ABOUT THE PLAY
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Welcome to the Buenos Cruces, a town in a magical forest in the heart of Latin America —and the latest manufacturing location for Cantilever Inc., a multinational corporation that specializes in everything from sandals to cigarettes. But as his family settles into their new lives in the jungle, Cantilever Vice President, John C. Dulk is mysteriously absent, leaving his wife, Julie, to navigate the challenges of keeping their family, and the factory afloat in this strange and surreal setting.
A wildly theatrical send up of magical realism, The Irrepressible Magic of the Tropics is at once a farcical romp through Latin American history and literature and a critical exploration of capitalism, colonialism and US-led economic imperialism.
Julián Mesri is a New York-based Argentinean-American playwright and composer who makes multilingual plays and musicals in the US and around the world. He is thrilled to be making his NYC playwriting debut at Intar, a theater he has collaborated with for over a decade including sound designing Intringulis and American Jornalero. He is the co-adaptor and composer/lyricist for the Drama Desk nominated and LATA award winning Mobile Unit bilingual production of the Comedy of Errors at the Public Theater, which recently completed an encore presentation this summer. He is currently the Judith Champion Musical Theater Launchpad Resident at Signature Theater and a Core Writer at the Playwrights Center, where he first developed Irrepressible Magic of the Tropics. He received an EST/Sloan Commission for his musical Favaloro: A Heart in Pieces. Recent work includes Telo (Live and In Color Finalist, O’Neill NMTC Finalist), Last Coffee in Rockville (NAMT Finalist), and Bartolomé de las Casas Ruins My Pool (O’Neill NPC Finalist). Other work includes composing the live score of Henry 6 at The Old Globe, directing/arranging Songs About Trains with Radical Evolution, music directing and co-orchestrating Brian Quijada’s Somewhere Over the Border (Syracuse Stage, Geva Theater). He has been a member of the Public Theater Emerging Writer’s Group, a Dramatist Guild Fellow, an Emerging Artist of Color Fellow and Usual Suspect at NYTW, and a Van Lier fellow at Repertorio Español. His modern staging of Fuenteovejuna received the HOLA Gilberto Saldivar Outstanding production award. He has also translated dramatic works for the Lark US/Mexico Exchange and PEN World Voices. He received his MFA in Playwriting from Columbia University.
ABOUT THE PLAY
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Inside the dressing room of a regional theater in Oklahoma, it's 90 minutes until curtain for the all-new production of O.K.!, a bilingual parody of some other musical the Argentinean producers couldn’t get the rights for. Melinda receives a disturbing phone call that sends her spiraling like a tornado. Due to the state's recent abortion ban, her upcoming appointment has been canceled indefinitely. Melinda's meltdown captures the attention of her wisecracking New York Latina cast mates who come to her rescue.
Together, they navigate a post-Roe America with grievances, fears, necessary humor, and even some particularly animated tarot cards. As the minutes go by, and with the show starting soon, the women become desperate to know:
What will Melinda do next?
CHRISTIN EVE CATO (she/her) is an award-winning playwright, dramaturg, poet, educator, lyricist, songwriter, and performing artist, emerging from the vibrant streets of the Bronx, bringing with her a profound artistic narrative steeped in the rich tapestry of her Puerto Rican and Jamaican roots. Cato’s voice is often distinguished for her ability to create universal stories grounded in advocacy for human rights and social justice. She holds esteemed positions such as ensemble member and former Resident Dramaturg at Pregones/PRTT, a founding UNIT 52 ensemble member at INTAR Theatre, and a playwright in the WP Theater 2022-2024 Pipeline Lab. Additionally, she is an affiliated artists at the Playwrights Center, a member of The Latinx Playwrights Circle, an associated artist with The Sol Project, and a seasonal roundtable dramaturg at the Musical Theatre Factory. Recent productions include her 2024 Obie Award-Winning play Sancocho (Off-Broadway debut @ the WP Theater); The Diamond (The People’s Theatre Project @ Pregones Theatre); American Made (Samuel French OOB Festival @ Playwrights Horizons); and an audio play journey, The Mayor of Hell’s Kitchen Presents: A Time Traveling Journey Through NYC’s Wild West (The Parsnip Ship & Playwrights Horizons). Some of her other recognitions include the 2020 Greater Good Commission recipient for Afro-Latinx writers; the 2021 ReImagine New Plays in TYA grant; second place prize winner in the 2023 Miranda Family Voces Latinx Competition; the 2023 HOLA award nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Playwriting; and an awardee of the 2023 Negocios Now: 40 Under 40 celebrating Latinx excellence in New York City. She has an MFA in Playwriting from Indiana University and a BA in Political Science and Philosophy from Fordham University.
