Lark Play Development Center Partners with Mexican Cultural Institute for 7th Annual U.S./Mexico Playwright Exchange

The Lark Play Development Center in collaboration with Mexico's National Fund for Culture and Arts (FONCA) has announced the 2012 U.S./México Playwright Exchange Program. For the seventh year, the Lark will host playwrights from México and pair them with U.S. playwrights, actors, and directors for a ten day cultural exploration which establishes ongoing channels of communication between artists in both countries. This year's exchange is presented in partnership with Mexican Cultural Institute.

One of Lark's many international exchange initiatives-which have involved artists from nearly 50 countries-this program focuses on the creation of stage-worthy translations of new plays from México; it also introduces the visiting international writers and guest observers from other countries to New York's theater scene, industry leaders, and the Lark community. The Lark's Artistic Director John Clinton Eisner says of the program, "It is the act of listening to one another that unifies us, forming the trust and respect that are the foundations of civil society. This is baldly apparent in the wake of our recent presidential election and the nation's renewed awareness of shifting demographics. Forming a sustainable platform for bilateral exchange between the U.S. and México is critical right now so that we can share and compare ideas, practices, cultural perspectives and personal experiences and begin to create a language for talking about how we will intersect and connect in the future."

Public readings of these newly translated works will be presented on December 8 and 9 at the Lark BareBones Studio, followed by a closing night Celebración on December 10 at The Peter Jay Sharp Theatre on 42nd Street. All events are free and open to the public.

This year's exchange includes Leakages and Anticoagulants by David Gaitán, translated by Julián J. Mesri, directed by Mallory Catlett; Ropes by Bárbara Colio, translated by Maria Alexandria Beech, directed by Lou Moreno; Schnauzer Duck by Saúl Enriquez, translated by Mariana Carreño King, directed by May Adrales; and Mestiza Power by Concepción león Mora, translated by Virginia Grise, directed by Daniel Jáquez .

The 2012 U.S./México Advisory Committee includes Maria Alexandria Beech (playwright), Mariana Carreno-King (playwright), Ana Graham (Artistic Director, Por Piedad Teatro Producciones), Daniel Jáquez (director), Debbie Saivetz (director), Tobie Stein (Director, Brooklyn College Graduate Program, Performing Arts Management), Caridad Svich (playwright), and Andrea Thome (U.S./México Playwright Exchange Program Director).

This program is a collaboration between the Lark and Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (Mexico's National Fund for Culture and Arts) with support from the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, the Mexican Cultural Institute of New York, and City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs. The Washington Jefferson Hotel is the official hotel or the U.S./México Playwright Exchange Progam.

PublicReadings
December 8-9 at 3pm & 7pm
full schedule at www.larktheatre.org
@ Lark BareBones Studio
311 West 43rd Street, 5th Floor (between 8th and 9th Avenues)

Celebración
December 10 at 7:30pm
@ The Peter Jay Sharp Theater
416 West 42nd Street (between 9th and 10th Avenues)
(followed by a reception at the Lark)

ALL EVENTS ARE FREE.
Reservations are required.

For more information on Lark Play Development Center, visit www.larktheatre.org or call 212-246-2676 x224.

A laboratory for new voices and new ideas, the Lark Play Development Center provides playwrights with indispensable resources to develop their work, nurturing artists at all stages in their careers, and inviting them to express themselves freely in a supportive and rigorous environment. The Lark reaches into untapped local populations and across international boundaries to seek out and embrace unheard voices and diverse perspectives, celebrating differences in language and worldviews. By encouraging artists to define their own goals and creative processes in pursuit of a unique vision, we believe we are reinvigorating the theater's ancient and enduring role as a public forum for discussion, debate and community engagement. The Lark is led by Artistic Director John Clinton Eisner, and Managing Director Michael Robertson.