Nov. 6, 2001

Contact: Leslee Caul (509-963-1760)

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - The Central Washington University theatre arts department opens the Off-Center season on Nov. 8 with the university’s first Hispanic production, “Cloud Tectonics,” by Jose Rivera, directed by guest artist Leticia Lopez.

The storm of the century is brewing in the “City of Angels,” when Anibal de la Luna stumbles across Celestina del Sol, a young woman with an extraordinary story. Playwright Rivera, through a blend of poetic language and magical realism, presents this meeting of two lost souls who find a love too great to be bound by the conventions of time and space

“It is interesting to note that the common translation for ‘realidiad maravilloso’ has resulted in the phrase ‘magical realism,’“ says Lopez. “A more accurate interpretation is marvelous reality. In a marvelous reality, the fantastical is treated as commonplace, or the mundane becomes fantastic. For example, beyond the otherworldly Celestina, there is also the physical setting of the play, the condition of the City of Angels. We are presented with the media-dubbed Storm of the Century, a cataclysmic rain that has taken the lives of hundreds of persons, and we are given to understand that such apocalyptic events are the fabric of daily life in L.A. Conversely, the ordinary, like the quintessentially American park Disneyland or brand-name goods show up as minor characters, larger than life symbols of the aspirations to make good, to live out the promise of the American dream.”

Lopez is a Seattle resident who, for the last five years, directed a leadership and mentorship program for teenage women, YWCA Leaders in Progress or LIP, for which she won a Golden Apple Award for excellence in education from PBS station KCTS.

Her more traditional theatre credits include acting as a member of the Old Globe Theatre’s Teatro Meta, a wing of this regional theatre in San Diego devoted to bilingual/bicultural productions; a bachelor’s degree in theatre from Whitman College; and years of study and facilitation of Theatre of the Oppressed, a theatre for non-actors who want to learn, and hence “rehearse” ways of fighting back against oppression in their daily lives.

“Theatre of the Oppressed emphasizes dialogue between the actors and audience -- all are ‘spect-actors’ -- through movement and words, in order to explore group solutions to problems,” says Lopez.

While there are some Spanish phrases and songs, the production is presented in English. The play contains adult language and situations and is recommended for adult audiences. For the enjoyment of all patrons, no babies in arms or small children will be admitted to this production.

“Cloud Tectonics” runs Nov. 8 and 15 at 7 p.m., and Nov. 9-10 and 16-17 at 8 p.m., with one matinee on Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 general admission, $9 for senior citizens and $8 for students.

Tickets can be purchased in person or by phone at the Tower box office, Monday through Friday from noon to 5 p.m. VISA and MasterCard are gladly accepted. The box office is also open one hour prior to each performance. For tickets and information, call (509) 963-1774, or (for the hearing impaired) TDD (509) 963-3323.