Electric Company Theatre presents the world premiere of Carmen Aguirre’s spellbinding new work, Anywhere But Here, from February 4–15, 2020 at the Vancouver Playhouse. Directed by Juliette Carrillo with set design by Christopher Acebo — an acclaimed Chicanx duo making their Canadian debut — this haunting blend of dark comedy and magical realism is a vibrant celebration of Latinx theatre that chronicles the many paths and timelines, real and imagined, we take to discover the truth — the truth about who we are, and where we may be headed. Produced in association with Playwrights Theatre Centre and presented with the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival, the play introduces a host of fantastical characters who have experienced the pull of home, the ache of displacement, and the harsh realities of the borderlands in Trump’s America.
Set in 1979 on the desert border between the United States and Mexico, Anywhere But Here is a psycho-social-spiritual-physical journey that represents the inner turmoil of exile. The play’s main character is an eleven-year-old girl being driven from Canada to Chile by her father in a convertible, along with her twelve-year-old sister. On a mission to refute their refugee status, the trio meets a roster of vivid characters from the 1800s, their present-day reality of the 1970s, and a future timeline in 2020. Following the non-linear, visceral nature of memory itself, the play pays homage to the rich history of magical realism in Latin American literature as its characters attempt to cross and guard borders — surviving what was left behind and all that is still to come.
Juno Award-winning hip hop artist Shad will make his theatrical debut with his rap pieces, co-written with Aguirre. From 1970’s disco to the batucada to the blues, the music of Anywhere But Here is a significant and heavily featured element in the play, carrying the story across several historic events to the present day.
Aguirre is a best-selling author, actor, and playwright. Born in Santiago, Chile, she spent her early adult life as an activist in the underground resistance movement against the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. After returning to Vancouver in 1990, Aguirre attended Studio 58 and began building a body of work that centred thematically on loss, alienation, and exile.
Electric Company Theatre presents Anywhere But Here
Dates: February 4–15, 2020
Ticket Prices: From $19.99
Location: Vancouver Playhouse
600 Hamilton St
Vancouver, BC V6B 2P1
Tickets & Info: www.electriccompanytheatre.com
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