by Jonathan Josephson Freely adapted from the “La Llorona” myth and historical events PRODUCTION SCRIPT www.stagerights.com LAS LLORONAS Copyright © 2014 by Jonathan Josephson All Rights Reserved All performances and public readings of LAS LLORONAS are subject to royalties. It is fully protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America, of all countries covered by the International Copyright Union, of all countries covered by the Pan-American Copyright Convention and the Universal Copyright Convention, and all countries with which the United States has reciprocal copyright relations. All rights are strictly reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, by any means, including mechanical, electronics, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author. Publication of this play does not necessarily imply that it is available for performance by amateurs or professionals. It is strongly recommended all interested parties apply to Steele Spring Stage Rights for performance rights before starting rehearsals or advertising. No changes shall be made in the play for the purpose of your production without prior written consent. All billing stipulations in your license agreement must be strictly adhered to. No person, firm or entity may receive credit larger or more prominent than that accorded the Author. For all stage performance inquiries, please contact: Steele Spring Stage Rights 3845 Cazador Street Los Angeles, CA 90065 (323) 739-0413 www.stagerights.com INTRODUCTION In Wicked Lit terms, when one refers to a “body,” they’re generally talking about a corpse; oftentimes a charred carcass looming in the back of a chapel or a hanged dummy thrown from the roof of a mausoleum, that sort of thing. But now, as the three of us producers recover from the final performances of Wicked Lit 2016, our eighth annual production, we have a new body to discuss— a body of work. We started the theatre company Unbound Productions and the project Wicked Lit in 2008 as a regional reading festival. Since then, we’ve produced 30 world premiere short plays under the banner of various Lit projects, all of which are adaptations of classic literature or folktales produced as immersive, site-specific theatre events. Twelve of those plays are included in this collection, all adapted by one of the three founders of our company. Since 2010, Wicked Lit has been in residence at Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery in Altadena, CA, and since 2013, we’ve sold out every ticket for every performance of our annual fall production. We have benefited from the extraordinary talent and efforts of hundreds of actors, technicians, managers, designers, directors and playwrights who have given artfully and selflessly of themselves over those years, oftentimes in the rain, in the dark, and oh yeah, in a cemetery. We’d especially like to acknowledge our Resident Costume Designer Christine Cover Ferro who has costumed literally everything we’ve ever done since 2008, our Resident Makeup Artist Julie Pound who likewise has been with us from the beginning, and Board Member/Sound Designer Drew Dalzell who not only brings an incredible design aesthetic to all of our events but also changed the way that we approach the technical aspects of our show irrevocably for the good. It takes a village to make a play, and battalions to make Wicked Lit, but the impact that these three have had on our processes and productions is truly irreplaceable. Wicked Lit is now regularly included on lists of “Top Theatre Events” and/or “Best Halloween Events of the Year” from the likes of Time Out Los Angeles, LA Magazine, Thrillist and others; and wins awards ranging from Ovation Awards, curated by LA Stage Alliance (in categories with LORT theatres such as Center Theatre Group and the Geffen Playhouse), to Halloween Event of the Year from Hollywood Gothique (ahead of multi-million dollar attractions such as Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios and Dark Harbor at the Queen Mary). Our plays have moved on from Unbound to be produced in schools and theatres throughout the United States as well as England, Scotland, and Cameroon. And all of this from three guys sitting around in a living room one day, wondering what might happen if we started a theatre company. Part of the idea behind this collection is that producers can mix and match plays as they see fit— for cast size, thematic ties, or plays that fit a certain size or type of theatre. We also greatly encourage site-specific productions of these plays but that is by no means expected. The plays can be produced as one-offs with a cast of three or a 12-play extravaganza with a cast of dozens; it’s totally up to you. For reference, Unbound Productions has produced Wicked Lit in two different ways— either in sets of three (our annual “fall show”) with intentional theatrical diversity, or as single plays (our “installations”), sometimes accompanied by a staged