TZAQIK | a tale, of many

POSTPONED due to COVID-19 (DATES & TIMES TBA)
March 27th, 28th & 29th | 4pm & 8pm - (2020)
xMPL - Experimental Media Performance Lab | Irvine, CA

TZAQIK | a tale, of many

Written by Jesús López Vargas
Directed by Shelby Caughron & Jesús López Vargas
Choreographed by Piper Bockstahler
Scored by Dimitri Soto & Ezra Anisman
Production & Company Manager: Jessica Keasberry
Technical Directors: Merle DeWitt III & Bruce Warner
Lighting Designer: Nita Mendoza
Assistant Lighting Designer: Jacqueline González
Sound Designer: Ezra Anisman
Projection Designer: Arielle Singer
Associate Projection Designer: Kyrsten Goodrich
Costume & Make-Up Designer: Athziri Morales
Associate Costume Designer: Meghan Marshall
Associate Costume Designer: Maria del Carmen Vargas Rodriguez
Scenic Designers: Jesús López & Merle DeWitt III
Production Stage Manager: Samson Lautzenheiser
Assistant Stage Managers: Mason Bergenholtz & Matthew Byrd
Dramaturge: Herman Gomez
Executive Producers: Jesús López Vargas, Jessica Keasberry & Lonnie Alcaraz
Produced by K.B. Theatre Company, MOON | COLLECTIVE, Brown Bag Theatre Company & UCI Illuminations

Cast: Félix Colón & Katherine Lingle, Evan Lugo, Jessica Montez, Pallavi Rajan, Erika Clark, Erica Bogan, Violeta Ruiz-Lopez, Carina Negrete, Freya Starks, Isabella Harris, Natalia Chambers, Emily McKeon, Taylor Payne & Ashley Onks
Guest Preshow Artists: Brandon Ray Alba (movement) & Daniel Cadena (harp)
Production Run Crew: Pan Pan Gou, Peter Newell, Erich Barden, Anna Olson, Ashley Castro

Dimitri Soto · Tzaqik Soundtrack

"A balance of brain and heart,
as you move onward, remember that."

Inspired by the Mayan myth of Xb’alanque, the moon twin-god from the “Popol Vuh”, we are presented with the story of a gentle deity doomed to watch the miseries, tragedies and laments of human kind, in an effort to find a cure for sadness. Tzaqik is a contemporary mystical performance inspired by and dedicated to the many who fight for a better tomorrow, to the many seeking the light. Rooted on various cultures from around the world and their many myths and stories, Tzaqik aims to thrill and captivate its audiences by integrating multilingual verse, original music and stylized movement, along with experimental visual designs in order to compose an unforgettable episodic experience.

Tzaqik tells and represents the tragedies, but most importantly the triumphs, of many different groups of marginalized peoples around the world. This project is currently offering professional-level opportunities to 39 young visual artists, linguists, performers, writers, music composers, designers, technicians & project managers and we are one of the first performance groups to casts their performers regardless of each individuals' cultural or gender identities, taking a strong stand for inclusion.

Erika Clark as Ix U

Evan Lugo as Tato

Jessica Montez as Estro

Erica Bogan as Frija

Pallavi Rajan as Aarushi

Spítha, our movement choir

Our production of Tzaqik | a tale, of many was set to open on March 27th, 2020 for a 6 performance run at the Experimental Media Performance Lab of the University of California, Irvine.

On Friday, March 13th, the leadership team behind our project made the difficult decision to postpone the production - exactly 2 weeks before opening night - due to the safety risks surrounding the COVID-19 crisis.

Three of our performance nights were already sold out.

We are hoping to bring this multilingual movement-based story back to the stage as soon as possible for the world to see, as we truly believe that this intimate story needs to be shared live.

We thank our team of over 50 young artists & technicians!