HORTENSIA AND THE MUSEUM OF DREAMS

PRODUCTION HISTORY

Hortensia and the Museum of Dreams was commissioned by the Latino Theatre Initiative at Center Theatre Group’s Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, California. Hortensia and the Museum of Dreams premiered September 15, 2001, at the New Theatre (Rafael de Acha, Artistic Director; Eileen Suarez, Managing Director) in Coral Gables, Florida. It was directed by Rafael de Acha; the set design was by Michelle Cumming, the lighting design was by Travis Neff, the sound design was by Steve Shapiro; the production stage manager was Amanda Lee Clark. The cast was as follows:
LUCIANATanya Bravo
LUCACarlos Orizondo
HORTENSIA/MAMÁ FEFAMarta Velasco
SAMUEL/OFFICERRobert Maxwell
BASILIO/OFFICERDavid Perez-Ribada
GENERAL VIAMONTE/FAUSTINO/
TIO LALO/GUSTAVO SOTO/
HEREDIARamon Gonzalez-Cuevas
DELITA/HOTEL RECEPTIONIST/
AMPARO DE LAS ROSAS/
ABELARDA/MERCEDITA PEREZUrsula Freundlich

CHARACTERS

LUCIANA, a woman in her thirties (she’s older in real life)
LUCA, Luciana’s brother, thirties (he’s older in real life)
HORTENSIA, mother of Samuel and Basilio, early fifties
SAMUEL, Basilio’s brother, early twenties
BASILIO, Samuel’s brother, twenties
GENERAL VIAMONTE, works for the Interior Ministry, forties
DELITA, a woman in her twenties
Note: Luciana and Luca should look younger than their actual age, as if their lost childhood has stopped them from aging.

OTHER CHARACTERS:

MAMÁ FEFA (played by the actor playing Hortensia)
OFFICER 1 (played by the actor playing Samuel)
OFFICER 2 (played by the actor playing Basilio)
FAUSTINO, TIO LALO, GUSTAVO SOTO
(played by the actor playing General Viamonte)
HOTEL RECEPTIONIST, AMPARO DE LAS ROSAS, MERCEDITA PEREZ
(played by the actor playing Delita)

TIME AND PLACE

Cuba. The pope’s visit, January 21–25, 1998.

SET

The set should have a feeling of openness. A Tibetan bell is used as a way of suspending reality.