¡BIENVENIDOS BLANCOS!

Or WELCOME WHITE PEOPLE!

About the Show

¡Bienvenidos! Welcome! What a pleasure! Please come in. Theater artist Alex Torra and Team Sunshine Performance Corporation present the world premiere of ¡BIENVENIDOS BLANCOS! or WELCOME WHITE PEOPLE!, a Spanish-language, ensemble-devised performance work that examines privilege, exploitation, and the complexities of Cuban-American history and cultural identity. Drawing on Torra’s personal experience as a Cuban American, the work “endeavors to make apparent the particularities of a certain corner of the current American landscape—that of the Latino American with one foot in their ethnic heritage and one in a dominantly white culture.” Devised by a collective of Cuban, Cuban American, and Caucasian American performers, the project explores Cuba’s long history of appeasing/revolting against dominantly “white” nations and economic forces, including the U.S. The piece puts on display how this history has shaped the ways contemporary individuals of Cuban descent understand themselves and their culture.

AfroTaíno Productions has gathered a powerhouse ensemble of Afro-Cuban Rumba performers to be the opening act of each performance of ¡BIENVENIDOS BLANCOS! or WELCOME WHITE PEOPLE! The ensemble is made up of performers who are all recognized and respected within the Rumba circuit spanning from NYC to Miami to Cuba. Rumba is an Afro-Cuban percussive style of music and dance with an emphasis on community participation.

Artist Statement

​UNA NOTA DE LA ASISTENTE DE DIRECCIÓN

Hola, soy una de las cubanas involucradas en este proyecto, soy la asistente de dirección y mi nombre es Cheryl. Llegar aquí ha sido un recorrido largo de 2 años que va a tener su recompensa el 20 de abril cuando se estrene este show.

Ha pasado de todo: Primero el casting, lo hicimos en la Habana en noviembre del 2016, clandestino, pues encontrar un teatro estatal que nos permitiera a mi y a unos americanos hacer un casting era un proceso engorroso, largo y que podía terminar en una negativa. Los amigos nos ayudaron en esto.  Después le negaron la visa a una de las actrices cubanas que iba a estar en el show, Lily.

Las visas que necesitábamos eran especiales pues los cubanos no podemos trabajar en Estados Unidos. Mas bien, no nos pueden “pagar” en Estados Unidos. No viviendo en Cuba.

Llegamos aquí la primera vez en Julio del 2017 y como habíamos perdido ya una actriz quedaba la duda si íbamos a poder regresar o recibir visado de nuevo y siempre recuerdo a Ben el dia que presentamos el primer work in Progress y me pregunto: Tu crees que para la próxima va a ser más fácil, verdad? Ya vinieron una vez, la próxima debe ser más sencillo. Yo le dije: Of Course! Y fue peor. Cerraron la Embajada en Cuba y mi visa la trámite en Londres y Jorge tuvo que irse a Barbados a pedir la suya después de muchos contratiempos.

Este show es sobre Cuba y los cubanos. Sobre el poder, la muerte y la nostalgia. Fidel es una parte de la Historia de mi país pero mi tierra es más vasta y tiene mas historia. Él llegó al poder en Enero de 1959 para “cambiar todo lo que debía ser cambiado” y se quedó por mucho tiempo. Muchos cubanos vinieron a Estados Unidos huyendo de este nuevo orden de las cosas y me gusta pensar que “colonizaron” o “cubanizaron” la Florida. Crearon una pequeña Cuba del otro lado del mar, siempre esperando volver a su tierra. Eso no paso y quedamos divididos.

Operación Peter Pan o los Vuelos de la Libertad (1960), La Embajada del Perú y el Mariel Boatlift (1980), los Balseros (1994), y lo que le dicen ahora en Cuba “La ruta de La Seda” (2015-2016) han sido migraciones masivas de cubanos intentando encontrar esta otra Cuba que está del otro lado del mar y es más próspera. Fidel dejó el poder en el 2008 en manos de su hermano Raúl, que recibió una isla empobrecida y un pueblo cansado de luchar. Y dividido por el mar. Fidel murió en su cama a los 90 años de edad. Raúl deja el poder en manos de otros el día antes del estreno de esta obra. No se que va a pasar cuando regrese y no quiero pensar en eso. Mientras tanto: BIENVENIDOS BLANCOS! Nos encanta tenerlos por acá.

