Sheryl Bailey had been involved in the theater scene in Los Angeles for many years but discontinued her work as a director when she moved to Albuquerque 15 years ago and focused on raising her son.
Now that her son is grown, she is returning to the theater as the director of Teatro Paraguas’s production of “Daphne’s Dive,” a 2016 play by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Quiara Alegria Hudes. The play opens on April 5 and runs through April 22.
“When I first read the script, I thought about the television show “Cheers,” says Bailey. “The play is about community and connections and how a Philadelphia bar fits into its community.”
“Daphne’s Dive” focuses on six regulars who have been gathering at a quiet neighborhood watering hole for more than two decades. “The playwright has talked about how the characters in the play remind her of people she grew up around,” adds Bailey. “They’re true to life and experiencing real life events.”
Born in Philadelphia in 1977, Hudes won the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play “Water by the Spoonful.” She was raised by a Jewish father and a Puerto Rican mother, who encouraged her to compose music and write.
Hudes studied music composition at Yale University and playwriting at Brown University. She is a visiting professor in the theater department at Wesleyan University in Connecticut.
“I’ve never seen the play, but even if I could, I wouldn’t see it before I directed it,” explains Bailey. “I let the script and my interactions with cast members inform my directorial decisions.”
“Daphne’s Dive” stars Julia Gay, James Chavez, Alix Hudson, Argos MacCallum, Stephen Jules Rubin, Roxanne Tapia and Cristina Vigil. Juliet Salazar is the show’s co-director.
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