This summer, a pirate with a checkered past embarks
on her most dangerous adventure yet...winning the heart
of the most terrifying woman in town--
a powerful sorceress with a bad attitude!
Manhattan Repertory Theatre
in association with
Crossroads Theatre Project
presents
The mystical Latina lesbian love story of our time!
What is Encanta?
Encanta is la gran historia mistica Latina y lesbiana de nuestros generacion.
Best buds Juan (Mark Guardamino) and Rico (Carlos Angulo) are relaxing at the beach when they fish out Penzima (Teresa Yslas), a lady pirate who lost it all in a shipwreck. Though they warn her about the sorceress Katrina (Jenisse Pierluissi), Penzima fearlessly approaches her and is instantly smitten. Sparks fly when they meet, and it's not just the fact that Katrina can shoot lightning from her fingertips. It would be a match made in heaven for these two would-be lovebirds, but there is one problem: Penzima and Katrina are the least likely candidates for a fairy tale ending. Penzima has a checkered past that casts doubt on her intentions. Katrina has a volcanic temper and a chip on her shoulder the size of the Grand Canyon. Katrina's meddling cousin (Samantha Samant) and mob of witch-haters (Leana Guzman) stirring up trouble aren't helping, either. The Encanta TeamShawn C. Harris, writer and producer
Asia Gagnon, director Teresa Yslas, actor (Penzima) Jenisse Pierluissi, actor (Katrina) Mark Guardamino, actor (Juan) Carlos Angulo, actor (Rico) Samantha Samant, actor (Maria) Leana Guzman, actor (Mob Leader) Jaime Martinez-Rivera, lighting design Arts and Crafts Inspired by EncantaThese mermaids were inspired by Penzima (left) and Katrina (right), the main characters of Encanta.
The artist, J., says: "I always get excited when I think about Encanta, with characters who look like me and excellent humour, that it makes me excited to do art. I've loved watching Encanta grow, and the mermaids are based on a friend's fanfiction from an earlier draft of the play. Encanta gives me a big smile whenever I read it. I think I feel a wholeness inside when there are characters just like me who get up to their own shenanigans and who I know are important to the author." This picture was inspired by Penzima's (left) wooing of Katrina (right), with the volcano setting a backdrop for their romance.
The artist, who chose to remain anonymous, says: “With this illustration I wanted to create a dynamic look that evoked timeless fairy tale imagery, similar to Disney film posters. I wanted to express Encanta as a story that belonged, that is very much equal in that storytelling tradition, while just happening to star two women of color in that classical romantic way. I wanted to capture the personalities of the two leads and the dynamics of their relationship within their expressions and body language. I used the volcano to evoke the passionate, explosive nature of the romance between them, the same way I saw it’s role in the story. I wanted the picture to be vivid, colorful, and emotionally evocative in a way that truly expressed this wonderful, fun and beautiful love story.” |
Come see Encanta!WHEN:
Wednesday, August 26 at 6:30pm and Friday, August 28 at 6:30pm. UPDATE: Due to the number of tickets sold for Wednesday and Friday's performance, Encanta now has a bonus performance on Thursday, September 3 at 9:00pm. WHERE: Manhattan Repertory Theatre 303 W. 42nd Street, 6th Floor New York, NY 10036 HOW MUCH: Tickets are $20 cash. Click here to view the FB events! Encanta on the Web"A sit down with Shawn Harris, Crossroads Theatre Project, and a play called Encanta" at Twinja Book Reviews
"Blogoversary Celebration Day 9: Playwright Shawn Harris rejoins us to talk about her blog, theatre, and Encanta!" at Twinja Book Reviews "An interview with playwright Shawn C. Harris" at The Hermit's Journey "Encanta As A Celebration" on The Clyde Fitch Report About Crossroads Theatre ProjectCrossroads Theatre Project brings works of fantasy, sci-fi, and horror to life and turns the straight white male default on its head.
To do this, Crossroads Theatre Project gives underrepresented theatre artists the chance to show their stuff and challenge what is possible for genre stories by and about people of African descent. Click here to follow Crossroads Theatre Project on Twitter. About Manhattan Repertory TheatreManhattan Repertory Theatre was created in 2005 by Jennifer Pierro and Ken Wolf.
Manhattan Rep's produces full-length plays, One Act Play Competitions, and monthly short play "EVENTS" with little or no cost to the participants in our space at 303 West 42nd St. at 8th Ave in the heart of Times Square. We also offer low-priced classes, Playwriting Mentoring and private monologue coaching. Since 2005, Manhattan Rep has produced over 1000 full-length plays, over 500 short plays and more than 10,000 theatre artists have participated. Manhattan Rep is committed to the artist, to creating a context of creativity and support in a CLEAN and professional environment. Manhattan Rep celebrates unbridled creativity, not judgement, and we believe that a script is not a play, just the map for a creative team to bring it to life. (source) MRT's Premiere Play Development Program is "an attempt streamline the process of play production and solve some of the most challenging problems of producing a play in NYC." |