A NOTE FROM THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

Hello. My name is Cheryl, I’m one of the Cubans involved in this project, and I am working as the Assistant Director. Thanks for being here.

Oh man, getting to this point has been a long, two-year journey, and it’ll finally pay off on April 20th when we open this show.

So many things have happened: It all began with the casting process. We did auditions for performers in Havana, secretly, because finding a state-sanctioned theater that would allow me and a small group of Americans to have a casting session is an insanely complicated process – likely to be long and potentially doomed. As is often the case in Cuba, our friends helped us out on this. Later, the government denied the visa of one of the Cuban actresses cast in the show. Her name is Lily.

The visas that we needed were special because Cubans are not allowed to work in the United States. Better said, we’re not allowed to be “paid” in the United States. Not while still living in Cuba.

Jorge and I made it here for the first workshop (July 2017), and because we had lost an actress in the process, we had doubts if we would be able to return or have the visa approved again, and I always remember Ben on the day that we presented our Work-in-Progress showing. He asked me: “You think the next time the visa thing will be easier, right?” I told him: “¡Si, como no!” And it was worse. They closed the U.S. Embassy in Cuba and I had to get my visa in London and Jorge had to go to Barbados to request his after many, many difficulties.

This show is about Cuba and about Cubans. It’s about power, and death, and nostalgia. Fidel Castro is a part of my country’s history, but my land is vast and has a much broader history. He entered into power in January 1959 to bring change, and then he stayed in power for a very long time. Many Cubans came to the United States, fleeing this new reality, and I like to think they they “colonized” or “cubanized” South Florida. They created a tiny Cuba on the other side of the sea, always awaiting their return to their homeland. To this day, we remain separate.

Operation Pedro Pan (1960-1962), The Peruvian Embassy and Mariel Boatlift (1980), the Balseros (1994), and now, as they say in Cuba, “The Silk Road” (2015-2016). All of these have been mass migrations of Cubans trying to find the other, more prosperous Cuba that lies on the other side of the sea. Fidel left power in 2008 and in the hands of his brother, Raul, who inherited an impoverished island and a people tried of “luchando” (in Cuba, this word means more than fighting; it means, simultaneously, striving/hustling/surviving). And separated from each other by the sea. Fidel died in his bed at the age of 90. Raul will leave office and leave it in the hands of others the day before we open this show. I don’t know what will happen when I return, and I don’t want to think about it. In the meantime, ¡BIENVENIDOS BLANCOS! We’re so happy to have you with us.

Special Features

Hungry for more? Check out ¡BIENVENIDOS bonus features! at www.POSTSHOW.FUN for short videos, mini-history lessons, obscure backstories, fun factoids, plus a look into how the show was created!

Creative Team

Director/Lead Artist Alex Torra Assistant Director Cheryl Zaldívar Jiménez Choreographer Makoto Hirano Performer/Creators Jorge Enrique Caballero Elizarde, Benjamin Camp, Lori Felipe Barkin, Idalmis Garcia Rodriguez, Jenna Horton Live Music Performers TIMBALONA Project Manager Sara Nye Production Manager Robin Stamey  Stage Manager Emily Schuman Set Designer Efren Delgadillo, Jr. Costume Designer Fabian Fidel Aguilar Lighting Designer Oona Curley Sound Designer Anthony Martinez-Briggs Props Designer Alicia Crosby Supertitles Coordinator/Operator Paloma Irizarry  Technical Direction Flannel & Hammer Scene Shop Sound Engineer Chris Sannino  Assistant Lighting Designer Abby Schlackman Scenic Charge Anthony Wiegand Photographer Kate Raines, Plate3 Photography Video Producer Danielle Gatto Community Liaison Marángeli Mejía Rabell Marketing and Events Coordinator April Rose Talent Booking Agency AfroTaino Productions TSPC Operations Manager Phoebe Schaub Dramaturg/Online Resource Manager Linnea Carlson deRoche Workshop Supertitles Designer Les Rivera

