You Welcome

Written By Anne Valentino
Directed By Denise Blasor
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The Feast of the Seven Fishes, Nochebuena, and an All-American happy meal kinda holiday? A young Italian couple living in Argentina, Emilia and Ario were just beginning the journey that would come to define their life, their language, and their family. Two daughters and one American dream later, Emilia and Ario find themselves immigrants yet again in a tiny two-room garage apartment in Rochester, New York. The play follows three generations over six decades and four very different Christmas Eves as the family comes to terms with how their lives (and language) fit within the box that is American “normal.” 

A queer playwright and daughter of an Argentine immigrant, Anne tends to write about that intersection where underrepresented populations collide with a mindset that interprets different as somehow “deviant.” Receiving a PhD in Literature from Temple University, Anne has made writing the center of her professional life for the past twenty years. She’s had plays presented across the US and has won or been a finalist in festivals including the Bechdel Project Room of One’s Own Residency, Cincinnati Lab Theatre, Baltimore Playwright’s Festival, Aphra Behn Festival, Water’s Rising New Climate Action, Lesbian Thespian’s Play Writing Festival, Project Y Women’s Theatre Festival, Larking House Playwright Intensive, Pegasus Play Lab, O.C. Play Fest, Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival, The Seven: Short Works Festival, and VetRep’s playwriting competition, among others. She lives in the DC area with her fiancée and their highly untrainable pups, Tiberius and Athena.

Denise Blasor is an actress, director, ADR Voice talent, multi media artist/designer, translator & writer Film/TV include co-starring in NORIEGA: GOD’S FAVORITE w/Bob Hoskins dir: Roger Spottiswoode DEATH IN GRANADA w/Andy Garcia & Esai Morales/dir: Marcos Zurinaga & A PLACE AMONG THE DEAD dir: Juliet Landau. She plays Doña Rosa in TV series SNOWFALL, Leonora Garcia in Gabriela Ortega’s HUELLA Sundance/Tribeca. She’s the voice of Ceci in Oscar Winners COCO & Adelie Chica in George Miller HAPPY FEET Director of political musical film CALLE DE LA RESISTENCIA, DENTRO DE LA CASA DE BERNARDA ALBA, TWO DANCERS ONE LOVE, Revival of Maria Irene Fornes FEFU AND HER FRIENDS (Odyssey Theatre) CRISTO VIVE (Orpheum Theatre) WILD IN WICHITA (LATC) Performed in World Premieres of Ron Sossi ELEPHANT SHAVINGS (Odyssey Theatre) Stephanie Walker’s THE ABUELAS (Antaeus Theatre/dir: Andi Chapman) Stephanie Walker’s THE MADRES (Skylight Theatre & Chicago’s Victory Theatre) HEART SONG (Fountain Theatre/dir: Shirley Jo Finney) WILD IN WICHITA (BFA & LATC/dir: Denise Blasor) DARK, BEYOND DARK & MORE DARK (Odyssey Theatre) THE CLEAN HOUSE (Odyssey Theatre/dir: Ron Sossi) Timothy McNeil’s LOS MUERTOS (Elephant Theater/dir: David Fofi) Lorca’s Trilogy: BODAS DE SANGRE, YERMA, HOUSE OF BERNARDA ALBA (LATC & BFA/dir: Margarita Galban) JUNE IN A BOX (Intersection for the Arts/dir: Octavio Solis) ELECTRICIDAD (CTG/Mark Taper Forum/dir: Lisa Peterson) LA FALSA CRONICA DE JUANA LA LOCA (BFA & Festival Cervantino/ Guanajuato Mexico) Rodrigo Garcia’s TEN TINY LOVE STORIES (Marilyn Monroe/Strasberg Theater/dir: Luis Alfaro) LA POSADA MAGICA (Odyssey/dir: Diane Rodriguez & South Coast Rep/dir: Octavio Solis). She was Artistic Director of L.A.Diversified serving as director, designer, writer, performer & adapter. Shows produced include her adaptation of THE THREE SISTERS, HE WHO GETS SLAPPED, NO EXIT & original musical, CADERAS and was also Associate Artistic Director of Bilingual Foundation of the Arts. She has produced, directed, written, performed in new bilingual adaptations of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, THE NUTCRACKER, LEARNING TO LIVE:12 CHILDREN STORIES, TONANTZIN GUADALUPE, CRISTO VIVE in collaboration with Rene Heredia and Juliette Blasor. Fluent in Spanish, English & Italian, Improv, Hosting, Interviewing simultaneously in English & Spanish.

“You Welcome”

EMILIA/SARA – Erica Ortega
ARIO/BERTO (V.O.)/ HAROLD”- Marcelo Tubert*
LENI” – Katia Villanueva
LORA/VICTORIA – Alexis Santiago
GRAZIA/JEN – Luisina Quarleri
PINA/CRYSTAL/MIA – Genevieve Hercules
Stage Directions – Carlos Lacamera*

*Road Company Member