DREAM HOU$E: The 29-Hour Workshop

In December of 2018, Checkmark culminated a 2.5 month long development process with a 29-Hour workshop of Eliana Pipes’s newest play, DREAM HOU$E, at INTAR Theatre.

About DREAM HOU$E:

Synopsis: DREAM HOU$E follows two Latinx sisters who are selling their family home on an HGTV-style show, hoping to capitalize on the gentrification in their “changing neighborhood.” As they perform for the camera the show starts to slip into the surreal: one sister grapples with turmoil in the family’s ancestral past and the other learns how much she’s willing to sacrifice for the family’s future. What’s the cultural cost of progress in America—and is cashing in always selling out?

Rehearsal at wp theater

For the first three days of rehearsal, we worked through the play at WP Theater’s studio, talked through beats, and began looking at the piece on its feet while Eliana brought in new scenes and used what she learned in the room to develop the play even further.

Pictures by Rechelle Abalos

Performing at intAR theatre

On the last day of our workshop, we were able to rehearse at INTAR Theatre—a home for Latinx stories told in English since 1966—and focus on putting the rest of the play on its feet. That night, we performed to a packed house at INTAR, and were able to learn so much from the audience’s response to the piece. Next, we’re taking DREAM HOU$E to Ars Nova’s ANT Fest!

Pictures by Charlie Summers

the team