PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ARTISTIC … POSADA MAGICA written and directed by Octavio Solis music...

LA POSADA MAGICAwritten and directed by Octavio Solis

music by Marcos Loya

SCENIC DESIGN COSTUME DESIGN LIGHTING DESIGN MUSICAL DIRECTORChristopher Acebo Shigeru Yaji Lonnie Alcaraz Marcos Loya

CHOREOGRAPHER PRODUCTION MANAGER STAGE MANAGERLinda Kostalik David Leavenworth *Jamie A. Tucker

HONORARY PRODUCERS

Brian and Sadie Finnegan

The Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund has provided major support for the commissioning, workshop and production ofLa Posada Mágica through its New Works for Young Audiences Program.

JULIANNE ARGYROS STAGE / DECEMBER 10 - 23, 2004

David Emmes Martin BensonPRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

presents

La Posada Mágica • SOUTH COAST REPERTORY P1

´

CAST OF CHARACTERS(In order of appearance)

Horacio ................................................................................... *Miguel NajeraEli, Bones, Lauro .................................................................. *Kevin Sifuentes Gracie ........................................................................... *Tiffany Ellen SolanoMom, Mariluz ....................................................................... *Crissy GuerreroPapi, Jose Cruz ............................................................... *Mauricio MendozaRefugio, Buzzard ......................................................................... *Sol CastilloConsuelo, Widow ................................................................... *Denise BlasorCaridad, Widow ..................................................................... *Carla JimenezMusicians, Ensemble .................................. Marcos Loya, Lorenzo Martinez

SETTING Christmas Eve. The present.

LENGTHApproximately two hours, including one 15-minute intermission.

PRODUCTION STAFFCasting Director ............................................................................... Joanne DeNautDramaturg .......................................................................................... Jennifer KigerProduction Assistant ......................................................................... Jennifer ButlerCostume Design Assistant ....................................................................... Julie KeenAssistant to the Lighting Designer ..................................................... Tonya MoakeStage Management Intern ................................................................ Heidi WestromAdditional Costume Staff ............................................................... Catherine EseraDeck Crew ............................................................................................. Ellen Juhlin

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTLas Amigas de la Cultura, Sylvia Krenzien, Teri Rocco, and Alice Rumbaugh,

for the special exhibit in the Julianne Argyros lobby.

Cellular phones, beepers and watch alarms should be turned off or set to non-audible mode during the performance. Please refrain from unwrapping candy or making

other noises that may disturb surrounding patrons.

The use of cameras and recorders in the theatre is prohibited. Smoking is not permitted anywhere in the theatre.

* Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

P2 SOUTH COAST REPERTORY • La Posada Mágica

Official Airline Media PartnerMedia Partner

When I was commissioned to write a familyChristmas play for South Coast Repertory, Ihad no idea there would be deep synchronici-

ties with my own life. I simply thought I would writeanother play for another theatre and that would bethat. But while my talented collaborators (directorJosé Cruz González and composer Marcos Loya) and Itoiled away on our first draft of Posada at the Sun-dance Theatre Lab in Utah, I received a call from mywife Jeanne that she was pregnant with our daughter,and that changed everything.

The play suddenly revealed to me the essentialuniversal sanctityof life, the glowingsense of hope andlove that babies al-ways suggest forthe world. But theconfluence of thisplay with mywife’s news alsotransformed theholiday of Christ-mas for me. Theadoration be-stowed on the in-fant

Jesus spoke moredeeply and directly to

my new status as a fa-ther. The Nativity be-

came a metaphor for theprofound responsibility we all

owe to the fragile innocent children we dare to bringinto this brutal world.

Later that spring, as I continued to write Posadaand Jeanne pored over all the books of baby names,she told me that she wanted to name our baby girlGraciela, or Gracie, for short. This stunned me be-

cause I had just settled on that name for my protago-nist. How could she have known? She hadn’t read theplay, nor had I spoken of it to her.And yet here now, ourdaughter was not onlycoming into our house,she was fill ing ourplay. It seemed fit-ting.

Gracie wasborn on September24, 1994, and the

play itself was delivered three months later. Webrought her for one of the first performances, and tothis day, I can’t help but feel that the wide brown eyesof the infant Graciela have shone their grace on LaPosada Mágica.

–Octavio Solis

The Gift of Grace

Gracie has been played by three actresses since its pre-miere in 1994: Ruth Livier (1994), left; Crissy Guerrero(1995-1998), top; and Tiffany Ellen Solano (1999-2004),with Mauricio Mendoza as Papi and Crissy Guerrero asMom in 2002 and again this year.


PHOT

OS: H

ENRY

DiROC

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The familiarstory ofJoseph andMary’s long-

ago search forlodgings is relatedevery year atChristmastime inchurches andhomes the worldover. But in manyLatin countries, itactually comes tolife again each De-cember, reenactedfor nine consecu-tive nights in thefestive ritual of LasPosadas, whichmeans inns, orlodgings.

The idea ofcommemoratingthe Holy Family’sjourney to Bethle-hem can be tracedto St. Ignatius Loyola, in the 16th Century. He sug-gested a Christmas novena, special prayers to be saidon nine successive days. In 1850, St. John of theCross made a religious pageant out of the proceed-ings, and seven years later the nine-day remembrancewas introduced to the Indians in Mexico by Spanishmissionaries.

