Description: In Mamet's satire of the movie industry, an ambitious secretary mixes it up with studio execs in a battle of conscience vs. profits.

By Blackout Theatre

Description: Blackout Theatre is pleased to present their very first original musical, F8, premiering May 11 at the VSA North Fourth Arts Center and running until May 20th. The world of F8 isn’t so very different from our own. It’s the near future and F8, a visionary technology and lifestyle company completely runs the lives of those who live within the company’s borders. F8 tells you where to work, what to eat, and most importantly, who to love, all through a discreet monitoring device implanted into the bodies of the citizens. Of course, the benefits are endless: longer life, discounts on all your favorite consumer goods, and naturally, the carefree life that comes from having all your decisions made for you. Everyone in F8 is content. Everyone, that is, but Paige. Paige senses there might be something different about her. She yearns for choices and impulsivity. When, just as her life starts to fall into place, she meets a stranger from outside F8, a woman named Parker, everything becomes very complicated. Her perfect life disrupted by the potential of this stranger she becomes aware of the true nature of F8 and the risks involved in betraying the system. F8 is a love story and a story of rebellion, a cautionary look into our own future.
The challenges of creating an original musical are not small, but Blackout was up for the challenge. With many of the company members already musically inclined (most notably F8 director Barney Lopez and lead composer Chris Walsh play in the popular Albuquerque band Red Light Cameras), a rock musical seemed like the perfect opportunity to explore new ways of telling stories. Says director Lopez: “We’re willing to take a lot of risks. When we first started throwing around the idea of doing a rock musical, we all sort of looked at each other like we might be crazy. At the same time, it brings together so much of what we already do- play music, create original plays, it seemed like it would be a good fit.” Doing a musical also gave Blackout the freedom to explore different kinds of themes. “With all the political upheaval of the last year- with the Arab Spring and the Occupy movement, we were feeling really inspired to talk about revolution and rebellion. Rock music sort of lends itself really well to exploring those feelings,” says Lopez. So F8 is political? “Yes, it has to be. It’s a story about a world in which we’ve given over our free will to a technology company because it’s easier, because it lets us be carefree. But it’s more than that. This is a play you can see and feel it’s political, but you can also watch it for the comedy, you can watch it for the love story, you can watch it for the songs. It will appeal to people on a variety of levels,” explains the director.
F8 also features some spectacular guest artists. Amanda Machon, singer for the Red Light Cameras, and an actress previously seen starring in the University of New Mexico’s production of RENT plays the lead, Paige. She, with Chris Walsh, also acted as lead songwriter. Other guest artists include Nathan Simpson, an original member of Blackout and current member of Tricklock Company, Rachel Shapiro, another star of UNM’s RENT, & renown choreographer Kirsten Lopez. F8’s live band is composed of some of Albuquerque’s best musicians, Ryan Sciarrotta & Mickey Sanchez from the band Shoulder Voices & Fernando Moore of The Great Depression.
F8, an original rock musical by Blackout Theatre plays for two weekends only, May 11-20th. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday shows at 8pm, Sunday shows at 2pm. General admission tickets are $15.00, Students/Seniors/ATG members are $10.00. Tickets are available for advance purchase by following the links at http://www.blackouttheatre.com. All shows play at the VSA North Fourth Arts Center, 4904 Fourth Street NW, 87107. VSA is located on the East side of Fourth Street, in between Griegos and Montgomery. For more information, please visit http://www.blackouttheatre.com or call 505-672-8648. Please note- on Thursday May 17th, any teacher with valid ID will be admitted free of charge as a thank you for all their hard work.

Description: The dazzling stage adaptation of one of the most celebrated and beloved films of all time! 1920’s Hollywood is the setting for this zany, light-hearted romantic comedy about the early days of sound film, when many a movie studio found itself scrambling to salvage the career of its chipmunk-voiced silent picture star. Incredible music, incredible dancing, incredible fun!

Description: The Men of Mah Jongg centers around four older buddies from NYC, struggling with the pitfalls of old age, only to discover the unlikely game of Mah Jongg as the key to their unbridled happiness. Recent widower Sid Weinberg, a recluse facing ever growing physical & emotional ills, tries to convince his poker playing buddies to replace their Friday night game with the game of Mah Jongg after believing he has received a sign from his dearly departed wife. The play deals with such issues as relationships, hope, adversity and triumph.