About Team Sunshine Performance Corporation

Team Sunshine Performance Corporation (Producing Organization) is dedicated to serving as a hub for the imaginative consideration of American culture and what it means to be a participant in it. Founded by theater and dance artists Benjamin Camp, Makoto Hirano, and Alex Torra, the company’s works come in the form of (1) ensemble-created performances, and (2) interactive, community-gathering social events. By providing fun, well-crafted experiences, Team Sunshine creates opportunities for people to come together, get involved in their culture, and engage with the pleasures and difficulties of our collective contemporary experience.

Regional and national presenters of Team Sunshine include the National Performance Network, Network of Ensemble Theaters, and the Barnes Foundation, with works commissioned by the Rosenbach Museum and Library and by PECO/Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority. Funding and production support has been provided by Knight Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, Samuel S. Fels Fund, Charlotte Cushman Foundation, The Orchard Project, SPACE at Ryder Farm, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Bios

Creative Team

Alex Torra (Director/Lead Artist) is a Miami-born, Philadelphia-based director, performer, producer, and educator. He is the Co-Founder and Resident Director of Team Sunshine Performance Corporation, where he serves as one of the company’s primary administrators and has directed all of the company’s full-length works including PUNCHKAPOW, JAPANAMERICA WONDERWAVE, HENRY IV: YOUR PRINCE AND MINE, and THE SINCERITY PROJECT (parts 1 and 2). Alex is also an Associate Artist and former Associate Artistic Director of Pig Iron Theatre Company, where he has worked as Performer/Creator and/or Creative Producer on many of the company’s works over the last 10 years. Alex has received fellowships from the Independence Foundation, the Philadelphia Live Arts Brewery, the Princess Grace Foundation (the Grace Le Vine Theatre Award), Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and NY’s Drama League. He received his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and his M.F.A. in Directing from Brown University. Alex currently serves as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Theatre at Swarthmore College, where he directs often and teaches Solo Performance and Acting.

Cheryl Zaldívar Jiménez (Assistant Director) is an actor/director, TV host, and professor based in La Habana. She has had extensive theatre credits working with La Habana-based companies Teatro Buendia (in international touring productions of Bacantes, Charenton and Otra Tempestad) and with Group Gaia Teatro (Divinas Palabras, Micro Teatro al Menú, and Dios no fue Antonioni). Over the last 10 years, Cheryl has had a thriving TV and film career, and for 6 years she used to hosts a TV music show called Cuerda Viva. Since 2009, she has served as Acting Faculty at the Escuela Nacional de Teatro. She is a graduate of University of the Arts (ISA)

Makoto Hirano (Choreographer) is a Philadelphia-based dance, theatre, and spoken word artist. His award-winning ensemble and solo performance works have been presented nationally in numerous venues and festivals across the nation. As a collaborating performer, Hirano has originated over 20 roles, with highlights that include projects with Bill Irwin, Pig Iron Theatre Company, and Thaddeus Phillips/Lucidity Suitcase Intercontinental. Hirano is a co-founder of both Team Sunshine Performance Corporation and art-duo Gatto+Hirano. A former U.S. Marine, Hirano studied dance at Columbia College Chicago and earned his BFA in dance at Temple University.

Sara Nye (Project Manager) is a contemporary dance artist and arts administrator primarily interested in collaborative, devised dance theater works. She’s performed with RealLivePeople, Kathryn TeBordo/Workshop for Potential Movement, Cie. Willi Dorner, Daniele Strawmyre/readySetGO, Scott McPheeters, Enchantment Theatre Company, and in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival and NYC’s Crossing the Line Festival and HOT! Festival. Sara is currently working on: ear-whispered: works by Tania El Khoury, presented by Bryn Mawr College in September 2018 (Project Manager), and Philadelphia Museum of Dance, presented by Westphal College of Media Arts & Design September 22-23 and October 6, 2018 (Marketing Coordinator and Social Media Manager).

