Las Hermanas Padilla
Working Towards Building a True Dialogue
Posted by DCA Theater on March 30, 2012 in January - July 2012 Season, Las Hermanas Padilla
Submitted by Nilsa Reyna, Artistic Director for Chicago Fusion Theatre, and currently acting in Las Hermanas Padilla at the DCA Storefront Theater 
I have lived in Chicago for the past 12 years and am thankful for the opportunities that have come my way since becoming a founding ensemble member of Teatro Luna, Chicago’s first and only all Latina theatre company, and performing with the ensemble for the first four years. Through exposure with Teatro Luna, I have had the opportunity to work with theatres such as Goodman Theatre, Victory Gardens Theater and Court Theatre in various capacities, as well as multiple storefront theatres as diverse as their mission statements. Since founding Chicago Fusion Theatre in 2007, I now produce, direct, act, and teach.
I am currently acting in our show, Las Hermanas Padilla, which features a cast of ten sisters-in-law and was surprised that our show with a Spanish title, a mixed cast (as specified by the playwright), design choices inspired by Mexican architecture, and the directorial choice to pronounce the character names as individual cast members would in their everyday lives gave the impression that the show should have been an all Latina cast.
Real World Parallel
Posted by DCA Theater on March 29, 2012 in January - July 2012 Season, Las Hermanas Padilla
DCA Theater recently hosted We’re Waiting for You: Encountering the Homefront, an author reading and letter-writing event in the 1st floor Garland Room of the Chicago Cultural Center. In conjunction with Chicago Fusion Theatre‘s Chicago premiere production of Las Hermanas Padilla, we presented Siobhan Fallon, a real-life military spouse and author of You Know When the Men are Gone, a collection of short fiction stories inspired by her experiences at Fort Hood.
Enhancing “Las Hermanas Padilla”
Posted by DCA Theater on March 16, 2012 in January - July 2012 Season, Las Hermanas Padilla
Submitted by Bridget Dougherty Melton, Ticketing and Patron Services Manager for DCA Theater
Last week, Chicago Fusion Theater hosted an “enhanced” performance of Las Hermanas Padilla for persons who are blind or have low vision. This was a new thing for both Chicago Fusion and DCA Theater, as we have not had an audio described performance in a few years. The event was a lot of fun because it went beyond the normal audio description to include some live music and a touch tour, and instead of using headsets, the whole audience was in on the audio description.
Chicago Fusion Theatre Managing Director Natalie DiCristofano (l) and scenic designer Noël Dominique (r) address the audience.
The Making of a Trailer…for a Play
Posted by DCA Theater on March 10, 2012 in January - July 2012 Season, Las Hermanas Padilla
Submitted by Ashley Rose, Archivist for Chicago Fusion Theatre, currently producing Las Hermanas Padilla in the DCA Storefront Theater
“IN A WORLD…..WHERE TEN BORTHERS ..”
No, no, no…
“IN A TIME…WHEN…BROTHERS..UH…WAR”
Nope.
The making of a trailer is a subtle art. Give too much away and what’s the point in seeing it? Don’t show enough, and no one knows what it’s about, and might not care. This especially applies when making a trailer for a theatre performance instead of a film. In this trailer I used the vivid imagery, a signature look of director Juan Castañeda, and the soulful guitar melodies written by Chris “Krizball” Kriz to paint a picture that I think conveys the sadness, as well as the hope of the Padilla sisters.
The Truth in Diversity
Posted by DCA Theater on March 9, 2012 in January - July 2012 Season, Las Hermanas Padilla
Submitted by Natalie DiCristofano, Managing Director of Chicago Fusion Theatre, currently producing Las Hermanas Padilla in the DCA Storefront Theater 
When we first started working on this play, we took a great deal of time and care in discussing the title page, which included these notes:
“Characters:
Mari, the one who quietly leads
Carmen, the one who drinks
Chave, the one who cooks
Alejandra, the one who’s expecting
Lucha, the one with poetry
Marta, the one with faith
Lucy, the one who laughs
Fidela, the one who’s quiet
Cristina, the one who’s young
Blanca, the one on the outside”
Excitement set in as we discovered the variety of women we might create in these roles. This would be a great opportunity for the ladies in Chicago to have some fun roles with substance. In traditional roles of mothers and wives, we see rich characters that could be played by any woman and brought to life through any woman’s eyes.
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