Sonnets for an Old Century
Written & Directed by José Rivera
December 1, 2021 at 7:30pm EST
In the afterlife you're given one chance to make a statement about your life. Your words go out into the universe to be "recycled among the living." You can tell a story, make a confession, argue with existence, bargain with God, whatever you want. In "Sonnets for an Old Century," 18 recently deceased people give their statements and tell their side of the story. A scientist talks about a mysterious force that nearly seduced her in her youth ... a man can analyze other people's laughter ... another man convinces us he's the mythical character Icarus ... a screenwriter claims she gets advice from her brain tumor ... a migrant farm worker watches her parents turn to rain ... a young woman talks about all the "first times" that made her life truly meaningful. These stories and many others make up this intimate mosaic, this snapshot of who we were at the turn of the century.
Watch Sonnets for an Old Century starting December 1 at 7:30PM
For Tickets
Watch at anytime for $12 (fees not included).
Post Show Discussion
Post-Show Discussion
After the premiere of Sonnets for an Old Century, join us on Thursday, December 2 at 7:30PM for a live discussion with José Rivera, composer María del Sol, and cast members, Isabel Arraiza, Danielle Davenport, Sara Koviak, Joél Pérez, Felix Angel Solis, MichaelJohn McGann to discuss their experience with the play and take live questions from the audience. The conversation will be moderated by Paula Vogel (Founder and Co-Curator of Bard at the Gate).
José Rivera is a recipient of Obie Awards for Marisol and References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot, both produced by The Public Theatre, NY, and seen regionally and internationally. Other plays include Cloud Tectonics (Playwrights Horizons, Humana Festival, La Jolla Playhouse), Boleros for the Disenchanted (Yale Rep, Huntington Playhouse), Sueño (Hartford Stage, Manhattan Class Company), Sonnets for an Old Century (Barrow Group), School of the Americas (Public Theatre), Massacre (Sing to Your Children) (Goodman Theatre, Rattlestick), Brainpeople (ACT/San Francisco), Adoration of the Old Woman (Sundance Theatre Lab, INTAR, La Jolla Playhouse), The House of Ramon Iglesia (Ensemble Studio Theatre), Another Word for Beauty (Goodman, New York Stage and Film), The Maids (INTAR), The Kiss of the Spiderwoman (Menier Chocolate Factory, London), Each Day Dies with Sleep (Circle Rep, Berkeley Rep). “The Motorcycle Diaries” was nominated for 2005 Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar – making him the first Puerto Rican writer ever nominated for an Academy Award. It was also nominated for a BAFTA and Writers Guild Award, and received top screenwriting awards in Argentina and Spain. “On the Road” premiered at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. “Trade” was the first film to premiere at the United Nations. Rivera co-created and produced “Eerie, Indiana,” (NBC) and was a consultant and writer on “Penny Dreadful: City of Angels” (Showtime) 2019. He will be the sole writer of the Netflix series based on One Hundred Years of Solitude. Rivera’s short film “The Fall of a Sparrow” has been seen in film festivals around the country. In 2020 he directed the world premiere workshop of his play Lovesong (Imperfect) at the 14th Street Y as well as the short film “The Civet.” He has served on the boards of Theatre Communication Group and the Sundance Institute and mentored at Sundance Screenwriting Labs in Utah, Jordan, and India. His most recent play Your Name Means Dream was part of the Rattlestick Playwrights Jam, 2020, and read at the Sundance Theatre Lab.
Isabel Arraiza stars as one of the lead roles in the upcoming Amazon / Plan B series OUTER RANGE opposite Josh Brolin and Lili Taylor. On film, she just wrapped the lead opposite Michael Zegen in the INDE film, ZOO. Other film credits include: John Lee Hancock’s film THE LITTLE THINGS opposite Rami Malek and Denzel Washington, Nick Hamm’s feature film DRIVEN opposite Jason Sudeikis and Lee Pace, Derrick Borte’s AMERICAN DREAMER opposite Jim Gaffigan. Additional Television credits include: USA’s PEARSON, Crackle’s THE OATH. She obtained her MFA from The Juilliard School. Credits at Juilliard include: MISALLIANCE, THE SERPENT WOMAN, MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, LOVE’S LABOURS LOST, AS FIVE YEARS HAVE PAST, THE TEMPEST, A LIE OF THE MIND and THINNER THAN WATER. Additional theater credits include JULIUS CAESAR at the Public Theater, MINNETTI at the Barbican Centre in London, and INTERSECTIONS at The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.
Danielle Davenport is a Brooklyn-based actor and writer who has worked at theaters including The Public Theater, Playwrights Horizons, Lincoln Center Theater, Theater for a New Audience, New York Theater Workshop, The Civilians, Clubbed Thumb, INTAR, New York Stage and Film, MCC, The Lark, Playwrights’ Realm and others, with performance credits including An Octoroon (Theater for a New Audience/Soho Rep), Men on Boats (Playwrights Horizons/Clubbed Thumb), Neighbors (The Public Theater), Adoration of the Old Woman (INTAR) and Be the Death of Me (The Civilians). Film and television credits include Blue Bloods (CBS), The Blacklist (NBC), Power (Starz), Sneaky Pete (Amazon), Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Master of None, HBO’s High Maintenance and Boardwalk Empire, The Breaks (VH1) and others. Current and recent writing projects include a television pilot set in the world of reproductive justice and developed during New York Stage and Film’s Filmmakers’ Workshop and co-authoring an article published in the Villanova Law Review. Danielle graduated summa cum laude from Barnard College with a B.A. in Theater (Honors) and Comparative Literature and Society and is co-owner of BEM | books & more, a bookstore devoted to food literature of the African diaspora.
