Media Contact in San Francisco: Emily Klion
emily.klion@sfyouththeatre.org
415-571-1234
Media Contact in Fresno: Kathy Bonilla
Kathy.bonilla@fresnocitycollege.edu
(559) 489-2218
San Francisco Youth Theatre & Fresno City College present…
Gary Soto’s
IN AND OUT OF SHADOWS
San Francisco: Brava Theater, November 23rd;
Fresno City College: December 6-7
There are an estimated 1.2 million undocumented students in the United States.
San Francisco, Fresno (September 30, 2014) IN AND OUT OF SHADOWS, a musical by famed
Chicano writer Gary Soto, is about the lives and experiences of a group of undocumented teenagers from
Richmond and Pinole, California. Very funny, in a format loosely based on the Canterbury Tales, members of
San Francisco Youth Theatre’s professional ensemble not only perform the play, but also gathered the oral
histories from around the Bay Area on which it is based, and which Soto has transformed into this vibrant,
musical theater production. Above everything, Soto wants to give his audience, many of who may never have
been to a play before, a really good time. It’s loud and colorful, with an exuberant, original musical score.
Directed by Cliff Mayotte (from Voice of Witness) with music by SFYT Director Emily Klion and Bay
Area luminary George Brooks, the show previews at the Brava Theater in San Francisco, November 23rd, and
will travel to Soto’s alma mater, Fresno City College in Fresno December 6-7. For exact days and times, see
the Calendar Items below. For tickets the public may visit www.brava.org (San Francisco) or (559) 443-8688,
http://inandoutofshadows.brownpapertickets.com (Fresno.)
The teens are preparing their personal statements for an AB 540 conference at UC Berkeley (AB 540
allows DREAMers, as they are known, to attend school at in-state tuition rates.) We meet Juan, who arrived in
the US alone via a sewer when he was 13. And Alberto who, as a determined six-year-old, had to be doused
asleep with cough syrup during crossing because he refuses to give his cousin’s name as his own. We watch
a newly urbanized vaco loco teaching an undocumented Chinese friend how to speak street Spanish.
Running through everything is the fear of deportation. Many families represented in the show have
mixed status – undocumented parents whose documented children were born here, for example - who live in
constant fear of family separation. Even under AB 540 and President Obama’s recent two-year deportation
deferral for certain undocumented youth (DACA), youth may suddenly be left alone without parents or
2781 24th St.• SF CA 94110 • sfyouththeatre.org • 415-571-1234
caretakers. In and Out of Shadows’ diverse group of actors, many whom are directly affected by the issue, mix
English, Spanish, Tagalog, Spanglish and other languages as they unfold the complicated human effects of
this charged political issue.
Gary Soto is a nationally acclaimed poet and novelist of young adult fiction. Born and raised in the
farm community of Fresno, he has a keen personal interest in Latino youth and first-hand knowledge of the
challenges facing low-income immigrant populations, from whose lives he draws extensively in his stories. The
blend of humor and Spanglish vernacular in his fiction has captured the largest readership of Latino youth in
the nation. His books have been translated into five languages and sold nearly four million copies, with 48
million textbooks featuring his writings. He currently lives in Berkeley, California.
San Francisco Youth Theatre is directed by youth theatre dynamo, Emily Klion, formerly the director
of The Marsh’s education program, Marsh Youth Theater. Founded in 2014, SFYT is based at Brava Theater
and Red Poppy Art House. SFYT features vibrant and diverse ensembles from a wide range of backgrounds,
including performers with undocumented immigration status. SFYT provides musical theater education and
performance opportunities for all youth without regard to financial circumstance or past experience. In and Out
of Shadows is SF Youth Theatre’s premiere performance.
Fresno City College Fresno City College, founded in 1910, is California’s first junior college and now
serves more than twenty thousand fulltime and part-time students. Gary Soto is an alumnus of the college; the
Gary Soto Literary Museum is located in the campus’s Old Administration Building and attracts school age
children, college students, and tourists.
In and Out of Shadows was developed in 2012 with Dave Egger’s “Voice of Witness” oral history
program, whose Education Director, Cliff Mayotte, is the director of the production; and Marsh Youth Theater,
with support from the Creative Work Fund. The show premiered at The Marsh in 2013. This production is
supported by The California Endowment, Fresno Regional Foundation and Brava Theater Center.
Directed by Cliff Mayotte • Music by Emily Klion & George Brooks
Choreography by Rashidi Omari • Music Direction by Katy Stephan
Sets by John Ramirez • Costumes by Susana Aragón
Performed by SF Youth Theatre DREAM Ensemble
FOR CALENDAR EDITORS
WHAT:
Gary Soto’s IN AND OUT OF SHADOWS
SAN FRANCISCO
Sunday November 23rd at 2:00 and 7:00 pm
FRESNO
December 6 at 2 pm and 7 pm
December 7 at 2 pm
WHERE:
Brava Theater, 2781 24th Street, SF, CA 94110
The nearest Bart Station is 24th & Mission.
Fresno City College Theater
1101 E University Ave, Fresno, CA 93741
TICKETS:
$8 student; $12 seniors; $14 general
Reserved Seats: $25
For tickets, visit: www.brava.org
WHEN:
$8 student; $12 seniors; $14 general
Reserved Seats: $25; Group rates available
For tickets, call: (559) 443-8688 or
http://inandoutofshadows.brownpapertickets.com
For photos, past press and more information, visit San Francisco Youth Theatre website at
http://sfyouththeatre.org/Performances.html or call Emily Klion, SFYT Director: 415-571-1234
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