Two Plays by Quiara Alegría Hudes Find Their Casts at Center Theatre Group

Casting has been announced for two upcoming productions with Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles.

Elliot, a Soldier’s Fugue, written by Quiara Alegría Hudes, will feature Rubén Garfias, Peter Mendoza, Jason Manuel Olazábal, and Caro Zeller. Directed by Shishir Kurup, the creative team includes set design by Sibyl Wickersheimer, costume design by Raquel Barreto, lighting design by Geoff Korf, and sound design by John Nobori. The production stage manager is Maggie Swing.

The story is described as follows: "A soldier, like his father and his father’s father, 19-year-old Elliot is back from Iraq with a Purple Heart. As he recovers from his injuries and decides whether to return to Iraq, he yearns for a truer connection with his father and considers his own limited options outside the military." Elliot, a Soldier’s Fugue will begin previews January 27, 2018 in advance of a February 3 opening and will run through February 25 at the Kirk Douglas Theatre.

Hudes's Water by the Spoonful will simultaneously run at the Mark Taper Forum from January 31-March 11, 2018, with an official opening set for February 11. Directed by Lileana Blain-Cruz, the cast will include Bernard K. Addison, Josh Braaten, Sean Carvajal, Sylvia Kwan, Keren Lugo, Nick Massouh, and Luna Lauren Vélez. The creative team includes set design by Adam Rigg, costume design by Raquel Barreto, lighting design by Yi Zhao, sound design by Jane Shaw, projection design by Hannah Wasileski, and production stage management by David S. Franklin.

Water by the Spoonful, winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, is described as follows: "A janitor, a software mogul, a college grad and an IRS paper-pusher have one thing in common. Although they live thousands of miles apart, these four people share a secret: they’re recovering addicts who have found a safe haven in an online chat room. There, with liberal doses of jokes and bullying, they help each other navigate the broken terrain of their lives. But when an Iraq War veteran’s tragedy spills over into their cyberhome, everything changes."

The two productions are presented as part of Hudes's Elliot trilogy, a series of three plays revolving around Elliot Ruiz, a Puerto Rican Iraq War veteran from Philadelphia. The final installment of the cycle, The Happiest Song Plays Last, will be presented at the Los Angeles Theatre Center from February 17-March 19, 2018.

For tickets to Elliot, a Soldier’s Fugue, click here.

For tickets to Water by the Spoonful, click here.