Purdue Theatre, Latino Cultural Center to stage 'Living Out'

March 14, 2007

Purdue Theatre, Latino Cultural Center to stage 'Living Out'

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -

"Living Out"
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Purdue Theatre, in association with the Latino Cultural Center, will present "Living Out" by Lisa Loomer from March 30 to April 7 in the Carole and Gordon Mallett Theatre in Yue-Kong Pao Hall of Visual and Performing Arts.

Anne Fliotsos, associate professor of theater, will direct the contemporary drama. Evening performances will be offered at 7:30 p.m. on March 30-31 and April 4-7. Matinee performances will be at 3 p.m. on March 31, April 1 and April 7.

"Living Out" explores the relationship of a Salvadoran nanny and the Anglo-Caucasian mother who hires her. The women share a daily struggle to balance their families with the demands of their jobs, but the parity of their lives stops there. Through humor and dialogue, Loomer reveals the economic and ethnic divides of contemporary society.

"'Living Out,' which premiered in 2003 at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, tackles issues facing mothers and nannies as well as Anglo/Latino relationships within our culture," Fliotsos said. "It incorporates some of playwright Lisa Loomer's trademarks: sequences of short scenes with cinematic crosscuts, humor in the face of adversity and realism mixed with her unique theatrical twists. The result is a multifaceted play that moves us, entertains us and provokes us to think.

"As a working mother in Los Angeles, Loomer understood the dilemmas mothers face when trying to provide the best possible lives for their children. The nannies in 'Living Out' are mothers themselves, further complicating the nanny/employer relationship. Although the nannies share a common bond of motherhood with their employers, a tremendous gulf remains between them."

Fliotsos is a director, performer, playwright and a dramaturg, a specialist who adapts dramas for the stage. She won two awards for direction and play script from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for her work on "Oedipus! A New Musical Comedy," which was published and produced in New York. In addition, she has published research in several theatre journals and has written two books, "Teaching Theatre Today" and "Women Stage Directors of the 20th Century."

Working with the Purdue Division of Theatre to stage "Living Out," the Latino Cultural Center was established in 2003 as Purdue's first center for Hispanic and Latin Culture. The organization is a gathering place where people of similar cultures and backgrounds can come together to share events in the university community.

Writer: Peggy Felix, (765) 494-3084, felix@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

CUTLINE:
Ana (Lauren Sivak), a Latina nanny, lifts baby Jenna as mother Nancy (Stevie Chaddock) looks on in Lisa Loomer's play "Living Out." The contemporary drama will be presented by Purdue Theatre and the Latino Cultural Center from March 30 to April 7. (Photo courtesy Purdue Theatre)

A publication-quality photo of "Living Out" is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2007/theatre-livingout.jpg

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