Teatro Luna

A piece written and performed by Kelley Williams for our upcoming Talking While Female Storytelling event on the theme of SAGE. Come check out what other magic is in store on Thursday, Dec 10 at 7p PST - tickets now available: bit.ly/twfsage Storytellers to be featured: Alex Beech Alexandra Meda... Edited by Christina Igaraividez, Alexandra Meda and Kelley Williams.

We can’t wait to host you this Thursday for an evening of true, personal stories on the theme of SAGE. We will also have short story snippets from folks such as Kelley Williams who will be sharing a brand new story! Tickets still available at: bit.ly/twfsage Watch from home and grab your favorite warm and fuzzy drink (or cold ) and cozy up with the Lunas ... More on Kelley: Kelley Williams grew up in Altadena, California and attended Pitzer College in Claremont, California where she earned her Bachelor's in International and Intercultural Studies with an emphasis in World Religions. After she graduated from East 15 Acting School in England to earn her Masters in Theater, her one -woman show, Lovin’ Chocolate was nominated for a NAACP Theater Best One Person Show Award in 2013. She later worked as a Writer/Researcher for Bill Duke’s 2015 documentary Light Girls, exploring the issues of colorism within the Black community. Kelley is a company member of Downtown Repertory. Her debut performance was a witch ( naturally) and Lady MacDuff in Macbeth for their Sierra Madre Summer Series. She recently performed in Downtown Rep’s The Assasination of Edgar Allan Poe. She is deeply grateful to be a company member of Teatro Luna and having the privilege to perform in the trilogy of Generation Sex, Love Sick, and The Times.

UPDATE: Tonights Talking While Female will be postponed by one week to Dec 17! IF you are still able to make it then please use the same link below. We will have the same line up and we PROMISE it will be worth the wait - thank you for your understanding during these times. We cant wait to see you! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/talking-while-female-storytell

So you KNOW we couldn’t just do a regular zoom storytelling performance! For this episode we are doing something we’ve never done before - were incorporating an artist to paint an original piece as each storyteller performs their story! YES in real time SAVE YOUR SPOT HERE: bit.ly/twfblackmagic We are introducing a new component to our event this month with a live visual artist, Kennatree, who will be using the stories being told as inspiration to create a new art piece. ... We’d like to introduce you to our Visual Artist for the evening Kennatree: Kennatree (Kennady Bob) is a Los Angeles based freelance artist, born and raised in Houston, Texas. Her work is an exploration of the human experience by way of the black experience. She uses color, line and space in ways that portray the broad variance of each individual and their infinite capacity to create world's unseen.

A great learning shared with me recently was______________ One of our favorite parts of our live shows were when we gave out papelitos that included a prompt that we would share throughout the night, picked at random from a bucket. We'd laugh and be moved together at all the beautiful words our audiences would share. Although we can't use real paper, buckets or pens, we want to keep the tradition going virtually (and pretend the chat function is our bucket!)... Let us know how you would fill in the blank above in the comments below REMINDER we're only ONE DAY AWAY and still have tickets available! RSVP to save your spot today: bit.ly/twfsage

Friends! We are thrilled to share that our very own special leader of the pack - Alex Meda will be sharing a NEW story on the theme of SAGE this Thursday Dec 10 at 7p PST Tickets AVAILABLE: bit.ly/twfsage We're gonna be honest, we've been in our feelings lately with the lockdown - some of us feeling super isolated, unmotivated and unsure about many things. But we know we're not alone. We'd love to see some new and familiar faces this Thursday to keep our community strong.... Also who knows, maybe we will see you on our Zoom stage too to tell a short story on Sage! In the meantime let's get to know (or be re-introduced) Alex: As a stage director, culture-producer, disrupter for social justice, and a digital media creator, Meda generates original works through collective/ensemble practices that are engaged both in person and virtually with artists and changemakers globally. As a devised theatre-maker, she nurtures female-driven spaces that center Women Of Color in vibrant collaborations between the community, performers, scholars, designers, thinkers, and artists. Positively shifting how we interact with, look at, and value the femme body is fundamental across her work. She has a forthcoming book project on the relationship between collaboration, failure, and innovation with Dr. Liza Ann Acosta. She is passionate about her work as an anti-oppression facilitator and organizational change strategist and hopes to see you as a participant in one of her Creative Renewal, Collaborative Leadership, or Leading Change retreats or training events in her favorite cities worldwide. www.alexandracollaborates.com

