'De La Locura A La Esperanza: From Madness to Hope' to Have World Premiere at Los Angeles Theatre Center; Opens October 23

'De La Locura A La Esperanza: From Madness to Hope' to Have World Premiere at
Los Angeles Theatre Center; Opens October 23

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ --

WHAT: "De La Locura A La Esperanza (From Madness to Hope)." A
theatre-dance-music performance about the 1980-1992 Salvadoran Civil War. In
Spanish with English supertitles. Presented with accompanying exhibits.

WHO: Conceived and directed by William Flores. Choreographed by Saul Mendez.
Produced by Olin Theater Presenters and Saul Mendez Folkloric Ballet.
Featuring over 30 performing artists.

WHERE: Los Angeles Theatre Center, in the 280-sear Theatre 2, 514 S. Spring
St., Los Angeles, CA 90013.

WHEN: Friday, Oct. 23, 2009 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 24 at 8 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 25 at 8 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 30 at 8 p.m.
Sat. Oct. 31 at 6 p.m.
Sun. Nov. 1 at 3 p.m.

ADMISSION: $20. Students and seniors $15. Opening Night VIP tickets (includes
reception), $50.

RESERVATIONS: (213) 489-0994 ext. 107.

ONLINE TICKETING: www.thelatc.org

"De La Locura A La Esperanza (From Madness to Hope)" was the name given to the
report of the 1992 U.N. Truth Commission on El Salvador following 12 years of
civil war by a brutal right wing military junta protecting the privileges of
wealthy few against the mostly impoverished campesinos (peasants) living at
subsistence level. Violence exploded in the country after right-wing
assassins murdered left-leaning Archbishop Oscar Romero during Mass. In the
conflict between the junta and the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front,
more than 75,000 died, 10,000 disappeared, 500,000 were internally displaced,
and 1.5 million fled the country. The Reagan Administration intervened on the
side of the right-wing Salvadoran Army, spending more than four billion
dollars in training and weapons support.

The U.N. brokered a peace accord between the warring factions, culminating in
the cessation of hostilities in early 1992.

The new play by William Flores, "De La Locura A La Esperanza (From Madness to
Hope)" commemorates the events of the difficult struggle as the people of El
Salvador waged a fight for freedom against oppression. Flores, who also
directs, has assembled a cast of over 30, including actors, dancers and
singers, communicating a historical record of those turbulent times through
dramatic scenes, songs and traditional folkloric dances.

The show is accompanied by visual exhibits from the Museo De La Palabra Y La
Imagen including: From War to Peace (Images and documents about the Salvadoran
Civil War); and The Legacy of Salarrue (Paintings, images, objects and
manuscripts from the private collection of El Salvador's greatest painter and
writer.

There will also be an installation by artist Claudia Bernardi: Shouts From The
Invisible.

SOURCE Los Angeles Theatre Center

Philip Sokoloff, +1-626-683-9205, for Los Angeles Theatre Center