FANTASMAVILLE

Who: Teatro Vivo

What: Fantasmaville a new play by Raul Garza and directed by David Yeakle

When: November 5 - 16, 2008 -
Wednesday – Saturday 8 pm
Sunday matinee 2 pm and 6 pm

Where: The Rollins Theatre at The Long Center for the Performing Arts
701 W. Riverside Drive
Austin, TX 78704 Tickets:

Preview Weds.& Thurs. Nov. 5 and 6 - All seats $12

Opening Night Gala Performance and Backstage Reception Friday Nov. 7 $25 All other performances $14 - $18

Call 474-LONG or online www.thelongcenter.org


Teatro Vivo kicks off its 8th season, entitled Nacido en Texas,(Born in Texas) with the world premiere of the 2008 National Latino Playwright award winning play, Fantasmaville. Written by Austinite Raul Garza and directed by David Yeakle, Fantasmaville will enlighten and entertain audiences as it shines a light on the sensitive subject of the gentrification of East Austin. With a strong dose of comedy, Fantasmaville captures the dilemma of urban Chicanos caught between their treasured cultural past and their assimilated present.


Fantasmaville humorously examines the love/hate relationship Latino-Americans have with the ghosts of past people and places. When a world-weary Chicana, Celeste, and her Anglo husband, Martin, desire to experience a sense of community, they return home to the urban neighborhood where they both grew up. They resist the surge of gentrification. Colorful local characters, including an advice-spinning “Mexicano spirit guide” who takes on the form of a human-sized raccoon, complicate the couple's return. While facing the threat of a yuppie-centric dog park encroaching on her neighborhood, Celeste discovers the secret of her heritage, her purpose, and her longing for a sense of home.


Raul Garza is a Texas-based writer whose work has been performed by the Latino Comedy Project at SketchFests in Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver. A veteran of the advertising industry, Raul has created national commercials for clients including McDonald’s, Reebok and Miller Lite, and is co-founder of TKO Advertising in Austin, TX. Fantasmaville is Garza’s first full-length play.


Teatro Vivo’s artistic director, Rupert Reyes commented that “Garza’s authentic fresh comedic voice will gives the sense that he intimately knows the characters he writes." Garza uses a fluent Chicano tongue, dancing effortlessly between English and Spanish.” This new production is can be enjoyed by the entire Austin community, including non-Spanish speakers.


Teatro Vivo is delighted to be working with critically acclaimed director David Yeakle, who was recently nominated for multiple B. Iden Payne Awards for his production of The Red Balloon.

Teatro Vivo will be making its return to the Long Center, after selling out its last production, Petra’s Sueño, at the prestigious theater. Be sure to look out for the two other productions of Teatro Vivo’s season, Nacido en Texas: Rupert Reyes’ latest work, Crossing the Rio and Tripas by Lisa Walden Cortez.

For more information, visit Teatro Vivo’s website at www.teatrovivo.org or call 512 474-6379.