Robin Stamey (Production Manager) is a Philadelphia-based designer, production manager, and stage manager. A graduate of Arcadia University, for nearly six years she served as the Theatre Programs Manager at the National Constitution Center, and has designed and/or production managed for Almanac Dance Circus Theatre, 11th Hour Theatre Company, The Berserker Residents, Tribe of Fools, The Bearded Ladies, Azuka Theatre, Hedgerow Theater, and the University of the Arts, among many others. She is a creative producer and company manager of Almanac Dance Circus Theatre (www.thealmanac.us), co-founder of Seven Engines (www.sevenengines.com), and executive board member of Theatrical Trainer (www.theatricaltrainer.com).

Emily Schuman (Stage Manager) is a Philadelphia-based freelance props designer, performer, and musician. As a designer she has worked with such companies as InterAct Theatre Company, Orbiter 3, 11th Hour Theatre Company, Applied Mechanics, and EgoPo Classic Theatre Company. Recent performing credits include: Jane Eyre (11th Hour Theatre Company), Love’s Labour’s Lost (Revolution Shakespeare). Up next: Merchant of Venice with Delaware Shakespeare Festival. Endless thanks to Team Sunshine for giving me the opportunity to be a part of your beautiful artistic process!

Efren Delgadillo, Jr. (Set Designer) is a scenographer from East LA. Developed a passion for architecture, performance, and materials during his studies in Studio Arts and Theater. His work as a scenic designer has been recognized across the United States and Europe. Has designed for notable companies as The Acting Company, BAM Harvey, Hartford Stage, Mixed Blood Theater, REDCAT, Hand2Mouth Theatre, Cornerstone Theater Company, The Getty Villa, and Calarts’ Center for New Performance. With directors Karin Coonrod, Casey Biggs, Carl Hancock Rux, Mark Valdez, Nataki Garrett, Larry Biederman, Jonathan Walters, Chi-Wang Yang, Jesse Bonnell, Martín Acosta, and Travis Preston. His international work includes Laude in Urbis in Italy, Moonshine & Peepshow at the Edinburgh Festival and Flamingo/Winnebago in Novi Sad, Serbia as set engineer. Efren is a graduate of the University of California Irvine and holds an MFA from California Institute of the Arts. Resident scenographer for Los Angeles-based theater company Poor Dog Group and is a Assistant Professor of Scenic Design at Cal State Northridge.

Fabian Fidel Aguilar (Costume Designer) is a New York City-based designer and has most recently designed Seven Spots on the Sun (Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, Sol Project, New York premier), A View from the Bridge (A Light Fantastic), set and costume for The War Boys (Access Theater, East Coast premiere), Sotto Voce (Portland Stage) and Midsummer (Araca Project). He is a recent graduate of Yale School of Drama, where his credits include The Moors (a Yale Repertory Theater world premier). Fabian Aguilar received his BA from Boston University.

Oona Curley (Lighting Designer) is a lighting and scenic designer specializing in new and devised work. She is a long time collaborator with Team Sunshine – previous credits include Henry IV (Shakespeare in Clark Park) and Wonderwave (CCNH). Select work has been seen in NYC (ArsNova, The Atlantic, Cherry Lane, New Ohio, La MaMa, The Flea), Philly (Opera Philadelphia, Bearded Ladies Cabaret, The Arden Theatre, FringeArts) and regionally. She received her MFA from NYU/Tisch, where she was nominated for a Princess Grace Award and received the J.S. Seidman award for Design Excellence.

