THE HUNTINGTON ANNOUNCES THE CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM OF LUIS ALFARO’S ELECTRIC OEDIPUS EL REY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Gabrielle Choi, Associate Director of Publicity
617-273-1520
PHOTOS available for download here
Members of the press, RSVP here
THE HUNTINGTON ANNOUNCES THE CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM OF LUIS ALFARO’S ELECTRIC OEDIPUS EL REY
This fresh and gripping script from Chicano playwright Luis Alfaro will be staged in an intimate thrust configuration at the Calderwood Pavilion this May 2026
(BOSTON) – The Huntington announces the cast and creative team of Oedipus el Rey, a thrilling retelling of a powerful classic by MacArthur “Genius” Fellow Luis Alfaro and directed by Huntington Norma Jean Calderwood Artistic Director Loretta Greco. Oedipus el Rey runs at The Huntington from Thursday, May 7 – Sunday, June 7, 2026 at the Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont Street, Boston, MA, 02116).
Luis Alfaro reimagines Sophocles’ classic in his acclaimed and electrifying Oedipus el Rey, set in the heart of Los Angeles. Oedipus dreams of rewriting his own story — but liberation comes at a price: can he truly escape the destiny laid out before him? What’s fate, and what’s just the system? A searing tale of love, family, and prophecy, Oedipus el Rey blends ancient myth with modern urgency and Chicano swagger with swaths of sly humor. Artistic Director Loretta Greco, who led the acclaimed premiere of Oedipus el Rey at the Magic Theatre, creates a production especially for Boston.
“Luis Alfaro is one of our national treasures,” says Huntington Artistic Director Loretta Greco. “A poet, playwright, teacher, and activist, Luis creates award-winning work that has resonated across cultures and generations for decades. Audiences in San Francisco and cities throughout the country have been mesmerized as this young Oedipus traverses the world of today while poignantly wrestling with the ancient predicament of fate and hubris. I am so looking forward to revisiting Luis’s masterwork and sharing its urgency, humanity, Chicano swagger, hilarity, and heart with Boston audiences.”
Called “urgently relevant and timeless” by Theatre Mania and “potent! A dramatic and theatrical fusion of myth and modernity” by San Francisco Chronicle Datebook, Oedipus el Rey is part of Luis Alfaro’s Greek Trilogy. Based on Sophocles’ Electra and Oedipus, and Euripides’ Medea, Alfaro’s three plays – Electricidad, Oedipus el Rey, and Mojada: A Medea – platform the concerns of the Chicano and wider Latino communities in Los Angeles and New York through ancient drama. Alfaro’s Oedipus first premiered in early 2010 at the Magic Theater under the direction of Loretta Greco. It later received a highly praised production Off Broadway at The Public Theater in 2017.
The upcoming Huntington production marks a reunion of Greco and Alfaro roughly 16 years after their collaboration on the original world premiere at the Magic. Alfaro’s art has not been produced in Boston since his earlier work with The Theater Offensive and the OutWrite Conference in the 1990s; this production marks an exciting creative homecoming for him and for fans of his impressive body of work.
“It’s such a joy to see Oedipus el Rey making its debut in Boston, where I spent a considerable amount of my time as an up-and coming artist, first in poetry, performance art, and finally, theater,” says playwright Luis Alfaro. “I always wished that this play’s themes would lose their resonance as we continue to practice democracy in our culture. Instead, our reliance on the prison industrial complex has continued to grow and become a fabric of American life. The classic Greek play asks us one question of how we make society, ‘Is it destiny or is it fate?’ and we continue to wrestle with these ideas in our public spaces of inquiry, the theatre being one of vital spirituality and importance. I can’t wait to see what audiences think.”
The cast of Oedipus el Rey includes:
Juan Arturo as Oedipus, a young king. Credits include: The Night of the Iguana at Signature Theatre, Romeo and Juliet at Hartford Stage, and Shane at the Guthrie Theatre.
Gabe Martínez as Laius, an old king. Credits include: Moulin Rouge! The Musical on Broadway, Exorcistic Off Broadway, and In the Heights at Muhlenberg SMT.
Melisa Soledad Pereyra as Jocasta, a wife, and Esfinge, a sphynx. Credits include: Stand Up if You’re Here Tonight at The Huntington, A Doll’s House on Broadway, and Dark Matter on Apple TV.
Jaime José Hernández as Creon, a brother-in-law. Credits include: John Proctor is the Villain at The Huntington, The Other Americans at The Public Theater, and The Hombres at Gloucester Stage / Teatro Chelsea.
Victor Almanzar as Tiresias, a blind servant. Credits include: Man in the Ring at The Huntington, Between Riverside and Crazy on Broadway, and Medea Off Broadway.
