{"id":238010,"date":"2015-10-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-10-02T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/a-new-chapter-for-moolelo\/"},"modified":"2015-10-02T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-10-02T07:00:00","slug":"a-new-chapter-for-moolelo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/a-new-chapter-for-moolelo\/","title":{"rendered":"A new chapter for Mo\u2019olelo"},"content":{"rendered":"

New faces, same reputation<\/strong><\/p>\n

por David Dixon<\/p>\n

In Downtown San Diego, the Mo\u2019olelo Performing Arts Company has been known for producing shows that emphasize different cultures and relevant issues and despite the current changes afoot within this respected company, nothing is expected to change.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of MPAC\u2019s values is to explore and examine life in all of its complexity and diversity to seek new experience and overcome prejudice,\u201d said Amy Elizabeth Oliveira, the theater company\u2019s new marketing coordinator.<\/p>\n

The 2015\u201316 season is the first one to be programmed by Lydia Fort, Mo\u2019olelo\u2019s new executive artistic director.<\/p>\n

\"cell_group2_square_fullrez-X2\"<\/a>
Sylvia M\u2019Lafi Thompson (front) and the cast of \u201cCell\u201d at Mo\u2019olelo Performing Arts Company.
(Foto por Daren Scott)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first play of the new season \u2014 directed by Fort \u2014 is \u201cCell,\u201d which focuses on the timely subject of illegal immigration. Featuring an all black cast, \u201cCell\u201d stars Craig Noel Award-winning actress Sylvia M\u2019Lafi Thompson as Rene, a corrections officer.<\/p>\n

Thanks to her efforts, Rene\u2019s sister Cerise (Monique Gaffney) and niece, Gwen (Andrea Agosto), work at a detention center for illegal immigrants. Although they are not supposed to become emotionally attached to the undocumented detainees, Gwen begins to sympathize with those waiting to be deported.<\/p>\n

Fort acknowledged that working on a world premiere can be a liberating experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s amazing how you can be hand-in-hand in creating something, and it doesn\u2019t happen very often,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The script was written by New York City playwright, Cassandra Medley, and Fort has been working with her during rehearsals to make the tale as powerful as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel it is incredibly exciting to help shape something while it\u2019s being made,\u201d she said, adding that she believes Medley\u2019s script is important for several reasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt challenges what we think of others,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have had a lot of discussions about Black Lives Matter recently, and this is an opportunity to ask, \u2018what are the results?\u2019 The interesting thing about the text is that it looks at how we can dehumanize each other, even as people of color.\u201d<\/p>\n

Casting Thompson in the lead was an easy decision for the director. \u201cEveryone knows and loves Thompson,\u201d she said. \u201cBeing a newcomer [to Mo\u2019olelo], I talked to people and described the character of Rene. Hands down, everyone said Thompson [should play her].\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead of auditioning for Fort, Thompson got the part after the two of them had a discussion over lunch.<\/p>\n

Once \u201cCell\u201d closes, Mo\u2019olelo has two additional shows lined up for the new season. The National New Play Network world premiere, \u201cIn a Word,\u201d is a collaboration between UC San Diego alumni Lauren Yee, writer, and Larissa Lury, director. The story examines how a couple comes to terms with their son\u2019s kidnapping during the two-year anniversary of the tragic incident.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s haunting, beautiful, powerful and funny,\u201d Fort said.<\/p>\n

For their final selection, ion theatre Executive Artistic Director Claudio Raygoza, has been tapped to direct the West Coast premiere of \u201cPinkolandia\u201d written by bilingual artist, Andrea Thome.<\/p>\n

The adventure deals with two Chilean-American sisters in the 1980s who go on imaginary journeys together.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe play has a beautiful fantastical nature about it, that reminds me of what theater can do,\u201d Fort said.<\/p>\n

With \u201cCell\u201d and future narratives, Fort said she wants to tell stories that leave a profound impact on audiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like when [I see theater], I have come to a sacred space and have borne witness to something with other people,\u201d she said. \u201cThat to me is what makes theater so incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fort hopes that people do not view the dramas that she stages as mindless entertainment.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy objective is can I create something that challenges people to talk afterwards? Can I create something that inspires people to go home and get on the Internet to research [the topic of a play]?\u201d<\/p>\n

With Fort in charge, Mo\u2019olelo should continue to be highly regarded for creating brave and intelligently crafted productions that appeal to those that are not afraid to question and think.<\/p>\n

\u201cMPAC\u2019s core demographic is people who are seekers \u2014 people who want to confront the problems humanity is facing and consider the ways we can grow and make the world a better place,\u201d said Oliveira.<\/p>\n

The world premiere of \u201cCell\u201d will be performed at the Tenth Avenue Arts Center through Oct. 18. For tickets or more information, visit moolelo.net<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u2014A fan of film and theatre from a very young age, David Dixon has written reviews and features for various print and online publications. You can reach him at daviddixon0202@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New faces, same reputation By David Dixon In Downtown San Diego, the Mo\u2019olelo Performing Arts Company has been known for producing shows that emphasize different cultures and relevant issues and despite the current changes afoot within this respected company, nothing is expected to change.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":238011,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"A new chapter for Mo\u2019olelo","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11549,11547,11600],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-238010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-features","category-sdnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=238010"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238010\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/238011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=238010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=238010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=238010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}