Event

GHOSTS OF THE RIVER Kick-Off

Reading, Live Music and Artist Talk

Come celebrate the launching of a brand-new shadow theatre work, GHOSTS OF THE RIVER, with artists and cast members of the show. GHOSTS OF THE RIVER will premiere at San Franciscos BRAVA Theater Center, October 28 November 8, 2009. The show will also be presented at Teatro Vision in San Jose, October 1 11, 2009.

The evening will feature a story from the play read by the playwright Octavio Solis himself, and live music by Cascada de Flores, who will also provide live accompaniment during the engagement at BRAVA. Director Larry Reed and Art Director Favianna Rodriguez will also join these arists in a forum discussing the genesis of the project, creative process and artistic visions. The audience will get an insight into this extraordinary project illuminating the heartaches, terror and hopes left behind in the murky water of the Rio.

GHOSTS OF THE RIVER is a new multidisciplinary shadow theatre work that tackles the highly charged and complex subject of the US/Mexico border by illuminating the lives of people on both sides of the divide in 5 Twilight Zone-like vignettes. Solis experience growing up in El Paso, Texas and his extensive interviews with residents, immigrants, law enforcement officers, and immigration lawyers in the city were the basis for the stories, while an all-star artistic team will shape its staging. The play will feature Director Larry Reeds hallmark shadow casting method, which combines the Balinese Traditional shadow theatre technique, the scale of film, and the immediacy of live performance. Performed using a large (30' x 15') screen, GHOSTS OF THE RIVER utilizes silhouettes of puppets, masked-actors, cutout sets, and projections. Favianna Rodrguez, whose dynamic print work has been inspiring people and communities across the Bay Area and beyond, is the Art Director and Cascada de Flores will provide live music accompaniment. GHOSTS OF THE RIVER will be performed in English and Spanish.