Javier David as El Sobador, a healer. Credits include: Clyde’s and Witch at The Huntington, The Comedy of Errors at Shakespeare and Company, and The Changeling on Apple TV.
The creative team for Oedipus el Rey includes scenic and projections design by Hana S. Kim (Black Beans Project at The Huntington), costume design by Alex Jaeger (The Light in the Piazza at The Huntington), lighting design by Reza Behjat (The Grove at The Huntington), and sound design and original music by Jake Rodriguez (Don’t Eat the Mangos at The Huntington). The assistant director is Amelia Rose Estrada, the dramaturg is Sonia Fernandez, the fight director and intimacy coach is Jesse Hinson, and the voice and dialect coach is Adi Cabral. The production stage manager is Emily F. McMullen and the stage manager is Ross Gray. NY Casting is by Alaine Alldaffer and Lisa Donadio. Boston casting is by Brett Duffy.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Luis Alfaro (Playwright) is a Chicano playwright born and raised in downtown Los Angeles. He is recently the 2024 TCG World Theatre Artist and received the 2024 award in literature from the American Academy of Arts & Letters. He is a MacArthur; United States Artists; Ford Foundation Art of Change; Joyce Foundation; Mellon Foundation Fellow, and the recipient of the PEN America/Laura Pels International Foundation Theater Award for a Master Dramatist. He was the inaugural Playwright-in-Residence for six seasons at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival; seven seasons in the Playwright’s Ensemble at Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theatre; currently in the Inaugural Latinx Playwrights at the Los Angeles Theatre Center; and twenty seasons at the Ojai Playwrights Conference. He developed and produced plays at the Mark Taper Forum Theater in L.A. for twelve seasons. His plays include Aztlan, The Travelers, Electricidad, Oedipus El Rey, Mojada, among others, and have been seen at regional theatres throughout the United States, Latin America, Canada, and Europe. He is director of the MFA in Dramatic Writing at the University of Southern California. Luis spent two decades in the Los Angeles Poetry and Performance Art communities.
Loretta Greco (Director) is The Huntington’s Norma Jean Calderwood Artistic Director. Her extensive national directing credits include The Hills of California, The Light in the Piazza, The Triumph of Love, Prayer for the French Republic, and Taylor Mac’s world premiere of Joy and Pandemic at The Huntington, the premieres of runboyrun and A Park in Our House at New York Theatre Workshop, The Story, Lackawanna Blues, and Two Sisters and a Piano at The Public Theater, Sweat, The Realistic Joneses, Speed-the-Plow, and Blackbird at American Conservatory Theater, and productions for California Shakespeare, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, McCarter Theatre, South Coast Repertory, Long Wharf, La Jolla Playhouse, and Williamstown Theatre Festival, among others. She is a champion of groundbreaking artists and has longstanding working relationships with esteemed playwrights such as Taylor Mac, Mfoniso Udofia, Lloyd Suh, Barbara Hammond, Luis Alfaro, Octavio Solis, Linda McLean, and Sam Shepard, with whom she worked closely on a five-year Bay Area-wide legacy series and directed the critically acclaimed revivals of Buried Child and Fool for Love. Prior to The Huntington, she was the artistic director at San Francisco’s Magic Theatre for 12 years, as well as producing artistic director of New York’s WP Theater and associate director and staff producer of the McCarter Theatre. She is a New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspect and the recipient of Bay Area Critic’s Association Awards, a Drama League fellowship, the Princess Grace Award, a Sundance/Luma Director’s fellowship, and the 2018 Zelda Fichandler Award.
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION FOR OEDIPUS EL REY
WHEN
Performances: May 7 – June 7, 2026
Evenings: Tues – Thurs at 7pm; Fri and Sat at 7:30pm
Matinees: Select Wed, Sat, and Sun at 2pm
Days and times vary; see complete schedule above.
Press Opening: Wednesday, May 13 at 7pm (RSVP here)
WHERE
Calderwood Pavilion
527 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116
TICKETS
Tickets start at $29. Season ticket packages and FlexPasses are also now on sale:
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- online at huntingtontheatre.org
- by phone at 617-266-0800;
- or in person at the Huntington Theatre (264 Huntington Ave) or Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont Street)
Select discounts apply:
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- $25 student tickets (valid ID required)
- $30 military tickets (valid ID required)
- $40 “HYPE” tickets (Huntington Young Patron Events) for patrons 40 years-old and younger (valid ID required)
- Limited number of Pay-What-You-Wish tickets (not available online, please call or visit the box office to inquire using the contact info above)
Please note that a digital recording of this production may be available for online viewing. More information to be shared online at a later date.
