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A RED ORCHID THEATRE PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF
LAST HERMANOS
BY EXAL IRAHETA
DIRECTED BY ISMAEL LARA, JR.
April 21 – June 12, 2022
A Red Orchid Theatre presents the World Premiere of Last Hermanos by Exal Iraheta, directed by Ismael Lara, Jr.. Last Hermanos runs April 21 – June 12, 2022 at A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N Wells in Chicago. I'll be out for the press performance April 30th, so check back soon for my full review. Single tickets for Last Hermanos are on sale now at www.aredorchidtheatre.org.
Reunited and on the run, Miguel and Julio are fleeing an America where being Latinx is a life sentence. Sequestered in a Texas state park, the arrival of a sympathetic deserter, Shepherd, brings the conflict between Julio’s desire for revolution and Miguel’s longing for normalcy into sharp focus. Recorded last season as an audio play and now in its theatrical world premiere, LAST HERMANOS is a story of tenacious brotherhood and love in a not-so-distant future that asks: which path promises the better future?
The cast includes Eddie Martinez (Miguel), Roberto Jay (Julio), and Chris Sheard (Shepherd).
The creative team includes Ismael Lara, Jr. (Director), Mara Ishihara Zinky (Scenic), Johan Gallardo (Costumes), Josiah Croegaert (Lights), Joe Court (Sound), Erin Gautille (Props), Alden J. Vasquez (Stage Manager), Lauren Krohn (Assistant Stage Manager), Corey Bradberry (Production Manager), Valen-Marie Santos (Assistant Director), and Leean Kim Torske (Dramaturg).
“On the heels of the incredibly rewarding collaborations of The Moors, I am thrilled to be reaching further outside ourselves to nurture collaborations with some of the most exciting new-to-us artists I have ever encountered,” says Artistic Director Kirsten Fitzgerald. “The pandemic certainly interrupted many a process and collaboration. I think that makes our journey with Exal and his play Last Hermanos even more special. From draft to draft to audio play and back to stage, the relationship between these brothers and the world of Last Hermanos continues to reveal new truths that bring us face to face with our own humanity. Exal’s generosity in sharing this story is matched beautifully by the generosity of spirit, curiosity, and creative genius of our Director, Ismael Lara Jr. With these two artists at the helm, Last Hermanos breathes deeper at every turn, unearthing both the power and the fragility of family and its function in our ever-shifting environments.”
About the Artists
EXAL IRAHETA (Playwright) is a Chicago-based Salvi-American playwright & screenwriter by way of Houston, TX. His work explores the intersections of belonging, family, queerness, Latinx identity, violence, and sexuality. Exal is The Chance Theatre’s 2022 Resident Playwright, was a 2020/2021 Goodman Theatre's Playwrights Unit member, and a selected playwright in the 2018 Fornés Playwriting Workshop. In 2019, his play They Could Give No Name was chosen for Victory Gardens' Ignition Festival and an honorable mention in the American Playwriting Foundation's 2019 Relentless Award. Exal earned an MFA from Northwestern University's Writing for the Screen and Stage program and a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. On the weekends, Exal enjoys walks with his husband Chris.
ISMAEL LARA, JR. (Director) is a Mexican director, educator, and producer, who focuses on bridging the gap between institutions and the Latiné community. He has developed plays in collaboration with Cleveland Public Theatre’s Entry Point, Playwrights Local CLE, Kane Rep, Rec Room Arts, Creede Repertory Theater, Lake Forest College, The Lark, and National Queer Theatre. Selected credits include In His Hands (NU), The Displaced (NU Audio), Tomas & The Library Lady (NU), El Guayabo (Creede Rep), The Thing I Hold (Hangar Wedge), And All the Dead Lie Down (Convergence-Continuum), Aunt Leaf (Cleveland Play House Academy), and The Elephant Man (French Creek). Chicago assistant credits include American Mariachi (Goodman), I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter (Steppenwolf), and The Leopard Play, or sad songs for lost boys (Steep). Ismael is a recipient of the Hangar Drama League Fellowship, the current Northlight Artistic Fellow, and an MFA Directing candidate at Northwestern University.
EDDIE MARTINEZ (Miguel) is a Teatro Vista ensemble member seen in Parachute Men, Fade, and Hope (Victory Gardens and Den Theatre). Other credits include: I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, Our Lady of 121st Street (Steppenwolf); Native Gardens (Old Globe); Fade (Denver Center, Cherry Lane, TheatreWorks); As You Like It (Denver Center); Big Lake Big City, Cascabel (Lookingglass); Rightlynd (Victory Gardens); and Romeo y Julieta (Chicago Shakespeare). Film/TV credits include: Sense8 (Netflix), Sirens (USA), Chicago Fire (NBC), Shameless (Showtime), and The Dilemma (Universal).
