World Premiere of WIPEOUT Via Rivendell Theatre Ensemble February 23 – April 6, 2024

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar 

Rivendell Theatre Ensemble announces the World Premiere of

WIPEOUT

by Aurora Real de Asua

Directed by Rivendell Artistic Director Tara Mallen

Movement Direction by Ensemble Member Devon de Mayo

February 23 – April 6, 2024

Rivendell Theatre Ensemble (RTE), Chicago’s only Equity theatre dedicated to advancing the lives of women through the power of theatre, announces the world premiere of WIPEOUT by Aurora Real de Asua, directed by Rivendell Artistic Director Tara Mallen with movement direction by Ensemble Member Devon de Mayo. WIPEOUT runs February 23 – April 6, 2024. Tickets are now available at Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, 5779 N. Ridge Avenue in Chicago, (773) 334-7728 or www.RivendellTheatre.org.

Three retired best friends. One hotrod surf instructor. The currents of the Pacific Ocean. What could possibly go wrong? Set on surfboards, WIPEOUT is a poignant comedy about friendship, grief, and the unpredictable tides of life.

WIPEOUT tells the story of three women staring down the mouth of 70, friends for decades, who throw themselves into their first-ever surfing lesson with the help of a young instructor. As the women learn how to paddle and navigate the currents of the Pacific Ocean, they also learn how to navigate their friendships, their fears, and just how hard it can be to let it all go.

The cast of WIPEOUT includes RTE members Glenn Obrero and Meg Thalken, with Cindy Gold and Celeste Williams. 

The creative team includes RTE Members Regina Garcia (Scenic Design), Victoria DeIorio (Sound Design), Devon de Mayo± (Movement Director), with Evelyn Danner (Costume Design), Michael Mahlum (Lighting Design) Angie Tillges (Surfboard Design), Andres Fiz (Projection Design), Tanya Palmer (Dramaturgy), Shannon Golden-Starr (Production Manager), Deya Friedman (Production Stage Manager) and Mia Maccarella (Assistant Stage Manager).

“As a young surfer, I'd be paddling hard, getting ready to catch my wave, only to find a blissed-out grandmother already hanging ten. That's what I love most about surfing. Anybody - any body - can do it. The ocean is our great equalizer,” comments playwright Aurora Real de Asua. “It has a way of revealing the truth, of disintegrating the boundaries we place around ourselves and each other. This play is my love letter to the joys of surfing, the power of the ocean, and the tenacity of female friendship. I am so thrilled to premiere this play with Rivendell and honored to be working with their fabulous, fearless artists.”

“In 2019, when Aurora first brought us WIPEOUT, we were immediately taken by the audaciousness of this young writer having so confidently penned a moving, thoughtful, and hilarious drama about a trio of first-time women surfers some forty years her senior,” comments Artistic Director Tara Mallen. “This production features the formidable talents of three powerhouse Chicago actors I have long admired. Bringing these dynamic actors together with our young and inspired playwright sets Aurora’s play on firm footing from the start as we launch this first stop on WIPEOUT's three-part Rolling World Premiere. I am deeply grateful to be in the room with this collective of absurdly talented artists, to have this wonderful opportunity to stretch, flex our creative muscles and grow as theater artists as we tackle the unique challenges this play brings.” 

WIPEOUT is produced at Rivendell as part of a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere. Other Partner Theaters are B Street Theatre, Sacramento, CA and The Gloucester Stage Company, Gloucester, MA. For more information, please visit nnpn.org

About the Artists

Aurora Real de Asua (playwright) is a playwright, filmmaker, and actor. Her plays have been workshopped at Williamstown Theatre Festival, the New Harmony Project, the Old Globe, the Playwright's Realm, Rivendell, the Chicago Children's Theatre, and Sideshow. She is currently working on a commission for South Coast Repertory Theatre. Her short film Heartsong debuted on Shorts of the Week and can be streamed at Mítu.tv. Acting credits include shows at Rivendell, Goodman, Court, Northlight, Victory Gardens, and American Players Theatre. She is also an ensemble member at Remy Bumppo. She holds a BA in theatre from Northwestern University and an MFA in film from Columbia University. In her spare time, you can find her surfing a longboard in Santa Cruz, California.