The Huntington asks that any patron experiencing illness stay home and contact ticketing services for more information about exchanges.
ACCESS PERFORMANCES FOR OEDIPUS EL REY
Tickets are $20 for each patron and their guests. To reserve tickets please email access@huntingtontheatre.org, call ticketing services at 617-266-0800, or visit in person at the Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave, Boston or the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, 527 Tremont St, Boston.
Accessible performances are supported in part by the Liberty Mutual Foundation.
OPEN CAPTIONED PERFORMANCE: Tuesday, June 2 at 7pm. The Huntington offers open captioning at designated performances for any patron who benefits from having the text of spoken dialogue visible in time with the play.
ASL-INTERPRETED PERFORMANCE: Friday, June 5 at 7:30pm. The Huntington offers American Sign Language interpretation at designated performances for patrons who are Deaf or hard of hearing.
AUDIO-DESCRIBED PERFORMANCE: Saturday, June 6 at 2pm. The Huntington offers audio description for patrons who are blind or low-vision at designated performances. Please visit huntingtontheatre.org/visit/accessibility for information.
Large Print and Braille Programs will also be available for patrons at performances.
OEDIPUS EL REY SPECIAL EVENTS
“Stage & Screen” O’ Brother Where Art Thou? at Coolidge Corner: Monday, May 11 at 7pm
The Huntington and Coolidge Corner continue their “Stage & Screen” collaboration with an event on Monday, May 11 at Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, MA. After a 7pm showing of the Joel and Ethan Coen’s satirical comedy-drama musical film inspired by The Odyssey, starring George Clooney as a convict on the run, guests connected with The Huntington’s production of Oedipus el Rey will host a post-screening discussion. The discussion will feature A. David Lewis, Associate Professor of English and Health Humanities and a founder of Comics Studies library collections at both Boston University and MCPHS University.
Tickets to the Stage & Screen film and post-screening discussion can be purchased here: coolidge.org/programs/stage-screen
Actors Forum: Thursday, May 21 at 7pm
The Huntington hosts a moderated, post-show discussion with members of the cast after the 7pm performance on Thursday, May 21 at the Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont St). Hear actors from Oedipus el Rey reflect on their roles and nuances of each character.
Student Matinee performance: Friday, May 22 at 10am
The Huntington Education Department hosts a student matinee of Oedipus el Rey on Friday, May 22 at 10am at the Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont St). Student tickets are $20 each, chaperones attend at no cost, and one chaperone is required for every 15 students.
To reserve your school group and learn more information, please email Manager of Education Operations Bec Lowe at education@huntingtontheatre.org.
Humanities Forum: Sunday, May 24 at 2pm
The Huntington hosts a post-show discussion after the 2pm matinee performance on Sunday, May 24 at the Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont St).
Actors Forum: Wednesday, May 27 at 2pm
The Huntington hosts a moderated, post-show discussion with members of the cast after the 2pm matinee performance on Wednesday, May 27 at the Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont St). Hear actors from Oedipus el Rey reflect on their roles and nuances of each character.
The Art of Adaptation and Advocacy Post-show Discussion: Saturday, May 30 at 2pm
The Huntington hosts a post-show discussion featuring activist-scholar-artist-educator Dana Edell after the 2pm matinee performance on Saturday, May 30 at the Calderwood Pavilion (527 Tremont St). Dana Edell is Faculty Director of EmersonTHEATER and Assistant Professor of Performing Arts at Emerson College.
MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA
Any members of the media who are interested in speaking with the artists of Oedipus el Rey, please contact Associate Director of Publicity Gabrielle Choi at gchoi@huntingtontheatre.org or 617-273-1520.
Press night for critics is Wednesday, May 13 at 7pm. Please RSVP here for press night or other available performances.
Production photos will be available for download online, and b-roll footage can be requested.
PHOTOS available for download here
ABOUT THE HUNTINGTON
Celebrating over 40 years of outstanding theatre, The Huntington is Boston’s leading professional theatre company. On our stages and throughout our city, we share enduring and untold stories that spark the imagination of audiences and artists and amplify the wide range of voices in our community.
Under the leadership of Norma Jean Calderwood Artistic Director Loretta Greco and Executive Director Christopher Mannelli, The Huntington is committed to welcoming broad and diverse audiences, provides life-changing opportunities for students through its robust education and community programs, is a national leader in the development of playwrights and new plays, and serves the local arts community through our operation of The Huntington Calderwood/BCA.
The Huntington reopened the historic Huntington Theatre in fall of 2022 after its transformational renovation, and is currently in phase two of the project; the renovation and building project of this storied venue with a bold vision for the future will allow us to innovatively expand our services to audiences, artists, and the community for generations to come. For more information, visit huntingtontheatre.org.
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