reading of a second play. INTRODUCTION (CONT’D) As you peruse this collection, you’ll get insights and anecdotes about past productions of these plays and also suggestions and ideas for how to make them come alive as site-specific theatre events, should you choose to go that route. For example, all of our productions have had “Storyguides” as a part of their presentation. These are actors who literally guide the audience where to go throughout the performance (“follow me,” “stand here,” “five to a bench— move down!” etc.) and then sometimes, they also step into the play to perform as a part of the ensemble. Storyguides generally play smaller roles in 1-2 scenes, but not always— sometimes they are principle characters. In some productions, numerous characters act as Storyguides, breaking the fourth wall to instruct the audience and then stepping back into the scene to continue with the play. We encourage you to think creatively about how you use the Storyguide motif and also what implications those performers may have for the production. We’ve written and produced these plays for the last near-decade for a multitude of reasons. We love the underlying source material and wanted to see these wonderful short stories, and the work of some of the globe’s most iconic authors, come to life in a fresh new way. We love the theatre and wanted to contribute something that is unique and bold and daunting and haunting and fun. We wanted to work with creative people we like and respect and make memorable moments together. We wanted to celebrate the Halloween season because, hey, Halloween is just plain cool. Sometimes we want to scare the pants off of people. Sometimes we want to make audiences laugh, other times we want to break their hearts. It’s all about striving to understand and contextualize the human condition and provoke/inspire/frighten our audiences into feeling something bigger than themselves. Enjoy the plays! Enjoy Wicked Lit. Keep us posted as to what you’re doing with #WickedLit across social media. And if you have questions about a play or a production, drop us a line at [email protected]. Best of luck, and have fun. Jonathan Josephson, Jeff G. Rack & Paul Millet DEDICATION To Jay Brown and the staff of Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery. Thank you for your trust, patience and friendship! PRODUCTION HISTORY World Premiere: Wicked Lit 2014 at Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery. Adapted by Jonathan Josephson from the “La Llarona” myth and historical events; directed by Paul Millet. World Premiere: Included as part of Wicked Lit 2014, Mountain View Mausoleum and Cemetery, directed by Paul Millet. October 2-November 8, 2014. Produced by Unbound Productions Executive Director – Jonathan Josephson Artistic Director – Paul Millet Producing Artistic Director – Jeff G. Rack Stage Manager – TaShaunna Peterman Lighting Designers – Ric Zimmerman and Hilda Kane Sound Designers – Drew Dalzell and Noelle Hoffman Costume Designer – Christine Cover Ferro Production Design – Jeff G. Rack Choreographer – Angie Hobin Production Manager – Jacqueline Adorni The Cast El Diablo – Joe Camareno Doña Marina – Melissa Perl Araceli Gonzales – Anna Gabrielle Gonzalez Lady Amélie – Bianca Gisselle Leigh Wilson – Katelyn Gault Pia Faye Thomas – Lisa McNeely The Men – Angel Duran, Sonny James Lira CASTING REQUIREMENTS Minimum: 5F, 3M (includes the doubling outlined below) Maximum: 15F, 15M (variable casting depending on doubling and use of additional actors to flesh out groups of people) CAST OF CHARACTERS *Assuming 8-Actor Version EL DIABLO: our dark master of ceremonies. He guides us through this journey in order to dishearten us and convince us to give up on our humanity. DOÑA MARINA: 20s/30s, a Nahua woman from the Mexican Gulf Coast, mid-16th century. Inspired by La Malinche— interpreter, advisor, lover, and intermediary for Spanish Conquistador Hernán Cortés. • Happy Maria • Witch (DANCE ROLE) ARACELI GONZALES: 20s, a Mexican flower-shop girl, early 19th century. Inspired by the iconic representations of the “La Llorona” folkloric protagonist. • The Weeping Woman • Prostitute • Spanish Lady • Soldier • Pia’s Daughter LADY AMÉLIE: 30s, European royalty living in mid-19th century Mexico. Inspired by Carlota of Mexico, empress consort of Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico, the former Archduke of Austria. (SINGING ROLE) • Attendant • Maria’s Mother • Prostitute • Council of Aztecs • Midwife • Soldier • Vain Maria CAST OF CHARACTERS (CONT’D) *Assuming 8-Actor Version LEIGH WILSON: 20s, a mother of two living in 1990s New Mexico. Inspired by Susan Smith who was found guilty of murder in the drowning deaths of her two sons by strapping them in their car seats and rolling the car into a lake. • Young Maria • Lady Amelie Dancer (DANCE ROLE) • Council of Aztecs • Queen of Spain • Soldier PIA FAYE THOMAS: 30s, a mother of four living in present day Los Angeles.