Tara Mallen (director) is an actor, director, producer and the founding Artistic Director at Rivendell. Most recently she was on stage as part of Rivendell’s Jeff Award-Winning Ensemble in Motherhouse. Other recent projects include Raven Theatre’s The Luckiest (Jeff nomination - supporting actor); RTE’s premiere productions of Spay, Laura and the Sea, The Cake (Jeff Award - Actor) Look, we are breathing, The Firebird’s Take the Field, Rasheeda Speaking, Crooked, Self Defense, and The Walls. Other credits include Sweat (Arena Stage), The Cake (Renaissance Theatreworks), and How Long Will I Cry (Steppenwolf), among others. She is the proud recipient of a 2017 3Arts Award for her work as a Chicago theatre artist. Screen credits include the upcoming feature film Ghostlight, premiering at Sundance Film Festival in January 2024; Dark Matter (Apple TV); Empire (Fox); Contagion (Warner Bros.); The Last Shift (Sony Pictures); Boss (Starz); Chicago Fire (NBC); Doubt (CBS/Sony Pictures); Chicago P.D. (NBC); and Sense8 (Netflix). For Rivendell, Tara co-conceived and directed the critically acclaimed World Premiere of Women At War, the Jeff-nominated Midwest premieres of The Electric Baby, 26 Miles (in co-production with Teatro Vista); Fighting Words by Sunil Kuruvilla; Psalms of a Questionable Nature ; the co-production of Elliot, a Soldier’s Fugue with Stageworks/Hudson; and the brief and brilliant Shady Meadows by Lisa Dillman as part of the 2007 Chicago Humanities Festival. 

Cindy Gold (Gary) Recent Chicago area appearances include The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington (Steppenwolf Theatre), Christmas Carol (Goodman), Household Spirits (Theatre Wit), Indecent (Victory Gardens), Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Drury Lane), Measure for Measure (Goodman), Awake and Sing (Northlight), Taming of the Shrew (Chicago Shakespeare), and at The Lyric Opera in Showboat and My Fair Lady. Regionally, Cindy performed at Asolo Theatre in The Cake, The Kennedy Center in Showboat and Daughter of the Regiment (where she shared a role with RBG!), in The Music Man with Glimmerglass Opera, both in New York and at the Royal Opera House in Muscat. Cindy won a Jeff award for playing Gertrude Stein in Frank Galati and Stephen Flaherty’s Loving Repeating. Recent TV and film: Ghostlight, I Used to Go Here, Work in Progress, Empire, Chicago Fire, and the pilot episode of TNT's Leverage. Cindy is a Professor of Theatre at Northwestern University. 

Glenn Obrero (Blaze) was last seen in Scientific Method at Rivendell Theatre and is stoked to back as an Ensemble Member. Select theatre credits include: The Great Leap (Steppenwolf and Asolo Repertory Theatre), The Chinese Lady (Timeline Theatre), 20K Leagues Under the Sea (Lookingglass), Edith Can Shoot Things And Hit Them (Kitchen Theatre) and Letters Home (Griffin Theatre). Television credits include Chicago Fire (NBC) and Next (FOX). Glenn is a graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA in Acting and represented by Gray Talent Group.

