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For Immediate Release Press Contact: Jodi Koskella Phone: 858-699-3557 With Clear Mission, Top Notch Talent and Exciting Inaugural Season! June 2, 2004- San Diego, CA- Mo`olelo Performing Arts Company, a start up theatre group dedicated to creating, producing and educating, announced today its inaugural season will launch September 10, 2004 with the world premier of Remains, a true-life story about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Remains will run September 10 - October 3, 2004, with shows on Thursdays- Saturdays at 8PM and Sundays at 2PM at The ARK Center for the Performing Arts. Founded by award-winning actor Seema Sueko and lighting designer Kim Palma, Mo`olelo was created to serve several needs not currently addressed by San Diego's theatre community. The name "Mo`olelo" comes from the Hawaiian word for story or legend, and was chosen to reflect their core desire to tell good stories that are as diverse as Hawaii itself. The seasonal calendar is built around Mo`olelo's 3-part mission:
"I would summarize our mission by saying that we look to identify and fill voids in the theatre community. We want to extend outside the mainstream and tell stories that are not currently being told, whether we're creating the stories ourselves or presenting plays that are not being produced elsewhere," says Seema Sueko, co-founder and Artistic Director. "We will constantly challenge ourselves to present audiences with a different point of view- one that will touch their hearts and minds and perhaps make them think differently about a particular subject. That mission extends into our education program as well. We focus on training students on the technical and design aspects of theatre as opposed to the art of acting, which is the focus of most theatre programs. By offering this as an option to high school students, we can open up a career path that they may have never considered- again, helping people to think differently." Board, Staff & Advisors: Mo`olelo's board and advisory staff are made up of a diverse group of individuals with the goal of creating something new and exciting in San Diego's theatre scene. Seema Sueko, co-founder, serves as Artistic Director. With an extensive background in award winning roles and productions such as The Crime of the Century, The Waiting Room and Piece of my Heart, Seema wrote, developed and stars in Mo`olelo's inaugural show, Remains. Prior to the opening of Remains, you can catch Seema at The Old Globe's production of The Intelligent Design of Jenny Chow, opening June 17. Co-founder Kim Palma is the program director for Mo`olelo's education program, which teaches the artistry of technical theatre and design to high school students. Throughout the academic year students learn through workshops led by Kim, culminating in a weeklong internship working beside the professional crew at The Joyce Theatre in New York City. Kim is the lighting design instructor and resident designer at Orange County High School of the Arts in Southern California. She has extensive experience as a lighting supervisor and is the resident Lighting Designer and Production Director for DanceBrazil and Helios Dance Theatre. Board members include Jodi Koskella, Marketing Director for WCG IT Portfolio Management; Ilene Hubbs, former CEO of Make a Wish Foundation; Darlynne Reyes, reporter for KSWB-TV Channel 5; Jake Freifeld, Owner of Southbrook Capital Management and Michelle Wheelock, Business Banker for Wells Fargo Bank. Board member biographies are available on Mo`olelo's web site at www.moolelo.net. Future Plans Plans for 2005 include the creation and production of The Adoption Project, a new play focused on the issues surrounding adoption; and a full production of Rocket to the Moon, (rights pending) a play by Clifford Odets that will be directed by Brendon Fox of The Old Globe. |