Solemn and deeply religious in feeling at first,the observances soon became imbued with a spirit offun and, eventually, left the church and began to becelebrated in people’s homes. The posadas have be-come community affairs with friends, relatives andneighbors sharing in the festivities and visiting a dif-ferent house each evening.

The posada begins with a procession that sets

off as soon as itgets dark. Oftena child dressedas an angel goesfirst, followed bytwo more chil-dren carrying fig-ures of Mary andJoseph on asmall litteradorned withtwigs. Aftermore boys andgirls come thelead figures, thencome the grown-ups and last ofall the musicians.Singing or chant-ing special posa-da songs, they allwalk slowlyalong, each per-son carrying alighted candle.When the pro-

cession reaches the house chosen for that evening, itdivides into two groups, one representing the holypilgrims, the other the innkeepers.

The pilgrims line up behind the angel and thechildren bearing the figures of the Holy Family, andthey file through the house until they arrive at aclosed door, behind which the innkeepers have sta-tioned themselves. The pilgrims knock on the doorand call out in song, asking for shelter. A chorus ofvoices on the other side asks: “Who knocks at mydoor so late in the night?”

The pilgrims respond. “In the name of HeavenI beg you for lodging—my beloved wife can nolonger travel, and she is weary.” But the response isa stony, hardhearted refusal. “This is no inn. Go

A MUSICAL FAMILY PORTRAIT. The 2003 cast of ‘La Posada Mágica’ fea-tured from left: Kevin Sifuentes, Lorenzo Martinez, Carla Jimenez, ElsaMartinez, Miguel Najera, Tiffany Ellen Solano, Mauricio Mendoza, DeniseBlasor, Marcos Loya and Sol Castillo.

The Historical Procession of Las Posadas


away!” After repeated requests for shelter,the pilgrims explain who they are andthat Mary will soon give birth tothe Son of God. The innkeepersrelent and welcome the exhaust-ed travelers: “Enter, Holy pil-grims. Come into our humbledwelling and into our hearts.The night is one of joy, for herebeneath our roof we shelter theMother of God.”

Everyone enters the roomand kneels in prayer, after which theparty moves out to the patio for fire-works and fun. Small baskets of sweets,called colaciones, are offered along withsandwiches, cookies and a fruitedpunch. And then it’s time for the mostexciting moment of all, the breaking ofthe fancifully decorated candy and nut-filled piñata. Sometimes there are sep-

arate parties fordifferent age groups—one for teenagers and another forthe younger children. In Mexico City, espe-cially, so many posadas are held that activepartygoers can manage to attend four or fivein one evening… and the festivities often goon until dawn.

Over time, posadas have been tailoredby their respective communities, so that a re-markable variety of posada styles can befound throughout Mexico andthe Southwestern United

States.

Denise Blasor, Carla Jimenez, CrissyGuerrero and Mauricio Mendoza,above and Marcos Loya and LorenzoMartinez, at right.

The Christmas Candle“It begins with one simple candle—so full of golden light”

– La Posada Mágica

After Gracie reluctantly joins her church’s posada,she sets about trying to extinguish not only thecandle that has been lit in her honor, but all

those that represent the other members of her group.With each flame she blows out, another character dis-appears until Gracie is left lost and alone.

The tradition of candles at Christmastime beganin medieval Europe, where a very large Christmas can-dle was burned until the Twelfth Night in remem-brance of the arrival of the Wise Men to Bethlehem.In Victorian times, candles represented good will to-ward those less fortunate. They were placed in win-dows from December 25 to January 6 to welcome anypassersby needing shelter and food.

Some people believe that flames from burningcandles frighten away evil spirits during the

darkest days ofthe year.

In Norway, candles that burn out on Christmas Eve arethought to bring bad luck for the family. Another an-cient tradition suggests that placing a candle in thewindow symbolically lights the way of the Holy Fami-ly as it provides a welcome for friends, neighbors andholiday guests.

Poinsettias

Afavorite flower for the posada celebration is the

poinsettia, with its beautiful red star shape. Thelegend of the poinsettia relates the story of a girl

named Maria and her little brother Pablo. They werevery poor but always looked forward to the Christmasfestival each year, when a large Nativity scene was setup in the village church and the days leading up toChristmas were filled with posadas. But the two chil-dren were saddened because they had no money tobuy presents. They especially wished to give some-thing to the church, but they had nothing.

One Christmas Eve, Maria and Pablo set out forchurch to attend Midnight Mass. On their way theypicked some weeds growing along the roadside topresent as their gift to the church. They were merci-lessly teased by the other children when they arrivedwith their humble offering, but Maria and Pablo knewthey had given everything they had. As they began to

place the weeds around the Nativity scene, thegreen top leaves turned into bright red petals.

Soon the manger was surrounded by thebright red, star-shaped flowers and every-

one in the church believed they were witness-ing a true Christmas miracle. Since that day, thesebeautiful flowers that bloom during the Christmas sea-son have been known as Flores de Noche Buena or“Flowers of the Holy Night.”

