Mi Abuela, Queen of Nightmares @ a bigger theater!

Hi, my name is Christine and I'm looking to take my play "Mi Abuela, Queen of Nightmares" off-Broadway! I'm so excited that it premiered at the Gene Frankel Theatre in NYC June 15-26 and I'm hoping to take it to a bigger house next. Could you help me build the nest egg I need to support and retain my talent for a future off-Broadway production? We need to take this show to a larger theater!

Here's a summary of the play: Maya, a young Salvadoran-American woman, navigates trauma and family mythology through magic and folklore as she comes of age in Phoenix, Arizona. Her story explores mother-daughter relationships, mixed race identity, being the first-generation child of an immigrant, growing up without a father, and fantasy as a coping mechanism, while featuring movement and dance. And there are owls, jaguars, and cacti—oh, my!

*Trigger warning: This play references sexual assault.

You can watch a taping of a live show at Gene Frankel here .

Read a review of the play in Thinking Theater NYC here.

 

Here's some background on the script: "Mi Abuela, Queen of Nightmares" won a national playwriting competition held by Table Work Press in 2019 and was published in the book Two Plays: True Believer and Mi Abuela, Queen of Nightmares (2020). The play is based upon the 2018 Semiperfect Press chapbook of poems by the same name.

 

Here is the tremendous cast:

 

Maya: Vanessa Vivas (Ariana Jackman, understudy)

Mami: Marian Del Valle

Abuela: Fiamma Piacentini

Father/Sheriff: Jacob M. Baron

Cactus/Jaguar/Owl: Amanda Andrews & Jess Appel
Ancestors: Ariana Jackman & Christine Stoddard

Here is the tremendous crew:

Playwright/​Director:​ Christine Stoddard​
Assistant Director: Amanda Andrews
Choreographer: Fiamma Piacentini
Assistant Choreographer: Nicole Pascaretta
Set Designer: Dario Mohr
Lighting Designer: Jeremy Stein
Line Producer: Jess Appel
Intern: Sydnie Stern ​

 

Here are some of the costs associated with an off-Broadway production:

 

• One-week rental (typically $5-10K/week)
• Cast stipends

• Crew stipends

• Set & prop storage

• Playbill printing

• Photography & videography

 

Here's some background about my fledgling arts, entertainment & media company:

 

Quail Bell Press & Productions is a woman-owned creative studio and the parent of Quail Bell Magazine and various other arts, media & entertainment projects. Founded by writer, director, and multi-hyphenated artist Christine Stoddard, Quail Bell is based in Brooklyn, NY. Find out more at www.quailbell.com.

 

 

Thank you so much for checking out "Mi Abuela, Queen of Nightmares"! Consider supporting it! Every bit helps and we look forward to crediting all supporters online and in the playbill.

 

Thanks & peace,

Christine Stoddard