life is a dream press release - main street theater · out in the world no one is awake. no one. so...
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TRANSCRIPT
August 30, 2012 For Immediate Release
Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s
Life Is a Dream
September 20 – October 21, 2012
MST – Rice Village
“So let us dream! Tomorrow, life will become dust,
and love a breeze that passes unnoticed. Out in the world no one is awake.
No one. So let us dream! Let us dream! And if someone can’t sleep
let them open their windows, so they can gaze at the moving skies
and dream with open eyes. Let them listen to music,
so they can dream through the sweet sound that
enters the soul. I’ve learned that human happiness
passes by like a dream, so we must enjoy it
before it fades away, and we must ask
noble hearts to forgive us if we make mistakes.”
What is life? What is this world? What is real, and what is only illusion? Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s sweeping
play explores these questions that resonate in our souls. “I have wanted to produce this play for years,” says Rebecca
Greene Udden, Main Street Theater’s Executive Artistic Director. “But I couldn’t find a translation that felt right, that did
this masterful work justice. Nilo Cruz’ translation and adaptation, however, so beautifully capture the epic, sweeping
poetry. I’m thrilled to be opening our 38th season with Life Is a Dream.” (MST produced Cruz’ Anna in the Tropics in
2007.)
With previews September 15, 16, and 19, Life Is a Dream opens September 20 and runs through October 21 at
Main Street Theater – Rice Village, 2540 Times Blvd. Performances are on Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays and Saturdays
at 8pm, and Sundays at 3pm. Tickets start at $20 (previews are $10), depending on date and section, and are on sale in
person at the Main Street Theater Box Office, 2540 Times Blvd., via phone at 713.524.6706, or online at
MainStreetTheater.com. More…
Main Street Theater – Life Is a Dream Page 2
About Life Is a Dream
“Astrological omens predict that if King Basilio's son Segismundo is crowned, he will become a horrible tyrant
who will bring destruction to his kingdom. Basilio imprisons Segismundo for life, but decades later he decides to let his
son prove his ability to defy the stars. In Nilo Cruz's translation of Calderón de la Barca's classic, the question of whether
life is a dream or an illusion takes on a renewed relevance and urgency.” (Dramatists Play Service) A philosophical
allegory of the human situation and the mystery of life, this fantastical play remains one of Calderón's best-known works.
Nilo Cruz’ adaptation is a sublime translation which renders Calderon’s soaring poetry into richly elegant, modern
language.
Produced by South Coast Repertory Theatre in 2007, Main Street will present the Regional Premiere of this
stunning adaptation. Recommended for audiences 18 and up.
Post-show Discussion with the Artists
Following the matinee on September 23, there will be a discussion with director Pablo Bracho and the cast.
About Playwright Pedro Calderón de la Barca
Born in 1600, Calderón is known as the Spanish Shakespeare. The author of numerous plays, Life Is a Dream
remains his most recognized. He is credited with beginning the second wave of Spanish Golden Age theatre. At various
times in his life, he also served as a soldier and a Roman Catholic priest.
About Translator and Adaptor Nilo Cruz
Best known for his Pulitzer prize-winning play, Anna in the Tropics, Nilo Cruz is a Cuban American playwright
who studied under María Irene Fornés and Paula Vogel. He currently splits his time between New York and Miami.
About the Production
Pablo Bracho directs Life Is a Dream. The cast includes David Grant (The Light in the Piazza), Steve Garfinkel
(The Coast of Utopia: Salvage), Bobby Haworth, Philip Hays (Dog Act), Joanna Hubbard, Beth Lazarou (Dog Act),
Crystal O’Brien (Richard III), Justin O’Brien (The Coast of Utopia: Voyage), and David Wald (Dog Act).
The design team includes Jodi Bobrovsky (set design), Carrie Cavins (lighting design), Chris Bakos (sound
design), Kelly Switzer (costume design), and Rodney Walsworth (properties design). Lauren Smith is the production
stage manager.
Since 1975, Main Street Theater has produced high quality professional theater for audiences of all ages through its MainStage productions
and Main Street Youth Theater. The Main Street Theater Kids On Stage program offers performing arts classes and camps for children 5 years to 14
years of age. The organization produces plays at two locations, 2540 Times Boulevard in Rice Village and 4617 Montrose Boulevard at Chelsea
Market.
Main Street Theater is a member of the Fresh Arts Coalition, a collaboration of 25 arts organizations that work collectively to raise
awareness of the size and diversity of the arts in Houston, and a constituent of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national service
organization for not-for-profit theaters. Main Street Theater is also a member of Actors’ Equity Association and of ASSITEJ, the world theatre
network of theatre for children and young people. Main Street Theater is funded in part by grants from the City of Houston through the Houston Arts
Alliance, and the Texas Commission on the Arts.
Media Contact Only (not for print publication): Shannon Emerick, Director of Marketing and Development
713.524.3622 ext 105 / shannon@mainstreettheater.com
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