Nochebuena, the Mexican name of the flower

The Magic of the Celebration



English-speakers callpoinsettia, was discov-ered in Taxco and thevalleys surroundingCuernavaca. Knownby the Aztecs in theirnative Nahuatl language ascuetlaxochitl, it is believed that theybrought the plant from the tropical climate of Cuer-navaca to their Aztec highlands for cultivation in spe-cial nurseries. Prized for the curative properties of themilk that dripped from the leaves, stems and flowerswhen cut, the plant also produced pigment from thered leaves used to dye cotton fibers.

The poinsettia plant was brought from Mexico toAmerica by Dr. Joel Roberto Poinsett (1770-1851), whoserved as U.S. ambassador to Mexico following thatcountry’s independence from Spain. Poinsett fell inlove with the nochebuena plant when he first saw itadorning the churches of Taxco in 1823. He sentspecimens back to the States to decorate his mansionin South Carolina one Christmas, and upon his returnhome several years later, he was astonished to find theentire town of Charleston growing the festive redflower.

Papel Picado

Paper cutting has been a folk artever since paper was invented in105 A.D. by Ts’ai Lun, an official

in the court of Ho Ti, emperor ofCathay. The humble nature of itsorigins and the anonymity of itspractice has caused paper cutting tobe ignored as an art form, thoughartists, artisans and collectors are be-coming increasingly aware of thisvaluable folk heritage.

In Mexico, the technique iscalled papel picado, which means“pierced paper.” After the SpanishConquest of Mexico, papel de China(tissue paper) was introduced and becamethe material of choice for Christian holiday decora-tions. Paperwork was apparently among the importsthat poured in from the Orient via the annual Pacifictreasure fleet that traveled between the Far East andAcapulco, laden with such exotic goods as silver,ivory, spices and porcelain. Once the craft arrived inMexico, it became the basis for many important andwidespread folk art forms.

In Mexico, the art of paper-cutting goes back to

pre-Columbiantimes, when bark paper(made by women from barkcollected by men in the spring) wasused as an offering to the gods and a tribute tothe Aztec emperor, Moctezuma II. On certain holi-days, it decorated the idols in temples and palaces,and priests embodying the gods and the cosmos woreelaborate costumes of colored paper. Cutouts of darkpaper were made to represent evil spirits, while whitepaper represented good spirits and was used by heal-ers and witches in their rituals.

Color schemes selected for papel picadoare frequently linked with specificfestivities. Sky blue or pink andwhite are commonly chosen forcelebrations in honor of the Vir-gin Mary, yellow and white forpatron saints. Vibrant pink, or-ange and purple are the key tonesemployed for ofrendas (offerings)associated with El Día de losMuertos, or the Day of the Dead.Shades of purple are also widelyused at Easter. The colors of the

Mexican flag—red, white andgreen—are set aside for venerat-ing the nation’s patroness, La Vir-gen de Guadalupe, as well as forcommemorating IndependenceDay, September 16. Rainbowhues are appropriate for Christ-mas and non-religious festivities.

Cut from colored tissue paper (orplastic) to simulate lace, papel picado can be seentoday hanging from Day of the Dead altars and deco-rating graves during November. Also during Christ-mas, papel picado decorates indoor and outdoor fes-tivities in Mexico.

Visit the online Playgoer’s Guide to La Posada Mágicaat www.scr.org to read more about these and otherMexican holiday traditions.


‘Vamos A Pie’Vamos a pie caminandoCaminando, caminandoUna posada BuscandoBuscando para El.

Velas prendidas alumbranLa noche más santa de DiosEste camino terminaEn oración.

Vamos con fe caminandoCaminando, caminandoLos angeles saben cuandoSaben cuando llegará.

A la posada más lindaLlena de luz y amorEn esta noche veremosAl Redentor.

Vamos a pie caminandoCaminando, caminandoUna posada buscandoBuscando buscando.

‘Este Canto Mio’Este canto mío canto con pasiónPor el Niño Dios quien es mi salvaciónSi mi voz al cielo no alcanzaEs porque le falta esperanza

Gloria gloria gloria al SeñorEschuchame y hazme el favorQuiero ver el Rey de la humanidadEn la Noche Buena de la Navidad.

Mucho gusto siento en mi corazónCada vez que canto, santa es mi canciónYa se acerca el momento deEl Nacimiento de la Nueva Fe.

Gloria gloria gloria al SeñorEschuchame y hazme el favorQuiero ver el Rey de la humanidadEn la Noche Buena de la Navidad.

Words by Octavio Solis; music by Marcos LoyaTranslation by Santiago Uceda

Sing Along with the Posada‘We go on foot’We go on footWalking, walkingSearching for a posadaSearching for Him

Burning candles shine onGod’s holiest nightThis path ends With a prayer

We walk along in faithWalking, walkingThe angels know when They know when He will arrive

To the most beautiful posadaFilled with light and love On this night we will seeThe savior

We go on footWalking, walkingSearching for a posadaSearching, searching

‘My Song’I sing my song with passionFor baby Jesus, my salvationIf my voice won’t reach heavenIt is because it lacks hope

Glory, glory, glory to the LordListen to me, do me a favorI want to see the King of humanityOn Christmas’ holy night

I feel pleasure in my heartEvery time I sing, holy is my songThe moment is nearThe birth of a new faith

