For Immediate Release: March 17, 2006
Media Contact: Mary Bashaw, People's Light & Theatre Company, 610.647.1900 x103

12-year-old Jesús loves to tell stories and dreams of meeting the President of the United States. When disaster hits his rural Caribbean village, Jesús sets off down the mountain, through the city and across the ocean to make a new life. With a little help from Yemaya, the mothering goddess of the sea, Jesús spins the best fantasy-adventure story yet—his own.

Yemaya’s Belly runs March 30 through May 7, 2006 on the Steinbright Stage at People’s Light & Theatre Company. Directed by Shannon O’Donnell, the production features resident actors Michael Cruz, Mark Del Guzzo and Mary Elizabeth Scallen. Also featured are returning guest artists Joe Guzmán and Joanna Liao. The production team includes guest scenic designer Regina Garcia, lighting designer John Stephen Hoey, costume designer Rosemarie E. McKelvey and sound designer/composer Christopher Colucci. First time guest artist Jen Schoonover will serve as choreographer and Kate McSorley will be stage-managing the production.

About the Play: For a boy who's grown up in a small farming village high in the mountains of Cuba, there's a lot of outside world to explore. When Jesús visits the city for the first time with his uncle Jelin, he discovers a host of wonders: tattoo parlors, neon signs and carnival street performers. The novelty of his first Coke is made astonishing by the fact that the soda is served stinging cold—fresh from a refrigerator. In Quiara Alegría Hudes' play, Yemaya's Belly, Jesús ' trip to the city becomes the first step in a much longer journey.

At twelve, Jesús is trying to figure out just what it means to be a man. Is it toiling on a farm like his father? Running a coconut stand and winning at dominoes like his friend Tico? Or owning a store in the city and making lots of money? Jesús isn't having an easy time resolving the messages he gets from his fun-loving uncle Jelin, the energizing Tico or his aloof and emotionally distant father (who, appropriately enough, we never meet). When a fire devastates the village, leaving both his parents dead, Jesús' questions become very real and immediate.

Changing his name and taking his father's meager savings, Jesús returns to the city to start a new life for himself in this strange place where they play dominoes by different rules. Along the way, he meets and befriends Lila, a flinty but caring shopkeeper, Maya, an orphan girl with whom he'll eventually set sail for America, and a street performer who may or may not be the goddess Yemaya.

Hudes' play weaves a coming of age story shot through with threads of magical realism, ritual and Santeria mysticism. Maternal ocean goddess, Yemaya is represented in several forms throughout the play: the various nurturing mother figures, the Yemaya street performer, and the ocean itself all manifest aspects of the goddess. When a storm strikes Jesús and Maya adrift in their small boat en route to America, Jesús has a vision that mingles the people and elements of his journey and culminates in his seeing Yemaya herself. Hudes spreads this sense of mysticism throughout the play in moments of stylized ritual that connect characters to objects in profound, incisive ways. Anything has the potential to be magical, depending on your relationship to it. The world of the play is a pervasively spiritual environment in which Yemaya and St. Peter coexist comfortably side-by-side in people's prayers.

"In the Santeria tradition, prayers begin and end by honoring your ancestors," said director O'Donnell. "Ancestors are an active part of life, there to talk to, to support you, as a real spiritual presence. So a person is never alone." That sense of familial continuity is a defining theme of Hudes' play. "An image that leapt out to me," O'Donnell said, "is in the street performer Yemaya's message to Jesus: the 'eyes of your ancestors lie blind in my waters.' I began to think of Jesus' family and community (the other characters in the play), even those still alive, as his future ancestors buoying him up on this journey."

While the spine of Yemaya's Belly is Jesús' journey, the play tells a number of other stories as well, affirming the sense of context within community. Lila opens herself to risk in taking in this young boy, Jelin confronts his guilt over having let Jesús run away, and Tico finds a way to begin to work through his grief at the loss of his wife, killed in the fire. The depth with which Hudes treats these surrounding – but never peripheral – characters reflects her play's concern with issues of community and family. The sense of family extends beyond the household to the community. As Tico says at one point: "This town is your family." In a society that so greatly values ancestors, Jesús must face the question of whether he's abandoning his identity in leaving this community to go to America.

About the Physical Production: Considering the issues of community and the central primacy of the ocean, director Shannon O'Donnell and set designer Regina Garcia arrived at the first major decision of the show's design: the PLTC production of Yemaya's Belly will be performed in the round. The intimate Steinbright stage is reconfigured to place audience on all four sides of the stage, surrounding the action and in a sense becoming a part of the community.

In setting the scene for the action of the play, Hudes says that we "are always in relation to the ocean." Fittingly, Garcia's set is an inspired evocation of the ocean. The playing space consists of a number of gently curving platforms of various sizes, flowing into each other like waves layered one upon the other. An actor walking along one platform might have several options for his next step – forward or sideways, up or down. Painted in tones of turquoise, this composition of waves is like a frozen swirl of water through which the play's action flows. Several of the platforms are wide enough to accommodate the movement of furniture. Significant locations, like Tico's coconut stand and Lila's grocery store, have representative elements that travel on and off or are suspended above the stage.

