Press release:
South Park Community Center and eSe Teatro are hosting a staged reading of the play Electricidad by Luis Alfaro, an adaptation of Sophocles’ Electra set in a Los Angeles Barrio.

The reading, an event of the City’s Youth Violence Prevention Initiative, is directed by Rose Cano and takes place at South Park Community Center, 8319 8th Ave. S, at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 26 following a 5:30 p.m. dinner.

eSe Teatro describes Electricidad as “a brutally modern adaptation of the classic revenge saga set within gang culture of the “barrio.” One of the foremost Latino playwrights in the U.S. and winner of the MacArthur “Genius Award,” Luís Alfaro’s eye-opening rendition situates the iconic characters in the present-day world of the “Cholo” where the South Side Locos are Kings and Spanglish rules. Electricidad is mourning her father’s body in her front yard, much to the dismay of the vecinos (neighbors) and her mother Clemencia, who was rumored to have had him killed to establish her power in the gang hierarchy. A comical bilingual chorus called “El Chisme” gossips and tries to save their barrio from inevitable cycles of violence.”

The performance will be a blend of staged reading and fully staged play, presented in English, Spanish, and Spanglish. A post-play discussion will feature community leaders Jennifer Tee of SeaMar Community Health Centers and South Park Community Center Coordinator Carmen Martinez.

eSe Teatro, a local theatre collective employing Latino actors, directors and writers, provides opportunities for self-expression and artistic development in the Latino community, and promotes local Latino theatre. For more information on eSe Teatro, please see http://eseteatro.wordpress.com/.