April 4, 2018 – Mask & Mirror Community Theatre will finish their 7th season of mainstage productions by staging the exceptional comedy-drama with a message: “Living Out” by Lisa Loomer. Performances are May 4-20, Friday & Saturday at 7:30pm, and Sunday at 2:30pm; and take place at “The Stage” at Calvin Church, 10445 SW Canterbury Lane in Tigard. Tickets are $15 adults and $12 for seniors and students and can be purchased online at http://www.maskandmirror.com/
Living Out tells the story of the complicated relationship between a Salvadoran nanny and the Anglo lawyer she works for. Both women are smart, hard-working mothers. Both want better lives for their children. The play explores the shared humanity between them…and the differences wrought by race, class, and Ana’s illegal status. Through Ana, we understand what it means to leave a child in another country to come here, and the potential cost of sacrificing one’s own child in order to care for someone else’s. Through Nancy we understand the pressure on women today to “do it all,” and the cost of making that choice. The play also looks at the prejudices and misconceptions between different cultures. How do we make someone “the other?” What is the cost of doing so? The play is both bitingly funny and tragic.
Linda Talluto, now retired after teaching drama in the Tigard-Tualatin School District for many years and directing 45 shows with her students, directs the play for Mask & Mirror. “When I first read Living Out, I was struck by its relevance to social issues of today: class struggles, women’s struggles, and immigration struggles,” says Linda. “Not much has changed for the better since it was written in 2003. While there is humor throughout the show, I still cry every time I get to the end. It is beautifully and powerfully written, with something in each character identifiable to all of us. I hope the audience enjoys the show and finds something to take with them as they leave the theatre.”
In order to find the talent needed for “Living Out” Linda reached out to various persons and businesses that cater to the Latino community. This was extremely successful and Linda was able to select her actors from an enthusiastic Latino and Anglo group that auditioned. The cast includes Eleanor Amoros as the Salvadoran nanny; Pedro Andrade as the Salvadoran carpenter; and Jordan Fugitt and Yelena King as the employers of the nanny. Other roles are played by Lydia Ellis-Curry, Naiya Amilcar, Aurea Taylor and Laila Mottaghi.
The play is presented in English, with some Spanish spoken among the Latino characters. With the help of a grant from the Regional Arts and Culture Council, an ASL interpreter, for deaf and hearing impaired people, will interpret the Sunday, May 6 performance.
Mask & Mirror Community Theatre is a 501(c)3 non-profit, all-volunteer performing company. All actors, crew and administrators donate their time without pay in order to bring quality live theatre to the citizens of Tigard and Tualatin.