Meg Thalken (Wynn) is thrilled to be a recent new member of Rivendell! Upcoming credits: Judgement Day at Chicago Shakespeare Theater Spring 2024. Regional Credits include Becky Nurse of Salem at Trinity Rep, Steel Magnolias at Milwaukee Rep, Ripcord at Peninsula Players, Tribes at Actors Theatre of Louisville. Chicago credits include: Steep Theatre: Mosquitoes, The Den Theatre: Four Places* (Jeff nomination), Steppenwolf: Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Domesticated, Goodman: Soups, Stews, and Casseroles, Route 66: A Funny Thing Happened at the Gynecological Oncology Unit, Victory Gardens: A View of the Dome, Guide for the Perplexed, Symmetry, The Long Awaited, Next Theatre: The Metal Children, Chicago Dramatists: I Am Going to Change the World, Travel Light: Laundry & Bourbon, Wisdom Bridge: Bagtime, TV Credits: Chicago PD, Chicago Med, Chicago Justice, Chicago Fire, Paper Girls, 61st Street, Shameless, Empire, Easy Abby, Detroit 187, ER, The Joan Cusack Show, Turks, Chicago Hope, Early Edition, EZ Streets, The Untouchables, Chicago Story, Jack & Mike, The Richard Speck Case and Through Naked Eyes. Film: Christmas Again, This Day Forward, Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party, Bad Johnson, Hannah Free, Check Please, The Company, U.S. Marshals, Poltergeist III, A Family Thing, The Babe, Class. 

Celeste Williams (Claudia)  most recently performed in Court Theatre’s production of Arsenic and Old Lace. Some of her work includes performances at: Goodman Theatre, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Victory Gardens Theatre, Northlight Theatre, Next Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre, Writers Theatre, New American Theatre, Seattle Group Theatre, Onyx Theatre Ensemble, and Milwaukee Repertory Theatre. Celeste is a 4-time Jeff Award nominee; a 3-time Black Theatre Alliance Award winner; and received a 2023 Black Excellence nomination for Outstanding Theatre Artist from the Black Arts & Culture Alliance of Chicago for her performance as Martha in Arsenic and Old Lace. Celeste was co-founder of Onyx Theatre Ensemble. 

Featuring: RTE Members Glenn Obrero+ and Meg Thalken*+, with Cindy Gold* and Celeste Williams*.

Creative Team: Regina Garcia± (Scenic Design), Evelyn Danner (Costume Design), Michael Mahlum (Lighting Design), Victoria DeIorio± (Sound Design), Devon de Mayo± (Movement Director), with Angie Tillges (Surfboard Design), Andres Fiz (Projection Design), Tanya Palmer (Dramaturgy), Shannon Golden-Starr (Production Manager), Deya Friedman* (Stage Manager) and Mia Maccarella (Assistant Stage Manager)

*= Member of Actors Equity Association

± = RTE Member

           

Schedule:

Thursdays at 8:00pm

Fridays at 8:00pm

Saturdays at 4:00pm and 8:00pm

Special added performances include Sunday, March 10 at 3:00pm; Monday, March 25 at 8:00pm (Industry Night)

Tickets:

$39 General Admission

$17 Student, Educators, Military/Veterans, Industry (Limited quantity, first-come, first-served)

$28 Seniors

$49 Sponsor Admission (to help us pay artists fair wages by covering the full cost of a seat at the performance)

$94 Angel Admission (1 Basic Admission, plus helping to cover discounted or free tickets to people who need them)

Membership / Subscription

RIV Pass: $95 (see Rivendell productions and other events as often as desired)

Box Office: (773) 334-7728 or www.RivendellTheatre.org

Parking and Transportation: There is limited paid and free street parking in the area. The theatre is easily accessible via the Clark (#22) or Broadway (#36) bus and is a short walk from the Bryn Mawr Red Line L station. 

About Rivendell Theatre Ensemble

Founded in 1994, Rivendell Theatre Ensemble advances the lives of women through theatre. Rivendell cultivates the talents of women artists—writers, actors, directors, designers and technicians—by seeking out innovative plays that explore unique female experiences and producing them in an intimate salon environment.

Rivendell employs women theatre artists, offers mind-expanding experiences with new voices and perspectives, and sparks dialogue and action on critical issues in the lives of women and their communities.

