Fuente Ovejuna

Fuente Ovejuna
By Lope de Vega
Directed by José Avilés
For Livestream, 5/3-5/9/21
 

For tickets:  universityofthearts.ticketleap.com/fuente-ovejuna/


CAST
Daniel Burgess - The Commander
Frank Jimenez - Ortuna/Judge
Michael Jernick - Flores
Ryan Louis - Rodrigo
Emilia Amador - Laurencia
Shannon Cleary - Pascuala
Carmen Camacho Luther - Jacinta/Queen
Daniel Melo - Frondoso
Jack Hopewell - Mengo/Cimbranos
Lina Batista - Barrildo
Tori Rodriguez - Esteban
Jordan Eck - King
Elijah Primero - Alderman

PRODUCTION TEAM
José Avilés - Director
Andrew Miqueli - Assistant Director
Liz Crino - Stage Manager
Piper Loeback - Assistant Stage Manager
Sophie Snyder - Dramaturg
J. Alex Cordaro - Stage Combat Coordinator

Nick Embree - Set Designer
Cassie Allen - Costume Designer
Twi McCallum - Sound Designer
Erin Renee Russo - Assistant Sound Designer
Tessa Principe - video editor
Jack - editor
Haley Malone - editor


UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS

David Yager, President and CEO
Kym Moore, Dean, Ira Brind School of Theater Arts
Justin Lujan, Program Director, Acting
Amy Dugas Brown, Program Director, Directing, Playwriting, and Production
Katie Donovan, Program Director, Musical Theater
Natalie Robin, Program Director, Theater Design and Technology
Quinn Bauriedel, Program Director, Pig Iron School MFA in Devised Performance
Krista Apple, Assistant Professor
Nick Embree, Associate Professor
Sarah Sanford, Assistant Professor
Fadi Skeiker, Associate Professor
Rob Tucker, Visiting Assistant Professor
Leah Walton, Visiting Assistant Professor
Lindsay Cram, Associate Producer
Madison Claus, Administrative Assistant
Troy Martin-O’Shia, Master Electrician
LeVonne Lindsay, Costume Shop Manager
Larry Fowler, Sound Practicum Instructor


DIRECTOR'S NOTE
Fuente Ovejuna is play that resonates today. It is a play fundamentally about justice, about freedom from the oppressor. It is a play that is surprisingly modern and somewhat progressive for its time. There are extraordinary movements happening throughout the story. Two women are vying for power Queen Isabel and Juana juxtapose with women fighting to save their community from atrocities.

If it weren’t true we would think Lope de Vega was some sort of prophetic seer. But alas, the true story of Fuente Ovejuna falls in the place of events that we have grown accustomed to experience generationally, every decade or every century as moments that we are to endure circularly.

Sadly, this story does rings true today. In the wake of the George Floyd murder and the Black Lives Matters uprising, communities were fighting for justice, mothers were fighting for the lives of their children and against the abuses of the powers that be. While women were fighting men for the highest office in America. These correlations are not lost on me. It's cyclical. It's destiny…Or is it a curse?

Stories like Fuente remind us of we far we have not come. It is important to never forget. To tell the stories of the people of the town of Fuente Ovejuna. To tell their freedom story. To remember their plight and to always push against the oppressor. We need to continue to tell these stories. But my heart and spirit wishes that one day we will no longer describe a play like Fuente Ovejuna as a timeless classic that still resonates today but instead present it as a tool that documents an event that teaches us to say NEVER AGAIN to break the cycle. No Justice!…


BIOS

Cassie Allen (she/they) Costume designer - I like interesting projects, and doing a period show within the constraints of virtual theater was a fun challenge!

