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