Some suggestions of the ocean's motion will come from the lighting, according to lighting designer John Stephen Hoey. Along with evoking such other environmental elements as neon lights and sunrises, Hoey's work supports the magical and visionary moments in the play.

Composer and sound designer Christopher Colucci is also thinking about ways to evoke the environment and its magical aspects. Music runs throughout the play, particularly in song, which Colucci sees as significant. "I think the songs highlight the lyrical nature of the whole story, and so they feel more organic to the play than 'songs' in 'musicals' often are," he said. Playwright Hudes herself provided the tune for the song Jesús' mother sings, which Carlucci calls "a lovely melody.

"I am arranging it for our production and I am looking for other places to slip it in," he said. Time Colucci spent in Panama has served as his inspiration for the more literal musical aspects of the show. "I was impressed with how music wafts throughout the public space from multiple speaker sources, to create this tapestry of sound," he explained. "I think that Tico's radio wants to, in its low-fi way, be a nifty way to underscore and comment on the scenes that take place there. And in Lila's cafe one can still hear the street carnival just outside the door."

As for the less musical aspects of his sound design, Colucci said he's "been tracking down field recordings from the streets of Cuba - the sound of men playing dominoes, talking trash, the sounds of music from around the corner," as components and references for the play's background environment.

Given its prominence in Hudes' script, though, music will be significant. "Of course," Colucci said, "Cuban music is the template for the show -- but I want to find ways to break out of the Buena Vista Social Club vibe in a way that supports the lyricism of the story."

The play's more lyrical moments afford costume designer Rosemarie McKelvey a chance to provide something "very abstract" that both contrasts and references the "soft, draping, worn away" look of the clothing she's creating for the village. When characters appear in Jesús' vision, their costumes contain elements of their real-world costumes mixed with elaborate exaggeration.

Outside of the magical, the principle contrast is between the village and the city. While the theme for the village is very textural, McKelvey said the city look "would be synthetic, acidy, with bolder patterns." For Yemaya's costume, actual festival costumes of the goddess provided an inspirational jumping off point.

About the Playwright: Quiara Alegría Hudes is a West Philadelphia native—with family roots in Puerto Rico. Ms. Hudes has also written The Adventures of Barrio Grrrl!, Holy Broth, Coconut Therapy, and Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue. She is writing the libretto for In the Heights, a salsa/hip-hop/meringue musical that has been developed at Manhattan Theatre Club and the O’Neill Music Theatre Conference. Ms. Hudes has an ongoing relationship with Miracle Theatre in Portland, Oregon—a small bilingual theater company focusing on work by Latino playwrights. Miracle Theatre has produced three new Hudes plays over the last three seasons. Her playwriting honors include the Clauder Prize, Paula Vogel Award in Playwriting, Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Latina Playwriting Award, Weston Prize and first and second prizes in the Philadelphia Young Playwrights Festival. Ms. Hudes’ is the 2004-05 Playwriting Fellow at Page Seventy Three Productions and is also working on a commission for South Coast Repertory. She received a M.F.A. in playwriting from Brown University and a B.A. in music composition from Yale University. Yemaya’s Belly was produced this fall as part of Signature Theatre’s 2005-06 Grand Opening Season.

About the Cast

Michael Cruz (Jelin), a member of the resident ensemble for the past three seasons, has been seen here in Jason and the Golden Fleece, 30FEST, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Julius Caesar, Arthur’s Stone Merlin’s Fire, The Little Prince, The Merchant of Venice, A Christmas Carol and Macbeth. Elsewhere he’s appeared in Othello for the Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival, as well as productions of The Hostage, As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet and Othello for the Old Globe in San Diego.

Mark Del Guzzo (Jesús/Mulo) was most recently seen here in Jason and the Golden Fleece. Other PLTC appearances include 30FEST, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Sleeping Beauty, The Miser and Holes. The newest member of the resident ensemble, he was also seen here in The Fantasticks, More Grimm Tales and Sally’s Gone, She Left Her Name. In his spare time, he is the vocalist/lyricist for the band Last Day Dying.

Joe Guzmán (Tico) was previously seen at PLTC in Julius Caesar, Camping with Henry & Tom and The Secret Garden. Other Philadelphia credits include the Philadelphia Theatre Company’s The Infidel, Lantern Theatre Company’s Speed-The-Plow, Drink Me at InterAct Theatre, Much Ado About Nothing and Private Lives at The Arden, as well as the Wilma Theatre’s Psychic Life of Savages, On The Razzle and Arcadia. He appeared in Inventing Van Gogh at Act II Playhouse and in Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival’s Julius Caesar.

Joanna Liao (Maya/Yemaya), who performed in 30FEST, first appeared at People's Light in Around the World in 80 Days and then returned for Jungalbook and this season’s Jason and the Golden Fleece. Previously she has performed at Trinity Rep, Centennial Theater, The Flea, Perishable, The Vital, Wings, The Lark, Manhattan Theatre Source, The Brecht Forum, The Present Company, NewGate, Brown Summer Theater and the Interart Annex.

