En Peligro De Extinción
Donation protected
Hello, it's me, Smile Face. I was wondering if after all of these years, you'd like to meet. To go over everything. Just kidding! I'm here to talk to you about a play that I have written, and which will be going up in the New Year: "En Peligro De Extinción," directed by my Spiritual Teacher, Guru Enlightment. This play was birthed in Puerto Rico, and will come to life in New York. Read on to learn more about my project.
EN PELIGRO DE EXTINCIÓN
“En Peligro De Extinción” is a play about a Puerto Rican woman named Sol. As a child, Sol migrated to New York City with her father after her mother’s passing. Sol grew up resenting the island where she lost her mom. In New York, her father made a living as a postman. He’d come home and tell his daughter stories from his day at work, delivering mail to all sorts of people with all sorts of anecdotes. These stories nurtured Sol’s imagination and she grew up to be a great science fiction writer. When she learns her father is sick and is planning to retire in Puerto Rico - the island where she first experienced pain and loss - she resents him and cuts off communication with her father. Sol has a change of heart when she learns about a Category 5 Hurricane approaching her home island, but by the time she reaches out it’s too late. The hurricane leaves thousands of Puerto Ricans without light, water, transportation, and medical care. Under these dire conditions, her dad passes away. Back in New York, our heroin finds a strange box containing unfinished stories written by her dad. The stories are about ordinary individuals, yet they harken back to a time when people connected through words and letters: an era that is on the verge of extinction. She decides to write endings to the stories begun by her father. These simple tales about simple people awaken a kind of forgotten magic, which in turn opens the door to an unknown world. It is in this parallel existence that our heroin has an opportunity to reconnect with her father, and learn more about who she really is.
“En Peligro De Extinción” will be performed in Spanish, and it goes up Friday, January 11th and Saturday, January 12th at Teatro SEA (107 Suffolk Street, NYC) at 7:30 pm. Our ensemble features latino talent from all corners of the country, including New York, Florida, and Puerto Rico. Our amazing cast members are as follows: Jorge Alvarez, Victor Cruz, Irma Maldonado, Glenys Javier, Karlos Khalil, Angel Manuel, Minerva Mineya, Melody Rose Vendrell, with musical guests John Burgos and Giovanni Cruz.
THE HURRICANE
My dream was to premiere “En Peligro De Extinción” in my Island of Puerto Rico. However with the arrival of Hurricane Maria, that dream was swept away along with the life I had known. Another reality awoke… one of survival, loss, fear, mental illness, and the unknown.
By September 20, 2017, we thought the damage was done. The storm and wind had come and gone, and In the wake of Maria’s destruction a calm washed over el Barrio Los Naranjos in Vega Baja. We thought the worst was over. However, at 6:15 pm an unexpected surge of water came and destroyed everything: our possessions, our appliances, our cars, years and years of memories. The waters kept rising and we had no time to think. Our rescue finally came at 3 am, when a team pulled us from our flooding house. On November 30, 2017, my spiritual family from New York sent for me. I passed from friend’s apartment to friend’s apartment, and paying work seemed to come and go as quickly. But I refused to give up. This play was not only a creation of mine as an artist, but a medium through which I could honor my island, my hardships, and my journey. I believe by sharing these stories of perseverance, I can open the door for others to discover their own inner strength.
To make this dream come true, I need help. I know that times are hard. Believe me, I know. But if you are able to make a sacrifice and contribute any amount of money to my play, it will be deeply and humbly appreciated.
ABOUT ME
A native of Puerto Rico, I graduated from the University of PR with a B.A in Secondary Education, specializing in Theater. After graduating, I would go on to appear in various movies, commercials, TV shows, plays and sketch comedy groups in both New York and Puerto Rico (Including: Una Boda en Castañer, Adoración y La Vieja, Room 28, The Vagina Monologues, Yo Soy Latina [written by Linda Powell-Nieves], and Life Can Be Un Sueño [written by Lina Sarrello, for which I won a best actress award]). I'm currently a cast member and co-writer of a webseries called Guru Enlightment's The Unknown. I teach drama and puppeteering to students across the city. Although I cannot be on my home island, Puerto Rico remains close to my heart. I have been interviewed by Vice Magazine regarding my experience relocating to New York after the hurricane, and published a short film about the hurricane on the anniversary of Maria. Puerto Rico continues to have a big influence on my art as I continue to create and grow as an artist.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Guru Enlightment, the director of “En Peligro De Extinción,” is a Spiritual Counselor guided by the Spirits. She leads workshops and holds one-on-one sessions where she teaches her students to be free and independent. Guru’s teachings are always free of charge, for the spiritual world does not honor money. In addition to being a Spiritual Counselor, Guru has directed a number of her students projects, including “The Stockroom” (an independent film by Victor Cruz), “The Naked Truth” (a play by Rick Herrera), it’s sequel, “Still Naked,” and a musical review called “An Intimate night with F.E.A.R.” Guru has released over 80 videos on Youtube, totaling to over 13,900 views. She has thousands of students around the world. Guru is a proud mother of seven children, grandmother to five, and a spiritual mother to many more. Guru Enlightment ends her lessons always by saying, “don’t believe in what I say, believe in what you see, for I give you nothing because everything is already inside of you.”
DONATION SWAG
$25: A message from Guru Enlightment (which will be mailed to you, or given to you in person at the show).
$50: A one-of-a-kind, hand-made tote bag designed by Colorful Imperfections (a line by Melody Rose-Vendrell). This collection is called "Extinción." Each bag will also contain a message from Guru Enlightment.
