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Gustavo Ott Wins the Aguijón Theater Playwriting Award in Chicago for BRUTALITY

Read the full article from Aguijón Theater here, and find the English translation directly below the Spanish text:

Chicago, 31 de diciembre de 2016— Aguijo?n Theater Company e Instituto Cervantes de Chicago se complacen en anunciar a Gustavo Alfonso Ott como ganador del Segundo Concurso Internacional de Dramaturgia Hispana 2016.

Ott, escritor venezolano, obtiene este preciado galardo?n con la obra “Brutality”.

Este segundo concurso de dramaturgia atrajo la participacio?n de 179 obras de autores provenientes de Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Cuba, Espan?a, Me?xico, Peru?, Puerto Rico, Repu?blica Dominicana, Uruguay, Estados Unidos y Venezuela.

El jurado estuvo compuesto por el dramaturgo uruguayo Dino Armas de Montevideo, Uruguay; el escritor y filo?logo espan?ol Jose? Luis Garci?a Barrientos de Madrid, Espan?a; la dramaturga y periodista cubana Teresa Dovalpage, de Taos, Nuevo Me?xico, EEUU; el dramaturgo y profesor de teatro cubano Abel Gonza?lez Melo de Madrid, Espan?a, y el escritor y periodista mexicano Gerardo Ca?rdenas de Chicago, EEUU.

“Brutality” presenta dos actos y siete personajes. De acuerdo a Dino Armas se trata de una “obra bien dialogada y con interesante retrato de la sociedad actual” a lo cual Abel Gonza?lez Melo an?ade que “Brutality” es “viva, provocadora, entretenida. Creo que es muy atractiva para una audiencia mu?ltiple en ese tono documental/ficcional que maneja”.

Aguijo?n Theater presentara? una lectura dramatizada de “Brutality” el 27 de marzo pro?ximo a las 7 p.m. en el Instituto Cervantes de Chicago.

Fiel a su espi?ritu de difusio?n del teatro de origen hispano dentro los Estados Unidos y de promocio?n de las escrituras esce?nicas contempora?neas, el Concurso de Dramaturgia Hispana de Chicago fue creado en el 2014 por la compan?i?a de teatro Aguijo?n Theater con el propo?sito de establecer un dia?logo entre los autores, en su bu?squeda de un discurso genuino y de exploracio?n en las nuevas tendencias de la disciplina teatral.

En conmemoracio?n de una de las efeme?rides ma?s importantes en el mundo literario del 2016, el IV Centenario de la muerte de dos gigantes de las letras universales: Shakespeare y Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Aguijo?n prosigue con su tarea de promocio?n dramatu?rgica.

Este concurso bianual cuenta con el apoyo del Instituto Cervantes de Chicago.

Aguijo?n Theater fue fundada en julio de 1989 y se encuentra celebrando su vige?simo se?ptimo aniversario como la compan?i?a de teatro en espan?ol ma?s antigua de Chicago.

Chicago, December 31, 2016 – The Aguijón Theater Company and the Cervantes Institute of Chicago are pleased to announce the winner of the 2nd International Competition for Hispanic Drama 2016 is Gustavo Alfonso Ott.

Ott, Venezuelan writer, wins this award with his work “Brutality.” This year, the competition drew 179 submissions by authors from Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Cuba, Spain, Mexico, Peru, Puerto, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay, the United States and Venezuela.

Members of the jury included: Uruguayan playwright Dino Armas of Montevideo, the Spanish writer and philologist José Luis García Barrientos of Madrid, the Cuban playwright and journalist Teresa Dovalpage of Taos, New Mexico; The Cuban playwright and theater teacher Abel González Melo of Madria, and the Mexican writer and journalist Gerardo Cárdenas of Chicago.

‘Brutality’ consists of two acts and seven characters. According to Dino Armas, it is a ‘play with great dialogue and an interesting portrait of the current society” to which Abel González Melo adds that ‘Brutality’ is “lively, provocative, entertaining. I think it’s very appealing to a variety of audiences with its documentary / fictional tone.

The Aguijón Theater will present a dramatized reading of ‘Brutality’ on March 27 at 7pm at the Cervantes Institute in Chicago.

True to the spirit of Hispanic theater diffused within that of the United States and promoting contemporary stage writing, the Chicago Hispanic Drama Competition was created in 2014 by the Aguijón Theater Company for the purpose of establishing a dialogue among authors in their search for genuine discourse and exploration in new theatrical movements.

Aguijón continues his task of dramaturgical promotion in commemoration of two literary giants: Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. This biannual contest is supported by the Cervantes Institute of Chicago. Founded in July 1989, the Aguijón Theater celebrated its 27th anniversary as the oldest theater company in Spanish in Chicago.

TheaterWorks’ ‘Relativity’ An Entertaining Balance Of Comedy, Tragedy

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Lest you feel intimidated by seeing a play about Albert Einstein, a name synonymous with genius, know that title of Mark St. Germain‘s new bio drama “Relativity” is a cheap pun.