We miss seeing you at our theater, but we’d love to see your faces online next week Our virtual Talking While Female: Storytelling Sessions show is drawing near! Tickets are still available for next Friday Oct 30 at 6p PDT: Bit.ly/twfblackmagic In case you couldn’t tell, the theme is Black Magic and themes are completely up to storytellers interpretations. ... We’d like to introduce you to our next storyteller Liz Magallanes! Liz, a native of Ciudad Juarez Chihuahua, Mexico, lives to serve and build power alongside low to moderate income communities of color, and immigrants to ensure their rights are secured. She works closely with Latino and allied communities to bring justice through art, empowerment, and civic engagement. She has done this in different capacities locally and nationally, as an artist and advocate, to connect the issues impacting communities of color and other marginalized communities to effect social change. As an artist she strives to incorporate these voices in her craft. She has done this through her role in Cara Mia Theatre’s production of Deferred Action, which toured Texas, and was presented at Encuentro De Las Americas 2017, an international theatre festival that brings companies from across the Americas together in Los Angeles. She is also featured in Crossed, a documentary that navigates the complexities of being an immigrant in this moment in history, told through the lens of her journey from artist to activist.

We’re starting the countdown for this month’s Talking While Female Virtual Storytelling Session: Black Magic on Friday, October 30th at 6 pm PDT! We want to introduce our first storyteller Dionna Michelle Daniel You can join us and listen to her story by reserving your ticket at bit.ly/twfblackmagic ... Meet Dionna: Los Angeles based Dionna Michelle Daniel is an emerging theatre artist and arts activist from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Daniel believes that her work has a strong responsibility to investigate trauma and how it is passed down generationally, the black psyche, mysticism and ancient spirituality. Weaving song and poeticism throughout her plays, Daniel beautifully captures the soul of what it means to be Black in America. Her most notable work GUNSHOT MEDLEY: Part 1 was Ovation Award recommended and published in Routledge’s Contemporary Plays by Women of Color. Due to the success of Gunshot Medley, Daniel received notoriety in the Los Angeles Times as a front-runner in ...a vibrant new era in African-American playwriting. Other notable works include her one-woman show Rain, River, Ocean and forthcoming documentary and theatrical performance art piece Paint Me White. Daniel is currently of Center Theatre Group’s Writer’s Workshop and the Skylight Theatre’s PlayLab. Daniel has also been commissioned by Peppercorn Theater company for their 2020 commission. Other accomplishments include: 2017-2018 Core Apprentice at The Playwright's Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota & 2018 Alliance of Los Angeles Playwrights Diversity Fellow. Daniel is a graduate of California Institute of the Arts with a BFA in Acting and a minor in Creative Writing. She was accepted as the 2016 Provost’s Research & Practice Fellowship in the study of African-American Dialects. Currently, Daniel serves as the Artistic Associate at The Pasadena Playhouse, The State Theater of California where she assists in curating all artistic programming, event producing, and community engagement efforts within the Pasadena and greater San Gabriel Valley area. For more information, visit dionnamichelledaniel.com See more

We are taking it virtual and national with three original, fresh-pressed, stories, each will be accompanied by a visual artist's interpretation of the story LIVE as we the viewers experience it. This month’s theme is BLACK MAGIC (Season 4 Episode 2) Ensemble member Kelley Lucile serves as special guest host and will be guiding us through the evening along with surprise 1-minute live story presenters. Connecting through stories, histories, and futures has always been the found...ation of our healing practice both in person and digitally. You are invited to interact throughout the evening in the chat and with the artists. Storytelling is an act of resistance and documentation. Our experiences will not be erased. Tickets now available at bit.ly/twfblackmagic for October 30th 6pm PDT

Happy Friday INDEED We are excited to announce our first featured storyteller for next week's Talking While Female: Virtual Storytelling Sessions! None other than our Luna BFF and our very own Audible Original performer Alex Beech who will be performing a story on the theme of SAGE on THURSDAY Dec 10! Reserve your spot now at bit.ly/twfsage As a reminder all proceeds go directly to artists and production of show - thank you for your support of keeping our stories alive...! Get to know Alex Beech who is: Maria Alexandria (Alex) Beech is an award-winning Venezuelan-American writer living in New York and Los Angeles. Alex’s TV pilot, Telemamas, is currently in development in LA. Constance, a film she wrote for Director Mark Pellington, is in pre-production. Alex is currently developing unscripted series for television, including LA Legal, Creve Coeur, The Charlie Rosen Show, and Re-building America. In the fall of 2019, she co-produced and co-hosted The Summit Live Show and Podcast with Saturday Night Live’s Darrell Hammond at the Hollywood Improv. Her story, Fidel and Me, opens Chapter One of Talking While Female and Other Dangerous Acts - the first ever Audible release of stories by Latina Storytellers, released in 2019. Her translation of HITLER IN MY HEART by Noé Morales Muñoz was published by NoPassport Press in 2018. Her plays include Infinity Pond, The Islands, her musical, Class written with composer and Threechicken partner Karl Saint Lucy was a finalist for the 2017 National Musical Theater Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. Directed by Broadway Producer Nolan Doran, Alex will perform her one woman show, The One Chicken Show, in New York in 2019. Alex is a former member of The Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group at Primary Stages and the Hispanic Playwrights in Residence Lab at INTAR. Alex serves as a member of the México/United States Playwright Exchange at The Lark Play Development Center. She holds a BA and MFA from Columbia University and an MFA from NYU.

