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July 27, 2019 , Outcalt Theatre

Our Dad is in Atlantis

A Staged Reading

written by Javier Malpica
translated by Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas

A Mexico-US migration story told from the point of view of children. When their dad drops Big Brother and Little Brother off at their grandmother’s, the boys are not quite sure where he is going or when they will see him again. All they know is grandmother’s house smells like old people and they are a little afraid of her. And that dad has crossed the border to build a life in Atlantis…or wait, Atlanta? As the months go on and no word comes from dad, the boys are bounced between family members and encounter first loves, bullies, and loss. They soon find themselves at the border in search of their father and a place to call home. "Our Dad is in Atlantis" is a funny, candid, and ultimately heartbreaking tale of separated families, growing up, and the children lost in migration. The play was originally written in Spanish by one of Mexico’s premiere writers, Javier Malpica, and will be presented as a staged reading in an English translation by celebrated Cuban-American playwright Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit BorderLight.

Artists

Reynaldo Piniella

Reynaldo Piniella

(Little Brother) was previously seen in The Death of the Last Black Man... and Venus (Signature Theater Company), The Skin of Our Teeth (Theatre for A New Audience), The Space Between the Letters (The Public Theater/Under the Radar), Terminus (NYTW Next Door), Lockdown (Rattlestick), Romeo & Juliet (Shakespeare Festival more(Little Brother) was previously seen in The Death of the Last Black Man... and Venus (Signature Theater Company), The Skin of Our Teeth (Theatre for A New Audience), The Space Between the Letters (The Public Theater/Under the Radar), Terminus (NYTW Next Door), Lockdown (Rattlestick), Romeo & Juliet (Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, Actors Theatre of Louisville). Film credits include Madeline’s Madeline, Broken City, One Percent More Humid, and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. TV credits include Sneaky Pete, Law & Order: SVU, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Flesh & Bone, NYC 22, and The Carrie Diaries. He received the Fox Foundation Resident Actor Fellowship from TCG. His play Black Doves won the Thomas Barbour Award for Playwriting. Follow him on Instagram & Twitter @ReynaldoRey. reynaldopiniella.com

Nabil Viñas

Nabil Viñas

(Big Brother) is an ensemble member of Barefoot Theatre Company, official member of Poetic Theater Productions, co-founding member of The Seven Collective, and frequent collaborator with TÉA Creative. Credits include Classical Theatre of Harlem, Harlem Repertory Theatre, New Federal Theatre, and the central role in Poetic Theater’s award-winning Goliath. more(Big Brother) is an ensemble member of Barefoot Theatre Company, official member of Poetic Theater Productions, co-founding member of The Seven Collective, and frequent collaborator with TÉA Creative. Credits include Classical Theatre of Harlem, Harlem Repertory Theatre, New Federal Theatre, and the central role in Poetic Theater’s award-winning Goliath. He earned multiple acting awards for his performance in short film The Cat’s Cradle. Short film Program premiered at the 55th New York Film Festival at Lincoln Center, and played HBO’s New York Latino Film Festival among others worldwide. He produced and acted in feature film Tomorrow Ever After, which screened theatrically and earned favorable press including from LA Times and The Hollywood Reporter. TV Credits include Young Mussolini in The World Wars (History). Nabil is a 2019 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow in Playwriting/Screenwriting from The New York Foundation for the Arts. B.A. Theatre, The City College of New York.

Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas

Jorge Ignacio Cortiñas

(Playwright) awards include fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts; as well as the Helen Merrill Award and the Robert Chesley Award. His first play Maleta Mulata was produced by Campo Santo & Intersection for the Arts in San Francisco. more(Playwright) awards include fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts; as well as the Helen Merrill Award and the Robert Chesley Award. His first play Maleta Mulata was produced by Campo Santo & Intersection for the Arts in San Francisco. His second play Sleepwalkers was produced by the Area Stage and the Alliance Theatre, and was awarded a Carbonell Award for Best New Work. His play Blind Mouth Singing completed runs at Chicago's Teatro Vista and the New York based National Asian American Theatre Company, productions the Chicago Tribune praised as having "visionary wit" and that The New York Times called "beautiful and strange." He has been commissioned by the Mark Taper Forum and South Coast Repertory. He is a Usual Suspect at New York Theatre Workshop and a member of New Dramatists.

