Three-time Obie Award Winner Mac Wellman opens “The Sandalwood Box” at New York’s Flea Theater with a Filipino actress as the lead of his play.
The Sandalwood Box is about a college student named Marsha Gates, played by Dorothea Gloria, who loses her voice.
On her way to speech therapy, she encounters Prof. Claudia Mitchell, who captures the most captivating catastrophes of the world and preserves them in a sandalwood box.
Gloria said her acting mentor, Ana Valdes-Lim, had always talked about performances at The Flea. “Back in the Philippines, she always told me about bold and risky plays that she watched at The Flea whenever she went to New York. I was always curious about the type of plays that they do and now, I can’t believe that I’m acting in The Flea. It’s like a full circle.”
Gloria also shared her experience working on the play. “I have to say, when I read the script the first, second, and third time around, I was shocked at the themes that Mac Wellman tackled. It took quite a while for me to wrap my head around what the play wants to share with it’s audience. It deals with existential crisis, metaphysics, and a whole lot more. Nonetheless…my experience with the play gets deeper and deeper and I am excited to perform and share this with the New York audience.”
“I am also very grateful for my acting experience back in the Philippines. Having performed with companies like Repertory Philippines, Cultural Center of the Philippines, and the Philippine Educational Theater Association among others; I feel like I have been honed by the best in my country. The mastery of craft and the professional level of working with these companies have prepared me for performing in New York,” she said.
The Sandalwood Box runs from Sept. 26 until Nov. 1 at The Flea Theatre, on 20 Thomas St., New York. Ticket prices start at $37. To get tickets or more information, call the box office at (212) 226-0051. Purchase tickets at
https://ci.ovationtix.com/14/