Glory, glory, glory to the LordListen to me, do me a favorI want to see the King of humanityOn Christmas’ holy night


*DENISE BLASOR (Consuelo/Widow) returns to SCR for her ninthappearance in La Posada Mágica.She appeared in Ten Tiny Love Sto-ries directed by Luis Alfaro and writ-ten by Rodrigo Garcia. She per-formed and directed The Wide,Wide Sea at Bilingual Foundation ofthe Arts and NoHo Festival and co-directed Cooking at the A Theatre.She appeared at the Los AngelesTheatre Center as the Bride inBlood Wedding, directed by Mar-garita Galban, as Yerma in Yermaand as Martirio in House of Bernar-da Alba with Carmen Zapata. Sheplayed Jenny in The ThreepennyOpera directed by Angelina Reauxand was part of Ron Sossi’s OdysseyTheatre adaptation of Faust. Shewas Artistic Director of Los AngelesDiversified Theater Company,where she performed and adaptedThe Three Sisters; appeared in theOvation Award-nominated produc-tion of He Who Gets Slapped withBud Cort, directed by Dan Shor; and

performed and produced the origi-nal musical production of Caderas.Other stage credits include leadingroles in the world premieres ofHouse of the Spirits at LATC; Cer-vantes’ Interludes at Stages, directedby Florinel Fatulescu; Made inLanus directed by Lillian Garrett atOld Globe Theatre; and Acceleran-do by Lisa Loomer. She playedJuana in The False Chronicle ofJuana La Loca at the Festival Cer-vantino in Mexico. Film credits in-clude The Disappearance of GarciaLorca with Andy Garcia; Univers’ldirected by Ana Nicholas; Noriega,God’s Favorite with Bob Hoskins, di-rected by Roger Spottiswoode;Team America:World Police and thesoon-to-be-released Happy Feet withRobin Williams. Ms. Blasor is aproud member of Actor’s Equity.

*SOL CASTILLO (Refugio/Buzzard)returns to SCR for his fifth season inLa Posada Mágica. He was alsoseen in the world premiere of The

Hollow Lands and the Pacific Play-wrights Festival workshops of Seaof Tranquility and References toSalvador Dali Make Me Hot. At SanDiego Repertory he appeared inZoot Suit, The Imaginary Invalidand Barrio Hollywood. Other the-atre credits include the national tourof Veteranos: A Tribute, West SideStory, Bye Bye Birdie and Talking toYellow Roses. Mr. Castillo was seenin Showtime’s “Resurrection Blvd.”and Valor Production’s Who’s JamesCagney? Mr. Castillo dedicates hisperformance to the terrific audienceand his family for their love andsupport. Mr. Castillo is a proudmember of Actors’ Equity.

*CRISSY GUERRERO (Mom/Mariluz)is happy to be returning home toLa Posada Mágica once more.This is her second season as Mar-iluz. She was previously seen atSCR in the role of Gracie for fourseasons. She has spent seven yearstouring the world singing and danc-

Artist Biographies

SOL CASTILLO

Refugio/BuzzardCRISSY GUERRERO

Mom/MariluzDENISE BLASOR

Consuelo/Widow


ing as Priscillita with El Vez, theMexican Elvis. She has also beenseen on “Late Night with ConanO’Brien,” HBO’s U.S. Comedy ArtsFestival, The Toyota Comedy Festi-val, and at Largo and the Roxy star-ring in the critically acclaimed musi-cal White Trash Wins Lotto. Ms.Guerrero appeared as Jasmine inBlack Butterfly, Jaguar Girl, PiñataWoman and Other Superhero GirlsLike Me at the Mark Taper Forum.Concurrently, she worked as FirstAssistant Editor and Producer ofbonus materials on the Kids in theHall documentary Same Guys, NewDresses and as Associate Producerand co-star of “Dave Foley’s TheTrue Meaning of Christmas” Spe-cials which air annually in Canadaand soon in the U.S. Her proudestand most recent accomplishment isher far-too-adorable daughter Alina,who first appeared on this stage inher mother’s belly. Ms. Guerrero isa proud member of Actor’s Equity

*CARLA JIMENEZ (Caridad/ Widow)returns for her fifth season in LaPosada Mágica. She just per-formed for the Pasadena PlayhouseSondheim gala appearing on stagewith Deborah Gibson, RichardKind, Sharon Lawrence and TeriRalston, to name a few. She also

appeared here in last season’s The-atre for Young Audiences produc-tion of The Emperor’s New Clothes.Her theatre credits include The LaloProject (Mark Taper Forum presen-tation, directed and written byDiane Rodriguez); Godspell at theKnightsbridge Theatre; Black But-terfly, Jaguar Girl, Piñata Womanand Other Super Hero Girls Like Me(Mark Taper Forum at Actor’sGang); and the national tour of TheMikado, among others. She hasappeared on “The District” and hashad recurring roles on “StrongMedicine” and “E.R.” She can alsobe seen in commercials. Ms.Jimenez thanks her cat Peaches forbelieving in her!..no, I get it...it’s acat. She is a proud member ofActor’s Equity.

