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The following press release was issued:
MCASD and La Jolla Playhouse present La Lucha, an immersive theatrical production by acclaimed local artist David Israel Reynoso
Inspired by Lucha Libre, the experience inaugurates the museum’s reimagined Downtown campus as an innovative multi-disciplinary arts hub to nurture the visual and performing arts of the region
(San Diego, CA) – The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) is pleased to announce a partnership with La Jolla Playhouse and the joint presentation of La Lucha, an enthralling immersive experience created by David Israel Reynoso––the Obie Award-winning costume designer for the Off-Broadway runaway hit Sleep No More––and his company Optika Moderna. Taking place at MCASD’s downtown location, La Lucha will run from April 27 - June 4 and inaugurates the museum’s strategic shift for its Downtown campus, which will now provide new experiences to serve all audiences in its regional community more fully.
Inspired by Lucha Libre—where professional Mexican wrestlers use masks and high-flying maneuvers to astonish and captivate audiences—La Lucha transports audiences to a realm of ringside thrills and backstage secrets. Viewers will move through mysterious portals, wherein newfound heroes confront their greatest adversaries, and may find themselves in the middle of the action or at the side of the ring, cheering the death-defying match.
Optika Moderna—known for such acclaimed theater productions as Las Quinceañeras, Waking La Llorona—has been lauded by No Proscenium, which listed La Lucha as one of the most anticipated new works of 2023 saying, “The company never fails to elicit wonder with beautifully crafted experiences that leverage Reynoso’s well-honed aesthetic and Mexican heritage… A new Optika Moderna warrants a visit to San Diego all on its own....”
“By joining forces, MCASD and La Jolla Playhouse are allowing local artist David Israel Reynoso to realize his bold vision,” said Kathryn Kanjo, MCASD David C. Copley Director and CEO. “The artistic production evokes a story of love, loss, and honor through the trope of Mexican wrestling, subject matter which resonates in this binational region. The collaboration offers audiences a distinctive experience imagined by an acclaimed artist in the theatrical world.”
“We are delighted to partner with MCASD to launch this fascinating new project at their re-imagined downtown campus,” said Christopher Ashley, The Rich Family Artistic Director of La Jolla Playhouse. “David’s work is always stunning and surprising, taking audiences on an intriguing, interactive journey into a singular world of his own creation. La Lucha is no exception and we can’t wait to share it with San Diego.”
MCASD, which in the late-1980s expanded its footprint to Downtown San Diego to meet the evolving needs of the Museum, continues to find new ways to support the region’s vibrant art, design, and performing arts communities. To do so, it will forge new collaborations, engage new audiences, and highlight new voices, exemplified by its inaugural program: La Lucha, which also furthers the museum’s longstanding history of acting as a hinge for the region’s complex cultural and economic exchange by exhibiting work by artists from the border area.
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ABOUT OPTIKA MODERNA:
Optika Moderna is a ground-breaking, immersive company led by San Diego's David Israel Reynoso, the Obie Award-winning costume designer for the Off-Broadway runaway hit Sleep No More (Punchdrunk/Emursive). At La Jolla Playhouse, he designed Las Quinceañeras (2019 WOW Festival), Waking La Llorona (2017 WOW Festival), Liz Lerman’s Healing Wars (2015 WOW Festival), Digital WOW’s Portaleza, as well as Queens, Tiger Style! and The Darrell Hammond Project. His other regional scenic and costume design credits include The Old Globe, American Repertory Theater, Commonwealth Shakespeare Company, Lyric Stage and Gloucester Stage, among many others. He is the recipient of the Elliot Norton Award in Costume Design and a multiple nominee for the IRNE and BroadwayWorld awards.
ABOUT MCASD:
is the region’s foremost forum devoted to the exploration and presentation of the art of today. Open since 1941, we welcome all audiences to reflect on their lives, communities, and the ever-changing world through the powerful prism of contemporary art. Between two MCASD locations — one in the heart of downtown San Diego and the other in the coastal community of La Jolla — we showcase an internationally-recognized collection. MCASD’s dynamic exhibition schedule features a vast array of media in an unprecedented variety of spaces, along with a growing dedication to community experiences and public programs. As a cultural hub, MCASD seeks to catalyze conversation in our region.
ABOUT LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE:
La Jolla Playhouse is a place where artists and audiences come together to create what’s new and next in the American theater, from Tony Award-winning productions, to imaginative programs for young audiences, to interactive experiences outside our theater walls. Founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer, the Playhouse is currently led by Tony Award winner Christopher Ashley, the Rich Family Artistic Director of La Jolla Playhouse, and Managing Director Debby Buchholz. The Playhouse is internationally renowned for the development of new plays and musicals, including mounting 110 world premieres, commissioning 65 new works, and sending 33 productions to Broadway – including the hit musical Come From Away – garnering a total of 38 Tony Awards, as well as the 1993 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre.
IMAGES:
Image 1: La Lucha promotional image. Courtesy of Optika Moderna.
Image 2: Artist David Israel Reynoso at Teatro Piñata at The New Children’s Museum. Photo: K. C. Alfred, The San Diego Union-Tribune.
TICKETS:
La Jolla Playhouse and MCASD are partnering with the ticketing platform Fever. Tickets can be purchased on the Fever mobile app via mobile or online at https://feverup.com. For more information, please visit LaJollaPlayhouse.org.
VISIT:
MCASD Downtown, Joan and Irwin Jacobs Building, 1100 Kettner Blvd
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