Lark Readings

Readings from the U.S./Mexico Playwright Exchange Program

JULY 13 – 14, 2013
GOODMAN THEATRE | IN THE HEALY REHEARSAL ROOM

The Goodman Theatre is partnering with the New York-based Lark Play Development Center and three exciting Chicago-based theatre companies to bring audiences readings of three brand new Mexican plays in translation. Developed as part of the Lark’s U.S./Mexico exchange, these plays represent the most exciting new voices working in Mexican Theatre today, with new translations created by some of this country’s leading Latino playwrights.  

Pork Kidneys to Soothe Despair 
Saturday, July 13th at 3 p.m. 
By Alejandro Ricaño, translated by Daniel Jáquez. 
Presented in association with Halcyon Theatre.

A contemporary of Joyce and Kafka, Gustave yearns to be a great writer, but finds little success. His lover Marie tries to support him, but the glittering world of arts and letters which surrounds them in Paris seems beyond their grasp. In his despair, Gustave develops an obsession with another struggling writer, an Irishman named Samuel who is toiling away at a play titled simply Godot. The play and its playwright begin to consume Gustave, impacting both his own life and Marie’s in irrevocable ways. 

RESERVE

Mestiza Power
Saturday, July 13th at 6 p.m. 
By Concepcion Leon Mora, translated by Virginia Grise. 
Presented in association with Teatro Luna and Halcyon Theatre.

Through the hustle and bustle of the market this play enters the daily lives of the mestizas, indigenous women from the landscapes of Merida, Mexico. From a run-away maid, to a mestiza who wears Ray Bans, to a widow with el don, the power to heal, these women are unafraid of life’s harsh realities. As they reveal their stories, rites and myths, Mestiza Power shows us women empowered by their roots and a spirit of independence. 

RESERVE

Alaska
Sunday, July 14th at 3 p.m.
By Gibrán Portela, translated by Migdalia Cruz. 
Presented in association with 16th Street Theater
The reading of ALASKA will be followed by a panel discussion focused on new translation & international exchange.
Presented in association with Halcyon Theatre.

Miguel and Jimi lead quiet, secure lives running their safe and lock-box store – until Martina appears. In Gibrán Portela’s Alaska, one love ignites while another fizzles, causing an explosion of irrational and jealous acts by a desperate man. Only strength of character – and the game of golf – provides escape from a lonely world where a secretive woman drives a wedge between two devoted friends. 

RESERVE