This daring new production strips away decades of Southern gothic gauze to reveal striking themes of class, race, and gender—reinvigorating the classic which shocked audiences in its debut 70 years ago. By placing the iconic 1940s-era Blanche within an entirely contemporary and multicultural environment, this 21st century production highlights the timeless relevance of this play for our divided America.
Running Time: Three hours including one intermission.
“Blanche represents the last desperate cries of privilege,” says Director Michael Michetti. “She is clinging onto a world that no longer exists and refuses to embrace the actual world that she inhabits. In this new, modern production, Blanche is an interloper, surrounded by people of different classes and races who speak truthfully and often bluntly about the world in ways that discomfort her. Through the communities represented onstage by our diverse cast, this production–and these characters that we think we know so well–will help us look at our world anew.”
Dramaturg Fanshen Cox DiGiovanni adds, “This production’s inclusive creative team will engage in critical inquiry around the themes that are central to this telling of Streetcar. We embark on this production in the spirit of investigation–mindful of the play’s history and mining the new stories that are inherent in Williams’ text.”
The Director
Michael Michetti For Boston Court: The House in Scarsdale: A Memoir for the Stage, The Golden Dragon, The Twentieth-Century Way (also Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, NYC), My Barking Dog, Stupid F*cking Bird, American Misfit, Creation, The Dinosaur Within, God Save Gertrude, 1001, dark play or stories for boys, Paradise Lost: Shadows & Wings, A Picture of Dorian Gray, Pera Palas, Summertime, Romeo and Juliet. Elsewhere: King Charles III, and A Life in the Theatre (Pasadena Playhouse); Robert Schenkkan’s Building the Wall (Fountain Theatre); District Merchants (South Coast Rep); Figaro, The Grapes of Wrath, and Hamlet (A Noise Within); Kiss Me, Kate, Carousel, and Man of La Mancha (Reprise).
The Production Team
Efren Delgadillo, Jr. Scenic Design
Dominique Fawn Hill Costume Designer
Rose Malone Lighting Design
Sam Sewell Sound Design
Erin Walley Properties Design
Fanshen Cox DiGiovanni Dramaturg
June Carryl Assistant Director
Alyssa Escalante Production Stage Manager
Victoria Hoffman Casting Director
The Actors
Jaimi Paige’s (Blanche) most recent stage credits include The Maids at A Noise Within, Hedda Gabler at Antaeus Theatre Company, Venus in Fur at South Coast Repertory, Tender Napalm at Six01 Studios, and Jessie Boy, The Collector and The Rainbow Bridge at Ruskin Group Theatre. Her Film/TV credits include Rizzoli & Isles, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, The Mentalist, Peacock, and just released features Desolation and Be Afraid.
Desean Kevin Terry (Stanley) is a graduate of The Juilliard School. In Los Angeles, he was last seen in Lorraine Hansberry’s Les Blancs at Rogue Machine Theatre. Previous works include Suzan Lori Parks’ Father Comes Home from the Wars where he replaced Emmy winner Sterling K. Brown. Center Theatre Group: The Royale (NAACP nomination) and Trip to Bountifulwith Cecily Tyson. Television: Southland, Shameless, ER, Monk, Harry’s Law, The Night Shift, Sleeper Cell, House, Grey’s Anatomy, Scorpion, NCIS Los Angeles. Film: Post Grad, God’s Army, Somebody’s Mother, States of Grace, Bolden. Regional Theatre: The Antigone Project (Off-Broadway), Slippery When Wet. Undoubtedly, this one is for Cris.
