by Sarah Ruhl
directed by Jacqui Herrera
Altarena’s production of The Clean House by Sarah Ruhl is a celebration of women and diversity in theatre; it is written by a woman, directed by a Latina woman, and features four women of different colors, ages, and cultural backgrounds.
The show is a surrealist dramedy about life, death, and love, and how we humans try to control these forces. This layered theme unfolds through a story about five people who are struggling to harness control of their lives amidst an affair, grief and loss, a strained family relationship, and sickness.
The humor of the play is found where we find it in our lives: amongst the absurdity in the delusion that everything is in our control. The central character, Matilde, is a Brazilian comedian dealing with the loss of her parents. She has found a job as a house cleaner, but she hates to clean and spends her time trying to write the perfect joke. She is the personification of the idea that out of chaos and mess, humor and life is found.
Click Here for Press Release.
Click Here for cast and creative team.
Click Here to view the playbill for this production.
Press Photos (click for a hi-res version)
All photos by Jim Norrena, ACT OUT Photography
- Janelle Aguirre, Jeanette Sarmiento and Marsha Harrison
- Adriana Palhares, Louis Schilling and Janelle Aguirre
- Jeanette Sarmiento, Marsha Harrison and Janelle Aguirre
- Jeanette Sarmiento and Marsha Harrison