Lucía Fuentes

Hernán Espinoza from Mexico walks Japan’s Shikoku pilgrimage path to open his heart. A Buddhist nun and others test his intentions. When lured to a shortcut, dark demons from Hernán's past leave him lost. Is he alive or dead, a man or a woman, a saint or a sinner, in Japan or not? In search of light, Hernán continues to the end of the circular Shikoku path, which is also the beginning.

Lucía Fuentes is both triggered and inspired by the truth-tellers of the global #MeToo reckoning and by the families of 43 boys disappeared in Mexico.

Lucía Fuentes was one of two plays selected by Town Hall Theatre (Lafayette, CA) for developmental production in their 2023-2024 New Voices series; the production, directed by Katja Rivera, gained "best attendance" of the 7 plays in the three-season series. In 2022, San Francisco PlayGround selected Lucía Fuentes as one of three plays for their inaugural Free-Plays Festival at Potrero Stage; the staged reading, directed by Katja Rivera and produced by Miyoko Sakatani's Playland Productions, had "best ticket sales" for the festival. Previous dramatic readings were with the Playwrights Center, the Berkeley Play Cafe and Whimsy Farm. Lucía Fuentes was a semi-finalist for the 2021 Woodward International Playwriting Prize and for the 2024 Playwrights Foundation Bay Area Playwrights Festival. Theatre Bay Area recognized the 2024 Town Hall Theatre production of Lucía Fuentes as a "Homegrown Achievement driving the future of theatre forward".

Cast: 
Hernán: A prickly pilgrim from Mexico (m/50). Red Henro: An enigmatic pilgrim from Japan (f/25). Gold Monk: The guardian of Temple 1 (m/100). Anju: A spiritual leader at Temple 1 (f/75). María: An extreme athlete from Spain (f/25). Jesús: An extreme athlete from Spain (m/25). Silver Henro: A luminous silent pilgrim (m/50). Ensemble: Pilgrims, flamenco dancers, and boys.
Authors: 
J. Lynn Jackson