Thursday Mar 29, 2018 - Sunday Apr 8, 2018

BLOODLETTING (Block Party)

by: Boni B. Alvarez
directed by: Jon Lawrence Rivera
"A HAUNTING AND EMPOWERING PIECE." Stage Raw
Ovation Recommended

A fantastical journey to discover the power we hold within.

On a visit to the Philippines to spread their father’s ashes, a brother and sister befriend a local girl who is revealed to be an aswang, a supernatural creature from Filipino folklore. Together they unlock the truth about their father, and the truth about themselves.

  • WHEN ALL THE LAYERS OF A STORY SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER LIKE THIS, THERE'S SOME FIRST-RATE PLAYWRITING GOING ON. Theatre Ghost
  • EACH OF THESE FOUR ACTORS COMMAND YOUR ATTENTION WITH THEIR STAGE PRESENCE, MAKING THEIR CHARACTERS VIVDLY REAL IN BOTH APPEARANCE AND ATTITUDE.
    Broadway World
  • The quartet brings their characters to life with believable tension and emotion. Ocenar conveys her anger and angst over her father and his troubling legacy. Yatco is also particularly effective. Credit for establishing the play’s remote tropical setting goes to scenic designer Christopher Scott Murillo, who uses a large tree and an open-air café that slides into place for indoor scenes, and sound designer Howard Ho, who simulates realistic rainstorms. Liberty Voice
  • [It] may be filled with foreign fantasy and folklore, but, at its core, it tells a very real and familiar story of the power of the interpersonal connections we share with one another. USC Annenberg Media
  • Each of these four actors command your attention with their stage presence, making their characters vividly real in both appearance and attitude. Yatco is especially effective in the opening scene as she takes center stage and proceeds to envelope herself into an over-the-top spiritually invigorating aswang experience. Scenic designer Christopher Scott Murillo creates the illusion of a tropical forest in which a large open-air café set piece slides into place when the action shifts indoors. Sound designer Howard Ho creates such realistic rainstorms, it’s easy to imagine sheets of water really are falling on the stage! Culver City News
  • Director Jon Lawrence Rivera artfully guides his seasoned cast through the play’s tonal shifts, fluently transitioning between the naturalistic scenes and supernatural ones. He’s aided in this effort by Lily Bartenstein’s expressive lighting and Howard Ho’s atmospheric sound effects and music. Christopher Scott Murillo’s sets are pleasing, as well, smoothly morphing several times from the modest café into a mystical forest and back again. Politics Money Culture
  • Starring: Boni B. Alvarez, Alberto Issac, Myra Cris Ocenar and Anne Yatco
  • Scenic Designer: Christopher Scott Murillo
  • Lighting Designer: Lily Bartenstein
  • Sound Designer: Howard Ho
  • Costume Designer: Mylette Nora

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PLAYWRIGHTS’ ARENA accepts unsolicited full-length plays from Los Angeles-based playwrights only and that comply with the company’s mission statement.

We do not accept one-acts (less than 70 minutes long), one-person shows or “kitchen sink” dramas. Please submit the entire script with a cover letter and playwright’s bio using the form below.

As with all theaters, response time will depend on the number of current submissions for review (up to six months).

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