Shattered Eclipse

By Laura Rodriguez-Sierra |  Directed by Amber Marie Martinez

About the Play

A young brother and sister are divided on whether they should allow their estranged father to come back into their lives. The older sister, Luna, is physically and mentally scarred by her father’s actions and wants nothing to do with him. Her younger brother, Ignacio, wants to have his father and is willing to forgive him, even if it means leaving his sister and mother. 

The two characters face a natural push and pull, much like the representation of their names (Luna=Moon, Ignacio=Fire/Sun). The siblings face heavy internal conflicts concerning the absence of their father and their efforts to welcome or reject his desire to walk back into their lives. Ignacio, a fiery lost soul, presents a large obstacle to his older sister, Luna, a strong and protective young woman who strives for the stability and promise of her family and future. As the one-act approaches to its close, the audience is faced with an open ending for the siblings: hope or forever divide. Shattered Eclipse is considered a culturally rich play of a Puerto Rican household, however, it is opened to other hispanic/latino influences. The Spanish language is introduced and the strong bond of a hispanic/latino family are dependent on the play in order to maintain its artistic integrity. Shattered Eclipse introduces an alternative perspective of familial divide between the children in a family. Much in today’s world of entertainment, the separation of families is usually focused on the perspective of the parents or adults. However, Shattered Eclipse exposes the vulnerability of these soon-to-be adults as young children facing a tumultuous wave of intensidad, love, and independence.

Playwright

Laura Rodriguez Sierra is honored to be a selected playwright and director for this year’s New Voices for the Theater program and Festival of New Works. This is Laura Rodriguez’s first time officially writing a work of her own. She was a student participant in the research and creation of Locked Down, a Governor’s School of the Arts original play written and directed by Steve J. Earle. Miss Rodriguez Sierra also has performed in a number of plays and student films during her time in the Governor’s School, located in Norfolk, Virginia. She is looking forward to spending her Senior year in High School making the most of her time at the Governor’s School of the arts writing, acting, and learning. 

Director

Amber Marie Martinez is thrilled to be back with SPARC’s New Voices program this summer. An actor, director, and designer, recent credits include Myrtle Wilson in The Great Gatsby (Quill Theatre); Ashlee in Dance Nation (TheatreLAB); Kristine Linde in A Doll’s House (TheatreLAB); Barbara Pitts in The Laramie Project (Richmond Triangle Players); Vicky in Bright Half Life (TheatreLAB); Jenny in For My Next Trick (a staged reading for Cadence Theatre’s Pipeline New Works); Abbie Putnam in Desire under the Elms (Firehouse Theatre); After Orlando (a staged reading for Richmond Triangle Players). Amber is an adjunct professor at VCU and arts in education manager for Virginia Rep. 

Cast and Crew

Izzy Scozzaro is ecstatic to be a part of this year’s New Voices festival! She is a rising senior who has been a part of the SPARC family since she was 7. She is so grateful to Heather Falks for this awesome opportunity as well as her incredibly talented playwright, Laura Rodriguez-Sierra. Thank you so much for continuing to support the Richmond Theatre community during these tough times, and I hope you enjoy Laura’s beautiful story come to life!

Alexander Guerrero is a rising senior at L.C. Bird High-school, Has been participating in theatre at Bird since his freshman year directed by Robin Harris. He has been in plays such as The Lion the witch and the wardrobe, Once on This Island, and Seussical.

Mia Forsythe is an Actor from Norfolk, Virginia who attends the Governor’s School for the Arts. Her roles include Emilia Bassano Linear in “The Book of Will,” Maria in Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” #14 in “The Wolves,” as well as Maria in a music video for the song Love Strange.

Calista Schultz (Stage Manager) is a senior theatre education major at Winthrop University. She is excited to be able to virtually stage manage for the first time!  She hopes that she will be able to continue to pursue opportunities such as this one outside of South Carolina in the future.