Acting out in "Living Out" Acting out in "Living Out" (October 08, 2004)

TheatreWorks stages Northern California premiere

By Julie O'Shea

Over its recent seasons, TheatreWorks has explored many social justice issues, from the plight of the blue-collar worker in "Nickel and Dimed" to the devastating consequences of China's Cultural Revolution in "Red."

Staying true to form, the theater company is getting ready to open "Living Out," playwright Lisa Loomer's moving, often-amusing examination of a working mother as told through the eyes of Ana, a Salvadoran nanny and mother of two.

The show opens Saturday at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts.

"It's not just a play to me. I think about it, and I cry," said Isabelle Ortega, who was born and raised in Columbia and is playing Ana in the production.

"For me, it's a privilege to play this part," Ortega said, during a rehearsal break earlier this week. "It's part of my life; it's part of my family and friends' lives."

While "Living Out" is told primarily from Ana's perspective, it is also the story of Nancy, a white upper-class lawyer who has hired Ana to take care of her newborn. And it's the story of two women working on two different sides of the cultural divide, the story of a friendship, and the story of corporate struggles and the sacrifices working mothers face on a daily basis.

"It's very witty, very well observed," said Rebecca Dines, who plays Nancy. "[Loomer] doesn't try and influence the way you think. ... She doesn't try and solve any problems."

It's a socially important play, but it's so much more than that, Dines continued. "I wouldn't want to put it into that little pigeon hole."

It's a play working mothers across Silicon Valley can relate to and sympathize with. But it's also a show rich with humor and emotions: anger, happiness and guilt.

"I feel guilty," Dines said in a phone interview Tuesday. "A new mother, career juggling. It's kind of the reason I never had kids. I can't afford them.

"There is no way I can be a mother and have a career, so I chose," said Dines, who grew up in Australia and now lives in Los Angeles. "I have to choose, unless I marry Donald Trump or win the lottery."

Ortega, who played Ana in a production of "Living Out" in Minneapolis earlier this year, knows firsthand that audiences relate.

After a show there one night, Ortega remembered walking out if the theater to find a young Latin woman waiting for her.

"She wrapped her arms around me and said, 'Thank you so much for telling my story. It is so important for people to know our stories.'"

E-mail Julie O'Shea at joshea@mv-voice.com

Information

What: TheatreWorks presents "Living Out," by Lisa Loomer

Where: Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St.

When: Runs Oct. 9 through Oct. 31; Tuesdays 7:30 p.m.; Wednesdays through Fridays at 8 p.m. Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. (8 p.m. only Oct. 9 and Oct. 30); Sundays 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. (2 p.m. only Oct. 24 and Oct. 31)

Cost: $20-$50

Call: 903-6000 or visit theatreworks.org

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