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ANOTHER WORD FOR BEAUTY
Written By: José Rivera
Music and Lyrics By: Héctor Buitrago
Directed By: Steve Cosson
Each year the female inmates at a Bogotá, Colombia prison compete in a beauty pageant. It is intended by their jailers to motivate and rehabilitate them. While the pageant’s parade of glamorous gowns, exotic headdresses and rhythmic dances provide a distraction from daily suffering. Its real impact on each woman is more than skin deep. Taking inspiration from interviews conducted with the contestants and other inmates. José Rivera’s play is a haunting and soulful examination of women trapped within a prison’s walls and the possibility of transcendence even in the most dire of circumstances.
The Civilians and Goodman theater originally commissioned and developed Another Word For Beauty.
INVESTIGATION: Another Word For Beauty began with a month-long investigation at El Buen Pastor women’s prison in Bogotá. It included theater and writing workshops for the inmates led by Rivera and the creative team.
The information discovered through the research phase for the play helped to create an intimate understanding of the pageant’s impact. The impact on both the prison system and the inmates. The pageant is a recent innovation and is indicative of a shift in public policy that increases support of rehabilitation for the incarcerated. The reasons for the contestants’ imprisonment – which range from drug trafficking to murder – inspires examination of larger social and political issues in Colombia, including poverty and the decades-old violent conflict amongst paramilitary, government, and guerrilla political groups. It is our hope that the stories collected in the interview process will illuminate authentic voices. It provide models of hope for those on the difficult path towards healing and transformation.
Written by:
José Rivera
Music and lyrics by:
Héctor Buitrago
Directed by:
Steve Cosson
Cast:
Stephanie Andrea Barron
Helen Cespedes
Monique Gabriela Curnen
Dan Domingues
Danaya Esperanza
Zoe Sophia Garcia
Marisol Miranda
Yun Pardo
Socorro Santiago
Heather Velazquez
Carmen Zilles
Musicians:
Ruben Gonzalez
Javier Saume Mazzei
Mike Przygoda
Diego Salcedo
Scenic Design: Andrew Boyce
Costume Design: Emily Rebholz
Lighting Design: Robert Wierzel
Sound Design: Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen
Music Director: Mike Przygoda
Projection Design: Mike Tutaj
Choreography: Maija Garcia
Production Stage Manager: Briana J. Fahey
The World Premiere of Another Word For Beauty was produced by Goodman Theatre.
January 16 – February 21, 2016
170 N. Dearborn Street
Chicago, IL 60601
Another Word for Beauty was performed in Workshop at the New York Stage and Film in the Martel Theater, Vogelstein Center for Drama and Film, July 15, 2016 – 17, 2016.
CHICAGO TRIBUNE: Review: ‘Another Word for Beauty’ about pageant in a Colombian prison
THIRD COAST REVIEW: Another Word for Beauty—A Musical Beauty Pageant Behind Bars Goes Awry
AROUND THE TOWN CHICAGO: Review: Another Word for Beauty
LAWNDALE NEWS: Otro Término para la Belleza
WBEZ 91.5: The Goodman Gives Us ‘Another Word For Beauty’ world-premiere play at Goodman
DAILY HERALD: Prison pageant in Colombia inspires world-premiere play at Goodman
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES: A Prison Pageant That Seeks ‘Another Word For Beauty
THEATERMANIA: José Rivera and Steve Cosson Go Inside Colombia’s Unlikeliest Beauty Pagean
BILLBOARD: Héctor Buitrago Scores Prison Beauty Pageant Play Another Word for Beaut
BROADWAY WORLD: Photo Flash: Goodman Theatre’s Upcoming Premiere Another Word For Beauty
EL TIEMPO: About The Project
EL ESPECTADOR: Interview with José Rivera
CBS CHICAGO: Rock Star Brings Sounds Of Colombia To Goodman Theatre
VIVELO HOY: Danaya Esperanza sobre Another Word for Beauty
VIVELO HOY: Another Word for Beauty: Yunuén Pardo
GOODMAN THEATRE PRESS ROOM: Another Word For Beauty