The play, having its premiere at TheaterWorks through Nov. 23 (yes, the run has been extended again), is about Albert Einstein, and of course his theory of relativity is discussed. But it’s also about his relatives, particularly a daughter he abandoned at birth.

Those are two heavy topics for a short, three-person play. St. Germain, the prolific playwright whose “Dancing Lessons” and “Freud’s Last Session” have been staged at TheaterWorks in the past, has specialized in smart yet accessible plays about world history, philosophy and social conscience. He’s like the Public Broadcasting Service of the regional theater realm.

St. Germain works the concept of relativity into the fabric of this new work. He balances darkness with lightness. He delves into Einstein’s private life while riffing on the absurd scale of his worldwide fame. He balances comedy and tragedy.

Having an internationally known film star, Richard Dreyfuss, play this iconic brainiac makes St. Germain’s job considerably easier. Dreyfuss has the rare ability to underplay and overwhelm at the same time. He has a laid-back majesty supremely suited to this tricky role.

Dreyfuss shares St. Germain’s concern about lightening the drama whenever possible. He makes a funny popping sound with his mouth. He can play out the word “Well…” into multiple syllables. He delights in a toy on his desk.

Read the full article from the Hartford Courant here.

Raving Review of WINTER written by Julie Jensen, directed by Tracy Callahan

Review: ‘Winter’ poses timely questions about life and death in knockout Salt Lake premiere

The essence of theater is collaboration. We’ve all heard that before, but occasionally a production exemplifies it so perfectly that you want to bottle it for drama students. Peggy Battin wrote a story; Anne Cullimore Decker read it, was impressed and gave it to local playwright Julie Jensen; Jensen wrote a play and enlisted “Mockingbird” collaborator Tracy Callahan to direct it. The result, “Winter,” is making its world premiere at Salt Lake Acting Company in a production that promises to be one of the best of the season.

The subject couldn’t be timelier. Annis, Decker’s character, is having a crisis; she might ironically call it “a matter of life and death” because she loves to play with language. Strings of connected words fall from her tongue. When husband Robeck (Bob Nelson) says she is “obsessing,” she counters with “compressing, distressing, regressing,” and the name Calhoun elicits “balloon, baboon, buffoon, lampoon, raccoon.” But lately “I’m losing it. And it frightens me,” she tells Robeck. “Big chunks of my mind fall away.”

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The essence of theater is collaboration. We’ve all heard that before, but occasionally a production exemplifies it so perfectly that you want to bottle it for drama students. Peggy Battin wrote a story; Anne Cullimore Decker read it, was impressed and gave it to local playwright Julie Jensen; Jensen wrote a play and enlisted “Mockingbird” collaborator Tracy Callahan to direct it. The result, “Winter,” is making its world premiere at Salt Lake Acting Company in a production that promises to be one of the best of the season.

The subject couldn’t be timelier. Annis, Decker’s character, is having a crisis; she might ironically call it “a matter of life and death” because she loves to play with language. Strings of connected words fall from her tongue. When husband Robeck (Bob Nelson) says she is “obsessing,” she counters with “compressing, distressing, regressing,” and the name Calhoun elicits “balloon, baboon, buffoon, lampoon, raccoon.” But lately “I’m losing it. And it frightens me,” she tells Robeck. “Big chunks of my mind fall away.”

Read the full article from The Salt Lake Tribune here.

Children Will Listen: TYA Shows Get Political

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In New Haven, Conn., Collective Consciousness Theatre will tour Stories of a New America to Connecticut school and community venues in spring 2017. Created in partnership with Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services in 2011, Stories of a New America features excerpts from interviews the company conducted with more than 100 refugees, many from the Middle East, the Congo, and other war-torn regions.

“We wanted to know how they got here and what their journey was,” says Collective Consciousness’s executive artistic director, Dexter J. Singleton. “All of them had to deal with suddenly having their lives uprooted and changed forever. How did they remain so strong in the face of such danger?”

The interview process took longer than a year and a half, and required the help of translators working in more than a dozen languages. “Many of the stories were funny, heartbreaking, joyous, and remarkable,” says Singleton. “We whittled [the interviews] down to the ones we thought best captured the heart of what it means to be a refugee in America. We’re proud of the fact that every single word of the play is from their words. We just shaped it into a clear narrative that all people can relate to.”

The diverse cast features American and refugee actors, and the play includes several different languages. Singleton observes that kids have responded enthusiastically to the play over the years, and emphasizes the value of bringing refugee stories to children.

“I think it’s always important for young people to hear the stories of refugees so that they can learn about the effects of wars and conflicts,” he says. “They can learn empathy and develop a greater understanding of people’s lives that are different from their own. Unfortunately, the play is still timely, as the prejudice and lack of empathy toward refugees in America has gotten worse.”

Read the full article from AMERICAN THEATRE here.