Anthony Martinez-Briggs (Sound Designer) is a collaborative spirit at heart and is grateful to be able to collaborate with many different artists, in many different forms. He is a teaching artist (Philadelphia Young Playwrights, Wilma Theater, Village of Arts and Humanities), actor (Passing Strange, Adapt! and When The Rain Stops Falling [Barrymore Best Ensemble] at the Wilma) director, writer, rapper, visual artist, Resident Artist with the Wilma HotHouse company, social justice advocate, and a proud member of the band ILL DOOTS. ILL DOOTS has been seen recently at the Wilma Theater in An Octoroon and in Flashpoint Theater’s production of Hands Up: 6 testaments, 6 playwrights for which they received a Barrymore for Original Music. ILL DOOTS is currently commissioned under the Painted Bride Art Center as a BrideNext artist working on a creating a multimedia performance project centered around gentrification in North Philadelphia. It’s not just art, it’s a movement. www.illdoots.com

Alicia Crosby (Props Designer) is a performer and theater designer in Philadelphia and graduate of the Pig Iron School. Alicia has performed and devised with Antigravity Performance Project in Dear Diary LOL at FringeArts. Alicia has designed props for Pig Iron Theatre, Theater Exile, New Paradise Laboratories,e and Nichole Canuso Dance Co. www.aliciacrosby.com

Paloma Irizarry (Supertitles Coordinator/Operator) is a Philly-based theatre artist whose work invites audiences to explore the elements of her identity that confound her the most. Recent performances include “I See You See Me” a solo piece looking at the intersections and contradictions between objectifications and sexual empowerment, MJ Kaufman’s premiere of “Destiny Estimate” and La Fabrica’s “Azul.” She also served as assistant director for George & Co’s “Mission Hamlet”.

Flannel & Hammer Scene Shop (Technical Direction) is a Philadelphia-based business. The company was founded by Lauren Tracy (Flannel) and Joe Daniels (Hammer). With over 10 years’ experience and 100 productions under their (tool) belts they have the knowledge and skills to bring any scenic construction to life. Their work can be seen onstage at the Drake with Azuka Theatre and Inis Nua Theatre Company as well as at the Lantern Theatre Company.

Chris Sannino (Sound Engineer) is a Philadelphia based sound designer, composer, and engineer.  In addition to playing in a variety of experimental and rock music projects, Chris is currently the audio supervisor and lead engineer at FringeArts.  Favorite design credits include Nothing’s Gonna Change My World (New Georges), Jean and Terry (Melissa Krodman and Kelly Bond), Revolution and a Sandwich (The Shakedown Project), FIXED (Passage Theatre Co.), Spinning Immigrant (Emmanuelle Delpech), The Birds (Curio Theatre Co.), Cinematic Human (BRAT Productions), Buyer & Cellar (1812 Productions), andThe Brownings (Orbiter 3).

Abby Schlackman (Assistant Lighting Designer) is a Philadelphia based lighting designer of theater. UArts; Sonnets for an Old Century (LD), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (LD), Hamlet (LD), Now We Are Six (LD), Mr. Marmalade (LD), Ruination Y_3K (LD), Equinox 2016 (LD), Legally Blonde (ALD), The Bourgeois Gentleman (ALD), Polyphone ’16, ’17, ’18 (ALD), Pocatello (ALD), Twelfth Night (ALD), REV Theater Co; Hamlet (LD), and LLCA; Summer Season 2016 (LD). abbyschlackman.com

Anthony Wiegand (Scenic Charge)

Kate Raines (Photographer, Plate3 Photography) is a 2009 graduate of The University of the Arts. Her photographic work has been published on the cover of Instinct Magazine, on Cosmopolitan online, on Jezebel, in Time Out New York, on the header of the Arts section of the Philadelphia Inquirer, on the cover of the Arts section of the Philadelphia Inquirer, on the cover of the Arts section of the Philadelphia Tribune, in US Airways magazine, in City Paper, and in Ritz Film Magazine.

Danielle Gatto (Video Producer) is a Philadelphia-based video and installation artist with a background in theater directing. She has created music videos for Grammy award-winning artists and has presented installation works at Asian Arts Initiative, FringeArts, National Initiative for Arts & Health in the Military National Summit, and the Ringling Museum of Art.