$100: A Spanish copy of "Guru Enlightment's Guide to Finding Your Own Answers in the Unknown," a hand-made tote bag from Colorful Imperfections, a TICKET to one of the performances, and a message from Guru Enlightment.
EN PELIGRO DE EXTINCIÓN
“En Peligro De Extinción” is a play about a Puerto Rican woman named Sol. As a child, Sol migrated to New York City with her father after her mother’s passing. Sol grew up resenting the island where she lost her mom. In New York, her father made a living as a postman. He’d come home and tell his daughter stories from his day at work, delivering mail to all sorts of people with all sorts of anecdotes. These stories nurtured Sol’s imagination and she grew up to be a great science fiction writer. When she learns her father is sick and is planning to retire in Puerto Rico - the island where she first experienced pain and loss - she resents him and cuts off communication with her father. Sol has a change of heart when she learns about a Category 5 Hurricane approaching her home island, but by the time she reaches out it’s too late. The hurricane leaves thousands of Puerto Ricans without light, water, transportation, and medical care. Under these dire conditions, her dad passes away. Back in New York, our heroin finds a strange box containing unfinished stories written by her dad. The stories are about ordinary individuals, yet they harken back to a time when people connected through words and letters: an era that is on the verge of extinction. She decides to write endings to the stories begun by her father. These simple tales about simple people awaken a kind of forgotten magic, which in turn opens the door to an unknown world. It is in this parallel existence that our heroin has an opportunity to reconnect with her father, and learn more about who she really is.
“En Peligro De Extinción” will be performed in Spanish, and it goes up Friday, January 11th and Saturday, January 12th at Teatro SEA (107 Suffolk Street, NYC) at 7:30 pm. Our ensemble features latino talent from all corners of the country, including New York, Florida, and Puerto Rico. Our amazing cast members are as follows: Jorge Alvarez, Victor Cruz, Irma Maldonado, Glenys Javier, Karlos Khalil, Angel Manuel, Minerva Mineya, Melody Rose Vendrell, with musical guests John Burgos and Giovanni Cruz.
THE HURRICANE
My dream was to premiere “En Peligro De Extinción” in my Island of Puerto Rico. However with the arrival of Hurricane Maria, that dream was swept away along with the life I had known. Another reality awoke… one of survival, loss, fear, mental illness, and the unknown.
By September 20, 2017, we thought the damage was done. The storm and wind had come and gone, and In the wake of Maria’s destruction a calm washed over el Barrio Los Naranjos in Vega Baja. We thought the worst was over. However, at 6:15 pm an unexpected surge of water came and destroyed everything: our possessions, our appliances, our cars, years and years of memories. The waters kept rising and we had no time to think. Our rescue finally came at 3 am, when a team pulled us from our flooding house. On November 30, 2017, my spiritual family from New York sent for me. I passed from friend’s apartment to friend’s apartment, and paying work seemed to come and go as quickly. But I refused to give up. This play was not only a creation of mine as an artist, but a medium through which I could honor my island, my hardships, and my journey. I believe by sharing these stories of perseverance, I can open the door for others to discover their own inner strength.
To make this dream come true, I need help. I know that times are hard. Believe me, I know. But if you are able to make a sacrifice and contribute any amount of money to my play, it will be deeply and humbly appreciated.
ABOUT ME
A native of Puerto Rico, I graduated from the University of PR with a B.A in Secondary Education, specializing in Theater. After graduating, I would go on to appear in various movies, commercials, TV shows, plays and sketch comedy groups in both New York and Puerto Rico (Including: Una Boda en Castañer, Adoración y La Vieja, Room 28, The Vagina Monologues, Yo Soy Latina [written by Linda Powell-Nieves], and Life Can Be Un Sueño [written by Lina Sarrello, for which I won a best actress award]). I'm currently a cast member and co-writer of a webseries called Guru Enlightment's The Unknown. I teach drama and puppeteering to students across the city. Although I cannot be on my home island, Puerto Rico remains close to my heart. I have been interviewed by Vice Magazine regarding my experience relocating to New York after the hurricane, and published a short film about the hurricane on the anniversary of Maria. Puerto Rico continues to have a big influence on my art as I continue to create and grow as an artist.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Guru Enlightment, the director of “En Peligro De Extinción,” is a Spiritual Counselor guided by the Spirits. She leads workshops and holds one-on-one sessions where she teaches her students to be free and independent. Guru’s teachings are always free of charge, for the spiritual world does not honor money. In addition to being a Spiritual Counselor, Guru has directed a number of her students projects, including “The Stockroom” (an independent film by Victor Cruz), “The Naked Truth” (a play by Rick Herrera), it’s sequel, “Still Naked,” and a musical review called “An Intimate night with F.E.A.R.” Guru has released over 80 videos on Youtube, totaling to over 13,900 views. She has thousands of students around the world. Guru is a proud mother of seven children, grandmother to five, and a spiritual mother to many more. Guru Enlightment ends her lessons always by saying, “don’t believe in what I say, believe in what you see, for I give you nothing because everything is already inside of you.”
DONATION SWAG
$25: A message from Guru Enlightment (which will be mailed to you, or given to you in person at the show).
$50: A one-of-a-kind, hand-made tote bag designed by Colorful Imperfections (a line by Melody Rose-Vendrell). This collection is called "Extinción." Each bag will also contain a message from Guru Enlightment.
$100: A Spanish copy of "Guru Enlightment's Guide to Finding Your Own Answers in the Unknown," a hand-made tote bag from Colorful Imperfections, a TICKET to one of the performances, and a message from Guru Enlightment.
Organizer
Olivia Whelan
Organizer
New York, NY
