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The Santa Monica Playhouse Benefit Series and BG Productions
present a staged-reading of
Begoña Echeverria’s “PICASSO PRESENTS GERNIKA”
To mark the death of Francisco Franco on this day in 1975
and the installation of Guernica in Madrid in 1981
On April 26, 1937, Hitler’s Condor Legion bombed Gernika, the sacred city of the Basques. Terrified, a mother sends her children to England—but only sees one of them ever again. Picasso paints his anti-war masterpiece Guernica, vowing never to display it in Spain until democracy returns—he dies before this happens. Interweaving fictionalized characters with image, music, videos and historical events from 1937 to 2012, “Picasso Presents Gernika” considers the connections between war, art and human suffering. A reading first staged at Chino Community Theatre in May 2019, the play continues to resonate powerfully (though unfortunately) with current refugee and human rights crises.

Who’s Who:
Playwright, Dr. Begoña Echeverria is the daughter of Basque immigrants to southern California. A native Basque speaker with a PhD in sociology, she is a Professor at UC Riverside’s School of Education.  Her research on Basque language, culture and identity has been published in academic journals in education, sociolinguistics, anthropology, history and folklore.  She is also a singer-songwriter with the Basque-American trio, NOKA (www.ilovenoka.com), which has performed over 60 concerts domestically and internationally. Her historical novel, The Hammer of Witches, loosely based on the 1610 burnings of Basque “witches” from the Baztan Valley in northern Spain from which her family hails, was the Historical Novel Society’s Editor’s Choice for May, 2015. 

Director, Dr. Annika Speer is a Professor of Teaching in the Department of Theatre, Film, and Digital Production at UC Riverside where she runs the public speaking program. She is the Co-Director of the Public Speaking Initiative, a UC-Wide program based out of UC Santa Barbara that prioritizes interdisciplinary training in speech and rhetoric.  In addition to academic work, Speer works as a dramaturgical researcher and script consultant for film, most recently for The Girl on the Train (2016), Men, Women & Children (2014), Walking Stories (2013), and Call Me Crazy: A Five Film (2013). She has directed plays as fundraisers for Women Help Women, Planned Parenthood, and Pacific Pride Foundation with the mission to generate collaborative, creative, and activist oriented theatre.
CAST (alphabetically):
Lillyanna Lopez; Maksil Lorenzo; Bella Merlin; Kai Perillo; Jeff Richards; Blessin Simpson; and Natalia Toher

When: Saturday, November 20, 2021 at 2:00 PM
Where: LIVE in The Other Space at Santa Monica Playhouse
1214 4th Street Santa Monica, CA 90401
Tickets: $20, $15 for students, teachers, members of the military, groups of 8 or more
Mature Audiences. Suitable for ages 14 and up

​The Santa Monica Playhouse Benefit Series is an innovative program that presents extremely limited engagements of new and developing works by emerging and renowned local, national and international artists. Solo shows, concerts, spoken word and poetry nights, dance evenings, performance art and full productions, give voice to new material and artists who might otherwise not have a platform for their works.
Saturday, November 20 at 2:00 PM
All seats $20, $15 for students, teachers, members of the military, groups of 8 or more
To Reserve your Tickets
​Call the Box Office at 310.394.9779 ext 2 or --->
Book tickets
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PROGRAM
Just a reminder: The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health changed its guidance on mask wearing to ​require face masks indoors regardless of vaccination status. The requirement takes effect Saturday, July 17, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. and applies within the City of Santa Monica. If you'll be attending an event in-person at the theatre, Masks Are Required.
Santa Monica Playhouse® 1211 4th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401 • 310.394.9779 • theatre@santamonicaplayhouse.com
© 2021 Santa Monica Playhouse • ​All Rights Reserved • a 501(c) (3) non-profit educational corporation
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  • About Us
    • The History
    • The People
    • Support the Playhouse
    • Auditions / Submissions
    • Map & Directions
  • Shows
    • Playhouse Online
    • Evening Shows
    • Family Theatre
    • Benefit Series
    • Guest Productions
    • Calendar of Events
  • Education
    • Workshops for Kids & Teens
    • Workshops for Adults
    • Theatre Field Trips
    • School & Badge Programs
    • Published Plays for Youth
  • Rentals
    • The Main Stage
    • The Other Space
    • The Artists' Entrance
  • Birthday Parties
  • International Tours
  • Gift Certificates