ABOUT THE PLAY
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Kissing Cowboys, flying horses and wolf spirits abound.
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A Cutting Man wants to save Lobo even if it kills him.
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A curandera sometimes speaks through a microphone
and sometimes through her grandson’s corpuscles.
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Set in the desert, a mysterious White Room
and the Tigua Reservation,
A Boy Called Lobo is part interactive Ted Talk
and part musical fable about a boy
who is on a quest to recover his languages and
make peace with his dual nature.
David Anzuelo is a Queer Chicano playwright from El Paso, Texas. He received his first professional production for his play Día Y Noche last year with Labyrinth Theater Company. His physical theater pieces Estrellita/Luminaria; Agua/Aceite; Aire/Arena and Camino Montaña were all given workshop productions by Intar Theater between the years 1996-2010. Other plays include: DonkeyShowMe (The Tank, Darkfest), MinotaurRomance (Labyrinth/Public Theater); Queen Latina & The Power Posse :The Reboot (Cherry Lane). His most recent play TIGERS was read at the 2024 Labyrinth Theater intensive.
He’s the founder of the three time Drama Desk nominated UnkleDave’s Fight-House, which is a company of fight/intimacy coordinators. Dave has worked fight/intimacy direction on 16 Broadway shows. Dave is an alum of both the 2023 WriteItOut! Cohort and the 2024 Outrage Queer Writers retreat. He’s a member of Labyrinth Theater Company and the Dramatists Guild. As an actor, Dave has acted in film, tv and theater.
PREVIOUSLY ON THE INTAR STAGE
The Hours Are Feminine
Written and directed by José Rivera
May 11th – June 9th
ABOUT THE PLAY
Two families, old immigrants from Italy and new immigrants from Puerto Rico, share a yard in rural Long Island in 1960 — the year of Kennedy, Hurricane Donna, and Roberto Clemente — a yard separated by culture, language, history, and an old apple tree. Is friendship possible in this world? And what hand will fate play when the deadly hurricane rages through the land? Written and directed by José Rivera, this autobiographical, ensemble play explores female friendship and the price of assimilation with humor, tears, and a final, healing reckoning.
MEET THE CAST
HIRAM DELGADO
Fernán
MARIBEL MARTINEZ
Evalisse
DAN GRIMALDI
Charlie
ROBERT MONTANO
Little Anthony
SARA KOVIAK
Mirella
DONOVAN MONZÓN - SANDERS
Jaivín
Scenic Designer – Izzy Fields
Lighting Designer – Christina Watanabe
Sound Deisgner – David Remedios
Costume Designer – Lisa Renée Jordan
Fight/Intimacy Director – David Anzuelo
Fun With Panic Attacks
Dreamt into reality by Florencia Lozano
Co-Directed by Kristina Poe
January 12th – 27th
Floppy explores her life’s journey with anxiety as she invites you to take off your shoes, lie down on the floor, and check in to see if you are holding your breath. Psychological funhouse meets choose-how-immersive-you-want-it-to-be theatrical event. An experiential offering into what overwhelms us and what might just save us.
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Fun with Panic Attacks is an experiential, immersive performance piece, where audience members will be encouraged to check their belongings upon arrival, including phones and shoes. Audiences are welcome to bring slippers or heavy socks to wear for the duration of the performance and can choose from a variety of seating options, both traditional and non-traditional. This is a limited engagement with limited seating.
For accommodation questions and requests, please email: boxoffice@intartheatre.org
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Sonnets For An Old Century
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Featuring members of UNIT52
By José Rivera
Directed by Marina Carreño King, Rebecca Aparicio, and Melissa Crespo
November 17th, 18th, and 19th at 7:30 pm.
ABOUT THE PLAY
A collection of souls are faced with a final chance to give their side of the story to the universe, as far as we know. The sublimely talented members of INTAR’s Unit 52 take on the poetic language of José Rivera in a workshop production of this legendary piece under the direction of three powerhouse Latiné directors.
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