On July 25, HB Residency Artist Paola Alexandra Soto presents her project Lucha Libre, a story about a young Dominican woman dreaming of becoming a luchadora.
HB Residency: Paola Alexandra Soto’s Lucha Libre
Friday, July 25 at 6:30pm
HB Playwrights Theatre | 124 Bank Street
Pay-What-You-Wish, $30 Recommended
About the Project:
Yaneliz, a young woman growing up in the Dominican Republic, dreams of becoming the first luchadora (female wrestler) in a family of luchadores (male wrestlers). When she gets her first period, she finds that one cannot be both a wrestler and a woman. Her brother, Rigoberto, is supposed to continue the family legacy, but when he’s unable to win a single match, their father, Arnoldo, gives Yaneliz an ultimatum. Now, she must decide what she is willing to give up to make her dream come true.
About the Artist:
Paola Alexandra Soto (she/her) is an award-winning playwright, director, and actor. She is the co-founder of the Obie Award-winning Dominican Artists Collective (DAC). The 2023-2024 Artist in Residence at Oye Group. Playwriting Credits include D’Carnaval (Vision Residency, Ars Nova), La Sosa Sisters (Columbia@Roundabout 2021 New Play Reading series finalist), Lucha Libre (Shanghai Theatre Academy), and On The 1 Train (Jacob Weiser Playwriting Award). She is the Creative Producer for Lemon Andersen’s When Aliens Fall From the Sky and the 66th Obie Awards ceremony. Training: MFA, Columbia University; BA, City College of New York (CUNY). She’s thrilled to be working on this reading of Lucha Libre with this talented group of collaborators.