Teatro Luna Introduces its Inaugural Diane Rodriguez Award with a Staged Reading of 2013’s Winning Play “You, Me & Tuno”, by Milta Ortiz

CHICAGO, IL  – Teatro Luna kicks off its first Lunada of 2013 with a staged reading of You, Me, & Tuno by Milta Ortiz, the winner of the inaugural Diane Rodriguez Award for the Advancement of Latina Voices. The award furthers Luna’s mission to provide development and opportunities for emerging and established Latina voices. A trailblazer for Latino and Chicano American theatre, Diane Rodriguez has dedicated her life to making work that documents and illuminates the narratives of the Latino/Chicano experience in the United States. Teatro Luna honors her and its commitment to expanding the circle of storytelling in contemporary American theatre by launching the Diane Rodriguez Award with a brave, exuberant new play that investigates environmental inequality through the lens of America’s most complicated special interest group: teenagers.On May 11, 2013 at 2pm, Teatro Luna will present a staged reading of You, Me & Tuno at Stage 773 directed by Steppenwolf’s Associate Producer Jacob Padrón. The reading features Ensemble members Kristiana Rae Colón and Abigail Vega, Artistic Affiliate Elizabeth Nungaray, and guest artists Sipriano Cahue, Jesse David Perez, Angelica Roque, and Norm Woodel. Development of the play continues the company’s engagement with young Latino audiences, a journey which began with the 2012 launch of the VeraLuna Young Artist Lab.In You, Me & Tuno, when teen sisters Marisol and Luna’s parents leave to pick pomegranates in the fields of the Central Valley, California, they are left under the care of their barely present Tia in East Oakland. Desperate for a way out, the girls and their cousin, Tuno, set out on a quest out of the familiarity and danger of their food desert barrio to the aisles of elusive “Real Foods” to taste a pomegranate. The quest tests their relationship to each other, the desert they call home and their understanding of who they are.

What: Staged reading as a result of a 3-week workshop of a work in progress, You, Me, & Tuno by Milta Ortiz. Directed by Jacob Padrón. Produced by Alexandra Meda for Teatro Luna.

Where: Stage 773 Box Theatre, 1225 W. Belmont Avenue

How Much: $5.00 Suggested Donation, Groups & Youth are encouraged to RSVP in advance to info@teatroluna.org or call 773.819.5862