MARCOS LOYA (Composer/MusicalDirector/Ensemble) is an accom-plished musician and composer anda master of acoustic guitar. He isalso adept on requinto, jarrana, cu-atro, 12-string, mandolin, electricguitar and various indigenous folkinstruments. His debut CD, Love isthe Reason, garnered an Indepen-dent Contemporary Jazz Album ofthe Year nomination. In 1996 hecomposed the score for the “Ameri-can Playhouse” film adaptation of

Tomas Rivera’s and the earth didnot swallow him (y no selo trago latierra). His film music is featured indirector Robert Rodriguez’ OnceUpon a Time in Mexico as well asDeep Cover, The Waterdance, A Mil-lion to Juan, Old Gringo, Vibes,Stand and Deliver, Born in East LA,Hold Me, Kiss Me, Thrill Me and KissMe a Killer (for which he received anomination for the IndependentSpirit Award). He scored and/orcomposed music for several plays,including the Los Angeles TheaterCenter productions of La Victima,August 29 (Drama-Logue Award,Best Original Music), Stone Wed-ding (Los Angeles Drama Critics Cir-cle Award nomination), and mostrecently the southwestern tour ofVeteranos (A Legacy of Valor). Histelevision work includes the musicalscores for the PBS productions“Dreams of Flying,” “Elders,” “Be-tween Friends” and “Los Pinateros.”His music can be heard in the “Man-gas” episode of the PBS series “FotoNovela” for which he also com-posed the theme. He served as mu-sical director for Univision’s long-running “El Show de Paul Ro-driguez,” the Buenavista/Disney“Navidad en las Americas” special,the ABC special “Latin Nights” andNBC’s “Vida Awards.” Mr. Loya has

MARCOS LOYA

Musician/EnsembleLORENZO MARTINEZ

Musician/EnsembleCARLA JIMENEZ

Caridad/Widow

performed and/or toured with a va-riety of performers including PlacidoDomingo, Linda Ronstadt (with theHouston Symphony Orchestra),Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Lalo Guer-rero, Chick Corea, Chaka Khan,Gerald Albright, Hugh Masekela,Keiko Matsui, Phillip Bailey,Stephen Stills, Vicki Carr, Luis En-rique and Jose Feliciano. WithMadonna, he recorded “La IslaBonita” and appeared in the video.Mr. Loya’s most recent project is theacoustic group Trio Los 5, which of-fers a fascinating look at the politi-cal/folk music of the Americas. Thegroup, which includes current LaPosada Mágica ensemble memberLorenzo Martinez and past memberMundo Armijo, looks for ways toexpress their Chicano heritage tocontemporary audiences. He dedi-cates his performance to his motherBertha Loya and the memory of hisfather, Arthur Loya, whose courageand love remain a constant sourceof inspiration. Mr. Loya would liketo extend his thanks to Jack for theaccordion and to recognize the gen-erous sponsorship of Tacoma Gui-tars, whose fine instruments are fea-tured in this production.

LORENZO MARTINEZ (Musician/Ensemble) was raised with the rich,

culturally diverse music of Los An-geles and has traveled and per-formed throughout the Southwest.He represented Chicano music inParis with Lalo Guerrero and FlacoJimenez. His education includesMusic Theory and InstrumentalStudies at Cerritos College andUCLA’s Ethno Musicology programwith emphasis in Mariachi music.His vast musical experience in-cludes Tex-Mex, conjuntos, orques-ta styles, mariachi, zydeco, jumpblues, jazz, jarocho, huasteco ,nueva cancion, trio romantico,early California and Chicanomovimiento music. Other groupsMr. Martinez has performed withinclude Hermanos Baca and Lil Joey La Familia. He was part of theMariachi concert Las Tres Voces deOro, backing Lucha Villa, Lola Bel-tran and Miguel Aceves Meija. Heperformed with the UCLA Mariachiunder the direction of Nati Cano ofLos Comperos, and in the Universalfilm Who Will Sing the Songs star-ring Freddie Fender and Vicki Carr.He performed and recorded withLos Perros del Pueblo Nuevo andTrio Los Cinco with Marcos Loya,Mundo Armijo and Ray Islas. Thegroup performed Dia de Los Muer-tos and La Virgen del Tepeyac byLuis Valdez at the Japan Theatre,

the opening ceremony of LuisValdez’ Bandido at the Mark TaperForum and with Culture Clash in LaCarpa at the Mark Taper Forum.Most recently he toured with TheFour Brown Hats theatre produc-tion of Veteranos, A Legacy ofValor.

*MAURICIO MENDOZA (Papi/JoseCruz) returns for his third season ofLa Posada Mágica. Theatre creditsinclude Much Ado about Nothing atthe John Anson Ford Amphitheater;Castro and the Pitcher at the Holly-wood Court Theatre; Zorro, Live atTheatrical Arts International; TheImaginary Invalid, Zoot Suit and AChristmas Carol at San DiegoRepertory; Three Sisters at LATC;House of the Spirits at BFA Theatre;He Who Gets Slapped at HudsonBackstage; and Ballad of the Black-smith, Twelfth Night, King Lear,Arms and the Man, Taming of theShrew and As You Like It at The OldGlobe. Film credits include Blow,Rhapsody on Rails, Malasangre, UnTiempo Atras, Wing CommanderIV, Under Covers and Never Trust aSerial Killer. Television credits in-clude series regular roles on “Res-urrection Blvd.” as Miguel Santiagoand “Angeles;” and co-starring roleson “King of Queens,” “Days of Our

MIGUEL NAJERA

HoracioKEVIN SIFUENTES

Eli/Bones/LauroMAURICIO MENDOZA

Papi/Jose Cruz



Lives,” “Babylon 5” and “JudgingAmy.” He is co-producer of thenew musical revue Latin Gems.

