October 20-22, 2017
El Apagón/The Blackout
Strictly Limited Engagement!
GET TICKETS here!
While riding the New York subway uptown from Brooklyn to El Barrio, and eager to witness the birth of his firstborn, a Puerto Rican factory worker and his best friend, Trompoloco, are caught in the Great Northeastern Blackout.
Performed in Spanish & English with Titles!
Direction:
Rosalba Rolón
Musical Direction:
Desmar Guevara
Ensemble Cast:
Jorge B. Merced & Flaco Navaja
[tab: ABOUT]
About the production
A brand new staging of “the quintessential Boricua play,” featuring acclaimed veteran actor and original Apagón cast member Jorge B. Merced, together with rising Latino stage, film, and music star Flaco Navaja. Directed by Rosalba Rolón.
APAGÓN/BLACKOUT is our award-winning adaptation of the story “The Night We Became People Again” by José Luis González, performed in Spanish and English, and set to the beat of popular Latin songs from the 1950’s and 60’s.
While riding the New York subway uptown from Brooklyn to El Barrio, and eager to witness the birth of his firstborn, a Puerto Rican factory worker and his best friend, Trompoloco, are caught in the Great Northeastern Blackout.
A paean to the courage, humor and humanity of migrant experience, APAGÓN/BLACKOUT is one of Pregones’ most enduring and popular creations, with hundreds of performances throughout the the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Europe.
[tab: CREDITS]
JORGE B. MERCED • Pregones’ Associate Artistic Director and company member since 1987. An acclaimed theater artist, he trained with Osvaldo Dragún, Eugenio Barba, Miguel Rubio and Teresa Ralli (EITALC 89 – Cuba), Augusto Boal (Brazil & France), and at the Alvin Ailey Center (NY). Jorge has starred in over 40 Pregones’ productions and received multiple acting and directing awards. His New York directing credits include: Fellini’s La Strada with René Buch, El huesped vacío and The Smell of Popcorn (IATI). Pregones directing credits include: Baile Cangrejero, El Apagón, Blanco, Aloha Boricua, Migrants!, Las facultades, Neon Baby, Marchers Trilogy, and 11 years of readings and workshop productions for the Asunción Playwrights Project. He is a graduate of City College-CUNY.
FLACO NAVAJA • singer, poet, actor, born and raised in the Bronx. If Héctor Lavoe Boxed Rubén Blades and KRS-1 was the referee you’d get Flaco. Navaja’s original style of poetry combines singing, beat-boxing, and spoken word. He was the host of the open mic showcase; “All That! Hip Hop Poet- ry & Jazz” at the Nuyorican Poets’ Cafe. In 2003, he toured internationally with the Tony Award winning Russell Simmons’ DEF POETRY JAM and he has appeared on four episodes of the HBO series. Nava- ja is a member of Screen Actors Guild and has ap- peared in several films & television shows. Includ- ing PRIDE & GLORY, FIGHTING, GUN HILL ROAD, LAW & ORDER, CSI NY and new webseries EASTWILLYB.
ROSALBA ROLÓN • (Director) Pregones Theater’s Founder and Artistic Director, and a 2008 United States Artists (USA) Fontanals Fellow in Theater Arts, she’s an acclaimed performer, dramaturg, and stage director, credited for building an uniquely Latino musical theater repertory with emphasis on adaptations. Merit distinctions include: multiple HOLA and ACE awards, Cherashore Actor’s Award, and a Ford Foundation Visionaries Fellowship. Boards: United States Artists, and National Association of Latino Arts & Culture.
DESMAR GUEVARA • (Musical Director) A seasoned champion of new music idioms, he is also committed to writing experimental and Afro Puerto Rican music for the theater. In 20 years with Pregones, he has served as composer, arranger and performer of numerous productions, including, La Rosa Roja/The Red Rose and The Harlem Hellfighters On A Latin Beat, both issued as original cast recordings. He is also the founder and director of chamber jazz ensemble Taller Sicá, with whom he has a full-lenght CD, Del otro lado del espejo, featuring special guest Danny Rivera.
[tab: VENUE] BRONX
Pregones Theater
575 Walton Avenue, The Bronx, NY 10451
located on Walton between 149th and 150th Streets
Language: Performed in both English & Spanish with titles.
[tab: PRESS]
“Illuminated by miracles and music, EL APAGÓN whips through very funny riffs on assembly-line work, the panicky subway crowd, the miracle of the baby, and the blaze of stars.”– The New York Times
“…truly the quintessential Boricua play. A celebration of life and human compassion amidst adverse social circumstances” – Beatriz Rizk, IHTF Miami
“Beautiful and inspiring! It reminds me that the little things in life show us truth and profound delight. It asks the audience to breathe, see, and remember our common humanity.”– Joseph González, Taller Puertorriqueño, Philadelphia, PA
“Simple in its humanity and beautifully realized.” –
Dudley Cocke, Roadside Theater
[tab: ESPAÑOL] EL APAGÓN es la aplaudida adaptación que hace el Teatro Pregones del cuento “La noche que volvimos a ser gente” de José Luis González, presentada en formato bilingüe y al ritmo de éxitos musicales de los años 50 y 60.
Viajando en metro desde Brooklyn hasta El Barrio y ansioso por presenciar el ya próximo nacimiento de su primogénito, un joven trabajador puertorriqueño y su amigo Trompoloco se ven atrapados en el Gran Apagón del Noreste.
La obra rinde homenaje al valor, el humor y la humanidad de los inmigrantes y es una de las creaciones más perdurables y populares de Pregones. A lo largo de casi 20 años ha tenido cientos de funciones en EE.UU., Puerto Rico y Europa.