Mary Elizabeth Scallen (Mami/Lila) has been a member of the resident company since 1991 and is currently an Artistic Associate at PLTC. Recent appearances include Fabulation, Jason and the Golden Fleece, 30FEST, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Sleeping Beauty, String of Pearls and Julius Caesar. Other PLTC appearances include Once in a Lifetime, In The Blood, Measure for Measure and The Merchant of Venice. Mary Beth has also worked with North Carolina Shakespeare Festival, Weston Playhouse (VT), Gretna Theatre (PA) and Mill Mountain Theatre (VA).

About the Production Team

Christopher Colucci (Sound Designer/Composer) makes music as a theater artist, guitarist, composer and producer. Previous shows include The Big Bang for the Manhattan Comedy Collective, Shiloh Rules for The Flying Fig Theater Company/NYC, The Boys and Twas the Night for Azuka, Jason and the Golden Fleece and The Little Prince at People’s Light, 4.48 Psychosis and The Trojan Wars for Theater Catalyst, The Pavilion and The Jungle Book at the Arden, Buried Child and Electra at Arcadia University, Two Gentlemen of Verona at Eastern University and Anodyne for Pig Iron.

Regina Garcia (Set Designer) received her MFA in Scenic Design from New York University’s Department of Design for Stage & Film. Recently completed projects include See Rock City by Arlene Hutton, The Red Rose at Pregones Theatre and the 2005 Mentor’s Project at The Cherry Lane Theatre. She has also designed for the St. Louis Black Repertory Theatre, Repertorio Espanol, PRTT and INTAR. She is Resident Designer at Pregones Theatre and The Dalton School, and was selected to participate in the 2004—2006 NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Designers.

John Stephen Hoey (Lighting Designer) last collaborated with PLTC on Jungalbook and Holes—both the original version and the remounting at the Academy of Music. He has worked at The Arden, The Wilma and The Walnut Street Theatre, designed over 20 operas for the Opera Company of Philadelphia and nearly 100 ballets for Pennsylvania Ballet. In New York, he has worked with New York City Opera and was a Lighting Director at New York City Ballet for three seasons. Regionally, he has designed for Luciano Pavarotti, the Spoletto Festival, the Pittsburgh Opera and the Virginia Opera.

Rosemarie E. McKelvey (Costume Designer) is a member of the resident ensemble of artists. Her most recent designs were for Fabulation, Jack & the Beanstalk, Jungalbook, A Higher Place in Heaven and Around the World in 80 Days. Previous costume designs here include The Forgiving Harvest, In the Blood and A Delicate Balance. Other theatre companies she has worked with include the Minneapolis Children’s Theatre, The Arden Theatre Company, The Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, New Paradise Laboratories, Pig Iron Theatre, 1812 Productions, Theatre Exile and the Azuka Theatre Collective.

Kate McSorley (Stage Manager) previously served as stage manager for Fabulation, Jason and the Golden Fleece, 30FEST, Jungalbook and A Higher Place in Heaven. Past shows at People’s Light include String of Pearls, Arthur’s Stone, Merlin’s Fire, Midons—or The Object of Desire and In the Blood. Kate has worked with many theatre companies in and around Philadelphia, including Brat Productions, The Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival and Amaryllis Theatre Company.

Shannon O’Donnell (Director) is a Resident Director and Dramaturg at People's Light. She has directed The Moon Please, The Cuban Swimmer and Trying To Find Chinatown for 30FEST and A Higher Place in Heaven for our Six-Play series. For our Family Discovery Series, Shannon directed the world premieres of Jason and the Golden Fleece, The Forgiving Harvest, and The Thoughts & Travels of Nicki, in addition to The Little Prince and The Secret Garden. Last spring, Shannon directed the Philadelphia premiere of 4.48 Psychosis at Theatre Catalyst. Before coming to People's Light, she held directing internships at The Seattle Repertory Theatre and A Contemporary Theatre in Seattle. She is currently a member of the Women’s Project Directors’ Forum in NYC.

Post-Show Discussions: Audiences are cordially invited to join the artists after each performance to discuss the making of this production.

Our Sponsors: The People's Light & Theatre Company wishes to extend our deepest gratitude and appreciation to TARGET for becoming the lead corporate sponsor for the TARGET Family Discovery Series for the 2005-2006 Season. We are delighted to have TARGET join us in our commitment to provide families with a "growing place": a safe, fun and exciting venue for people to be together, sharing the unique thrill of live theatre created with the best interests of children and families in mind.

We are most grateful to PECO Energy Company for sponsoring this production of Yemaya’s Belly. Based in Philadelphia, PECO Energy is an electric and natural gas utility subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC). PECO serves 1.5 million electric and 460,000 natural gas customers in southeastern Pennsylvania. In 2003, its sales exceeded 36,753 gigawatt hours (gWh) of electricity and 92.3 billion cubic feet of natural gas to residential, business and institutional customers. PECO's energy delivery services generated $4.38 billion in revenue for Exelon. PECO is one of the largest employers and most active corporate citizens in the Greater Philadelphia Region. We sincerely appreciate PECO Energy’s commitment to People’s Light and to the enrichment of Chester County.

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