Spanish Language Open Captioned Performances at Douglas and Taper
SPANISH LANGUAGE OPEN CAPTIONED PERFORMANCES SET FOR “ELLIOT, A SOLDIER’S FUGUE” AT THE KIRK DOUGLAS THEATRE AND “WATER BY THE SPOONFUL” AT THE MARK TAPER FORUM
Center Theatre Group will offer Spanish-language translations of the 1 p.m. performance of “Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue” on Sunday, February 25 at the Kirk Douglas Theatre and the 8 p.m. performance of “Water by the Spoonful” on Friday, March 9 at the Mark Taper Forum. Each show will be performed in English with Spanish translations running simultaneously on open captioned screens. Audience members wishing to view the open captions should request to be seated in the captioning area when purchasing tickets.
Directed by Shishir Kurup, Hudes’ Pulitzer finalist “Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue” began previews January 27, opens February 3 and continues through February 25.
A soldier, like his father and his father’s father, 19-year-old Elliot is back from Iraq with a Purple Heart. As he recovers from his injuries and decides whether to return to Iraq, he yearns for a truer connection with his father and considers his own limited options outside the military.
Phoebe Hoban of The New York Times said “‘Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue’ is that rare and rewarding thing: a theater work that succeeds on every level, while creating something new. The playwright, Quiara Alegría Hudes, who has degrees in music (a bachelor's from Yale) and playwriting (a master’s from Brown), combines a lyrical ear with a sophisticated sense of structure to trace the legacy of war through three generations of a Puerto Rican family.”
Directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, Hudes’ Pulitzer Prize-winning “Water by the Spoonful” begins previews January 31, opens February 11 and continues through March 11.
A janitor, a software mogul, a college grad and an IRS paper-pusher have one thing in common. Although they live thousands of miles apart, these four people share a secret: they’re recovering addicts who have found a safe haven in an online chat room. There, with liberal doses of jokes and bullying, they help each other navigate the broken terrain of their lives. But when an Iraq War veteran’s tragedy spills over into their cyberhome, everything changes. In this fearless play by Quiara Alegría Hudes (“In the Heights”), worlds virtual and real unfold onstage, challenging our notions of family, forgiveness, community and courage.
When it played off-Broadway, Charles Isherwood of The New York Times said, “‘Water by the Spoonful’ gives off a shimmering, sustaining warmth. Ms. Hudes writes with such empathy and vibrant humor that regeneration and renewal always seem to be just around the corner.”
“Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue” and “Water by the Spoonful” are the first and second in a Hudes’ Elliot Trilogy. The Latino Theater Company will present the final installment of the trilogy with their production of “The Happiest Song Plays Last” at the Los Angeles Theatre Center (LATC). Presented all together, the full trilogy gives Los Angeles theatre audiences a rare opportunity to immerse themselves in this exciting playwright’s work.
Quiara Alegría Hudes is a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright. Her play “Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue” premiered off-off Broadway by Page 73 Productions and was a finalist for the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. “Water by the Spoonful” premiered at Hartford Stage Company and won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. “The Happiest Song Plays Last” premiered at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago in 2013. Hudes wrote the book for the Broadway musical “In the Heights,” which received the 2008 Tony Award for Best Musical, a Tony nomination for Best Book of a Musical, and was a 2009 Pulitzer Prize finalist. Other works include the plays “26 Miles” and “Yemaya’s Belly” and the children’s musical “Barrio Grrrl!” Hudes grew up in West Philadelphia where she studied music with Don Rappaport, Dolly Kranzapolski and Linda Hudes. She was later mentored by playwright Paula Vogel at Brown University. Hudes is an alumna of New Dramatists and sits on the board of Philadelphia Young Playwrights, which produced her first play in the tenth grade.
Center Theatre Group, one of the nation’s preeminent arts and cultural organizations, is Los Angeles’ leading nonprofit theatre company, which, under Artistic Director Michael Ritchie, programs seasons at the 736-seat Mark Taper Forum and 1600 to 2000-seat Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles, and the 317-seat Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. In addition to presenting and producing the broadest range of theatrical entertainment in the country, Center Theatre Group is one of the nation’s leading producers of ambitious new works through commissions and world premiere productions and a leader in interactive community engagement and education programs that reach across generations, demographics and circumstance to serve Los Angeles. Tickets to the Spanish language open captioned performances of “Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue” and “Water by the Spoonful” are $25 and $30, respectively. They are available by calling (213) 628-2772, online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org/promo using promo code AGUA, at the Center Theatre Group Box Office located at the Ahmanson Theatre or at the Kirk Douglas Theatre Box Office two hours prior to performance. The Kirk Douglas Theatre is located at 9820 Washington Blvd. in Culver City, CA 90232. Free three hour covered parking at City Hall with validation (available in the Kirk Douglas Theatre lobby). The Mark Taper Forum is located at The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. 90012.
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January 31, 2018