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Silueta by Diana Burbano, Tom Shelton and Chris Shelton by Diana Burbano

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  • Sarah Tuft:
    1 Dec. 2021
    “ This gorgeous, insightful, achingly truthful play so perfectly captures a world I know all too well - the art world. SILUETA captures its passions, abuses, and cult of celebrity as well as the dynamics between men and women that continue to haunt many industries, especially the arts where insecure men feast on the adulation of young women. A brilliant two-hander in which both characters are fully realized as three-dimensional human beings, this play needs to be produced - now! ”
  • Ashland New Plays Festival:
    11 Jun. 2021
    “ This powerful play about the artists Carl Andre, a founder of the Minimalist Art movement, and Ana Mendieta, a Cuban immigrant whose fame in New York art circles begins to eclipse his, examines in retrospect their torrid relationship that led eventually to her fall from the window of their 34th floor Village apartment shortly after they were married. At play4keeps.org, two extraordinary actors, Anthony Heald and Nancy Rodriguez, recorded this dialogue between the aged Andre and the ghost of Mendieta, who has haunted him for decades and now insists they examine together the truth of that fatal evening. ”
  • Peter Ruiz:
    19 Nov. 2020
    “ This play has a striking combination of an extremely real relationship and an overtly theatrical ghost device. The way the play interweaves reality and conjecture so seemingly is masterful. Whether or not you know the historical figures in this play, you are moved to fight for Ana and interrogate Carl along with. It feels like a fitting a tribute to well-loved Latinx artistic figure. ”
  • Jackie Apodaca:
    10 Apr. 2019
    “ This powerful play about the artists Carl Andre, a founder of the Minimalist Art movement, and Ana Mendieta, a Cuban immigrant whose fame in New York art circles begins to eclipse his, examines in retrospect their torrid relationship that led eventually to her fall from the window of their 34th floor Village apartment shortly after they were married. At play4keeps.org, two extraordinary actors, Anthony Heald and Nancy Rodriguez, recorded this dialogue between the aged Andre and the ghost of Mendieta, who has haunted him for decades and now insists they examine together the truth of that fatal evening. ”
  • Rachael Carnes:
    21 Dec. 2018
    “ This remarkable play dips and weaves in and out of time and place, exploring powerful themes — Creativity, Jealousy, Gender and more — as if the text is an aperture that can widen and narrow the lens, from the most human, most fine-grained moment to the grandest, most vivid and visceral spectacle. Timely and provocative, this piece has so much ammunition for two characters, who are both detailed and developed, engaging and tragic. As a reader, I'm taken by the work's unflinching portrayal of dysfunction and, ultimately, the light and lift they give to artist Ana Mendieta. Highly recommend. ”
  • Kenley Smith:
    30 May. 2018
    “ This is one that has stayed with me. I saw a reading of SILUETA five years ago at Great Plains Theatre Conference; as performed by Diana and Tom, Ana and Carl engage in a deadly dance that's profoundly haunting and tragic. The mystery of that night drives this powerful script. It's a beautiful piece. ”
  • Franky D. Gonzalez:
    24 May. 2018
    “ I felt so much more of the biting resentment between two stubborn artists in the English than the Spanish version. Mendieta and Andre spend their days in passionate embraces, calling each other out, and growing to resent the other for any perceived . Burbano, Shelton, and Shelton do not pull punches with the indictment of their male subject's fragile masculinity, delusions of grandeur, or his thinly veiled jealousy at Ana's success while also not sparing Ana her humanity. She is flawed herself. Deeply flawed. It's a play that leaves you talking and wanting more. Highly recommend in either language. ”
  • Shaun Leisher:
    18 Mar. 2018
    “ An important play for the age of #MeToo. A play that introduces people to the genius of Ana Mendieta, asks questions about her death and the role Carl Andre played and an exploration of the connection between artist and audience. A feast of a play for adventurous actors, designers and directors. ”
  • Matthew Weaver:
    22 Apr. 2017
    “ I was not familiar with Ana Mendieta or Carl Andre before reading this, but the talented writers had me all caught up in a matter of moments. A particular hat tip for the line "What were you thinking when I defenestrated?" and for daring to ask and answer the question. Burbano has a knack for taking well-known, mysterious true-life figures and capturing/infusing them with universal truth. The writers here take a holistic, compassionate look at both characters, glorious warts and all. "Silueta" is a passionate, violent, tragic love story beautifully told. ”
  • Eric Eberwein:
    13 Sep. 2015
    “ Did she fall or was she pushed? Silueta examines the tumultuous relationship between the young, provocative feminist sculptor Ana Mendieta (whose work has been rediscovered, reappraised and newly celebrated) and the older, "superstar" minimalist sculptor Carl Andre (whose star was fading in the 1980s). The play offers rich and nuanced roles for two experienced actors, and even if you go in knowing nothing about art or knowing only the controversy over Mendieta's death and Andre's subsequent criminal trial, you will enjoy this examination of their love and passions, concluding with a measure of justice for Ana. ”

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