February 22 through March 9
PASSION PRODUCTIONS AND BUGEYE THEATER COMPANY PRESENT
KISS OF THE
SPIDER WOMAN
A Play by MANUEL PUIG
Directed by JOSE ANGEL SANTANA
Starring EIAL andJEFFREY FLOWERS
"Kiss of the Spider Woman" is an intricate story of friendship and love, set against the backdrop of cinematic culture and the brutal politics of Latin American in the 1970s. Adapted by author Manuel Puig from his ground-breaking 1976 novel, it is presented now for the first time in Santa Barbara.
Set in a Buenos Aires prison cell, "Kiss of the Spider Woman" explores the enforced relationship between Molina, a homosexual window-dresser, and Valentin, a Marxist journalist and political prisoner. Molina entertains Valentin with fanciful narratives drawn from his favorite movies, and so lifts both men from the degrading confinement of prison, and proves that love is stronger than politics.
The play also reflects the political reality of violence and corruption that held Latin America through much of the last century. In this it is still painfully relevant today, as Argentina suffers economic collapse that threatens the fragile structures of its democratic government.
In anticipation of the play, a panel discussion entitled "Manuel Puig Revisited: A New Production of Kiss of the Spider Woman" will take place on February 11, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., at UCSB Girvetz Hall, room 1004. Puig is one of the most significant yet enigmatic Latin American writers of the second half of the 20th century. Considered Latin America's first "pop novelist," he is known for tinkering ingeniously with film nostalgia and mass culture, exploring compassionately the once-forbidden territory of sexual identity and politics.
Bugeye Theater Company is a collaborative group of theater artists exploring the archetypal forces imbedded in our contemporary cultural consciousness.
KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN
TIMES: Thursdays through Sundays,
February 22 (Friday) through March 9, 8:00 P.M.
TICKETS: $18 general, $12 students;
group rates available
BOX
OFFICE INFORMATION
The Center Stage Theater Box Office is open
Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 5:00 P.M., and one hour before each performance. See below for location.
Tickets may also be purchased
by telephone using
Visa, Master Card, and American Express.
Phone (805) 963-0408 (V / TDD).
LOCATION AND
DIRECTIONS
Center Stage Theater is located in the Paseo Nuevo
Center, upstairs at the intersection of Chapala and De la Guerra Streets,
Santa Barbara, California.
Take Highway 101 to Carrillo Street, exit and turn toward the mountains (northbound turns right, southbound turns left). Proceed to Chapala Street (fourth light) and turn right. Proceed 1-1/2 blocks and turn left into either of two entrances to Paseo Nuevo. Park near the elevator, or proceed to roof-level parking.