Estefania Fadul

Estefania Fadul

(Director) is a Colombian-born, New Hampshire-raised, New York City-based stage director and producer. Recent work includes the world premieres of Christina Quintana’s Azul (Southern Rep) and Scissoring (INTAR), Stefan Ivanov’s The Same Day (Sfumato Theatre, Bulgaria), and the Spanish-language musical Óye Oyá by Rebecca Martínez and Rodolfo Ortega (Milagro). more(Director) is a Colombian-born, New Hampshire-raised, New York City-based stage director and producer. Recent work includes the world premieres of Christina Quintana’s Azul (Southern Rep) and Scissoring (INTAR), Stefan Ivanov’s The Same Day (Sfumato Theatre, Bulgaria), and the Spanish-language musical Óye Oyá by Rebecca Martínez and Rodolfo Ortega (Milagro). Other credits include Kate Hamill’s Pride and Prejudice (Heritage Theatre Festival), Agent 355 with book and lyrics by Preston Max Allen and book and dramaturgy by Jessica Kahkoska (Musical Theatre Factory, upcoming Chautauqua Theatre Company), Pranayama by James Anthony Tyler (Juilliard), and asi van los fantasmas de méxico by Matthew Paul Olmos (Repertorio Español). Estefanía has developed new work off-Broadway and regionally at The Playwrights' Realm, The Drama League, Artists Repertory Theatre, LPAC, Hi-Arts, and Fresh Ground Pepper, among others. She has directed at universities and training programs including Juilliard, NYU, SUNY Purchase, and the Atlantic Conservatory. Estefanía is a recipient of the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center/NNPN’s National Directors Fellowship, the Foeller Fellowship at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, the Drama League Directors Project’s Fall Fellowship and TV Directing Fellowship, and the Van Lier Fellowship at Repertorio Español. She is a member of the New Georges Jam, The Latinx Theatre Commons steering committee, The Civilians’ R&D Group, the Lincoln Center Theatre Directors Lab, and SDC. She previously worked as assistant director to Rachel Chavkin, Rebecca Taichman, Jo Bonney, and Ed Iskandar, among others. B.A. Vassar College. estefaniafadul.com

Laura Kepley

Laura Kepley

(Artistic Director) (she/her) became Artistic Director of Cleveland Play House in 2013, and has directed numerous CPH mainstage productions, including The Crucible; Sweat; The Diary of Anne Frank; In the Next Room, or the vibrator play; Into the Breeches!; Every Brilliant Thing; and the world premieres of Tiny Houses, more(Artistic Director) (she/her) became Artistic Director of Cleveland Play House in 2013, and has directed numerous CPH mainstage productions, including The Crucible; Sweat; The Diary of Anne Frank; In the Next Room, or the vibrator play; Into the Breeches!; Every Brilliant Thing; and the world premieres of Tiny Houses, The Good Peaches, Fairfield, and A Carol for Cleveland. She joined CPH in 2010, having arrived from Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, Rhode Island, where she was Resident Director and Artistic Associate for four seasons and Interim Director of the Brown/Trinity Rep M.F.A. in Directing Program for one. She has also at Playhouse Square clevelandplayhouse.com 25 directed for The Alliance Theatre, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Chautauqua Theater Company, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Contemporary American Theatre Festival, Syracuse Stage, Trinity Rep, and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, among others. A native Ohioan, Laura received her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and her Master of Fine Arts from Brown University/Trinity Rep. She is a Drama League Fellow, a recipient of the 2009– 2011 National Endowment for the Arts/Theatre Communications Group Career Development Program for Directors, and a member of Leadership Cleveland’s Class of 2021. Locally, she has been recognized with multiple Outstanding Director commendations from The Cleveland Critics Circle, a Cuyahoga Community College Smart Business Smart Women Award, and a Crain’s Cleveland Woman of Note designation.

Rachel Lerner-Ley

(CPH Dramaturg) is in her ninth season at Cleveland Play House, where she is the literary manager and resident dramaturg. Dramaturgy at CPH includes Light It Up!, Clue, Our Dad is in Atlantis, Christina, The Hat Box, Egress, Cicada, Tiny Houses, Minton’s Place, Ghost Party, The Chinese Lady, The more(CPH Dramaturg) is in her ninth season at Cleveland Play House, where she is the literary manager and resident dramaturg. Dramaturgy at CPH includes Light It Up!, Clue, Our Dad is in Atlantis, Christina, The Hat Box, Egress, Cicada, Tiny Houses, Minton’s Place, Ghost Party, The Chinese Lady, The Nolan Williams Project, CARE monologues, The Good Peaches, FEED, Little Row Boat, Ken Ludwig’s A Comedy of Tenors, and the Violins of Hope concert with the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program and the Cleveland Orchestra. Additional dramaturgy credits include Williamstown Theatre Festival, The Civilians, Actors Theatre of Louisville, WildWind Performance Lab at Texas Tech University and Girl Be Heard. She is a graduate of Smith College. Member LMDA.

