(UNTITLED PLAY) by J. Isabel Salazar
Sunday, February 25 at 6:30 pm
Austin Playwrights Studio, 5555 N. Lamar Blvd, Bldg. K, Ste. 125*
Death is not the disrupter of lives but rather his son, Grief. This untitled play is an adaptation of ALCESTIS set in New Orleans balancing between physical and spiritual moments complicated with Time. Loss of a loved one wrestles with each character as they choose how to process the emptiness. Unlike the original Alcestis, I’m taking the story inside the house, behind the closed doors where Grief has become its new resident. Through movement, video projection, and pillow forts, this piece comes alive as a site responsive experience searching for an answer… or maybe a possibility. Can we honor the wishes of the dead while making the space for us to move on? What do we mean by life after death? Is the casserole the best dish for a funeral?
J. Isabel Salazar: I challenge Fate on the meaning of Destiny. Plays are dreams of the future, but also conscious of the past and society’s present, creating work that moves and is reflective of humanity. My work is designed for perception and subconsciousness, the community and the individual. Searching for a space of connection. Hunting down a spark of conversation between strangers and lovers, sinners and innocents. No matter if it is classical or new, I believe the play should speak to our diverse cultures, genders, and generations, connecting us through our collective human condition.
A native Tejana, I have lived in Austin for 20+years. With an MFA in Writing for Performance from California Institute of the Arts 2013, I have worked with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Eugene O’Neil Theatre Center and The Orchard Project. In 2013, I was awarded the Kennedy Center ACTF Latinidad Playwriting Award and was a semi-finalist for the National Playwrights Conference. My work has been performed at the Edinburgh Fringe 2012 and FronteraFest Best of Fest 2006.
*Austin Playwrights Studio is in the office park behind Half-Price Books on North Lamar, 5555 N. Lamar, Bldg. K, Ste. 125. The best place to enter is from the back side of the Half Price Books complex. Go south on Guadalupe from Koenig and take the 4th driveway on your right. There’ll be a building with a red awning on your left that says 5426 on it. Continue on and look for Bldg. K on the right. The door to the space says Suites K 123-126, so you won’t see the actual suite number from the parking lot. If you have trouble, call Christi at 512-589-4055.