los Angeles.

The regular season schedule will be preceded by two
limited-engagement bonus attractions:
           
September 7- 9: “André y Dorine.” Los Angeles Premiere. Written
by Kulunka Teatro (Garbine Insausti, Jose Dault, Inaki Rikarte, Rolando San
Martin, Edu Carcamo). Directed by Inaki Rikarte. Produced by Kulunka Teatro
and The Latino Theater Company in association with The Albuquerque Journal
Theatre.  “André y Dorine” is a piece of contemporary Mask Theatre about a
couple who needs to remember who they were, so they don’t forget who they
are. In a small room where memories hang over the walls, sound the keys of
a typewriter and the notes of a cello. They are André and Dorine, an
elderly couple gently decaying from routine and neglect, with a passion
once so huge for each other now fading into indifference. But an event
comes to break the monotony: Alzheimer’s, our greatest antagonist, devourer
of memories and of identity itself.

Kulunka Teatro’s contemporary and committed mask theatre transcends
language barriers. It is wordless. It explores uplifting and thought
provoking themes with movement, masks and music. It has toured extensively
in Spain, South America, China and Europe, and will continue its tour in
United States and Asia. It was an award winner at the Birmingham European
Theatre Festival in 2011, and at the La Habana International Theatre
Festival 2011 (Cuba).

In Los Angeles Theatre Center’s 280-seat Theatre 2. Fri. & Sat. at 8 p.m.,
Sun. at 3 p.m.  Admission: $30. Students and seniors $20. Groups of ten or
more, $20.

September 28-30: “Illuminated Manuscript: a hip-hop interpretation of The
Epic of Gilgamesh.” Directed by Amy “Catfox” Campion. Produced by Antics
Performance and The Latino Theater Company. Illuminated Manuscript is a
multimedia street dance/theater saga inspired by the Epic of Gilgamesh and
told through performer-activated video projection and street dance
choreography. Heroic characters use breakdancing, popping, krumping, and
hip hop dance to journey through the wilderness, fight monsters, and
discover the secret to immortality.  Colored by the virtuosity that hip hop
dances are known for, the choreography synthesizes body language, gesture,
and street dance by drawing on the inherent strengths and integral concepts
of street dance traditions.

In the 320-seat Theatre 3. Fri. & Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 7 p.m..
Admission: $30. Students and seniors $20. Groups of ten or more, $20.

Five plays follow in the regularly scheduled season:

October 6- October 28: “Flipzoids.” Written by Ralph B. Pena. Directed by
Jon Lawrence Rivera. Produced by PAE Live! and The Latino Theater Company.
Flipzoids is a funny and highly moving story about three Filipinos
navigating through the shifting landscapes of home, desire and loneliness.
Set on a deserted beach in Southern California, the play examines what it
means to be an outsider. Redford is a 20-something kid that hangs out at
beachside restrooms searching for connections; Vangie is a nurse who
memorizes the dictionary to sound more American; Aying, Vangie’s mother,
struggles with understanding a daughter to whom she has become an
embarrassment. Together, they search to understand what it means to be
Filipino and/or American - to be a hybrid.

In the intimate 89-seat Theatre 4. Thurs.- Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m.
Admission: $30. Students and seniors $20. Thursdays $10. Previews (Oct. 4 &
5) $10

October 12- November 11: “Faith: Part I of A Mexican Trilogy.” World
Premiere. Written by Evelina Fernandez. Directed by Jose Luis Valenzuela.
Produced by The Latino Theater Company. Set before the backdrop of the
Great Depression, Faith is the story of a family faced with the challenge
of retaining ancient traditions and cultural memory in the midst of social
and political upheaval. A journey that begins as a last resort for the
Garcia family becomes an incredible legacy that will give birth to a
generation of Mexican-Americans. A Mexican Trilogy depicts a
Mexican-American family impacted by three historical figures - Franklin
Delano Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and Pope John Paul II.
In Theatre 3. Thurs.- Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. Admission: $40.
Students and seniors $20. Thursdays: $10. Previews (Oct. 12, 13, 14, 18)
$10

October 25- November 18: “Empanada for a Dream.” West Coast Premiere.
Written and performed by Juan Francisco Villa. Directed by Alex Levy.
Produced by The Latino Theater Company. Downtown on Allen Street
everybody’s blasting music - bacchata, merengue and salsa. Everybody’s
cooking – plantains, paella, and empanadas. Boys play baseball and football
on the street while the most beautiful girl watches from a window. In his
living memoir, “Empanada For A Dream,” Juan Francisco Villa uncovers the
treasures of his family’s dark legacy in the streets of New York’s Lower
East Side. A poignant and funny portrait of family and neighborhood – set
against a secret that destroys it all. An inspiring tale about growing up
by getting out and coming back, home. Winner of the 2012 ITBA (Independent
Theatre Bloggers Association) Award for "Outstanding Solo Performance."
Performed in English (with a little Spanish). Suggested for audiences age
13 to Adult.

In Theatre 2. Thurs.- Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. Admission: $40.
Students and seniors $20. Groups of ten or more $20. Previews (Oct. 25 &
26) $10

November 8- December 9: “Anna Lucasta.” Written by Philip Yordan. Directed
by Ben Guillory. Produced by Robey Theatre Company in association with The
Latino Theater Company. Expelled from her home by her over-protective and
jealous father young Anna Lucasta is forced to confront life’s inevitable
fight for survival. When her family with their own piggish desires offers
her a chance at “ redemption” Anna accepts the refuge of home. A glimmer of
feeling is present when she is introduced to a young, handsome man and Anna
shocks them all by embracing true love only to encounter her own demons and
the unforgiving father’s vengeful plan that threatens to destroy the future
she deserves.

In Theatre 4. Thurs.- Sat. at 8 p.m., Sun. at 3 p.m. Admission: $30.
Students, seniors and veterans $20. Groups of ten or more $20.

December 6 and December 7 at 7:30pm: “La Virgen De Guadalupe, Dios
Inantzin.” Adapted from “Nican Mopohua” by Evelina Fernandez. Directed by
Jose Luis Valenzuela.  Produced by The Latino Theater Company. This is the
eleventh annual production of the spectacular holiday pageant and inspiring
story, which has become a Los Angeles tradition featuring a cast of over
100 actors, musicians and dancers. The story of the indigenous peasant Juan
Diego, to whom the Virgin Mary appeared repeatedly with accompanying
miracles in the mountains of Tepeyac outside Mexico City in 1531, is
visually dazzling and deeply moving. Join the tens of thousands who have
already thrilled to this holiday experience like none other. Presented in
Spanish with English supertitles.

At Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, 555 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, CA
90012. General admission is FREE. Reserved seating is available for $30
through November 1, $35 thereafter. Reserved seating for groups of ten or
more is available at $20 per ticket through November 1, $25 thereafter.

This season, Los Angeles Theatre Center is making available the opportunity
to participate in a voluntary, audience-friendly, money-saving Membership
program. In economically challenging times, the LATC Membership card is the
answer to an avid theatergoer’s prayer. For $50 for a full year’s
membership, the following benefits are available:

50% off tickets for regular season programming (limited to two tickets per
night):

Priority Seating for general seating performances;

A free glass of wine (one per member per show, for adults);

Invitations to Opening Night receptions;

Special discounts for select off-season and leased events;

Weekly e-newsletter;

Recognition in performance programs and on the LATC website.

When attending, have your LATC Membership card with you to obtain your full
benefits, worth several times the cost of the card itself.

The Los Angeles Theatre Center is located at 514 S. Spring St.,
Los Angeles, CA 90013.