Laughs in Spanish

Laughs in Spanish
A New Play by Alexis Scheer
Directed by Lisa Portes

Creative Team:
Scenic Design by Brian Sydney Bainbridge
Costume Design by Raquel Barreto
Lighting Design by Christina Watanabe
Sound Design by T.Carlis Roberts
Voice & Dialect by Cynthia Santos DeCure
Intimacy Direction by Samantha Egle
Dramaturgy by Linnea Valdivia
Production Management by Matthew Campbell
Stage Management by Michael G. Morales and Wendy Blackburn Eastland
Costume Shop Director: Jan McLeod
Assistant Costume Designer: Meghan Anderson Doyle
Hair/Wig Supevisor: Diana Ben-Kiki

Cast:
Danielle Alonzo
Maggie Bofill
Olivia Hebert
Stephanie Machado
Luis Vega


The Singleton 200-seat proscenium theatre hosts productions by the Tony Award-winning DCPA Theatre Company, typically running Fall through early Summer. It is one of nine performance spaces in the Denver Performing Arts Complex, the largest performing arts center under one roof in the country.
Laughs in Spanish marks my third collaboration with director Lisa Portes, and the second show we create together at DCPA (the first was Karen Zacharias’ Native Gardens in 2018.) From early on we discussed using colors in bold ways to create a vibrant palette for the Latinx experiences that make up the script. Some of my research centered around the lively fashions of the art galleries around Art Basel in Miami, and some of the inspiration came from the aesthetics of the telenovelas I grew up with: stories and plots where the audience sees in itself in slightly larger-than-life, more daring styles and colors. The white set offered a canvas for the costumes, with much of the show happening in front of an empty gallery wall. I knew Lisa’s style of directing to embrace physical comedy and the discoveries that come out of the rehearsal room, and I created character research boards that offered great specificity while working with the costume shop to bring a “wardrobe” of options for our rounds of fittings. I often start a fitting on this kind of show by listening to the performer and chatting through choices and possibilities. Contemporary shows are deceptively difficult, and I believe in creative a space of exchange and trust from the get-go. DCPA actively engaged with the Latinx communities of the Denver area in partnerships around cultural events in dialogue with the play, and the show played to sold-out houses.