The Second Woman Builds on Classic Cassavetes Film

Marissa Chibas and Paula Rebelo for The Second Woman

Come out to the Bootleg Theater this weekend for the premiere of The Second Woman, a two-character play written and performed by CalArts School of Theater faculty Marissa Chibas, with alumna Paula Rebelo (Theater BFA 13). The production also features a creative team composed of CalArts alumni from the Schools of Dance and Music.

The production is inspired by the 1977 film Opening Night by actor, director and screenwriter John Cassavetes, in which a fading broadway star struggles to cope with her own mortality and painful personal history after witnessing the death of a young fan. The Second Woman builds on this narrative by adding source material from the Elysian mysteries of ancient Minoan culture, speaking to larger themes of transformation, ritual and confronting the ghosts of our pasts.

Chibas is a writer and performer and recipient of the 2015 TCG Fox Fellowship in Distinguished Achievement. She has acted in more than 50 productions and two dozen American premieres including the Broadway plays Abe Lincoln in Illinois and Brighton Beach Memoirs. Her silent film/performance piece, Clara’s Los Angeles, was presented at REDCAT’s NOW FEST and the San Diego Latino Film Festival.

The Second Woman, which opens on Nov. 11 and runs through Dec. 10, is directed by Zoe Aja Moore (Theater MFA 11), with original music by Juli Crockett Feldman (Theater MFA 01) and Michael Feldman, choreography by Fernando Belo (Theater MFA 13), video design by School of Film/Video faculty John Hawk with consultancy from Keith Skretch (Theater MFA 12), set design by Nina Caussa (Theater MFA 14), sound design by Sam Sewell (Theater MFA 17) and lighting design by Jesse Fryery (Theater MFA 17).