Maya Lynne Robinson (Stella) Recent stage: Runaway Home and In the Red and Brown Water (Fountain Theatre), Disgraced (Coachella Valley Rep); Future Sex, Inc. (Lounge Theater); Echo Location (B Street Theatre); Metamorphoses(Ensemble Theatre Santa Barbara); Shotgun (Florida Studio Theatre.) She is a writer and creator of two solo shows, DemoGraphics and Character Breakdown, as well as two books of poetry, Brother Be a Stoplight and Sister Save Yourself. L.A. Drama Critics Circle award winner. mayalynne.com
Luis Kelly-Duarte (Mitch) Recent theatre credits include: The House on Mango Street (Greenwaycourt Theater), As You Like It (Antaeus Theater Company), Blood Match ( Urban Theatre Movement), Handball (Urban Theatre Movement & NYC Summer Stage). He’s a member of Urban Theatre Movement, Ensemble Studio Theater, and an Affiliate Member of Antaeus Theater Company. He is also a proud member of The Antaeus Theatre Company’s Playwright’s Lab. Follow @authenticLKD
Mariana Marroquin (Eunice) Guatemalan actress, comedian and activist. Graduated from The National School for Dramatic Arts. Program Manager for the Anti-Violence Project at LA LGBT Center. Mariana is often seen on Television advocating about current issues facing the Transgender community and LGBT immigrant rights. She dedicates her time to projects where she can combine both of her passions, dramatic arts and social justice. Currently working on her solo show Bionic Pussy. She has been part of many film and theater productions in LA and NYC. Latest films Technical Difficulties of Intimacy and Sister directed by Sia. TV: Transparent, This is Me, Un-Documented Tales. Mil Gracias Ruben Amavizca, Emanuel Loarca, Shaina Rosenthal, Jon Lawrence Rivera, Daniel Henning, Michael A. Shepperd and Michael Michetti for celebrating diversity.
Joma Saenz (formerly Jose Mari Saenz) (Steve) Best known for playing Davis in the Sundance Feature Film The Flip Side, Joma Saenz graduated from UC Berkeley’s Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies department where he was awarded the Eisner Prize in Acting. He has worked with hereandnow theatre company, Bindlestiff Studios, Kul-Arts, Towne Street Theatre, the Drama Mamas (Greg in Low Hanging Fruit at SF Fringe), Zellerbach Playhouse (Stage Manager in Our Town, Sausage Man in Slaughter City), Asian American Theatre Company (Chester in Cowboy vs. Samurai, Cesar in Banyan, Jerry in Walls), and East West Players (u/s Uncle Ernie in The Who’s Tommy). He also played Chang Bunker in the world premiere of Philip Kan Gotanda’s I Dream of Chang and Eng. jomasaenz.com
Chris Ramirez (Pablo/Young Collector) Born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas, Chris Ramirez grew up in large family of Mexican and Native-American heritage. It was at the University of Kansas(13’) where he discovered his love for film and passion for performing. Chris went on to earn his MFA at the University of Southern California (16′) where he continued writing and creating films. He was accepted into Portland Film Festival 2016 for his film Ignatius. As an actor, Chris has been able to work professionally in TV (Jane the Virgin), film (If, Dir. Mario Van Peebles), and theater (Water By the Spoonful written by Quiara Alegria Hudes). Chris would like to thank his family & friends for all their support.
Martica De Cardenas (Woman/Nurse) is delighted to be back in the city of Pasadena since performing in the play, Shout, at the Fremont Theatre this past year. Her recent stage credits include: In the Heights, and Real Women Have Curves at the Casa 0101 Theatre. Before moving to LA, Martica served on the board of the Main Street Players (Miami, FL), and performed in several original productions with The Krane Theatre Company, among other stage credits. In addition, she has written, directed, and produced a feature-length film: A Summer Song. For more details about Martica, visit marticadecardenas.com. She currently teaches in West Los Angeles, and thanks her family and friends for their continued love and support.
Paul Outlaw (Man/Doctor) is a native New Yorker, Wahlberliner and proud Angeleno, the recipient of a prestigious COLA (City of Los Angeles) Individual Artist Fellowship in 2012. Most recently, he was seen in the solo performance BIRTHDAY SUITe (Electric Lodge); in Asher Hartman’s Sorry, Atlantis…(Machine Project); in FLAX’s The Distance Is Beautiful (multiple locations, DTLA); and as a guest vocalist on hip-hop trio Clipping‘s Splendor & Misery(Sub Pop Records)—in the studio and on stage and video. The 2016 anthology Blacktino Queer Performance features a chapter on Outlaw’s solo play Berserker, including the script, a critical essay and interview. Schwarzfahrer, starring Paul Outlaw, won the Oscar for Best Live Action Short at the 66th Academy Awards. outlawplay.com
“A Streetcar Named Desire” is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC.
