Strings

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Guerrilla Rep presents the world premiere of Strings, a “bromantic dramedy” written by Terrence Beswick and directed by John Caldon.

Strings plays May 14 – June 6 (Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays) at Mama Calizo’s Voice Factory at 1519 Mission Street in San Francisco. (Press opening is May 14 at 8 pm).

In Strings, Juan Carlos De La Rosa (hotshot) and Michael Rodriguez play two brothers who are crafting a new play about family, fiddles and demons. But are these memories or fantasies? Whose story is this? The connections they make surprise them both.

“Strings is both a drama about a memory of a nightmare and a comedy about a nightmare of a memory. Terrence Beswick’s latest play holds a mirror up to itself, and in so doing becomes simultaneously poetic, hilarious, and haunting,” says director Caldon, who last year also directed Beswick’s hotshot, a tragicomedy about crystal meth in the gay community. Critical responses to hotshot:

“It’s creepy, suspenseful and darkly comic. ” – SF Bay Times
“This struggle for power and control is one of the most interesting themes of the play… riveting drama.” – The Daily Californian
“These drug-ravaged lives resonate with authentic detail… ” – Bay Area Reporter
“As a playwright, Beswick has an undeniable future as one of the best of his generation. ” – beyondchron.com

A portion of all ticket sales from Strings will be donated to Community United Against Violence.

Terrence Beswick (playwright)

After studying acting as an undergraduate, Beswick worked as an AIDS activist, policy wonk and reporter for many years. Currently, he is co-artistic director and co-founder of Guerrilla Rep and an MFA candidate in playwriting at San Francisco State University. Beswick’s play about crystal meth in the gay community, hotshot, was staged last year as part of Guerrilla Rep’s residency at Mama Calizo’s Voice Factory. Beswick’s one-act plays include Gobsmacked in the Grand Canyon and The Will and Woody Show, both staged in 2007 at SFSU. 

John Caldon (director)

Co-artistic director and co-founder of Guerrilla Rep, Caldon comes from a background in theater and film production. Most recently, as part of Guerrilla Rep’s residency at Mama Calizo’s Voice Factory, he wrote and co-directed Third Eye; the b-side monologues and directed the premiere of Beswick’s hotshot. In 2007, He co-directed the San Francisco State University One-Act Fringe Festival, and also staged Tony Kushner’s Homebody monologue and To Tame a Shrew, his own conceptual adaptation of Shakespeare’s work. He is a recent graduate of the SFSU creative writing program. 

Juan Carlos De La Rosa (actor)

De La Rosa originated a leading role in the South American tour of Teatro Arcoiris’ Poeta Pan for which he was given a cultural enrichment award by the city of El Quisco, Chile. Favorite credits include West Side Story, The Tailor From Chihuahua (title role), Pinocchio, NCTC’s In Gabriel’s Kitchen (title role) and History Boys (Akthar), and Guerrilla Rep’s hotshot. Most recently, he was featured in the music video for “Epilepsy is Dancing” directed by the Wachowsky siblings and Sean Dorsey’s Uncovered: the diary project. He recently received Bachelors degrees in Theatre Arts and Dance from SFSU. 

Michael Rodriguez (actor)

Rodriguez, a recent graduate in Theatre Arts at SFSU, has performed in several theatrical and film productions throughout southern and northern California. At the moment, he can be seen in Michael Fisher’s film Timon of Athens now showing at a film festival near you. In addition to being a performer, Michael also writes and directs. His latest directorial endeavor was with a play by local playwright extraordinaire, Claire Rice.

Strings features sound design by Liz Roddy, lighting design by Julien Elstob, and scenic design by John Caldon.