PRODUCTION HISTORY
Sonnets for an Old Century was developed by the Relentless Theatre Company, New York Theatre Workshop, The Mark Taper Forum, The Philadelphia Theatre Company, The La Jolla Playhouse, Ensemble Studio Theatre West and CalArts.
 
 
Sonnets for an Old Century received its world premiere production at the Greenway Arts Alliance (Pierson Blaetz and Whitney Weston, Co-Artistic Directors) in Los Angeles, California, on January 14, 2000. Oscar Arguello, Laura Frank and Maricela Ochoa were co-producers. It was directed and designed by James Eric; scenic art was by Gabriel Dell, Jr.; lighting design was by Cheryl Waters; costume design was by Naomi Yoshida-Rodriguez and the stage manager was Irma Escamilla. The cast was as follows:
Antoinette AbbamonteLesa Carlson
Andrew CarrilloGary Carter
Juan Carlos CisnerosLynn Dandridge
James DiStefanoMark Ferreira
Valentina FerreiraGretchen German
Billy KaneNewton Kaneshiro
Kevin KellyWendy Johnson
Diana C. LariosJavi Mulero
Masashi OdateRosana Potter
ReikoRené Rivera
Steven RugeMichael Teisan
Kiersten Van HorneWhitney Weston
NOTE: For a while, the monologues had no character names—so I gave each monologue a name, the names of my favorite actors, as a kind of “payback” for all their years of support and free work. This is in no way meant to limit the type of actor best able to perform that monologue. Consider the names to be a flexible marker as to character identity. In many cases, gender, age and race are undetermined—in production, please aim for the maximum level of diversity.
(i who have died am alive again today, and this is the sun’s birthday; this is the birth day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay great happening illimitably earth)
 
—e.e. cummings
“I THANK YOU GOD”
The afterlife could be represented by a tunnel, a cave, a warehouse, an airplane hangar, catacombs or a seedy office building with ugly fluorescent lighting—but it’s a large space.
The recently deceased people who appear in the space are from various parts of the U.S. There are Latinos, blacks, Asians, whites. There are gays and straights, children and old people. All are strangers to each other. Wendy Johnson speaks to them.