Marángeli Mejía Rabell (Community Liaison) is a Puerto Rico-born, Philadelphia-based creative and community development practitioner whose work is centered on strategic alignment, cross sector convening/partnership development, collective impact, and arts & culture as a tool for social change. As co-founder of AfroTaino Productions, she curates, co-designs, and executes arts/culture programming, campaigns, special events, and projects in public and private arenas targeting multicultural audiences. She also serves as the Village of Arts and Humanities’ Director of Community Economic Development and the Philadelphia Latino Film Festival Director. Some of her most recent collaborations include: Pepon Osorio’s reForm at Tyler Contemporary; BrideNext, a Building Audience Demand project with Marty Pottenger.

April Rose (Marketing and Events Coordinator) is a Philadelphia based visual, performing, and teaching artist. She graduated from Temple University’s undergraduate acting program in 2016 and has been working with various arts organizations and theatre companies throughout Philadelphia ever since. April is currently the gallery, accounting, marketing, special projects, and operations assistant at the Painted Bride Art Center as well as a teaching artist with Philadelphia Young Playwrights.

AfroTaino Productions (Talent Booking Agency and Promotional Partner) brings over 50 years of combined experience in event production, audience development, intercultural marketing, and a vibrant array of campaigns in the public and private arena targeting multicultural audiences. AfroTaino creates and curates memorable experiences for audiences that desire 21st century relevance. Past clients & collaborators include the National Council of La Raza, Mural Arts Program, National Public Radio (NPR), Bank of America, Greater Philadelphia Film Office, MTV Tr3s, Barnes Foundation, and the Grammys (NARAS). Our diverse and progressive taste has given us the ability to spotlight & introduce artists to new audiences. Acts like Calle 13, Bomba Estereo, Manu Chao, Casuarina, Antibalas, Chicano Batman and Ana Tijoux, are just a handful of acts that have collaborated with AfroTaino Productions.

Phoebe Schaub (TSPC Operations Manager) is a Philadelphia artist, teaching artist (Philadelphia Young Playwrights, The Delphi Project for Pennsylvania Ballet), and Operations Manager of Team Sunshine Performance Corporation. She is a co-founder and former company member of Found Theater Company, a producer and curator of the Knight Foundation-funded Secret Show Series at Painted Bride Art Center, and a graduate of Temple University’s undergraduate directing program. In all areas of her life, she strives to make and facilitate work that is multi-faceted and empathic.

Linnea Carlson deRoche (Dramaturg/Online Resource Manager) is a collaborator and facilitator of various learning experiences around Philly and a Philadelphia Theatre of the Oppressed practitioner who has been playing open-ended theatre games and creating original theatre with youth for many years. Linnea believes that learning happens everywhere and works with various groups of people to create self-directed learning opportunities, always with a focus on social justice and playful self-inquiry. Linnea has also taught cooking and history courses, Spanish, creative writing, lintuitional dance and organizes workshops for LGBTQ youth, English Language Learners, unschoolers, and other radical groups. Fun fact: Linnea once worked at Independence National Historical Park and still misses that park ranger costume.

Cast

Jorge Enrique Caballero Elizarde (Performer/Creator) is a 2005 graduate of the Superior Institute of Art (ISA) in Cuba, with a degree in performance. In 2011, Jorge joined the professional theater company Theater Buendía, one of the most prominent groups in Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2012, Jorge received a scholarship to attend the Program of Artistic Residencies for Young People of Latin America and Haiti in Mexico, with the one-man show he wrote, directed, and performed, Kid Chocolate. He has toured internationally and received numerous acting awards for his theatrical and film work. Since 2010, Jorge has served as professor of performance at the Superior Institute of Art (ISA), and he has been a professor at the National School of Art (ENA) since 2015.

