Dante’s Hope
March 26th, 2008 by Fr. Gabriel Gillen, O.P.
Blackfriars Repertory Theatre Spring Production: The Premiere of Dante’s Hope
A new play by Harry Cornelius Cronin…an adaptation of a medieval miracle story transposed to the present day in which the Blessed Virgin Mary (Our Lady of Guadalupe) contends with the devil (a mariachi band member) for the soul of a dead Mexican gang leader in present-day Los Angeles…
SCHEDULED FOR 6 PERFORMANCES OVER 2 WEEKENDS AT ST. JOSEPH’S CHURCH:
April 4, 5, 6 & April 11, 12, and 13, 2008
Blackfriars Repertory Theatre, NYC
Press Release
World Premiere of New Drama Dante’s Hope
Blackfriars Repertory Theatre will stage a new play by California playwright Harry Cornelius Cronin entitled Dante’s Hope. Dante’s Hope is an adaptation of a medieval miracle story transposed to the present day in which the Blessed Virgin Mary (Our Lady of Guadalupe) contends with the devil (a mariachi band member) for the soul of a dead Mexican gang leader in present-day Los Angeles .
Playwright Cronin’s produced plays include Dark Matter; Dooley; The Children of Hercules; Memoirs of Jesus; Naomi, Skip and the Reverend Garden; Fitzgerald and Hemingway; and The Burghers of Calais. Cronin is a two-time recipient of the Dramalogue Award.
The play will be directed by Fr. Peter John Cameron, O.P., the artistic director of Blackfriars. The assistant director is Mat Bussler, and the music director is Brendan Barr. Thomas Dunlea is the technical director, Maureen Hough is the costume designer, and Leta Tremblay is the stage manager. The cast features Jessica Angleskhan, Isaac Cruz, Maureen Dowdell, Adam Jesús La Faci, George Lugo, Janice Picconi, Kelly Swartz, Katherine Tamariz, Danielle Tolles, and Christopher Zorker.
Performances for Dante’s Hope will be the first two weekends of April (six performances): April 4, 5, 11, and 12 at 8:00 PM; April 6 and 13 at 3:00 PM. The location is St. Joseph ’s Church, 371 Sixth Avenue /Avenue of the Americas (between Waverly and Washington Place —two blocks south of 8th Street ), Greenwich Village , New York City. Nearby subway lines: 1, 9, A, C, E, B, D, Q, F. Admission is $10.00. There are no tickets; open seating. Doors open approximately 30 minutes before the curtain. Dante’s Hope is performed in one act without intermission; the performance runs approximately 90 minutes. For more information, contact Blackfriars Repertory Theatre at (646) 422-0450, or at BlackfriarsRep.com