In our 25+ year history, Rivendell has earned 12 Joseph Jefferson Awards and nearly four dozen nominations. We are recognized as a national force in new play development and a home for women theatre artists. We engage about 200 artists and 3,000+ audience members each year through our mainstage season and new work development.

For more information about Rivendell Theater Ensemble, visit www.RivendellTheatre.org. Follow Rivendell on Facebook at Facebook.com/rivendelltheatre, on Twitter @RivendellThtr, and on Instagram at @rivendelltheatre.

Rivendell Theatre Ensemble is supported by generous grants from: SIF Fund at The Chicago Community Trust; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events; The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust; Shubert Foundation; Illinois Arts Council Agency; The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation; The Field Foundation of Illinois; League of Chicago Theatres; Sarah and the 2 C Dogs; Amazing Edibles; Actor’s Equity Association.

Rolling World Premiere of Man and Moon Runs October 19-November 13, 2022 at Madison Street Theater

 

Siena Marilyn Ledger’s Rolling World Premiere Man and Moon Opens on October 21 at Madison Street Theater in Oak Park – A Dragonfly Theatre + 16th Street Theater NFP Co-Production –

Info

Peter Danger Wilde as Aaron and Clare Wols as Luna. Photo by Omar Fernandez.

San Diego-based Siena Marilyn Ledger’s National New Play Network rolling world premiere Man and Moon runs October 19-November 13, 2022, at Madison Street Theater, 1010 Madison Street in Oak Park, directed by Hayley Procacci. All tickets are $25, and virtual performances are $10 starting October 27, available online or at 708-795-6704. In addition, The Write Collective’s resident playwrights present free virtual staged readings on Fridays at 7 p.m. CT: October 7, The Queen of Ithaca by Aline Lathrop December 2, Lost Girl by Kathryn Feeney

Man and Moon is set in the waiting room of a hospital oncology unit, where transitioning man Aaron meets 12-year-old middle-schooler Luna, who loves outer space. Together, they learn how to wait and navigate their own changing bodies. The cast for this piece about expansion, connection, grief, and hope includes Peter Danger Wilde (he/they) as Aaron, Clare Wols (she/her) as Luna, and Emma Anderson as Luna’s understudy. “Man and Moon guides us toward our inner children,” said Procacci. “Ledger breathes comedic wit and childlike wonder into this spellbinding two-hander. This play reminds audiences about the importance of community and the feeling of belonging.”    Procacci directs, produces, and devises physical and immersive theater work that dismantles the antiquated ideology of what is traditionally known as “American Theater." Procacci strives to “reflect the stories for and representing all, not just the able, straight, cis, select pool. Through radical inclusivity and a dedication to ensemble, I will tell stories of queerness and gender expression as existent and natural.”   