El Nogalar By Tanya Saracho

Many years ago I heard about people flocking to an underpass in Chicago to get a glimpse at the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary which had appeared. Friends who had seen performances of my play, In The Dark, asked if I would join the individuals rushing to the location? My answer was of course not. I do not believe Mary would appear under a bridge or in a grilled cheese sandwich. I shook my head at the news of those flocking to catch a glimpse and thought someone is bound to write a film or play about this. After some time, I received an email from a Chicago theater company informing their list members of the latest show appearing on their stage. Our Lady Of The Underpass. A story inspired by true events of the Virgin Mary appearing. It was written by Tanya Saracho. The more I read reviews, the more intrigued I became to see the show. I was not able to attend, but I found myself interested. Soon after, I began to see the name Tanya Saracho appearing elsewhere. She was writing more plays which were being produced. The more I read articles from the Chicago Tribune and Time Out Chicago, the more I found myself drawn to Tanya.

As the years have gone by, Tanya Saracho's work has appeared on stages all around Chicago. She has steadily become a voice for this generation of young artists. She is a playwright, actress, and director who has been receiving greater publicity in recent years. Our Lady Of The Underpass has gone on to be a Jeff nominated piece. The Jeff Awards are like the Academy Awards for Chicago Theater. This past weekend, a wonderful piece appeared in the New York Times discussing Tanya Saracho who has become a national sensation! The greatest thrill for me came last summer when I decided to reach out to Tanya and introduce myself. Since then, I have been caught up in the excitement that is the Tanya Saracho Superstar Train! My budding friendship with her has enabled me to watch a talented writer do what she does best. I find inspiration through watching her work her way through the process of writing and getting her pieces produced. It has been quite a learning experience and a joy to get to know Tanya. I look back on it and think that the best thing to happen was people insisting the Virgin Mary appeared to them under that bridge all those many years ago. For it may have been that moment which inspired Tanya to write her play which I then read about and found myself intrigued by the woman who wrote it. Many years later, I am steadily becoming her friend and find myself excited about going to see her latest play, El Nogalar, which is now playing at Chicago's famed Goodman Theatre.

For more information about Tanya Saracho's El Nogalar, please watch the behind the scenes video at the following link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnB7vsvGN3k&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Also check out:

www.goodmantheatre.org