December 6-16, 2012, 7:30pm
The Eulalie Scandiuzzi Space
1 hour, 55 minutes (inluding one intermission)

The Greeks descend on modern day California in eSe Teatro's first full mainstage production, Luis Alfaro's Oedipus El Rey, reacquainting audiences with the iconic tragedy through the lens of Chicano culture and ancient Mexican ritual.

Informed by the California prison system, Oedipus presents gang hierarchy as it collides with fate and examines whether the "curse" of revenge violence plaguing it generation after generation can lessen without an ultimate sacrifice to the gods. Prophecies of the barrio rule the lives of its people, crushing families with the iron hand of "el destino"(destiny). Has the path already been determined? How much is really up to us?

Playwright Luis Alfaro, one of the most widely-produced Latino-American playwrights in the U.S., continues to push the envelope exploring controversial social issues through his writing. His Chicano-focused adaptations of Greek classics (Electricidad, based on Electra) have garnered numerous awards and recognitions, including the 1997 MacArthur "Genius Award."

Recommended for 13 and older due to adult subject matter.