Man and Moon runs October 19-November 13, 2022, at Oak Park’s Madison Street Theater (run time is 90 minutes without intermission). Previews are Wednesday, October 19, and Thursday, October 20 at 8 p.m. Opening night is Friday, October 21 at 8 p.m., and the production runs Thursdays at 8 p.m. (first Thursday is October 27, no Thursday show on November 3), Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. The Saturday, October 29, 4 p.m. show is a free teen matinee. Talkbacks will be held on Sundays, October 23 and November 6 at 2 pm., and Saturdays, October 29 and November 12 at 8 p.m. At 1010 Madison Street, the theater is located near the Forest Park Blue Line stop, and the Harlem/Lake Green Line stop.  Peter Danger Wilde as Aaron and Clare Wols as Luna. Photo by Omar Fernandez. The production’s artistic team includes Angelina Davila (production manager), Omar Fernandez (assistant director), Vibyana Sacluti (stage manager), Stefan Brun (technical director), Adrian Luca Oxoa (set design), Lauren Alyssa Skulley, IV (light design), Payton Kaye (sound design), Scout Gregory (costume design), and Michele DiMaso (intimacy coach). Man And Moon is produced by The 16th Street Theater NFP as a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere, which lets three or more theaters mount the same play within 12 months to allow playwrights to develop work with multiple creative teams across different communities. Other partners are Good Company Theatre (Ogden, UT) and Oregon Contemporary Theatre (Eugene, OR).  Siena Marilyn Ledger Siena Marilyn Ledger (they/them) tells stories with poems, personal video documentaries, and plays including The Empty Space, Inosculation, and Say NO to One Paseo. They graduated cum laude from California State University Fullerton's BFA acting program. Ledger is a member of the Chicago Dramatist's second class of Tutterow Fellows. Hayley Procacci Hayley Procacci (they/she) is director, producer, playwright, and theatre educator. Originally from Orlando, Hayley has worked professionally in New York and Chicago, directed national and international tours with Missoula Children’s Theatre, and is a full time staff member at Lookingglass Theatre Company. Recent credits include A Sign of The Times (NYC, LDK Productions), Games (NYC, SoHo Playhouse), Better Angels (NYC, SoHo Playhouse), My Uncle Sam (CHICAGO, Theater Unspeakable), Angels In America: Millennium Approaches, Silent Sky, Gruesome Playground Injuries, and Fool For Love (University of Alabama at Birmingham).  Peter Danger Wilde Peter Danger Wilde (he/they) is a Chicago-based trans/queer artist who has worked on- and off-stage with Odradek, Redmoon Spectacle Theater, and The Fly Honey Show. Wilde is pursuing a degree in psychology to serve LGBTQ youth through social work, harm reduction and counseling.  Clare Wols Clare Wols (she/her) was most recently seen as Brigitta in alternate performances in The Sound of Music at Marriott Theatre. When she’s not studying musical theater at Ovation Academy in Oak Park, this 12-year-old enjoys reading, writing, and hanging with her dog Buddy.  The 16th Street Theater NFP is partially funded by the Oak Park Area Arts Council, in partnership with the Village of Oak Park, the American Rescue Plan Act, the Illinois Arts Council Agency and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funds are provided by The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, The Driehaus Foundation, The Oak Park River Forest Future Philanthropists Program and The Arts Midwest GIG Fund.

