EL COMANCHERO
or [The Path to the Kingdom of Heaven]
A New Work Presented by Saudade Theatre
in co-production with
FRIGID New York
Two actors, estranged old friends, are cast together in a production of Eugene O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey into Night”. Backstage, as they prepare for opening night and the performance of a lifetime, the grievances of their shared past as immigrants in the United States steer them away from the job at hand, sending them on a manic search that may finally answer the burning question: did they survive the journey, or are they doomed to live forever as liminal beings, stuck somewhere between dream and reality?
PLAYWRIGHTS Filipe Valle Costa, Diogo C. Martins, Pedro Marnoto
PERFORMERS Filipe Valle Costa, Diogo C. Martins
DIRECTORS Pedro Marnoto, Pedro Carmo
PRODUCER Vanessa Varela
COSTUME DESIGNER Alexis Forte
LIGHTING DESIGNER Ethan Steimel
STAGE MANAGER Nicole Amaral
PERFORMANCES
April 15 - May 01
The Kraine Theatre | 85 E. 4th Street, NYC
Official Announcement on Broadway World
Behind the Work
EL COMANCHERO or [The Path to the Kingdom of Heaven] is a surrealistic investigation of the authors’ personal experiences as immigrants and friends in the United States. The play examines the inherent condition of the immigrant, exploring the concept of departure, the expectation of returning to the idyllic home, and the disquiet of a divided spirit: between the memory of what was and what could have been.
EL COMANCHERO or [The Path to the Kingdom of Heaven] will be Saudade Theatre’s inaugural production as a resident company at FRIGID New York. It is also the first original play from within our ensemble, the result of a 2-year long collaborative writing process - in isolation, and entirely over Zoom.
The Creative Team
FILIPE VALLE COSTA, Co-Author & Actor
Filipe is a Portuguese Theatre Maker living in Brooklyn, NY. He is the Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Saudade Theatre and holds an M.F.A. in Acting from the University of Florida. Filipe is currently known for his series regular role in John Singleton's FX drama series Snowfall.
DIOGO C. MARTINS, Co-Author & Actor
Diogo is a Portuguese Actor, Writer and Producer currently based in New York. He holds a MFA in Acting from the Actors Studio Drama School. Diogo is also an original member of the Actors Theater of New York and a member of the LAByrinth Theater Intensive Ensemble 2014. His acting work spans across all media, from theater to television and voice work.
PEDRO MARNOTO, Co-Author & Co-Director
Pedro is a film and theater maker based in Brooklyn. Film work includes the short film Gu and the documentary feature Voices in the Fog. For the stage, Pedro assistant directed Saudade Theatre's production of Mickaël de Oliveira's The Constitution.
PEDRO CARMO, Co-Director
Pedro is an Actor and Theatre and Film Director who adopted NYC as his hometown. Stage credits in the US range from Broadway’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s or Off-Broadway’s Absolute. On screen, he was in The Blacklist, Person of Interest, Evil and Jessica Jones, among others.
VANESSA VARELA, Producer
Vanessa produces Theatre, Sports & Entertainment Events and Digital Media in New York, Los Angeles and Miami. She also provides dramaturgical support for Saudade Theatre's original works, including for I AM THE DEAD MAN, which premieres Summer of 2022.
ALEXIS FORTE, Costume Designer
Alexis Forte is a Costume Designer based in New York City. She studied Design for Performance at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. She has worked on multiple TV series, motion picture, and theatre projects. Most recently she designed the costumes for the Atlantic Theater Company production of Stephen Adly Guirgis’s Between Riverside and Crazy, for which Mr. Guirgis received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
ETHAN STEIMEL, Lighting Designer
Ethan is a lighting designer based in New York. He designed The Baker’s Wife at Theatre Row. TV credits include CNN, Bloomberg, and Broadway HD. He hosts Artistic Finance, a podcast with artists about finance—incluindo um episódio em português.
NICOLE AMARAL, Stage Manager
Nicole is a New York City native and has Brazilian roots. She is the Managing Director of Hamlet Isn’t Dead, the Company Manager of Actors Theatre of NYC, and the Project Associate of Hi-ARTS. Some of her recent theater credentials include: Antony and Cleopatra at Atlantic Theater Stage 2 and Bunnies in Space featuring Astronomy Club at Power Station (Stage Manager and Actor). Nicole is an alumna of Developing Artists Theatre Company where she was the recipient of the Kevin Geer Scholarship.