Black Magic is the hidden power we all possess. It’s the sustenance we are given from our ancestors. It’s the unknown magic that goes unseen, unfelt but it moves us nonetheless. Now is the time, in the glorious season of Halloween, to open our eyes to things that are in the dark. The things we’ve been closed off to within ourselves, the things we’ve been too afraid to go after, to fight for, to believe in. So in this season of celebration of fear, FACE IT and claim your power On October 30th, 6pm PDT we have a special edition of Talking While Female: Virtual Storytelling Session look out for what’s brewing Season 2, episode 4: BLACK MAGIC Tickets now available below:

Next we have Luis Kelly Duarte who will be playing Machete and Dominican Soldier for the upcoming virtual reading of "City Without Altar" this Sunday, Oct 4 at 5p bit.ly/citywithoutaltar Luis Kelly-Duarte is a Nicaraguan born Afro-Latino actor / writer raised in Northern California. Theater credits include: A Streetcar Named Desire (Boston Court) Handball (Urban Theatre Movement & NYC Summer Stage), Romeo and Juliet (African American Shakespeare Company). Recent TV/Film: Archenemy, Shameless, Animal Kingdom, Ripper. Luis is a member of Ensemble Studio Theatre LA and Antaeus Theatre Company where he is also a member of it's Playwright's Lab. Follow @authenticLKD

Tomorrow is the day for the virtual reading of Jasminne Mendez’s play City Without Altar. Join us in this two-act play in verse that seeks to amplify the voices and experiences of victims, survivors and living ancestors of the 1937 Haitian Massacre that occurred along the northwest Dominican/Haitian border during the Trujillo Era. This historic piece is of the moment as we face and dismantle the global pandemic of anti-blackness and violent border policies. Beyond that, ho...wever, this piece is also a celebration of black joy, black love, and liberation. Join us on Sunday, October 4th at 5pm Pacific (7 pm Central) by reserving your ticket at bit.ly/citywithoutaltar In preparation for the reading we’d like you to meet Deborah who plays Madame Telsaint. Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton is an internationally known writer, educator, activist, and Poet Laureate Emeritus of Houston, Texas. Formerly ranked the #2 Best Female Performance Poet in the World, Her work has appeared in Houston Noir by Akashic Press (2019), Black Girl Magic by Haymarket Books (2019), and Fjords Journal, and on such platforms as NPR, BBC, ABC, Apple News, Blavity, Upworthy, and across the TedX circuit. She has served as a contributing writer to Texas Monthly and Glamour Magazine. Heralded as a Literary Genius by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee in 2019, D.E.E.P.’s most recent poetry collection, Newsworthy, was named a finalist for the 2019 Writer’s League of Texas Book Award and an honorable mention for the Summerlee Book Prize. A German translation, under the title "Berichtenswert," is set to be released in Fall 2021 by Elif Verlag.

We have one last surprise! Our very own fellow storyteller from our Audible Original Talking While Female & Other Dangerous Acts, Franceli Chapman will also be a part of the cast for "City Without Altar" by Jasminne Mendez this SUNDAY, Oct 4 at 5pm! Catch Franceli playing the role of Cenalia. Reserve your spot here: bit.ly/citywithoutaltar Franceli Chapman-Varela is an Afro-Latina(Dominican) actor, host, writer, and producer. She is a member of 3 guilds; Writers Guild of Ame...rica, SAG-AFTRA and Actor's Equity. She is an artivist. As an actor/activist she uses her voice to speak on panels and protests on the need for inclusion/diversity in Hollywood. Franceli has been seen on BET’s Original Movie, Open, All American (Netflix), The ReaHousewives is Beverly Hills (Bravo) and just starred in a rap movie where she wrote her own lyrics This Thing called Hip Hop Her theatre credits include White (CVRep), The House On Mango Street, Blues for Mister Charlie to name a few. This former on-air personality at 91.1 FM has been seen on Afterbuzz TV, Black Hollywood Live, and Uno Dos Tres Television. Franceli has covered for Houston Style Magazine, Broadway Black, Soul Essence Magazine and has been featured in the NY TIMES, Amsterdam News, and NY Daily News. She worked with Latina Show Runner Tanya Saracho in the writer's room for Brujas. See more