WORLD PREMIERE of SOMEWHERE OVER THE BORDER Via TEATRO VISTA at WINDY CITY PLAYHOUSE Now Playing Through JUNE 12, 2022

ChiIL Live Shows On Our Radar  TEATRO VISTA RETURNS TO LIVE THEATER WITH BRIAN QUIJADA’S  SOMEWHERE OVER THE BORDER  A WORLD PREMIERE MUSICAL INSPIRED BY HIS MOTHER’S REAL LIFE STORY AND THE WIZARD OF OZ,  MAY 12-JUNE 12, 2022 AT WINDY CITY PLAYHOUSE (from left) Brian Quijada (book, lyrics and music) is the playwright and narrator of Teatro Vista’s world premiere musical, Somewhere Over the Border. Denise Yvette Serna directs. The cast features Andrés Enriquez, Amanda Raquel Martinez, Gabriela Moscoso, Claudia Quesada and Teatro Vista ensemble member Tommy Rivera-Vega.  Teatro Vista, Chicago’s leading Latine theater company, will return to the live stage this spring with Emmy-nominated artist Brian Quijada’s world premiere musical, Somewhere Over the Border, directed by Denise Yvette Serna. Performances are May 12-June 12, 2022 at Windy City Playhouse, 3014 W. Irving Park Road in Chicago. Tickets, $15-$49.50, are on sale now at teatrovista.org. Fees not included. Inspired by his mother’s real-life border crossing from El Salvador to the U.S., mashed up with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Somewhere Over the Border is an uplifting new work of musical theater that embraces fact and fantasy to depict one young girl's pursuit of the American dream.  As Reina Quijada travels north to the Mexican border, she gathers friends, faces down dangers and holds tight to the memory of the little boy she left behind. Set in the 1970s and propelled by an original score including cumbia, Mexican mariachi boleros, American rock and hip hop, Somewhere Over the Border is both fable and family history – a testament to the determination born of love.  Brian Quijada (book, lyrics and music), who created, starred and two-time Jeff Award winner for Teatro Vista’s 2016 hit world premiere hip hop show, Where Did We Sit on the Bus?, is back to narrate his newest work.  "I've been waiting to see a brown, Central-American Dorothy,” said Quijada, “and now, the American theater is being introduced to her."  “When I was 18, I left my hometown on a Greyhound bus with two duffel bags, in search of a far away future I hoped existed for someone like me. It was one of the scariest times of my life, with ripple effects and traumas that follow me to this day," said director Denise Yvette Serna.  "With Somewhere Over the Border, we have the privilege to come together in a theater again, to laugh, cry, dance, and celebrate those who leave their homes willingly, those who are displaced, the parents who did their best, and all the dreamers who take each day step-by-step.” Somewhere Over the Border is the first production under new co-artistic directors, Lorena Diaz and Wendy Mateo. "Brian’s new musical is the most ambitious production Teatro Vista has endeavored to produce to date,” confirmed Diaz. “It brings us back to live theater and houses us in a large new space at Windy City Playhouse where anything is possible.”  “Large scale productions like this one don't usually happen on a budget like ours, but we met the challenge to give the community a way to see themselves reflected in stories like these,” added Mateo. “We committed to employing mostly femme and people of color in key positions, led by an all Latine cast and Mexican-American femme-director. For our first production out of the pandemic gates, we mean to be true to our word, to be a model for inclusive and equitable practices in Chicago theater.”  The cast is Andrés Enriquez (Silvano/Don Napo), Amanda Raquel Martinez (Antonia/Leona), Gabriela Moscoso (Reina), Brian Quijada (Narrator), Claudia Quesada (Julia) and Teatro Vista ensemble member Tommy Rivera-Vega (Cruz/Adan). Covers are Ulysses Espinoza, Laura Quiñones and Karla Serrato. Music director is Thee Ricky Harris. Choreography by Kasey Alfonso. Yendrys Cespedes (co-orchestrator/keyboards/percussion) leads the three-piece band with Roberto “Carpacho” Marin (upright bass) and Guido Acevedo (cajón).  The production team includes Teatro Vista ensemble member Ayssette Muñoz (associate director), Yvonne Miranda (scenic design), Sarah Albrecht (costumes), Stefanie Senior (sound), Diane Fairchild (lights), Liviu Pasare (projections), Lonnae Hickson (props), Grace Needlman (puppets), Kristin Leahey (dramaturg), Adelina Feldman-Schultz (casting), Jennifer Aparicio(production manager), Johnnie Schleyer (technical director), Kyle Jensen(sound design assistant), Isaac Mandel (audio supervisor/sound engineer), Julián Mesri (co-orchestrator), Sara Pool Wilhelm (music copyist). Stage manager is Madeline Scott. Assistant stage managers are Maurilio Rodriguez and Olivia Sullam.  