Ghosts of the River

Ghosts of the River incorporates actors, shadow puppets and music along with Octavio Solís' epic writing into a unique collection of vignettes of those who have encountered the Rio Grande throughout time:  Mexican Revolution refugees fleeing from violence; families abandoned by coyotes; narcotic rivalries that strew the river with the dead; and Border Patrol agents who toil against the tide of immigration and personal conscience. Produced by San Francisco's ShadowLight Productions, Ghosts of the River shares the untold stories of both sides of the divide. This will be a bilingual play with Spanish/English translation provided through subtitles.
 
Fantamas Del Río incorpora actores en escena, marionetas de sombras y música en una obra bilingüe que relata cuentos de las personas que han encontrado el Río Grande.  Los de los refugiados de la revolución mexicana, las familias abandonadas por los coyotes, las rivalidades de los narcotraficantes y los agentes de la patrulla fronteriza que trabajan duramente contra la marea de inmigracióny la conciencia personal. Una producción de ShadowLight Productions, Fantasmas Del Río comparte los relatos por contar de ambos lados de la frontera.  Está obra se presentará en forma bilingüe con traducción por medio de subtítulos.

World Premiere
Oct 1 - 11, 2009
Teatro Vision, San Jose 

Oct 28 - Nov 8, 2009
BRAVA Theater Center, San Francisco

Performers:
Leonidas Kassapides   
Caryl Kientz                  
Marc Pinate
Lydia K. Greer
Sarita Ocón
Fred C. Riley III
Marilet Martinez
Gerardo P. Mendez
Hugo Carbajal

Artists: 
Octavio Solís, Playwright
Larry Reed, Director/Shadow Master
Favianna Rodriguez, Art Director
Cascada de Flores, Music
I Made Moja, Shadow Design
Gregory T. Kuhn, Sound Design

Quotes from the press:
"GHOSTS OF THE RIVER delivers the absolute best of what theater can and should be – personal yet universal, uplifting in the midst of pain, and simply human..."
-Louise Adams, EDGE San Francisco 

"The shadows of Reed's puppetry have depth, texture and vibrant flashes of color in Rodríguez's striking designs.”
-Robert Hurwitt, SF Chronicle

"Reed's alchemy of light and shadow gives these puppets a startlingly human quality. And Solis' sly storytelling puts a human face on the immigration debate without dreary didacticism.””
- Karen D’Souza, Mercury News