Director: Paul O'Mahony, Out of Chaos Theatre and Reading Greek Tragedy Online (Center for Hellenic Studies)
Cast: Students from local high schools and UIUC
The Electricidad project continues the exploration of the themes of violence, race, citizenship, and trauma through a series of staged readings and workshops of plays of modern playwrights whose work on trauma addresses the experiences of African American, Chicano, migrant and refugee communities. Luis Alfaro’s adaptation of Greek tragedies addresses the trials and challenges of Chicano families and communities. Re-envisioning the ancient plays as a lens for channeling pressing political questions, his plays ask the questions that matter most in our present moment: “What drives people to commit unthinkable acts?” How does the proliferation and repetition of violence relate to racism and the marginalization of underrepresented communities?
Luis Alfaro’s Electricidad transports the story of Sophocles’ Electra to an East L.A. barrio, a Chicano neighborhood, and focuses on the modern-day tragedy that unfolds after Electricidad’s mother kills her father. In this revenge tragedy, Electricidad is bent on exacting vengeance and in the end persuades her brother, Orestes, after he returns from Las Vegas to kill their mother. Alfaro’s young protagonists perpetuate the cycle of violence in their family; their coming-of -age stories are those of young cholos (“gang members”). Alfaro’s play situates the root causes of violence in Chicano communities beyond the barrio. Electricidad explores the continuing cycle of violence, and paths to redemption. Alfaro’ work challenges audiences to understand trauma as a call for collective action.
This year’s performance will offer a setting for students and their audiences to come together and discuss the impact of violence and trauma in our local communities. Last year’s experiment, the staged reading of Nambi E. Kelley’s Xtigone, made clear that students are eager for these opportunities and are empowered by them. The project has the strong support of the Central HS PTSA and other community organizations as well as Classics, Theater, KCPA and other campus units and Centers at UIUC. We are grateful to all for their generosity.
Production and coordination: Angeliki Tzanetou (Classics, UIUC); Sam Smith (Director of Civic Engagement and Social Practice, KCPA).