Somewhere Over the Border premieres May 12-June 12, 2022 at Windy City Playhouse, 3014 W. Irving Park Rd., Chicago. Show times are Wednesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 Teatro For All/$35 previews/$49.50 regular performances. Teatro For All is a new initiative to make theater accessible to everyone – students, artists, seniors, or folks on a tight budget. Ten $15 tickets are available for every performance on a first-come, first-served basis.  For tickets and information, visit teatrovista.org. Sign up for Teatro Vista’s e-newsletter, and follow Teatro Vista on  Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.  Teatro Vista’s production of Somewhere Over the Border is a rolling world premiere with Syracuse State and Geva Theatre Center.  Plan your trip to see Somewhere Over the Border  Windy City Playhouse is located on Chicago’s northwest side, at the intersection of Irving Park Rd. and Sacramento Ave. It offers a high-end bar and snacks on-site, plus several dining partners within easy walking distance for pre- or post-show meals.  Windy City Playhouse is easily accessible from both Lake Shore Drive and I-94. The CTA #80 bus runs right in front of the theater, with a stop at Sacramento. Metered street parking is available along Irving Park Road. Side street parking is free. All street parking is free on Sundays. For more details visit windycityplayhouse/visit-irving-park. Already on play: Teatro Vista’s 2022 “must listen” virtual productions Teatro Vista’s first, original new audio play, The Fifth World by ensemble member Gabriel Ruiz, co-directed with Lorena Diaz, dropped in December, has hit 15,000 streams, and is still available for free download via teatrovista.org, Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Set in a small desert town in modern day Arizona, but rooted in Aztec mythology, The Fifth World is full of mystery, intrigue and the supernatural. It’s voiced by a nine-member, all-ensemble cast, the most ever in a Teatro Vista production,  crescripted.org called The Fifth World an “incredible work…a triumph in the realm of mystery/horror audio fiction. Tense, suspenseful, horrifying, gorgeous, and evocative…a must-listen.”   Also newly released is Detective Q, Teatro Vista’s world premiere moving graphic novel, written and created by ensemble members Marvin Quijada and Gabriel Ruiz. Ten micro-episodes dropped over the first five days in May exclusively on  Instagram feed and YouTube feeds. Film noir meets mime in Detective Q, a fast-action, funny, genre-defying digital episodic about the misadventures of an urban, animated private eye. Each chapter, like “Episode 2: How Not to Do a Stakeout'' and “Episode 3: How to Get Hit by a Car,” runs under a minute, combining comic adventure animation, live action, video, urban locales, and because it’s from Teatro Vista, an all-Latine cast. Already, Detective Q is gaining fans, attracting more than 2,500 views in the show’s first week alone.  If you haven’t figured it out already, Brian "Somewhere Over the Border" Quijada and Marvin “Detective Q” Quijada are brothers, and they’re having quite a spring. Just as Teatro Vista is releasing Marvin’s new moving graphic novel on the digital stage, Brian’s world premiere musical about their mother, Somewhere Over the Border, is debuting live at Windy City Playhouse.   Still coming in 2022 is La Vuelta, a new digital experience commissioned by Teatro Vista, devised by its ensemble members, written by Isaac Gómez and directed by Monty Cole.  Teatro Vista’s live and digital projects signal the company’s new direction under Co-Artistic Directors Lorena Diaz and Wendy Mateo: to propel the company and its ensemble to create a new definition of theater, both live and virtual, that centers its own members, encompasses many disciplines of art, genres and expression, and spurs new forms of storytelling.  About Teatro Vista Teatro Vista is Chicago’s largest, Equity-affiliated professional Latine theater company and one of the nation’s premier Latine arts organizations.The company’s primary focus is producing new works by Latine theater artists from its own ensemble, a group of multi-generational, multi-ethnic and multi-disciplinary artists.  Teatro Vista ensemble members include Charín Álvarez, Max Arciniega, Desmín Borges, Cheryl Lynn Bruce, Ramón Camín, Ivonne Coll, Laura Dahl, Sandra Delgado, Liza Fernández, Khanisha Foster, Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel, Isaac Gómez, Ricardo Gutiérrez, Erik Juárez, Jon Lyon, Sandra Márquez, Eddie Martinez, Salome Martinez, Joe Minoso, Ayssette Muñoz, Christina Nieves, Marvin Quijada, Tommy Rivera-Vega, Gabriel Ruíz, Nate Santana, Cecilia Suarez and co-founder Edward Torres.  