Next up, please welcome Gabi Mayorga who will be reading stage directions for the upcoming virtual reading of "City Without Altar" this Sunday, Oct 4 at 5p! bit.ly/citywithoutaltar Gabi Mayorga is an actress, teacher, and director. She was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco and grew up in the desert of New Mexico. She graduated with a BFA in Acting from The Theatre School at DePaul University and acted in Chicago theatres such as Steppenwolf Garage and The Goodman. Upon moving to Los Angeles, she acted in commercials, began teaching acting to young kids and recently started directing small projects. She is excited for what the future holds.

Good Morning! It's Thursday, which means it's almost Sunday Oct 4, when we will be featuring "City Without Altar" by Jasminne Mendez, as part of Ingenio 2020 Fest (virtually)! Save your spot right HERE: bit.ly/citywithoutaltar Check out our next featured actor Omete Anassi playing Cameron: Omete is a first-generation Kenyan-American from the southwest side of Houston, Texas, born and raised. Throughout his youth, Anassi was known for jumping back and forth between sports and ...theatre. He originally played college football in San Antonio, Texas before ultimately transferring to the University of Southern California in 2014. There, he started acting professionally, performing in multiple theatre shows both at USC's School of Dramatic Arts and throughout the city. In 2017, he graduated from USC with his bachelor’s in Neuroscience. Since then, he’s been blessed to experience incredible feats in his acting career, including being a 2019 NAACP Theatre Award recipient for Best Male Lead in a Local Production. Anassi is also an avid poet, having performed his most notable piece, "Lil Black Boy", in over fifty events. See more

Our next featured actor for "City Without Altar" as part of the virtual Ingenio Fest 2020 is Sofia Lugo as Maria. Reserve your ticket now at bit.ly/citywithoutaltar for this Sunday, Oct 4 at 5pm PST! Let's get to know Sofia who was: Born and raised in East Los Angeles. She earned her BA in Theatre Arts at California State University Northridge. She has also taken acting and voice classes from A Noise Within and attended workshops from center theatre group, teatro luna, and casa 0101. Currently, her personal plan and journey is to integrate environmental art and media as a drive for social change, healing, growth, and empowerment.

You'll also catch Julie Reyes as Irelia for the virtual production of City Without Altar by Jasminne Mendez. Get cozy with us Sunday, October 4th at 5pm Pacific by reserving your ticket at bit.ly/citywithoutaltar Julia Reyes was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey to Dominican immigrants. Reyes grew up in Santiago, Dominican Republic. She attended PUCMM University in Santiago, Dominican Republic for Communications , while attending she also joined the university theater group a...nd felt inspired to pursue an acting career. She then dropped out in her second year and moved back to the USA. She went to The New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts in Manhattan, NY where she began her training. Reyes commuted to New York and Philadelphia on a daily basis for auditions and acting projects. Before COVID 19, Reyes was living in Los Angeles, CA. She had a short play produced in Boyle Heights (LA) and continues to write and work on projects based out of Los Angeles, CA. Reyes is today Bi-costal in the West and East coast. See more

Meet the players for the upcoming play City Without Altar as part of the 2020 Ingenio Fest. Starting with Alexandria Sepulveda as Stage Manager: Since graduating from The University of Texas at Austin, Alexandria has worked as a Stage Manager, Theatre Teacher, Production Assistant, and Child Wrangler. While in San Antonio, she Stage Managed productions for The Magik Children’s Theatre and The Classic Theatre, as well as several Summer Fine Arts Academies for the SWISD and... UCISD. Recently, Alexandria has worked for The Dallas Theater Center, and Cara Mia Theatre. This is her first production with Teatro Luna. She is thrilled to be a part of this fantastic team, and looks forward to future projects together. Alexandria would like to thank her mother for her unwavering support. Join us on Sunday, October 4th at 5pm Pacific by reserving your ticket at bit.ly/citywithoutaltar We can't wait to see you there!