SOL 9:
Monet Hurst-Mendoza
TORERA
by Monet Hurst-Mendoza
directed by Tatiana Pandiani
with
Jorge Cordova - Don Rafael
Christian Galvis - Dancer
Jacqueline Guillén - Elena María Ramírez
Elena Hurst - Pastora
Jared Machado - Tanok
Andrea Soto - Dancer
scenic design: Emmie Finckel
costume design: Rodrigo Muñoz
lighting design: Yuki Nakase Link
sound design: G Clausen
lead prop master/fabricator: RED Kadetsky
co-movement & intimacy directors: Carter Gill & Skye Bronfenbrenner
bullfighting consultant: Rodrigo Ortiz
production stage manager: Alexis Nalbandian
asst. stage manager: Laura Pilar Gutierrez
casting by Kelly Gillespie, C.S.A.
TORERA
The Playwright:
Monet Hurst-Mendoza
(Playwright)(she/her) is a NYC-based playwright and TV writer from Los Angeles. Her plays have been developed with The Alley Theater, Rising Circle Theater Collective, Astoria Performing Arts Center, and Westport Country Playhouse, among others. She is an alum of the Emerging Writers Group at The Public Theater, The Civilians R&D Group, Fresh Ground Pepper's Playground Playgroup, WP Theater Playwrights Lab, and the Van Lier Fellowship at New Dramatists. She has been an artist-in-residence at The Watermill Center, MacDowell, Ucross, Stillwright, La Mama Umbria, Millay Arts, The MITTEN Lab, and SPACE on Ryder Farm, where she currently serves as a board member. Monet is part of the 2025 WGAE Showrunner Academy and was a writer/producer for Law and Order: SVU. She is a NYSCA grantee and a proud member of The Kilroys, The Dramatist Guild, and WGAE.
The Play:
Torera
Elena María Ramírez was born to be a torera, but it’s a rare feat for a woman in México’s bullfighting scene. In order to enter the ring, she must defy society, her family, and legendary torero Don Rafael Cárdenas. "Torera" is a dynamic, epic family drama that swirls with the action, stakes, and intrigue of the bullfighting ring. "Torera" explores bullfighting as a sport and culture in this coming-of-age story set in Mexico. The intent of this production is not to romanticize the sport, which is currently banned in Mexico City and most of the Mexican provinces, but to respect the spirit around it. The action in "Torera" takes place before the ban was implemented. — Elena María Ramírez nació para ser una torera, pero en la cultura de corrida en México, es es un hecho excepcional. Para entrar a la plaza, tiene que enfrentar la sociedad, su familia, y el torero legendario Don Rafael Cárdenas. Torera es un drama familiar épico y dinámico que se llena con la acción, riesgo e intriga de la plaza de toros. Torera explora la corrida de toros (el toreo) como un deporte cultural en esta historia de iniciación que toma lugar en México. Es una práctica controversial que no condenamos ni apoyamos, pero queremos explorar de una manera artística con el uso de movimiento y coreografía.
The Director:
Tatiana
Pandiani
(Director and Choreographer) is a Latin American director & choreographer. Recent: Someone Spectacular (Signature Theatre, NYC), FISH by Melis Aker (Signature Theatre, NYC). Tatiana has worked extensively across the United States (Alley Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Cleveland Playhouse, Miami New Drama, Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, Westport Country Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, Dallas Theatre Center, Perseverance Theatre amongst others) as well as internationally. Her bilingual musical AZUL won the Jonathan Larson Award and many other accolades. She received a Lucille Lortel Alcove commission for her new play, HINGE BABY, a climate change comedy, and her film, HOW TO FIX GRIEF won the Film in Focus and New York Film Academy Awards in 2024. Tatiana has served extensively as an Associate Director on Broadway and National Tours and is currently developing commercials projects in a variety of industries, theatrical and beyond. MFA: Columbia. For more information visit tatianapandiani.com
The Partner:
WP Theater
WP Theater (Co-Producer), entering its 48th Season, is the nation’s oldest and largest theater company dedicated to developing, producing and promoting the work of Women+ at every stage in their careers. For almost five decades, we have served as leaders at the forefront of a global movement towards gender parity, and the example we set and the artists we have fostered have grown into a robust and thriving community of artists in theater and beyond. WP Theater received a 2018 Lucille Lortel Award, a 2019 Obie Award, and a 2020 Drama Desk Award, all for Outstanding Body of Work, recognizing WP’s unique place and vital work in the theatrical landscape. WP empowers Women+ of all kinds to reach their full potential and, in doing so, challenges preconceptions about the kinds of plays Women+ write and the stories they tell. As the premiere launching pad for some of the most influential Women+ theater artists today, our work has had a significant impact on the field at large. Nearly every prolific female theater artist has been through our doors, including 2024 Tony Winner for Best Direction of a Musical, Danya Taymor; 2019 Tony Winner for Best Direction of a Musical, Rachel Chavkin; 2018 Tony Winner for Best Direction of a Play Rebecca Taichman; 2013 Tony Winner for Best Direction of a Play Pam MacKinnon; 2013 Tony Winner for Best Direction of a Musical Diane Paulus; 2023 Pulitzer Prize Winner Eboni Booth; 2021 Pulitzer Prize Winner Katori Hall; 2018 Pulitzer Prize Winner Martyna Majok; and two-time Pulitzer Prize Winner Lynn Nottage. These powerful women found an artistic home at WP and are a testament to our role as a driving cultural force. WP was founded in 1978 by visionary producer, Julia Miles, to address the significant under-representation of women in theater. Today, WP accomplishes its mission through several fundamental programs, including: the WP Lab, a celebrated two-year mentorship and new play development program for Women+ playwrights, directors,and producers; the Space Program subsidized rental program; the Developmental series of workshops and readings; the Commissioning series, and the Mainstage series, which features a full season of Off-Broadway productions written and directed by extraordinary theater artists. Current artists under commission are: Mathilde Dratwa, Donnetta Lavinia Grays, Emily Kaczmarek, MJ Kaufman, Zizi Majid, Rehana Mirza, Zoe Sarnak, Rachel Wax, and Leah Nanako Winkler. WP is proud to have the legendary New Federal Theatre as our Resident Theater Company. When we say Women+ we mean: cis women, trans, non-binary, or gender-nonconforming people and all gender identities which have been systematically oppressed throughout history in the theater and beyond.
The Producing Partner:
Long Wharf Theatre
Long Wharf Theatre (Co-Producer) Founded in 1965 during the regional theatre movement, the Tony Award-winning Long Wharf Theatre based in New Haven, CT, has become a leading institution known for its artistic innovations and commitment to new work. With more than 400 productions to our name, the company has been an artistic home for some of our country’s most celebrated playwrights, directors, and actors, including Al Pacino, Stockard Channing, John Lithgow, Anna Deavere Smith, and John Douglas Thompson, among many others. From world premieres to transformative collaborations, Long Wharf Theatre has built an extraordinary body of work that has contributed to the American theatre canon. Many of the plays incubated by LWT have gone on to have life on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in theatres across the country, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Gin Game, The Shadow Box, and Wit. Today, our pioneering model allows us to bring theatre directly to our communities, breaking down traditional barriers and fostering deeper connections. As we continue our path forward, Long Wharf Theatre remains dedicated to boundary-breaking storytelling, lasting social impact, and a vision where theatre is accessible to all, visit www.longwharf.org.
The Producing Partner:
Latinx Playwrights Circle
The Latinx Playwrights Circle (LPC) (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