In July, 2021, following a national search, Lorena Diaz and Wendy Mateowere appointed Co-Artistic Directors of Teatro Vista.   Lorena Diaz (left) and Wendy Mateo, Co-Artistic Directors, Teatro Vista.  “We are deeply energized by Teatro Vista and its ensemble, with its tapestry of talent, innovation and unique perspectives,” said Mateo. “There is a depth to the American Latine experience that has fueled our 20 years of storytelling and collaboration together. With this particular ensemble, we’ll be able to deepen that storytelling and bring in a kind of nuance and complexity to our stories that our audiences will be inspired by.” Diaz added, “the opportunities in an ensemble-led theater company are many and Teatro Vista has an abundance of thought-provoking artists who are exploring different genres of creative expression, from writing for television, to audio plays with visual components, to full-fledged plays with music like Somewhere Over the Border. Expect that kind of excitement going forward.” Teatro Vista’s Board of Directors includes Adela Cepeda, President, Joan Pantsios, Secretary, Julieta LaMalfa, Treasurer, and Rosa Escareño, Kareem Mohamednur, Carina Sanchez and Jose Vasquez. Teatro Vista is supported by Alphawood Foundation, the Arts Work Fund, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, The Bayless Foundation, Chicago Community Trust, Chicago Cultural Treasures, Chicago Filmmaker Grant, CLATA (Chicago Latino Theater Alliance), DCASE (Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events), The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, Illinois Arts Council, The Joyce Foundation, The MacArthur Fund for Culture, Equity, and the Arts at the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Pritzker Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The Shuttered Grant and the Tide-Venturous Foundation.  Playwright/Director Biographies Brian Quijada (playwright and composer) is an actor, playwright, and composer whose original work has been developed and produced all across the country. His hip hop solo show, Where Did We Sit on the Bus? has been produced at Victory Gardens, Geva Theatre (Emmy Nomination for digital stream), Teatro Vista (Jeff Award), Ensemble Studio Theatre (Drama Desk Nomination), Boise Contemporary, 1st Stage, City Theatre Pittsburgh, and a digital production at Actors Theatre of Louisville (Drama League Nomination). His play Kid Prince and Pablo premiered at The Kennedy Center in 2019. His plays have been developed at The Kennedy Center, Pittsburgh CLO’s Spark Festival, Victory Gardens’ Ignition Festival, New Stage and Film’s Powerhouse Festival and The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Musical Theatre Conference. Commissioning institutions include Hero Theatre, A.R.T., 1st Stage, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Woolly Mammoth and The Kennedy Center. His song “The Always Song” was the 2021’s Hispanic Heritage Month Song for Nickelodeon. He is a two-time Jeff Award winner in Chicago and a two-time Drama Desk Nominee. Acting credits include Bobbie Clearly at Roundabout, Oedipus El Rey at The Public Theater, My Mañana Comes(original cast) at Playwrights Realm, How We Got On (original cast) and Airness (original cast) at Actors Theatre of Louisville's Humana Festival. TV credits include Blue Bloods, Manhattan Love Story and Search Party. Quijada is a member of The Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York City. As an educator, he teaches solo performance at Harvard University. brianquijada.com  Denise Yvette Serna (director) is an international theater practitioner raised in San Juan, Texas and Associate Artistic Director of Chicago’s Rivendell Theatre Ensemble. Chicago credits include 45 Plays for America’s First Ladies (The Neo-Futurists), Nine Lives of a Cat (MCA Chicago/Prop Thtr), La Ruta(Steppenwolf Theatre Company), HIR (Steppenwolf Theatre Company), Cambodian Rock Band (Victory Gardens Theater), Richard & Jane & Dick & Sally (LTC Carnaval 2018), Earthquakes in London (Steep Theatre Company). International credits include L I M P I A: Nuestrxs Hechizos… (Global Hive Labs), and MEDUSA (Global Hive Labs, Fusion Theatre Company, La Compagnie Certes, Teatro Trieste Trentaquattro, Pop Magic Productions). deniseyvetteserna.com Teatro Vista's world premiere musical Somewhere Over the Border by Brian Quijada, directed by Denise Yvette Serna, runs through June 12, 2022 at Windy City Playhouse, 3014 W. Irving Park Rd., Chicago.  For tickets and information, visit   or call (773) 281-8463 x6.