José Avilés (he/him) Director - José Avilés has been an actor, director and theatre arts educator for over 30 years. As an actor, he has worked at every major theatre company in Philadelphia in once capacity or another. José recently returned to acting in La Gringa by Carmen Rivera which he also directed for Teatro del Sol’s inaugural production. Other most recent directing credits include: The world premiere of Iraisa Ann Reilly’s Good Cuban Girls, the Philadelphia Premier of Elliot a Soldier’s Fugue by Philadelphia’s own Quiara Alegria Hudes for the Walnut Street Theatre Independence Studio on 3 season and a professional public reading of the same play at the Arden Theatre Co. and just recently directed a workshop production reading of The Real Life Adventures of Jimmy de las Rosas by Ricardo Gamboa at Passage Theatre and Clamores del Barrio a collaboration between Teatro del Sol and Taller Puertorriqueño. José is currently the Director of Education Outreach at The Arden Theatre Company and the Artistic Producing Director of Teatro del Sol www.teatrodelsol.org  He would like to thank and congratulate the wonderful cast, production and editing crew, and staff at UArts for their extraordinary work and commitment to Fuente Ovejuna during one of the most intense moments for the arts worldwide. We did it!

Lina Batista (she/her) Barrildo - Lina Batista is a Sophomore Musical Theatre Major here at The University Of The Arts and is making her debut in her first full length production here at this University. She is thankful to everyone who made this show happen as it was such an amazing experience to be apart of and close loved ones who always support her during these unprecedented times. Media: IG- @batista.xo

Carmen Camacho Luther (she/her) Jacinta/The Queen - Hello, I hope you enjoy the show! I am Carmen Camacho Luther, an actress and fashion designer. I’ve worked on three shows at UArts now and a few student films. I started acting when I was in high school and what really motivated me to do it professionally was the confidence it gave me and the reward of that confidence being that I got to perform in the Schubert Theater with my classmates. Acting to me, is a way to connect with others through telling stories that may’ve or may not have been told. Therefore, this summer I am looking forward to auditioning and participating in more films and tv series. In terms of fashion design, I plan to merge it with my acting career and have my own brand. My first line is almost set to launch in my instagram @carmen_maria_isabel stay tuned!

Shannon Cleary (she/her) Pascuala - Shannon is a graduating senior at University of the Arts and is thrilled to be a part of this great cast of Fuente Ovejuna, her last show at the University. She feels very fortunate to have worked with such a great cast and crew, even if virtually, making this show a very memorable one. Previous Uarts credits include Hamlet and Momentos.

Elizabeth Crino (she/her) Stage Manager - Elizabeth is a Philadelphia based stage manager, playwright, and teaching artist. Recent credits include: Stage manager of Antigone and Antigone’s Cave (Philadelphia Artist’s Collective), assistant stage manager of Indecent (Arden Theatre Company), stage manager of Dream-Rushes (Theatre Contra), stage manager of Spies!! Even More Spying (The Agency Bureau). Her play All of My Bullies And Where They Are Now premiered last November at the University Of Maryland. She is so excited to be working with University of the Arts for Fuente Ovejuna! She would like to thank the amazing cast and creative team for making this show possible.

Jordan Eck (he/him) King Fernando - Jordan is an Acting Major, MT minor graduating in 2022. Previous UArts shows include "An Unproduced Screenplay...Walt Disney", and Equinox: "Pump to Pump." He thanks his family and friends for all the support, and is very grateful to have worked with the Fuente Ovejuna team.

Nick Embree (he/him) Set & Lighting Designer - Nick enjoyed the challenge of creating light-able backgrounds for remote filming in 13 different performer spaces!   He teaches set design and related courses for the Brind School of Theater Arts, where he serves as an Associate Professor.  Nick has previously served as head of the BFA Design  & Technology program, and currently serves as the co-head of the Film Design program.  Outside UARTS, Nick works as a set designer with many Philadelphia and regional theaters -- most recently for the filmed production of MOLLY SWEENEY, at the Lantern Theater Company.

Jack (they/them) Video Editor - Jack is a visual artist, video editor, and animation enthusiast. They are currently attending the University of the Arts where they study Film and Animation, and also write screenplays in their free time with their partner. As an artist and content creator, they draw inspiration from early 2000s cartoons, alternative fashion scenes, and experimental film. Jack enjoyed the creative methods the crew used to turn Fuente Ovejuna into a virtual play, and wishes all audience members a similar entertaining experience.

