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Program Guide
December 5, 2019 - January 5, 2020

Fade

By Tanya Saracho
Directed by Tatyana-Marie Carlo

Culture, class, and the price of ambition

Lucia is understandably nervous. It’s day one at her first TV writing job. As a Mexican-born novelist, she may actually be the “diversity hire” she’s heard whispers about. Uncertain whether she can make a place for herself in cutthroat Hollywood, at least she feels less alone when she meets Abel, the Latino janitor. They form a bond and share stories, but it turns out that what Lucia gains from their friendship is not what Abel expects in this witty dramatic comedy about class, integrity, and culture.

From the writer of How To Get Away with Murder and Looking.

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Synopsis

Below is a synopsis of the show. You've been warned.

Lucia is a Mexican-born novelist who has just moved from Chicago to start her new career in Hollywood as a television writer. Self-conscious that she is still riding the success of her first and only novel, she can’t shake the thought that she is not qualified for her new position.  As the only Latina screenwriter on her team, she’s worried that her coworkers may be right about her being a “diversity hire.”

As she starts settling into her new office, Lucia knocks a shelving unit off her desk. Abel, the Latino janitor, comes to help her clean up and she is relieved to see someone she feels she can relate to. While at first she offends him by speaking only Spanish, the two eventually begin to connect.

Over the course of a few weeks, they grow closer with every encounter. As their friendship grows, the two share stories of their lives. The two talk about their Mexican heritage and the class divide that separates them. Abel speaks of his time in the Marines, and shares a heartbreaking story about his relationship with his daughter and ex-wife. Meanwhile, Lucia is struggling in the writers room to have her perspective respected by her boss and the other writers as they create a Latina character she is desperate not to have characterized only by stereotypes. Lucia asks Abel if she can use elements of his story as she creates a love interest for the television show’s main character.

Suddenly Lucia is distant. She starts working from home. One night Abel walks into Lucia’s office and hears the episode playing on her computer. When he enters, she immediately pauses it and starts to leave. As she leaves, Abel is left alone with the computer that has the episode about his life on it. What he sees could change their relationship forever.

Community Partners

Cast & Creative

Cast
Elia Saldana
Lucia
Daniel Duque-Estrada '13
Abel

Creative

Tatyana-Marie Carlo
Director
Efren Delgadillo, Jr.
Set Designer
Shanel Shay Smith
Assistant Director
Amanda Downing Carney
Costume Designer
Pablo Santiago
Co-Lighting Designer
Ginevra Lombardo
Co-Lighting Designer
David R. Molina
Composer & Sound Designer
Kristen Gibbs
Production Stage Manager

Sponsors

Media Sponsor