Mi Abuela, Queen of Nightmares
Playwright: Christine Stoddard
Director: Fiamma Piacentini
September 8th, 9th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 18th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 28th, 29th, 30th at 7:00 PM
September 10th, 17th, 24th at 3:00 PM
October 1st at 3:00 PM
Maya, a young Salvadoran-American, navigates trauma and family mythology through magic, joy, and folklore as she comes of age in Phoenix, Arizona. Her story explores mother-daughter relationships, mixed race identity, being the child of an immigrant, growing up without a father, and using fantasy as a coping mechanism. Owls, jaguars, and cacti make dream-like and delightful appearances. This original drama is a memory play with heightened language, originating from a poetry book. The dialogue is majority English, with select Spanish lines and songs that can be understood from context without subtitles or interpretation.
Maya, una joven salvadoreña-estadounidense, navega por el trauma y la mitología familiar a través de la magia, el gozo y el folclore durante su niñez en Phoenix, Arizona. Su historia explora las relaciones madre-hija, la identidad racial mixta, ser hija de un inmigrante, crecer sin un padre y usar la fantasía como mecanismo de afrontamiento. Búhos, jaguares y cactus hacen apariciones encantadoras y oníricas. Este drama original es una obra de memoria con un lenguaje elevado, procedente de un libro de poesía. La mayoría del diálogo está en inglés, con líneas y canciones seleccionadas en español.
*Trigger warning: This play references sexual assault and suicide.
COVID PROTOCOL: Please note that this performance will be presented at the Tank's in-person performance space at 312 W 36th St. All attendees and artists will be required to be vaccinated for Covid-19. Patrons will also be required to wear masks when not eating or drinking.
FEATURING
Christine Stoddard, playwright
CREATIVE TEAM
Fiamma Piacentini, director
MEET THE TEAM
Christine Stoddard
Playwright
Christine Stoddard is a multi-hyphenate writer, director, artist, funny lady, and founder of Quail Bell. She created the touring comedy act Art Bitch, which premiered at The PIT. You can catch Quail Tales, her monthly comedy show, at The Players Theatre. She hosts Badass Lady-folk, a talk show about women and non-binary humans "kicking buns big and small," on Radio Free Brooklyn. Her arthouse feature film Sirena's Gallery is distributed by Summer Hill Entertainment and her short Bottled is streaming on Amazon Prime. Her music video “De Colores (Chorus of Melancholy)” was selected for the 2023 Latino Film Market. Her performance art piece Cleansing/Limpia has shown at Irondale Center and the Kraine Theater. You can find her books, such as Water for the Cactus Woman and Hispanic & Latino Heritage in Virginia, wherever books are sold. She has contributed her words, images, and other talents to Cosmo For Latinos, Latin Trends, Marie Claire, and other brands. Her most recent drama, Heartbreak in Tompkins Square Park, had a staged reading at Theatre Row in June. Born to a Salvadoran mother and American father, Stoddard graduated from VCUarts and holds an MFA from The City College of New York-CUNY.
Fiamma Piacentini
Movement Director
Fiamma Piacentini is a New York City based Actor, Movement Artist, Director, and Photographer from Mexico City, Mexico. Her most recent theater projects were Christine Stoddard's Mi Abuela Queen of Nightmares at the Gene Frankel Theater, where she played the role of Abuela and also served as movement director, and My Favorite Sex Toy, which she directed for the Broadway Comedy Club and Greenwich Village Comedy Club. She also directed, produced, and performed in las:sitas: a movement exploration of the divine feminine at the Fringe NYC Festival. Other NYC theater credits include The House of Bernarda Alba, By Wing, Hoof or Foot, Macbeth, Miss Witherspoon, Through the Looking Glass, Andromache, and The Insanity of Mary Girard. She has also worked on various independent film projects.