Press Releases
You are invited to the sensuous world of the Uruguayan poetess Delmira Agustini
In the play
The Empty Chalices
by Judy Veramendi
Opening night: February 14, 2005
In association with the Next Theatre Company at the company’s home in the Noyes Cultural Arts Center in Evanston (927 Noyes St., by Noyes "el" stop; parking also available).
Saturday matinees: Feb. 19 and March 5, 2 P.M. Weekday nights: Feb. 14, 15, 16, 21, and March 1, 2, 7 at 8 P.M.
Cost: $15, $12 for students and senior citizens; $10 for groups of 10 or more.
This production is partially funded by a grant from the Evanston Arts Council.
ABOUT THE PLAY
Judy Veramendi's The Empty Chalices has premiered with great success in three different countries in the past two years: Montevideo, Uruguay (spring 2003), Chicago (spring 2003), and Buenos Aires, Argentina (fall 2004). The productions have been partially sponsored by two Fulbright Senior Scholar grants and two Illinois Arts Council/Governor's International Arts Exchange grants.
The play interweaves the dramatic life and erotic work of Uruguayan poetess Delmira Agustini. Born some one hundred years ago in Montevideo, a repressive time and place for women, Delmira nevertheless managed to produce three books of increasingly revolutionary poetry, as she gradually freed herself from the physical, societal, and religious "female corset" of her time. However, her increasingly bohemian and "scandalous" behavior destroyed her brief marriage and threatened to end her very life at a young age…
"Intense and exquisite, the play enthralls the audience from the first moment to the last…" (La Raza, Chicago, May 2003)
"Delmira comes alive in a play written by a 'gringa'" (El Observador, Montevideo, Uruguay, March 2003)
"Delmira is an inspiration and mentor for me, for all women, for any human being struggling against societal repression," says Judy Veramendi. "Her poetry is exquisite and unique, equally enthralling to men and women." Judy became enamored of the Rio de la Plata culture which infuses this work when she lived in Buenos Aires as a teenager. Two years later she first "met" Delmira Agustini in a Latin American literature class in Spain. Since then she married, had three children, and published over twenty books and scripts in Spanish and English, yet she always dreamed of doing "the one she loves". She is most grateful to the Fulbright Program, the Next Theatre, the Evanston Arts Council, the Illinois Arts Council, and the Aguijón Theater for helping her to share Delmira's fascinating poetry and story with the world, thus illustrating one small facet of the rich and diverse Spanish-speaking cultures.
INTERNATIONAL ARTISTIC TEAM
DIRECTORIAL TEAM: Matthew Spangler and Sarah K. Whalen are the co-founding artistic directors of Wordshed Productions, a professional, not-for-profit theatre company in Chapel Hill, NC, recently named "best small theatre in the Triangle" by a panel of theatre critics. Matt has directed and performed throughout the U.S., the U.K., Brazil, and Ireland, where his most recent show received a five star review from the "British Theatre Guide." Sarah is an award winning writer/director in Los Angeles who has been working in theatre, film, and television throughout the United States and abroad.
CULTURAL CONSULTANT AND ACTOR: Fernando Armani (Argentina). Fernando directed the Buenos Aires premiere of "The Empty Chalices" in August 2004. He was last seen in Chicago in Aug. 2003 as lead in the Uruguayan play "Pagar el pato."
ACTORS: Maria Chrysanthou heads the talented international cast as Delmira Agustini. Also starring will be Maria Bakalis, Marcela Muñoz, Madrid St. Angelo, Juan Francisco Villa, and Augusto Yanacopulos.
COSTUME DESIGNERS: Cristina Cruzado (Uruguay) and Diane Waldier (U.S.)
COMPOSER: Elbio Barilari (Uruguay/Chicago) Barilari has composed music for over forty plays in Uruguay, Argentina, Spain, and the U.S. A well-known international composer, his "Tango Stamps" had its world premiere at Grant Park in July 2002, to great acclaim.
SET DESIGNER: Marina Devesa (Argentina)
LIGHTING DESIGNER: Chris Hill (Next Theatre team, U.S.)
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The Theatre is located inside the Noyes Cultural Arts Center at Noyes and Ridge in Evanston, right next to the Noyes street stop on the Evanston (purple line) "el." Free parking is available in the lot adjacent to the theatre and the Evanston Civic Center.
COMING SOON…
The Hall of Hungry Ghosts is Judy Veramendi’s latest play in which she continues to explore Latin American culture, the issues that reflect the social conflicts created by the dictatorship in Argentina, and US involvement in these events.
For those who know about the history of Argentina, Judy Veramendi brings to mind a sensitive topic. For those who are not familiar with this subject, she sheds light on a compelling story that will captivate the audience. Her play is currently under consideration to be produced in three different countries.
“The Hall of Hungry Ghosts probes deeply into the dark events surrounding the Argentine dirty war and CIA involvement, by following the experiences of one returnee to a former detention center in Buenos Aires after twenty years.” -Judy Veramendi