Paloma—The World Premiere Production
by Anne García-Romero
Directed by Gil Lazier
With Lena Armstrong as Paloma, Abe Jallad as Ibrahim, and Ron Weisberg as Jared

.

Location: Wells Fargo Auditorium, National Hispanic Cultural Center

Dates: July 20 through August 5
Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm
Sundays at 2:00 pm

Genre: Drama

Description: This year Camino Real Productions is honored to present the World Premiere production of Paloma by Anne García-Romero.

About the play, Anne García-Romero writes:

"Ring of the Dove, a remarkable eleventh century Muslim Spanish treatise on love by Ibn Hazam, moved me with its elegant, witty and intricate considerations of romantic relationships. Inspired by Hazam’s text, I wrote my play, Paloma as a response to the post 9/11 climate in this country. The notion of convivencia intrigues me. How did Muslims, Christians and Jews co-exist peacefully in eleventh century Spain when religious intolerance persists in present day U.S. society?

"Paloma explores the lives of Ibrahim, a Moroccan-American and practicing Muslim, who falls in love with Paloma, a woman of Puerto Rican descent and nominal Catholic, while they study ancient Muslim Spain at New York University in 2004. The couple soon travels to Spain where they grapple with their religious differences. The play also toggles between various months in 2004 as Ibrahim and Jared, his friend and lawyer who practices the Jewish faith, face legal ramifications resulting from Ibrahim and Paloma's relationship. In a way, this play is my prayer for greater co-existence in our present age."

The director of this production, Gil Lazier writes:

"Paloma is a lovely play. With economy and grace, Anne García-Romero has crafted a gentle romance against the harsh backdrop of religious and ethnic conflicts. The story of Paloma and Ibrahim is so compelling and rich that we are reminded of those other romances of literature where tradition, racial strife, and social and religious barriers conspire to separate young lovers who belong together. Perhaps the biases that prevent the Montagues and Capulets from supporting their children’s love are not so different from those of the Ahmed and Flores families. So as this play speaks of today’s issues with a current voice, and searches for a time in history when these problems might have been resolved with equanimity, we are prompted to understand a little better our own biases and those of our neighbors.

"This production is a world premiere. We are bringing this script to life for the first time. For us, the artists involved in this birth, there is nothing like the experience of working on the production of a brand new play, especially with the direct involvement of the playwright. This is also a very special experience for our Paloma audiences. It is not often that theatre goers can participate in an authentic premiere. We are grateful to Camino Real Productions and the National Hispanic Cultural Center for this singular opportunity. And we are grateful to you, dear audience, for sharing in this unique experience. May Paloma have a long and productive life!"

Sponsored by: Camino Real Productions, LLC and the National Hispanic Cultural Center

Price: $17 adults
$14 seniors, students, NHCC and ATG members.

For More Information: National Hispanic Cultural Center
1701 4th St. SW, Albuquerque

Website: http://www.caminorealabq.com