CRANFORD — The CDC Theatre in Cranford, NJ takes great pride in its unbroken run of 105 seasons of quality community theatre productions. In the spirit of providing unique theatrical experiences for a range of audiences, CDC Theatre once again will showcase a Spanish- language production as part of its Festival de Teatro Hispanico, or Hispanic Theatre Festival.
This year’s production is Valeria Radioactiva by Argentine playwright Javier Daulte as directed by Annick Vasquez of Haskell, NJ. The play is the story of a famous screenwriter whose specialty lies in the imaginative world of telenovelas. Valeria is embarking on her greatest project yet, “El Inmortal” (The Immortal One), all while facing her own mortality. Valeria and her coworkers navigate complicated relationships that often reflect in the characters she creates.
The challenge for the talented cast is that as actors they portray not only the writers, family and coworkers who create “ El Inmortal,” but also the characters within the telenovela. For the audience, switching from the real world to the soap opera world reveals aspects of all the characters in surprising plot turns.
The cast are experienced in English- language plays, but for most of them, this is their first opportunity to work entirely in Spanish, reflecting their family heritage and lacultura latina as a fundamental aspect of the Hispanic Theatre Festival. The performers include Dania Aguero Davie (Cranford0, Erwin Guerrero (Passaic), Andrea Lopez (Paterson), Carla Breton (Teaneck), Jose Figueroa Rivera (West Orange), Red Palafox (Passaic) and Stephanie Villanueva (Roselle Park).
Performances will take place at the CDC Theatre, 78 Winans Avenue, on Friday, June 14 at 8 p.m., Saturday, June 15 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday, June 16 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $20, with a $2 discount for seniors, and are available online at cdctheatre.org or at the box office one hour prior to each performance. Please note that Valeria Radioactiva often deals with adults themes and contains brief simulated drug usage and nudity.
