The Getty’s Theater Lab Presents Thieves of California, a Futuristic Retelling of Aeschylus’s Seven Against Thebes
The Getty Villa Theater Lab will premiere Thieves of California, a new play inspired by Aeschylus’s Seven Against Thebes and set in a near-future dystopian California, for one weekend only, Nov. 15–16.
The work-in-progress production, written by Los Angeles-based playwright Boni B. Alvarez and directed by Jon Lawrence Rivera, will be performed on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 3:00 p.m. and 7 p.m., and on Sunday, Nov. 16, at 3:00 p.m. Admission is free with advance reservations available online. The project is co-produced by Playwrights’ Arena, which has a long history of collaboration with the Getty Villa on contemporary adaptations of classical works.
The year is 2031. California has seceded from the union, but the combatants are coming to take back the Golden State. In this modern-day adaptation of Aeschylus’s Seven Against Thebes, a playwright struggles with the challenges of creating theater in a world that’s falling apart. How do you speak truth to power when the truth might destroy you?
The ensemble cast features Kimberly Alexander, June Carryl, Reggie Lee, Hazel Lozano, Ryan Nebreja, Myra Cris Ocenar, Vico Ortiz, John Ruby, and Rachel Sorsa. Alana Dietze serves as dramaturg. The production’s creative team includes Alex Calle (scenic design), Lily Bartenstein (lighting and props), Mylette Nora (costumes), and Cricket Myers (sound design), with Elmira Rahim as production assistant and Letitia Chang as stage manager.
Rivera previously directed Oedipus El Rey at the Villa Theater Lab in 2008 and Helen in the Getty’s Outdoor Classical Theater in 2012, both of which explored new ways to reinterpret ancient Greek stories for modern audiences.
“Playwrights’ Arena has been fortunate to collaborate with several theaters in Los Angeles to bring our playwrights’ unique voices to new audiences,” says Rivera. “The Getty Villa Theatre Lab has been one of our staunch collaborators in this effort. Our past collaborations have included Oedipus El Rey by Luis Alfaro and Helen by Nick Salamone. It is exciting to work on the adaptation of Seven Against Thebes by Boni B. Alvarez at the Lab this time. Not only will it give the playwright resources and time to shape the play, but to have audiences old and new to experience it.”
The Getty Villa Theater Lab, a cornerstone of the Getty’s performing arts program, serves as an incubator for innovative reimaginings of classical theater. Its mission is to connect ancient texts with contemporary issues by commissioning and supporting playwrights and theater companies who bring fresh voices and perspectives to the stage.
For more information, visit getty.edu.