Benjamin Camp (Performer/Creator) is an actor/creator/producer working in Philadelphia, and a Co-Founder of Team Sunshine Performance Corporation. He was lead artist for Team Sunshine’s Punchkapow, Terrarium, and Zombie Defense Consultations, as well as a core collaborator on all Team Sunshine projects and events including JapanAmerica Wonderwave and Huddle Live. Benjamin was awarded the 2014 Independence Foundation Fellowship, and has had the pleasure of working with Pig Iron Theatre Company, Shakespeare in Clark Park, Theater Horizon, and the Rosenbach Museum and Library, among others. Benjamin graduated with a BA Theater Major from Swarthmore College and completed the full program of Lecoq style training in physical theater and ensemble created theater at the London International School of Performing Arts (LISPA).

Lori Felipe Barkin (Performer/Creator) is a New York-based performer and creator. She has worked with companies such as INTAR Theatre, Third Space Collective, Live Source Collective, Miracle Theater Group, and Team Sunshine Performance Corporation. Her original, one-woman show, The Funeral of Enerio López, has appeared in The Flying Solo Festival in NYC and in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. She graduated High Honors from Swarthmore College and is a singer with 24-piece Samba band, Philly Bloco. When off-stage, Lori is in front of the camera or behind the microphone. You can hear her voice anywhere from TV to radio.

Idalmis Garcia Rodriguez (Performer/Creator) is a Cuban actress living in New York. In her native Havana she has been part of important Cuban films and has worked with well know film, TV, and theatre directors. Her credits in film include: Sergio & Serguei, Los Dioses Rotos, and Conducta (Goya Award Nominee) from director Ernesto Daranas and Larga Distancia by Esteban Insausti. In New York she also has worked in immersive theatre experiences with the companies Punchdrunk (Sleep No More) and Woodshed Collective. Her theatre credits also include several plays in Havana and Germany.

Jenna Horton (Performer/Creator) is a freelance performer and creator based in Philadelphia.  She has collaborated with Annie Wilson, Team Sunshine, SwimPony, Headlong, the Berserker Residents, Bearded Ladies, Chris Davis, Lightning Rod Special, and Applied Mechanics. Her solo, Mounting Etna, was featured at Fringearts’ Jumpstart program and at JACK for B.I.P.A.F. in 2013.  She has acted with local companies including EgoPo, Shakespeare in Clark Park, Theatre Ariel, Inis Nua, and the IRC.  National credits include Ants and Paper Planet with Polyglot of Australia and Nature Theatre of Oklahoma’s Life and Times. She holds a BA in Performance Studies from Brown University, attended the Headlong Performance Institute in ‘09, and writes for thINKingDance.

TIMBALONA (Live Music Performers) is a percussion collective focusing on folklore and popular music from the Caribbean and Latin America. TIMBALONA was established in the year 2010 by professional percussionists from South America, Andrés Cisneros (Venezuela) and Christian Noguera (Argentina). As a percussion duo, they have collaborated with artists throughout the U.S. as well as internationally. They have performed at venues such as the Philadelphia Clef Club, the Kimmel Center, the Painted Bride Art Center, and the San Carlos Institute in Key West, Florida. Since the year 2010, Andrés and Christian have been working for AMLA (Artístas y Músicos Latino Americanos) as freelance percussionists and teaching artists. Through AMLA, they currently work giving private classes, group classes, as well as individually working in several schools in the city of Philadelphia. Through TIMBALONA’S investigative research travels across Latin America, they apply what they learn to their evolving percussion curriculum. As musicians and investigators of Caribbean and Latin music, TIMBALONA continues to spread their mission of unity, community building, and cultural exchanges through their music.

Supporters

This production has been developed at Teatro Ludi (Havana auditions); Swarthmore Project in Theater, Swarthmore College; Taller Puertorriqueño; and FringeArts

Major support for ¡BIENVENIDOS BLANCOS! OR WELCOME WHITE PEOPLE! has been provided to Alex Torra by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, with additional support from the Wyncote Foundation, the Network of Ensemble Theaters, and the Puffin Foundation, as well as the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Southwest Airlines, and the Surdna Foundation through a grant from the NALAC Fund for the Arts Grant Program.