Frank Jimenez (he/him) Ortuno/Judge Frank Jimenez is a Philadelphia based Actor, Screen writer, producer, and filmmaker born in West New York, NJ. Frank is a graduate from The University of The Arts with a BFA in Acting. He is the Artistic Director of his film production collective called The Five Sands which have produced about 12 short films in the last 2 years. He has worked on various films in LA, NY and PA. He also has been a part of the FringeFestival. His recent Philadelphia stage credits include BOB: A LIFE IN FIVE ACTS (Azuka Theatre), THE ROSE GARDEN (FringArts Festival) and OEDIPUS EL REY (Teatro Del Sol).

Piper Loebach (she/her) Assistant Stage Manager - Piper is a sophomore Musical Theater major and so excited to be a part of Fuente Ovejuna! While this is her first time as an assistant stage manager, Piper can also be seen in Overgrown (Nurse) this semester. Thank you to the cast and creative team of Fuente for such an incredible experience and especially Liz Crino for her guidance through this process!

Ryan Louis - Rodrigo - Ryan Louis is a playwright, director and performer currently based out of Philadelphia PA. They are currently a Sophmore DPP student at the University of the Arts. This was their first time performing in a remote show and enjoyed the new experience.

Daniel Melo (He/him) Frondoso - Daniel is a local theatre actor and UArts alum. He is overjoyed to have once again formed a part of a production for his alma mater. Some of his most recent regional credits include: Jesus Christ Superstar as Annas, In The Heights as Benny at NCC Summer Theatre in the Lehigh Valley, and La Gringa as Monchi at Teatro Del Sol. His previous credits at the University of the Arts are: Sonnets for an Old Century as Rene Rivera, and he formed part of the Ensemble in American Idiot.

Andrew Miqueli (he/him) Assistant Director - Andrew is a Latino writer from North Jersey. He is currently a third year Directing, Playwriting, and Production major at the University of the Arts with a minor in Screenwriting. Andrew is very excited to present Fuente Ovejuna, as he is drawn to work that blurs the line between cinematography and theatricality. He is very grateful to have worked with Jose, Liz, and the rest of the cast and team to work on such a classic show in a nuanced form and he is very excited to finally share it with you all. @adrwmiq

Elijah Primero (he/him) Alderman - Elijah Primero is a producer & performer in Philadelphia. Between the spectrum of Theatre and Film, Elijah has worked extensively in both mediums from an early age. Since then, Elijah has dedicated his career to bringing the two forms together in various projects centered around narrative work that resonates across various forms of entertainment and storytelling. Elijah runs a independent film platform called The Five Sands where he produces work from upcoming artists and filmmakers. www.thefivesands.com

Tessa Principe (she/her) Lead Video Editor - Tessa hails from Providence, Rhode Island, is a stop motion animator, enjoys a good book and also periodically plays bass guitar and ukulele. She is a junior in the UArts School of Film, focusing on the sound element of live events, post-production film and audio recordings. She is delighted to be part of the 2021 Brind Virtual Season production of Fuente Ovejuna, participating for her first time as lead editor.

Tori Rodriguez (they/them) Esteban - Tori is a Junior Acting Major. Most recent UArts Credits include: A Soldier’s Fugue (Pop), TL;DR: Thelma, Louise; Dyke Remix (L), and All That’s Left (Joan). Additionally, they’ve appeared in England’s Splendid Daughter’s (Emily), at the Irondale On-Women Festival. They are grateful to the entire Fuente team for this project, it’s been amazing working with such talented and kind people, and can’t wait to see you all in person!

Erin Renee Russo (she/her) - Assistant Sound Designer

Sophia Snyder (she/her) Dramaturg - Snyder is a third year Directing, Playwriting, and Production major focusing on playwriting and dramaturgy. Her previous dramaturgy credits include Hamlet (2019, directed by David Howey) and plays in the Equinox New Play Festivals of 2019 and 2020. She loves nothing more than digging into an old text like Fuente Ovejuna and is incredibly excited to share this story with an audience.