La Jolla Playhouse has announced that the next production in its site-based theatre series, Without Walls (WoW), will be El Henry, written by and starring Culture Clash’s Herbert Siguenza, directed by San Diego REPertory Theatre artistic director Sam Woodhouse. It is presented in association with San Diego REP and will run June 14 – 29 at SILO in downtown San Diego’s Makers Quarter.
“While the central idea of Without Walls is about exploring new theatrical forms by moving beyond the traditional four walls of a theatre, we’ve found over the past several years that WoW is just as much about collaboration,” said Playhouse artistic director Christopher Ashley. “Partnering with new theatres, artists and communities has been one of the most rewarding aspects of the program, and we’re eager to join with San Diego REP and Makers Quarter to mount Herbert’s visceral new site-based piece.”
El Henry takes place in a huge, run-down metropolis called Aztlan City (formerly San Diego) in the year 2045 where political apathy and corruption run the city while violent barrio families run the streets. It’s a harsh new world where Hispanics, Mexicans and Chicanos rule as the majority in this new society abandoned by Anglo America. When El Hank, the ambitious leader of all the barrios finds his street kingdom threatened by El Tomas and his hot-headed son El Bravo, he seeks the help of his brave and charismatic son El Henry. But El Hank finds his son wrapped up with a bunch of low-life thieves and drunkards headed by the lazy Fausto.
Written in a unique poetic cadence called Calo, which mixes urban Spanish and English slang, this world- premiere adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part One explores the universal themes of this classic through the lens of Mexican-American machismo.
“This artistic opportunity represents so much that I cherish: a one-of-a-kind partnership with La Jolla Playhouse; the first-class writer, actor and longtime REP collaborator Herbert Siguenza; and the enlightened folks at Makers Quarter who believe art is essential to build a vibrant community in the East Village,” said Woodhouse. “To make a brand new play based on the work of Shakespeare set in the imagined future of my hometown San Diego with some of the major Latino actors on the west coast is an artistic dream come true.”
The production will take place at SILO in the vibrant new East Village neighborhood of Makers Quarter. This emerging live/work/play/learn neighborhood maintains a strong commitment to collaborating with partners to create a dynamic and vital community. Tickets will be available to La Jolla Playhouse and San Diego REP subscribers starting on Tuesday, March 18 and to the general public on Saturday, March 22 by calling the Playhouse Patron Services Department at (858) 550-1010 or online at www.LaJollaPlayhouse.org.
Shakespeare in LA 