SOL 10:

Beto O'Byrne

CANCIONES

Collaboratively created by Rebecca Martínez, Julián Mesri, Beto O’Byrne, Sara Ornelas, and Meropi Peponides

text by Beto O'Byrne

directed by Rebecca Martínez

musical direction/arrangement by Julián Mesri

dramaturgy by Meropi Peponides

with

Mayelah Barrera

Johanna Carlisle-Zepeda*

Cristina Contreras

Sara Ornelas*

Chino Ramos*

Sammy Rivas

EJ Zimmerman*

*Member of Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

production design: Raul Abrego

costume design: Christopher Vergara

lighting design: María-Cristina Fusté

sound design: Tye Hunt Fitzgerald

props supervisor: Daisy Torralba

casting by tbd Casting Co./ Margaret Dunn

production manager: Omayra Garriga Casiano

production stage manager: Celina Revollar
asst. stage manager: Julia Walker

asst. director: Danny Borba, Laura Riveros-Sefair

technical director Michael Welles

production electrician Dariel García

costume design assistant Jorge Rosario

music supervisor Simon Broucke

light/sound board operator Jessica Desjardins

house managers Carolina Hurtado Castro, Margot Anderson-Song, Valeria Lievano

production photography Ash Marinaccio

press representative Emily Owens PR

artwork Maga

graphic artist Ángel Lacomba

ASL interpretation provided by Inclusive Communication Services

CANCIONES

Digital Program

The Playwright:
Beto O'Byrne

Beto O’Byrne is a theatremaker, writer, musician, professor, and cultural organizer. He is the co-founder of the internationally recognized Radical Evolution, a multi-ethnic, multi-disciplinary producing collective based in Brooklyn, NY; author of more than 20 plays, screenplays, and original TV pilots; writer of the "World of Kir" literary fantasy series; creator of the political punk outfit, "A Revolutionary Chorus"; and a cultural critic/guest host on the "Gamers with Jobs" podcast. He is currently a Visiting Artist-in-Residence at Bard College and a professor of creative writing at Pace University.

The Play:

Canciones

Join three generations of the legendary Guerrero family as they gather for a special family reunion. In the kitchen, Kati and Ellie are digging up old feuds. On the patio, you can get high (on life) with the cousins, and in the living room, Maestra will tell you about the generations of musicians that came before, while you sit next to her sipping your drink.

As the evening unfolds, secrets are unearthed, old rivalries are revived, and the family is forced to decide who will carry on their musical legacy. Inspired by the seminal Linda Ronstadt album Canciones de mi Padre, Canciones is a site-specific party, an acoustic Mariachi jam, and a family reunion all rolled into an immersive, interactive experience. Come for the tamales—stay for the chisme!

The Director:
Rebecca Martínez

Rebecca Martínez (she/her) is an award-winning director and choreographer and the BOLD Associate Artistic Director at WP Theater. Upcoming projects include: "Living and Breathing" (Two River), a musical adaptation of "The Comedy of Errors" (The Public Theater’s Mobile Unit). Recent projects: "Los Complicados" (EST Marathon), "Randy’s Dandy Coaster Castle" (Egg & Spoon Collective), "Songs About Trains" (Working Theater and Radical Evolution), "Somewhere Over the Border" (Syracuse Stage and Geva Theatre). Rebecca has developed new work with The Public Theater, Amas Musical Theater, the O’Neill, Latinx Playwrights Circle, the Sol Project, NAMT, INTAR, Working Theater, The Playwrights Realm, among others. Affiliations: Sojourn Theatre Ensemble, 2021 TCG Rising Leaders of Color; Sol Project Collective, Lincoln Center Theater Directors Lab, INTAR’s Unit52, New Georges Affiliated Artist, WP Lab, Drama League Directing Fellow, member of SDC. Awards: Colorado Henry Award for Directing; four Portland, Oregon Drammy Awards; Lilla Jewel Award for Women Artists. Rebecca is originally from Colorado with deep ancestral roots in the Southwest. rebeccamartinez.org

The Partner:
Radical Evolution

Radical Evolution (Co-producer) is a producing collective committed to creating artistic events across media that explore the complexities of our multicultural existence in the 21st Century. Over 15 years as a performance collective, RadEv has created and co-produced five full-length theatrical works, two limited-series podcasts, a print publication, and produced dozens of workshops in support of developing original work. In 2023, the collective launched the Street Theatre Crew, a year-round ensemble that creates street theatre performances in support of social movements across NYC and beyond. In 2025, we launched an annual festival of political performance. Through all of this work, we collaborate with people from many different identities to build capacity to relate to each other across differences, platforming practitioners that represent the intersectionality of perspectives and aesthetics of the city around us. Through this approach, we work to assert a vision for cultural and social equity in our field, city, and nation. radicalevolution.org

The Producing Partner:
Latinx Playwrights Circle

Latinx Playwrights Circle (Co-producer) is an artist-led development and production organization for Latinx(é) playwrights. Founded in 2018 by playwrights Guadalís Del Carmen and Oscar Cabrera with the mission to build a network of Latinx(é) and Caribbean playwrights nationwide in order to promote, develop and elevate their work while making their plays accessible to theater makers looking to find the next generation of American Storytellers. LPC embraces the ever evolving landscape of Latinidad and the names used to describe this community, including Latiné, Latinx, Hispanic, and the next generation of names to come. Like language itself, this is an ever-evolving name. For more information on our many programs and a full list of our donors please visit www.LatinxPlaywrights.com

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The Producing Partner:
Boundless Theatre Company

Boundless Theatre (Co-producer) is a designer-led organization dedicated to investigating, pushing, and redefining the boundaries of theatrical storytelling. Spearheaded by women, Latinx theatre-makers, and other artists of color, we nurture cross-cultural voices through programming that is both aesthetically daring and visually striking. Boundless produces Off-Broadway theater in Spanish and English, elevating stories of cultural identity and amplifying voices historically underrepresented on U.S. stages. The work spans mainstage productions, new work development, and community-based programs that engage diverse audiences across New York City. Recent Mainstage productions include: Domino Effect by Marco Antonio Rodríguez, Las Borinqueñas by Nelson Díaz Marcano, How to Melt Ice by Amalia Oliva Rojas, Fur by Migdalia Cruz, Mud by Maria Irene Fornes, Prospect by Octavio Solis. Our community programs include El Barrio Raíces, a summer program free of charge for the children of NYC; Boundless de Oro, a workshop program for the city’s older adults; and Boundless Exposed, our mentoring program for early career designers of color. As we celebrate our 20th anniversary, Boundless remains committed to expanding access to bilingual, culturally responsive theater while fostering a collaborative artistic landscape that reflects the richness of our communities. www.boundlesstheatre.org IG/FB @boundlesstheatre