A timely exploration of race and class and the price of ambition, National Theatre of Parramatta presents the Australian premiere of Fade by Tanya Saracho at the Riverside Theatres from 27 July 2023.
Inspired by playwright Tanya Saracho’s (TV’s Girls, Vida, How to Get Away with Murder) experiences working as a writer on an American network television show, Fade is a witty and insightful look into the dynamics of power, class and race in the workplace and the manipulation of status as a minority. How far would you go for success?
Lucia, a Mexican-born novelist, gets her first TV writing job, feeling out of place in the male and white writing room, she quickly becomes friends with the only other Latino around, a janitor named Abel.
As he shares his stories, similar plots begin to find their way into Lucia’s TV scripts. Fade is an observation on making it as an outsider and how far you’ll go for success.
“There is an alchemy to seeing your otherness represented onstage – it’s a chemical reaction which the dominant culture doesn’t ever experience – the chemistry of “I exist” said playwright Tanya Saracho. “It’s very powerful.”
“In Fade, I attempt to trap what we culturally export from Mexico inside an American Hollywood office – our classism, our national pride, our marginalization within the dominant U.S. culture, sexism, our prejudice and bias.”
It’s a universal immigrant experience, though, one which I think the National Theatre of Parramatta understands and supports with its programming — the showcasing of marginalized perspectives like those expressed in Fade.”
It’s wonderful that the theatre is letting this Mexican-American story “exist” on their stage, I hope it will provide some resonance and interesting insight for its Australian audience,” said Saracho.
Directed by Jeneffa Soldatic (The Incredible Here & Now), Fade is a sharply written dramatic comedy, featuring outstanding performances by Caspar Hardaker (TV’s Colin from Accounts) and Camila Ponte Alvarez (Dreamplanes Productions’ Labyrinth).
“Having left Western Sydney in order to immerse myself in the world of film, television and theatre internationally, I am thrilled to return home to NTofP to direct a story about the world I went to find, and experience first-hand,” said director Jeneffa Soldatic.
“With the incredible team of diverse cast and crew, I am excited for audiences in Parramatta to experience the premiere of this significant and explosive play.”
Director: Jeneffa Soldatic | Featuring: Caspar Hardaker, Camila Ponte Alvarez | Costume Designer: Rita Naidu | Set Designer: Melanie Liertz | Sound Designer: Daniel Herten | Lighting Designer: Jasmine Rizk | Stage Manager: Chloe Young | Dialect Coach: Linda Nicholls-Gidley | Playwright: Tanya Saracho
Fade
Lennox Theatre – Riverside Theatres, Corner Church and Market Streets, Parramatta
Season: 27 July – 5 August 2023
Information and Bookings: www.riversideparramatta.com.au
Image: Camila Ponte Alvarez and Caspar Hardaker star in Fade (supplied)