Teresa’s Ecstasy
Description
Carlotta is not afraid to search with eyes open for the first time, inspired by Saint Teresa of Avila and her publisher, Becky, a Jewish lesbian from New York. Carlotta is resolute on resolving her marital uncertainties with Andrés, a Catalan artist living in Barcelona, where the women make a stopover on their way to Avila. Carlotta is uncovering her own sense of self while further investigating the life of this impassioned revolutionary female of the sixteenth century. Santa Teresa de Avila was an empowered mystic, feminist heroine who defended divine law above man's law. During a time when the Inquisition was in its fervor, and the Saint’s spirituality could easily have been interpreted as heresy, this woman of Jewish ancestry, singlehandedly reformed a branch of the Catholic church, the Discalced Carmelite Order, to its strict original intentions of fraternity, silent prayer, and service. Teresa also founded over a dozen monasteries and wrote some of the greatest classical Spanish literature. Becky's independent spirit illuminates Carlotta's view of a persistent dysfunctional dynamic that she has been willingly exchanging with her estranged husband, Andrés. Carlotta arrives with intentions of working things out but the charming, stimulating banter and fiery provocations now dissatisfy her starving heart. The two women return from Avila with a clear allegiance of passion and understanding, but Andrés, who all along repudiated authority and moral restrictions, now proves otherwise.
Production Info
Full Length Drama (about 65 minutes)
Single Set
Contemporary Costumes
Press Quotes
“Beware of having unintended spiritual epiphanies. Begonya Plaza’s new play, TERESA’S ECSTASY, is about the unexpected influence of Saint Teresa of Avila, a 16th-century Carmelite nun, on modern-day Carlotta, a Spanish writer … The well-written, touching and often funny drama …” —Jennifer Farrar, Associated Press
“… TERESA’S ECSTASY, a sumptuous three-person comic drama about sex, love and spirituality …” —Erasmo Guerra, New York Daily News
Author
Begonya PlazaBegonya Plaza is a theatre artist with a foundation in acting, music and writing. Attended Los Angeles Theatre Academy, studied acting with Eric Morris, Geraldine Page, and Michael Howard. She starred in an independent film at age nine while growing up in Hollywood. Begonya has acted in television and film with directors; Walter Hill, Oliver Stone, Michael Mann, Tim Hunter, Clint Eastwood, among others. On stage Begonya was directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman in the original production of IN ARABIA WE'D ALL BE KINGS at Labyrinth Theatre Company, and has appeared in other theatre productions with collaborators such as Dan Lauria, Barry Gifford, John Randolph, and Austria's Kurt Palm, performing a one-person erotic poetry musical by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill. As a playwright, in 2012, TERESA'S ECSTASY was produced Off-Broadway at New York's legendary Cherry Lane Theatre, where she also acted opposite Shawn Elliott and Linda Larkin, directed by Will Pomerantz. PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY was written after many years living in Barcelona where she had a daughter with a Catalán artist and was surrounded by many who knew the Dalís intimately. THE BRISKET BRIGADE is about an elderly man finding a new love after the loss of his wife. Additionally, Begonya has written and directed short films: American Hero, Gero Arte, The Kiss, and the documentaries: The Real Gernika, about the bombing of Gernika that her father survived as a child. Souvenir Views premiered at Tribeca Film Festival, traveled the festival circuit, and aired for two years on IFC. Her most recent plays is A LUCID DREAM, about two extraordinary historical women, Evita Perón and Dolores Ibarruri.
Book Information
| Publisher | BPPI |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 5/13/2013 |
| Pages | 52 |
| ISBN | 9780881455717 |
Special Notes
First produced at the Cherry Lane Theater
by special arrangement with Broadway Play Publishing Inc, NYC
www.broadwayplaypublishing.com