Sara Koviak is thrilled to be working with McCarter Theatre and Bard at the Gate. She currently plays “the girl in the music video,” dancing in legendary Steve Conte’s new solo hit song, “Flying.” She is a producer and sole performer in José Rivera’s latest short film “The Civet.” Other recent projects include Red Bull Theater’s short play festival directed by Timothy Douglas and Margot Bordelon, the lead in Rivera’s newly-published Lovesong (Imperfect), producer/lead actor in the award-winning short "The Fall of a Sparrow,” HBO's "The Undoing,” and The Hours Are Feminine at The Actors Studio with Chazz Palminteri. Other theatre: New York Theatre Festival, 2020 Sundance Theatre Lab, Goodman Theatre, Huntington Theatre, Rattlestick Theater, and Planet Connections. At The Metropolitan Opera -- where she performed as a classical dancer – she worked with directors Bart Sher, Mary Zimmerman, and Robert LePage. She worked with Steven Schwartz as the aerial soloist in Goodspeed's tour of Pippin, and danced at Lincoln Center in Peter And The Wolf and Cinderella. Sara is an accomplished choreographer for film and theatre, and has been a dance educator for students from all over the world. Sara will be performing at the Goodman Theatre again this year.
MichaelJohn McGann’s acting career began in “the world’ second oldest Profession” for several years at Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival, where he met and became friends with fellow actors George Maguire, Tom Hanks, and José Rivera. McGann made his film debut in 1983, in Charlie Loventhal-directed comedy film, The First Time. Other films include 84 Charing Cross Road, See No Evil, Hear No Evil, The Goldmine, The Cop, and The Anthem (HBO). For TV: Law&Order, Tribeca, Another World, The Guiding Light. He has performed on Broadway in Arsenic and Old Lace (Teddy Brewster), Hamlet (Guildenstern) and Annie (Drake, Bert Healy, Morgenthau), as well as off, off-off Broadway and at regional theatres throughout the country including The Theatre Company at BAM, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and Paper Mill Playhouse. He has served on the faculties of The University of Hartford, The University of Wisconsin, The University of Miami, Ohio University, The University of North Carolina, and the South Carolina Governor’s School. He is a proud graduate of the Copacabana School of Acting.
Joél Perez (he/him) is an award-winning actor and writer living in NYC. His theater work includes Fun Home (Broadway), Kiss My Aztec! (La Jolla Playhouse) and Sweet Charity (New Group; Lortel Award). TV work includes Jesus Christ Superstar Live! (NBC), Person of Interest (CBS) and Odd Mom Out (Bravo). He performed with the UCB Maude sketch team Peach and for the musical theater sketch show SHIZ. His writing includes The Black Beans Project (The Huntington Theatre), Playing With Myself (Ars Nova), The Church of the Holy Glory (Ars Nova ANTFest). He is a 2021 WarnerMedia 150 Artist Grant recipient for his original comedy pilot You’re Tired, You’re Poor. He is the winner of the 2021 Voces Latinx National Playwriting Competition for his play From the Fountain. He is a 2019 NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellow in Playwriting from NYFA. Follow him at @misterjoelperez and visit www.joelperez.com
Felix Angel Solis TELEVISION: Netflix’s Ozark playing Omar Navarro (opposite Jason Bateman and Laura Linney), ABC’s Ten Days in the Valley (opposite Kyra Sedgwick), Editor-in-Chief, Gus Flores, on ABC’s The Family, USA’s Colony playing Geronimo, Private Investigator River Brody in Made In Jersey (opposite Kyle MacLachlan and Janet Montgomery), ‘No nonsense' Det. Kevin Rodriguez on CBS’ The Good Wife, Fox’s The Following as Special Agent Jeffrey Clarke, and NYC 22 playing Sgt. Terry Howard (opposite Adam Goldberg and Leelee Sobieski). He's run the circuit of the Law & Order franchises, New York Undercover, NYPD Blue, Oz, The Sopranos, and Third Watch, among others. FILM: Empire (starring John Leguizamo and Peter Sarsgaard), The Forgotten (opposite Julianne Moore), Wes Craven’s My Soul To Take, Man On A Ledge (opposite Sam Worthington and Ed Harris) and Arbitrage (opposite Tim Roth). Felix is co-creator of a film production company, Subway Token Films. Their short film, TINTO, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and they are in pre-production for their next film to be shot in Atlanta. AWARDS: HOLA 2013 Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor for the production of Basilica at the Cherry Lane Theatre, as well as a 2012 HOLA Excellence in Television award; Connecticut Critics Circle Award in 2008 for Boleros for the Disenchanted, and a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Passion Play in 2006.