*MIGUEL NAJERA (Horacio) ishappy to be back for his third yearas Horacio at SCR. A multi-talentedartist, Miguel has just finished hissecond documentary and is gettingready to produce his first featurefilm in February. Founder of an in-dependent film company, he wroteand directed Ce Acatl’s award-win-ning short film Libertad, whichscreened to critical acclaim onWGBH Boston as part of its Latinofilm series. Mr. Najera is alsopoised to direct his first feature filmSpiritual Runner in 2005, which heco-wrote with Carolyn Pistone. Hisacting career has spanned 25 yearsin film, television and theatre.Miguel has an MFA in Film, The-atre, and Television Directing fromthe California Institute of the Arts,received his BA in Drama from SanFrancisco State University and at-tended the American ConservatoryTheatre in San Francisco.

*KEVIN SIFUENTES (Eli/Bones/Lauro) returns to SCR for his thirdseason of La Posada Mágica. Hehas just wrapped up the 2004 Na-tional Tour of the critically ac-

claimed By The Hand Of The Fa-ther , which has aired on PBS’“Austin City Limits.” Theatre cred-its include The Yellow Boat andBocon! with the Mark Taper Forum;The Grapevine at the Los AngelesTheatre Center; Burning Patienceat San Jose Repertory; Token-Alienwith Cornerstone Theatre Co.; andLeonce and Lena at Stages Theatre.He currently performs in the oneman show Wheels produced byNCCJ. Film credits include 29Palms, Native Aspect Ratio, Inde-pendence Day, Steel, Street CornerJustice, ... and the earth did notswallow him and Hearts of Stone.His numerous television credits in-clude “ER” and recurring roles on“Resurrection Blvd.” and “The NewRockford Files.” Mr. Sifuentesgives special thanks to his familyand friends for their love, support,insight and funny stories. He is aproud member of Actors’ Equity.

*TIFFANY ELLEN SOLANO (Gracie)is thrilled to be returning to SCR forthis year’s production of La PosadaMágica. This show is very dear toher heart and it means a great dealto her to be rejoining a talentedcast and crew who are more like afamily she looks forward to reunit-ing with every holiday season. Ms.Solano has spent more than halfher life on stage, beginning in mu-sical theatre, and later performingin straight plays and Shakespeare.She portrayed Ginya in Nine Arme-nians at the Mark Taper Forum andDenver Center Theatre, played Mi-randa in The Tempest at the Los An-geles Theatre Center and receivedcritical acclaim for her depiction ofAnne in The Diary of Anne Frank.Other performances include leadroles in David and Lisa, BrightonBeach Memoirs, West Side Story,Fiddler on the Roof and Under theGaslight. The Young Artists Orga-nization awarded her the presti-gious honor of “Most OutstandingYoung Performer in Live Theatre”

for her portrayal of Gracie in previ-ous productions of La Posada Mág-ica. Though her heart is truly inthe theatre, she also enjoys filmand music work. She is a proudmember of Actors’ Equity, SAG andAFTRA. Film credits include com-mercials, television guest spots, in-dustrials, interactive videos and in-dependent films. She sends herlove to all of her family and friends(particularly Mom, Dad, Luke,Turbo & Bella) and hopes that Gra-cie’s spirit touches your heart halfas deeply as it has hers.

PLAYWRIGHT, DIRECTOR& DESIGNERS

OCTAVIO SOLIS (Playwright/Direc-tor) is a playwright and director liv-ing in San Francisco. His worksMan of the Flesh, Prospect, El PasoBlue, Santos & Santos, La PosadaMágica, El Otro, Dreamlandia andBethlehem have been mounted attheatres nationwide. BurningDreams, co-written with JulieHebert and Gina Leishman, wasproduced by San Diego Repertory;and his collaborative project withErik Ehn, Shiner, was mounted byUndermain Theatre in Dallas. Hismost recent project was The SevenVisions of Encarnacion, a shadowpuppet work written for Shadow-light Theatre Company and per-formed in San Francisco. Solis hasreceived an NEA Playwriting Fel-lowship, two playwriting grantsfrom The Kennedy Center, the WillGlickman Playwright Award, the1998 TCG/NEA Theatre Artists inResidence Grant, the 1998 McK-night Fellowship grant from thePlaywrights Center in Minneapolisand the 2000-2001 National TheatreArtists Residency Grant from TCG.He is the recipient of a grant fromthe Pew Charitable Trust forGibraltar, a new play with the Ore-gon Shakespeare Festival. His DVfeature film Prospect has just beencompleted. Solis is a member of

TIFFANY ELLEN SOLANO

Gracie


the Dramatists Guild and NewDramatists.

MARCOS LOYA (Composer/MusicalDirector) See biography on page P-10.