ROBERTO JAY (Julio) is humbled to make his AROT debut in Last Hermanos. Other Chicago credits include Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberly (Northlight Theatre), The Royal Society of Antarctica (The Gift Theatre Ensemble), The Laramie Project (Aston Rep), and a reading of The Hours are Feminine by Jose Rivera (Goodman Theatre). Prior to working in Chicago, Roberto apprenticed at Actors Theatre of Louisville and was featured in several productions, including A Christmas Carol, Girlfriend by Todd Almond, and 27 Ways I Didn’t Say Hi to Laurence Fishburne directed by Meredith McDonough. Film credits include Blame, Alex/October, and festival circuit pick Moon Talk, which he also wrote and produced. TV credits include Showtime's American Rust. Roberto is represented by Big Mouth Talent and Management by Morgan.
CHRIS SHEARD (Shepherd) is thrilled to be making his A Red Orchid Theatre debut! Chris is an ensemble member with Definition Theatre (An Octoroon, A Doll’s House) and has performed at Chicago theatres such as Goodman Theatre (A Christmas Carol for four years, The Winter’s Tale), Writers Theatre (The Last Match, Arcadia), Chicago Shakespeare Theater (Nell Gwynn, SS!), Remy Bumppo, Steppenwolf, American Blues, TimeLine, and Windy City Playhouse. Regional credits include five seasons with American Players Theatre (Romeo and Juliet, The Seagull, A Phoenix Too Frequent), Third Avenue Playhouse, and Great River Shakespeare. He is represented by Grossman & Jack Talent. He received his MFA from the University of Illinois and his BA from Florida State and is back in school again for social work.
Dates:
Previews: April 21 – 29, 2022
Press Performances: Saturday, April 30 at 3:00pm and 7:30pm
Regular Run: May 5 – June 12, 2022
Schedule:
Thursdays: 7:30 p.m.
Fridays: 7:30 p.m.
Saturdays: 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Sundays: 3:00 p.m.
Location: A Red Orchid Theatre, 1531 N. Wells St.
Tickets: $15-$25 previews, $30-$40 regular run. ($30 Thurs, $35 Fri & Sat Matinee, $40 Sat evening & Sun matinee)
Box Office: Located at 1531 N. Wells St., Chicago, (312) 943-8722; or online www.aredorchidtheatre.org.
Covid 19 Policies
A Red Orchid is part of a growing coalition of more than 70 performing arts venues and producers across Chicagoland who have agreed upon Covid-19 Vaccination and Mask Requirements for audiences. This unified COVID-19 protection protocol requires audience members to provide proof of vaccination or negative test certification upon entry and to wear masks.
These venues and their performers, backstage crew and staff will comply with vaccination requirements and testing protocols to further ensure the safety of all guests and company members. The current protocols were developed by the coalition in consultation with public health officials. They will be reviewed regularly and may include an extension or relaxation of certain provisions if the science dictates.
All patrons will need to be masked and fully vaccinated with an FDA authorized vaccine in order to attend a performance at A Red Orchid Theatre and must show proof of vaccination and identification at their time of entry into the venue with their valid ticket. “Fully vaccinated” means the performance date must be at least 14 days after the second dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine, or at least 14 days after a single-dose vaccine. Where negative tests are accepted, guests may provide proof of a COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of the performance start time, or a negative COVID-19 antigen test taken within 6 hours of the performance start time. This includes accommodations for children under 12 and people with a medical condition or closely held religious belief that prevents vaccination. All patrons will have to wear a mask throughout the performance and during their time in the theatre. Refreshments and all concessions will not be served this season at A Red Orchid.
About A Red Orchid
A Red Orchid Theatre has served as an artistic focal point in the heart of the Old Town community of Chicago since 1993 and was honored with a 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. Over the past 29 years, its Resident Ensemble has welcomed into its fold an impressive array of award-winning actors, playwrights, and theatre artists with the firm belief that live theatre is the greatest sustenance for the human spirit. A Red Orchid is well known and highly acclaimed for its fearless approach to performance and design in the service of unflinchingly intimate stories.
A Red Orchid Theatre is: Karen Aldridge, Lance Baker, Kamal Angelo Bolden, Dado, Mike Durst, Myron Elliott-Cisneros, Jennifer Engstrom, Kirsten Fitzgerald, Joseph Fosco, Steve Haggard, Levi Holloway, Mierka Girten, Larry Grimm, Karen Kawa, Karen Kessler, Travis A. Knight, Danny McCarthy, Shade Murray, Brett Neveu, Sadieh Rifai, Grant Sabin, Steve Schine, Michael Shannon, Guy Van Swearingen, Doug Vickers, and Natalie West.