Description: Cameron Mackintosh presents a brand new 25th anniversary production of Boublil & Schönberg’s legendary musical, LES MISÉRABLES, with glorious new staging and dazzlingly reimagined scenery inspired by the paintings of Victor Hugo. This new production has been acclaimed by critics, fans and new audiences and is breaking box office records wherever it goes. The New York Times calls this LES MISÉRABLES “an unquestionably spectacular production from start to finish.” The London Times hails the new show “a five star hit, astonishingly powerful.”

Description: Mrs. Sorkin
For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls
Canker Sore and Other Distractions
Nina in the Morning
The Book of Leviticus
Business Lunch at the Russian Tearoom

Mrs. Sorkin forgot the notes for her speech on drama but she gives it anyway. Southern Belle is a parody of The Glass Menagerie. Canker Sore presents a couple who divorced 10 years ago but think they want to get back together (they don’t). Nina is a wealthy woman who can’t get the butler to bring her a cruller. Leviticus is a filmed PSA, and Business Lunch shows us a writer and a Hollywood hotshot batting around ideas for a movie.

Description: Mary Poppins is bringing its own brand of Broadway magic to theaters across the country, which has Variety raving, “This is the rare touring production that over-delivers on every level!” Featuring the irresistible story and unforgettable songs from one of the most popular Disney films of all time, plus brand-new breathtaking dance numbers and spectacular stage-craft, Mary Poppins is everything you could ever want in a hit Broadway show! So get swept up in the fun of this high-flying musical the New York Post gives 4 out of 4 stars and calls “a perfect piece of musical theater.”

Description: 1776 is the highly entertaining musical based on the events surrounding the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It focuses on the efforts of the brilliant and witty John Adams to persuade his colleagues to vote for American Independence and to sign the document. It is warm, funny, enlightening and ultimately inspiring to all Americans. 1776 premiered on Broadway in 1969, earning fine reviews, and ran for 1,217 performances. The production was nominated for five Tony Awards and won three, including the Tony Award for Best Musical. It was made into a film of the same name in 1972 and was revived on Broadway in 1997.

Description: Naomi in the Living Room
Kitty the Waitress
Funeral Parlor
Gym Teacher
The Hardy Boys and the Mystery of Where Babies Come From
DMV Tyrant

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

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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!"

Description: This true-to-life musical revue celebrates and explores human relationships, detailing the travails of dating and romance, from the first date to growing old together in the age of safe sex. Although it takes the form of a series of vignettes each portraying individual stories, taken together, the stories follow along an arc that represents the evolution of relationships throughout a person's life. The earlier scenes deal with dating, and then move on to marriage and then having children. This tongue in cheek look at relationships will appeal to anyone who has ever fallen in or out of love.

Description: Experience the phenomenon of The Lion King. Marvel at the breathtaking spectacle of animals brought to life by award-winning director Julie Taymor, whose visual images for this show you’ll remember forever. Thrill to the pulsating rhythms of the African Pridelands and an unforgettable score including Elton John and Tim Rice’s Oscar®-winning song “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” and “Circle of Life.” Let your imagination run wild at the Tony® Award-winning Broadway sensation Newsweek calls “a landmark event in entertainment.” New Mexico’s most eagerly awaited stage production ever will leap onto Popejoy’s stage this season.

Description: This grand old (1938) musical was revived in London in 1984 and came to New York in 1986. The late Viscount Hareford had a youthful, unfortunate marriage - and kept discreetly out of sight was a son and heir. The Hareford Hall set are despondent when the family solicitor finds the legitimate heir in Lambeth. There is a cockney invasion of the hall - Bill, his girlfriend and his mates, and the Lambeth Walk is danced by all. The revival was nominated for 13 Tony Awards and won three.

“A honey. It has humor, music, dancing, charm, wit and a deft expertise and that takes your heart away.” - N.Y. Post.

“The freshest and funniest musical to hit Broadway in ages.” - Newsweek.