CHRISTOPHER ACEBO (Scenic De-sign) designed Habeas Corpus ear-lier this season; the world pre-mieres of The Beard of Avon, HoldPlease and California Scenariosand the West Coast premiere ofThe Countess at SCR. Recent pro-ductions include the world pre-mieres of The Clean House at YaleRepertory, Electricidad at theGoodman Theatre and Living Outand Chavez Ravine at the MarkTaper Forum. Other regional de-sign work includes productions forthe Guthrie Theater, Portland Cen-ter Stage, La Jolla Playhouse,Pasadena Playhouse, the GoodmanTheatre, Children’s Theatre Compa-ny of Minneapolis, CornerstoneTheater Company, Missouri Reper-tory, Great Lakes Theatre Festival,The Kennedy Center, San DiegoRepertory Theatre, The Magic The-atre and Sledgehammer Theatre,among others. Mr. Acebo is an en-semble member of CornerstoneTheater Company in Los Angeles.He received his MFA in design atthe University of California, SanDiego and is a past recipient of theNEA/TCG fellowship for designers.He is a member of the faculty atCal State University, Los Angeles.

SHIGERU YAJI (Costume Design)has designed costumes for over 50SCR productions including most re-cently Habeas Corpus, Cyrano deBergerac, Lovers and Executionersand Major Barbara. His other re-cent work has been seen at YaleRepertory Theatre, CornerstoneTheatre Company, San Jose Reper-tory Theatre and the OregonShakespeare Festival, as well as thecurrent Broadway-bound, nationaltouring production of Cathy Rigby’s

Peter Pan, for which he previouslyreceived an Emmy Award nomina-tion. He is the recipient of numer-ous awards and recognitions in-cluding six Los Angeles DramaCritics Circle Awards and a BayArea Theatre Critics Circle Award.Mr. Yaji is a member of the UnitedScenic Artists Local 829 and the UCIrvine Drama Department faculty.

LONNIE ALCARAZ (LightingDesign) is an Assistant Professor atUC Irvine and a professional Light-ing Designer. He has designed atvarious regional theatre houses,such as SCR, Berkeley Repertory,Sierra Repertory, The Arena Stagein Washington DC and the UtahShakespearean Festival. In addi-tion to his ten seasons with LaPosada Mágica, shows at SCR in-clude The Hoboken Chicken Emer-gency, Play Strindberg, Dimly Per-ceived Threats to the System, SidneyBechet Killed a Man (for which hereceived a Drama-Logue Award),BAFO, Later Life and Three View-ings. He designed Culture Clash’sThe Birds at both SCR and Berke-ley Repertory, along with their na-tional touring show, Radio Mambo,which has been seen in Los Ange-les, San Diego, San Francisco, Ari-zona, New York, Seattle andWashington DC. Recent design ex-perience includes The Philosophyof the World - The Shaggs, a newmusical at the Ford Anson Theatrein Los Angeles; the Utah Shake-spearean Festival’s 2004 summerand 2003 fall seasons of shows; MyFair Lady, Forever Plaid, Morning’sat Seven, Little Shop of Horrors,Comedy of Errors and The Impor-tance of Being Earnest. He alsowas a designer for Universal Stu-dios, Japan, where he designed thelive shows Terminator 2 in 3D, andMonster Makeup, the attractionsJurassic Park the Ride and SnoopyStudios, along with exterior archi-tectural facades throughout thepark. He is a member of the Unit-

ed Scenic Artist/ IATSE - Local 829.

LINDA KOSTALIK (Choreographer)is a Professor in the Theatre Artsand Dance Department at Califor-nia State University Los Angelesand works for the award-winningLos Angeles County High School ofthe Arts as choreographer for theirMusical Theatre Ensemble. Her ca-reer as dancer, choreographer andeducator has spanned 39 years.She has choreographed numerousproductions for professional the-atres such as SCR, PlaywrightsHorizons, the Goodman Theatre,the International City Theatre andothers. “Professor K” has directedGrammy nominee Bobby Ro-driguez: A Latin Jazz ChristmasShow for the past three years andcontinues work in videographyand design. As always, it is a plea-sure to be back with the SCR fami-ly. The happiest holidays to every-one!

*JAMIE A. TUCKER (Stage Manager)completed his MFA in Dance, spe-cializing in Stage Management, atUCI in 1994. He stage managedThe Retreat from Moscow this sea-son and Anna in the Tropics,Lovers and Executioners, IntimateExchanges and Mr. Marmalade lastseason. He previously stage man-aged the world premiere ofRichard Greenberg’s The VioletHour, the West Coast premiere ofHorton Foote’s The Carpetbagger’sChildren, Relatively Speaking andthe world premiere of Rolin Jones’The Intelligent Design of JennyChow. He worked as SCR’s stagemanager for the Second Stage pro-ductions of The Dazzle, True West,Play Strindberg, the world pre-miere of But Not for Me and the Pa-cific Playwrights Festival workshopproduction of Landlocked. He alsowas stage manager of La PosadaMágica for two seasons and SCR’sFestival Latino ’97 production ofRick Najera’s Latinologues. He has


worked as assistant stage manageron the Mainstage productions ofNew England, Our Town and Arca-dia, and the Second Stage produc-tions of BAFO and Three Days ofRain. Mr. Tucker has worked at theLong Beach Civic Light Opera onNo, No, Nanette, Can Can, A ChorusLine, The King and I and Man of LaMancha. If you can’t find him inthe theatre, he is likely to be on thediamond.

