Explore a night of arts and culture with fellow Cornellian and playwright, Oliver Mayer ’86 as he stages the world-premiere of his play Yerma in the Desert. Mayer retells Federico Garcia Lorca’s famous play Yerma, with a contemporary spin, addressing current issues of immigration, racism, sexual identity and gender inequality. Set in an elite university, Yerma in The Desert focuses on the lives of custodial and public safety staff who clean up the mess and tell no tales in a Trumpian dystopian world, where personal grudges lead to deportation and worse. Immediately after the performance, the cast of Yerma in the Desert will come on stage for a 20-minute post-play discussion expressly for the Cornell Club of Los Angeles. Writer and Cornellian Oliver Mayer will join them to answer questions about the play and discuss its larger themes. Play runtime, including Q&A: 2 hours.

More about the playwright: Oliver Mayer is associate dean of strategic initiatives and an associate professor of dramatic writing with tenure at the USC School of Dramatic Arts. He is the author of more than 30 plays, including his newest Yerma in the Desert, opening this November at the Greenway Court Theatre, and Members Only, the sequel to his ground-breaking play Blade to the Heat, receiving its world premiere at LATC in March 2018.

Date: Saturday, December 2, 2017

Time:  8:00 pm, play starts promptly at 8 pm (please allot time for parking and seating)

Location: Greenway Court Theatre, 544 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Parking: Free parking in the lot adjacent to the theater

Cost:  General Admission $30 each; Priority Reserved Seating $40 each; Student/Seniors $15 each

RSVP:  Buy your own tickets here – http://www.greenwaycourttheatre.org/tickets plus tell us you’re coming at http://www.cornellclubla.com/store.html?event_id=1778.

More info:  Cornell Club Programming Chair: Carmelita Bouie, cmb447@cornell.edu  or 310-339-3363