Javier Malpica

Javier Malpica

(Playwright) was born in México in 1965. After getting a degree as a physicist, he studied at the SOGEM School of Writers. He has written numerous plays (many of them co-authored with his brother Antonio), the majority of which have been staged, some of them abroad (in New York, more(Playwright) was born in México in 1965. After getting a degree as a physicist, he studied at the SOGEM School of Writers. He has written numerous plays (many of them co-authored with his brother Antonio), the majority of which have been staged, some of them abroad (in New York, Chicago, Minneapolis, Washington, Berkeley, Indianapolis, and Tucson). His dramatic works include Cartas en el asunto (National Drama Award), Séptimo Round, María Frankenstein, Canon (Premio Jóvenes Creadores), Retorno a la Medianoche (Finalist, Teatro Nuevo), El Último Viaje (Second place, Premio Teatro para Jóvenes), Todas las Voces (Mención, Premio Manuel Herrera), Ensayo de un coma, El Fin de la Historia (Premio Teatro Nuevo), Papá está en la Atlántida (Premio Victor Hugo Rascón and Premio Global Age Project), Crisis-Modelo para Armar, La Última Bala, IRA (Suave Lluvia para Heraldos Negros), and Si un Árbol Cae, and La Sangre y sus Fantasmas. He has given classes and lectures in Mexico and abroad. He has also published numerous works of literature for young readers, which have won many awards. Notable titles include Mi mamá, la casa y un cuarto muy especial” (Premio de cuento infantil de la FILIJ 2001), Clubes rivales (Premio de Novela Infantil El Barco de Vapor 2002 y con publicación en España), La travesía imposible (Premio Nacional de Cuento Infantil Juan de la Cabada 2002), Hasta el viento puede cambiar de piel (Premio Nacional de Literatura para Niños María Enriqueta Camarillo 2004), El miedo me pela los dientes, Los trenes no paran en Plenilunio, Nadie es mi amigo, Siete habitaciones a oscuras, Birlibirloque, and Para Nina. Some of his works have been translated into English, Portuguese, Korean, and French.

Kevin Moore

(Managing Director) is in his thirteenth season at Cleveland Play House, recipient of the 2015 Regional Theatre Tony Award. During his tenure, CPH made its historic relocation to the Allen Theatre in partnership with Playhouse Square and Cleveland State University. He serves on the Board of Directors of Theatre more(Managing Director) is in his thirteenth season at Cleveland Play House, recipient of the 2015 Regional Theatre Tony Award. During his tenure, CPH made its historic relocation to the Allen Theatre in partnership with Playhouse Square and Cleveland State University. He serves on the Board of Directors of Theatre Forward, Arts Cleveland, and the Commission on Economic Inclusion. From 1998 to 2007, Kevin was Managing Director of Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. where he helped lead the funding and construction of an award-winning new theatre facility. Previous positions include Director of Marketing at La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, California. He is a former president of both the National New Play Network and the League of Washington Theatres. Kevin teaches theatre management at Cleveland State University and is an adjunct professor in the Department of Theater at Case Western Reserve University. He is a graduate of Moorhead (MN) State University, holds a Master of Arts in Arts Administration from Indiana University, and is a member of the Leadership Cleveland Class of 2009.

Maryann Morris

(Stage Manager) is a Cleveland native who also proudly Stage Manages. Recent mainstage works include Every Brilliant Thing, Pipeline, CPH’s Borderlight reading of Our Dad is in Atlantis, Native Gardens, An Iliad, The Royale, The Diary of Anne Frank, ASM’ed The Good Peaches, hand-over SM’ed A Christmas Story and more(Stage Manager) is a Cleveland native who also proudly Stage Manages. Recent mainstage works include Every Brilliant Thing, Pipeline, CPH’s Borderlight reading of Our Dad is in Atlantis, Native Gardens, An Iliad, The Royale, The Diary of Anne Frank, ASM’ed The Good Peaches, hand-over SM’ed A Christmas Story and Sweat, and ASM’ed How I Learned to Drive, as well as Stage Managing several CPH New Ground Theatre works such as Grand Concourse and Fairfield. Other current and recent collaborations include Letters from Zora featuring Vanessa Bell Calloway at Karamu House, Havana Hop with Paige Hernandez, Eric Schmiedl’s stage adaptation of the graphic novel Incognegro by Mat Johnson, My Mother Has 4 Noses with Jonatha Brooke, The Dazzle Awards at Playhouse Square, and May 4th Voices presented by The Maltz Museum of Jewish History and Kent State University's Democracy Symposium.

Sponsors

The George Gund Foundation
CPH Festival of Trees is a Fundraising Success

CPH Festival of Trees is a Fundraising Success

By Jenifer Warren Cleveland Play House’s Festival of Trees continues to bring holiday cheer to thousands while providing important support for ...

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