NOVEMBER 2006
Conjunto
by OLIVER MAYER
directed by JON LAWRENCE RIVERA

"RECOMMENDED ... A kaleidoscopic portrait of Japanese American farm owners and Mexican migrant laborers caught up in the World War II-era hysteria that made a mockery of freedoms we take for granted...Mayer's ability to sketch a full complement of diverse characters in vivid, muscular strokes benefits from three powerhouse lead performances ... In the absence of a just social context, these characters must find their own moral footing, which often takes unexpected turns. In a playful, stylized flourish, some turn for guidance to respective American and Mexican cinema icons Gene Autry and Jorge Negrete ..."Conjunto" forcefully resonates in depicting the exploitation of "guest" immigrant workers and the suspension of American citizens' civil liberties. The relative progress we've made since 1942 that Mayer illuminates is far from comforting." 
--Philip Brandes, Los Angeles Times

"Oliver Mayer’s newest work is fascinating for what it brings together: the ongoing oppression of Mexican-American and Filipino migrant workers, and the mistreatment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Toiling side by side on a strawberry farm in Burbank, the three disparate cultures meld surprisingly well, unified—or “conjoined,” as the title translates—in their collective desire to better their lives, to be treated with respect for how hard they work to assimilate into the American way...Jon Lawrence Rivera directs with passionately visionary style, and the performances of the actors, forming the play’s tense triangular relationship, are golden."
--Travis Michael Holder, Backstage West

"Mayer keeps his play lively by incorporating colorful characters...(and) there’s also a comic, fantasy element in which the characters’ dreams are shaped by American, Mexican and Japanese movies. Director Jon Lawrence Rivera nimbly deploys a fine, multiracial cast on John H. Binkley’s semiabstract set, and Hisao Shinagawa provides the original music..."
-- Neal Weaver, LA Weekly

set design by John H. Binkley
lighting design by Kathi O'Donohue
sound design by Bob Blackburn
costume design by Shon LeBlanc
casting director/associate producer Raul Clayton Staggs
associate producer Diane Levine

starring
Gil Bernardi
Michael David Cheng
Marlon Correa
Winthrop Ellsworth
Blake Kushi
Giovanni Ortega
Bobby Plasencia
Annie Katsura Rollins
Monica Sanchez
Hisao Shinagawa

Set against the backdrop of World War II and the threat of internment for Japanese-Americans, CONJUNTO tells the story of Japanese, Filipino and Mexican-American farm workers who labor together on a California farm. The war and the internment forces them to examine their identities-- some coping with their difficult lives by fantasizing about the popular film icons of the day.

Preview: Friday, November 10, 2006, $5
Opening: Saturday, November 11, 2006, $30
Regular Performances: Fri/Sat 8 PM and Sun 7 PM
through Sunday, December 10, 2006 ONLY $20

Studio/Stage
520 North Western Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90004
(between Melrose and Beverly)

Located 2 blocks south of Melrose at Maplewood.  (Please allow plenty of time for street parking).

Copyright 2005 Playwrights' Arena

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