"La Cría / The Creature"

TEATRO DE LA LUNA and EDWIN BERNAL PRODUCTIONS are proud to premiere in the metropolitan area, LA CRÍA, by Mexican playwright Carlos Talancón, starring Edwin Bernal, Ixchel Hernández, and Marco Echeverria, under the direction of Edwin Bernal. The play will be performed in Spanish with simultaneous English surtitles.

LA CRÍA will be staged at Teatro de la Luna, 4020 Georgia Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20011, on Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sundays at 3:00 p.m., for three consecutive weeks, from November 6 through November 22 of this year. During the final week, a special performance will take place on Thursday, November 19, at 8:00 p.m.  As always, audiences are invited to participate in the theater’s traditional Friday Discussions, led by special guest moderators. On Saturday, November 7, a reception will be held for attendees following the performance.

ABOUT THE PLAY

As its author explains, “La Cría explores the pathological limits of devotion within a fantastical aesthetic.”  The play takes us into the extraordinary extremes to which a couple will go to keep alive what they love most: the creature that gives meaning to their existence.  Completely cutting themselves off from contact with the outside world, the couple devotes itself exclusively to caring for a wholly insatiable character.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT

Carlos Talancón (1981) is a Mexican playwright, fiction writer, and poet. He holds a degree in Dramatic Literature and Theater from the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters (FFyL) at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), as well as a master’s degree in Creative Writing from Pompeu Fabra University (UPF).  He has also participated in workshops led by renowned theater practitioners, including Eugenio Barba, Abraham Oceransky, and Héctor Mendoza. Talancón won an award at the 12th National University Theater Festival and received a fellowship from the Mexican Foundation for Letters (FLM) for 2008–2009. Several of his plays have been staged at prominent theaters in Mexico City, and one was selected for presentation at the National Theater Showcase Entretelones. In 2013, he received an Honorable Mention in the National Playwriting Award. In 2017, he was recognized by the Association of Theater Critics and Journalists (ACPT) for Best Playwriting. He also participated in the 38th National Theater Showcase.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR-ACTOR

Edwin Bernal (Guatemala) is a graduate of the Prometeo Conservatory of Dramatic Arts at Miami Dade College (USA). His works include “Tacones, The Sins of the Father” by C. García, “Dream DC”, “Dar en la Tecla” and “Hermanita Querida” both by M. Moro, “Fuente Ovejuna” by Lope de Vega, “The Tell-Tale Heart” by E. Allan Poe, “El Nuevo Artista” by A. Marte, “Amén 2” by Juanda Hall, “Óyeme The Beautiful” by M. Gonzales, “Jardín Salvaje” by K. Zacarías, “Pequeñas Infidelidades” by M. Diament “El Mundo de los Sueños” (a monologue from “Hamlet” by W. Shakespeare), “Cuerpo en Alquiler” (of his penmanship), “De Hombre a Hombre” by M. Moro, “Andar Sin Pensamiento” by J. Huertas, “Calígula” by D. Eróliga, “Chronicle of a Death Foretold” (adapted by J. Alí Triana), “Yo tambièn hablo de la Rosa” by E. Carballido, “La llamada de Silvia Méndez” by C. Cody, and others. He has performed in theater in Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., Miami, Connecticut, and New York. Winner of an ATI Award and an Arte Internacional Award for Best Actor for “The Tell-Tale Heart” (2024); Winner of the ATI Award for Best Actor (International Award 2024) for “The Tell-Tale Heart.”. He was nominated for Best Actor at the ACE Awards (New York, 2017) and Best Actor at the Latin Community Awards (D.C.) for his performance in “De Hombre a Hombre” (2016), and has received awards for Best Direction and Acting at the Artspoken Festival (Miami, FL, 2016). Most recently, he won the Capital Emmy Award 2026.

ABOUT THE ACTORS

Marco Echeverría (Chile) is an active participant in Washington, D.C.’s Latino cultural scene, with a particular interest in theater and poetry. He has participated in acting workshops at Teatro de la Luna and the Mexican Cultural Institute, and has served as a member of the Board of Directors of Teatro La Bolsa. His theater credits include Play readings of “Tierra del Fuego” and “Vuelo a Capistrano” with Teatro de la Luna; “La calle de la gran ocasión” at the Mexican Cultural Institute; and Bar abierto with Teatro La Bolsa.  His experience also includes cultural management and behind-the-scenes work, reflecting an ongoing commitment to promoting Latin American culture and strengthening community cultural spaces. La cría marks his first professional theater performance.

Ixchel Hernández (El Salvador) makes her debut on the Teatro de la Luna stage. Her credits include the Kennedy Center TYA 2025 National Tour of “Look Both Ways”; Theater Alliance’s “Woody Guthrie American Song and “Poetry for the People: The June Jordan Experience”; La Pluma Theatre’s La Pájara de San Juan; and Teatro GALA productions including “La casa de Bernarda Alba”, “Héctor, el niño eléctrico”, “Frida libre”, and “Quijote y Sancho Panza, nuevas andanzas”  Her additional credits include NextStop Theatre Company’s “Dream Hou$e” and “In the Heights”; Glass Cannon Theatre Company’s “Los empeños de una casa”; Folger Theatre’s “Cymbeline: A Telenovela Melodramatic Western”, “DC, I Love You: First Dates”, and “DC, I Love You: Ready or Not”; Rorschach Theatre’s “Human Museum”; and Constellation Theatre Company’s “Incognito”.

REMINDER: * Tickets: $30; $25 -Students and seniors 60 and over

* Street Parking (Free on Sundays)    * Buy on-line www.teatrodelaluna.org

Note: Two Courtesy Tickets available for press members for each performance.