Bienvenidos Campaign Anchor Donors: The Lida Foundation, Gary and Ellen Reuben, Arthur Larrabee, Nancy Lanham, Amanda Chudnow, and Barbara Klock.

Bienvenidos Campaign Supporters: Anonymous, David Ballard, Sophia Barrett, Sarah Bishop-Stone, Kelly Bond, Jennifer Borish, Marla Burkholder, Tommy Butler, Tenara Calem, David & Margaret Camp, Nelson Camp, Joe Canuso, Betsy Casanas, Peter Chomko, Fran Chudnow, Carly Ciarrocchi, Elyse Clemens, Ria Cooper, Aruna Crovetto, Brain Crowley-Koch, Hannah de Keijzer, Kimiko Doherty, Stephen Dotson, Lisa Dotson, Lauren Dubowski, Emma Ferguson, Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund, Lowell Fox, AJ Garrigus, Anisa George, Laura Gibson, Michael Golden, Jerene Good, Jesse Gottschalk, Steve Gravelle, Liz Green, Michael Greenberg, Andrew Greenhow, Abigail Guay, Bill Hanson, Stephanie Harmelin, Jill Harrison, Jake Hooker, ILL DOOTS, Jordan Kaplan, Johanna Kasimow, Tim Kelly, Maura Krause, Allen Kuharski, Lori Latimer, Tom Lebeau, Matthew Lempa, Brett Mapp, Jessica Massart, Marty Maynard, Laurie McCants, Tasha Milkman, Nate Morgan, Patrick Mulryan, Beth Nixon, Erlina Ortiz, Lee Paczulla, Bonnie Paul, Kathy Pentek, Nicki Pombier Berger, Jennifer Rajotte, Brian Ratcliffe, Toki Rehder, Sharon Richardson, Jason Rosenberg, Katie Samson, Gabriela Sanchez, Phoebe Schaub, Cara Schmidt, Michael Schur, Clifford Schwinger, Alan Smith, Jennifer Smith, Amy Smith, Geoff Sobelle, Jonah Spear, Jenna Spitz, Daniel Student, Laura Surtees, Jeffrey Tan, Alisha Tonsic, Nelson Torra, Dito Van Reigersberg, Susan Walker, Teresa Wilensky, Jacob Winterstein, Rebecca Wright, Ben Yalom, Sarah Yusavitz

Extra Special Thanks

Sarah Bishop-Stone, Sarah Chandler, Kimya Dawson, Dave Deneen, Jess DeStefano, Sarah Gladwin Camp, Katie Gould/KG Strong, Jillian Jetton, Tom Lebeau, Jacob Winterstein, Arden Theatre Company, Chi MAC, Equilibrium Dance Academy, Headlong, Pig Iron Theatre Company, Swarthmore College/Tara Webb, The Whole Shebang, The Wilma Theater/Chris, Clancy Philbrick, Clayton Tejada, Joe Samala 

Community Brain Trust

Aram Aghazarian, Fred Brown, Tenara Calem, Betsy Casañas, Amanda Chudnow, Jamil Gaines, Anisa George, Johanna Kasimow, Jenn Kidwell, Maura Krause, Scott McPheeters, Francesca Montanile, Shavon Norris, Cat Ramirez, Les Rivera, Brett Robinson, Michael Schur, Eva Steinmetz

Mi Casa, Tu Casa

Rachel Camp, Ellen Chenoweth, Maggie Lakis, Jennifer Lameo, Jennifer MacMillan, Rob McClure, Gary Reuben, Meredith Small, Dito van Reigersberg, Meghan Walsh, Andrew Whitmire, Meghann Williams

Coming Up at FringeArts

Séancers
May 10-12

With majesty, opulence, and agency, Séancers examines how the American racialized body uses psychic, spiritual, and theoretical strategies to shapeshift through loss and oppression. This journey into the surreal and fantastical states of the Black imagination traverses the “fatal” axis of abstraction, illegibility, and gender complexity with a collapsing of lyrical poetry, movement forms, and discursive performance.