DAVID EMMES (Producing ArtisticDirector) is co-founder of SCR. Hehas received numerous awards forproductions he has directed duringSCR’s 40-year history, including aLos Angeles Drama Critics CircleAward for the direction of GeorgeBernard Shaw’s The Philanderer.He directed the world premieres ofAmy Freed’s Safe in Hell, The Beardof Avon and Freedomland, ThomasBabe’s Great Day in the Morning,Keith Reddin’s Rum and Coke andBut Not for Me and Neal Bell’s ColdSweat; the American premiere ofTerry Johnson’s Un1suitable forAdults; the West Coast premieres ofC.P. Taylor’s Good and Harry Kon-doleon’s Christmas on Mars; andthe Southland premiere of Top Girls(at SCR and the Westwood Play-house). Other productions includethe West Coast premieres of ThreeViewings by Jeffrey Hatcher, The Se-cret Rapture by David Hare andNew England by Richard Nelson;and Arcadia by Tom Stoppard, TheImportance of Being Earnest byOscar Wilde, Ayckbourn’s Womanin Mind and You Never Can Tell byGeorge Bernard Shaw, which herestaged for the Singapore Festivalof Arts. His producing responsibili-ties involve the overall coordinationof SCR’s programs and projects. Hehas served as a theatre panelist andonsite evaluator for the National En-

dowment for the Arts, on the Execu-tive Committee of 7the League ofResident Theatres, and as a panelistfor the California Arts Council.After attending Orange Coast Col-lege, he received his BA and MAfrom California State University, SanFrancisco, and his PhD in theatreand film from USC.

MARTIN BENSON (Artistic Director),co-founder of SCR with his col-league David Emmes, has directednearly one third of the plays pro-duced here. He has distinguishedhimself in the staging of contempo-rary work, including Horton Foote’sThe Carpetbagger’s Children and theworld premiere of Getting FrankieMarried—and Afterwards, the criti-cally acclaimed California premiereof William Nicholson’sShadowlands, the Southern Califor-nia premiere of Michael Healey’sThe Drawer Boy ; and the WestCoast premieres of Peter Hedges’Good As New and Martin McDon-agh’s The Lonesome West. He haswon accolades for his direction offive major works by GeorgeBernard Shaw, including the LosAngeles Drama Critics Circle(LADCC) Award-winners Major Bar-bara, Misalliance and HeartbreakHouse. Among the numerous worldpremieres he has directed are TomStrelich’s BAFO and MargaretEdson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Wit,which he also directed at SeattleRepertory Theatre and the AlleyTheatre in Houston. He has direct-ed American classics including Ah,Wilderness!, A Streetcar Named De-sire, A Delicate Balance and All MySons. Mr. Benson has been hon-ored with the Drama-Logue Awardfor his direction of 21 productionsand received LADCC DistinguishedAchievement in Directing awards anunparalleled seven times for the

three Shaw productions, JohnMillington Synge’s Playboy of theWestern World, Arthur Miller’s TheCrucible, Sally Nemeth’s Holy Daysand Wit. He also directed the filmversion of Holy Days using the origi-nal SCR cast. Along with Emmes,he accepted SCR’s 1988 Tony Awardfor Outstanding Resident Profession-al Theatre and won the 1995 The-atre LA Ovation Award for LifetimeAchievement. Mr. Benson receivedhis BA in Theatre from CaliforniaState University, San Francisco.

PAULA TOMEI (Managing Director)is responsible for the overall admin-istration of South Coast Repertoryand has been Managing Directorsince 1994. A member of the SCRstaff since 1979, she has served in anumber of administrative capacitiesincluding Subscriptions Manager,Business Manager and General Man-ager. She currently serves as Presi-dent of the Theatre CommunicationsGroup (TCG), the national serviceorganization for the professionalnot-for-profit theatre. In addition,she has served as Treasurer of TCG,Vice President of the League of Res-ident Theatres (LORT) and has beena member of the LORT NegotiatingCommittee for industry-wide unionagreements. She represents SCR atnational conferences of TCG andLORT; is a theatre panelist and sitevisitor for the National Endowmentfor the Arts and the California ArtsCouncil; served on the AdvisoryCommittee for the Arts Administra-tion Certificate Program at the Uni-versity of California, Irvine; and hasbeen a guest lecturer in the gradu-ate school of business at Stanford.She graduated from the Universityof California, Irvine with a degree inEconomics and pursued an addi-tional course of study in theatre anddance.

The Actors and Stage Managers em-ployed in this production are mem-bers of Actors’ Equity Association, theUnion of Professional Actors andStage Managers in the United States.

The Scenic, Costume, Lighting andSound Designers in LORT theatresare represented by United ScenicArtists Local USA-829, IATSE.

The Director is a member of the So-ciety of Stage Directors and Chore-ographers, Inc., an independent na-tional labor union.

PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ARTISTIC … POSADA MAGICA written and directed by Octavio Solis music...

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