Guthrie Theater

(Minneapolis/St. Paul) — The Guthrie Theater (Joseph Haj, Artistic Director), in association with The Foxboro Company, today announced that Destiny of Desire, written by critically acclaimed playwright Karen Zacarías (Native Gardens) and directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson (Broadway’s Jitney), will complete its 2021–2022 Season. Prior to an anticipated 2022 Broadway run produced by The Foxboro Company, the Guthrie is pleased to produce Destiny of Desire for its audiences.

Performances at the Guthrie will run April 30 through June 5, 2022, on the McGuire Proscenium Stage. Tickets to Destiny of Desire may be purchased as part of a season ticket package when they go on sale to the public August 10, 2021. Single tickets will be available September 21, 2021. For details, visit guthrietheater.org.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to share Destiny of Desire with audiences next spring. Working with Karen on Native Gardens was an absolute joy, and we’re so proud to create the production that will move on for Karen’s Broadway debut,” said Artistic Director Joseph Haj. “With vibrant choreography by Lorna Ventura, live music by Ricky Gonzales and Karen’s outstanding script, I know audiences will find it to be an especially fun and memorable night at the Guthrie.”

The joys, tribulations and plot twists of epic love are bursting onstage in Karen Zacarías’ brilliantly funny homage to the telenovela. On a stormy night in Bellarica, Mexico, two babies are born — one into a life of outlandish wealth, and one into a life of poverty. When the newborns are swapped by a ruthless ex-beauty queen, the stage is set for two outrageous misfortunes to grow into an extraordinary destiny. Directed with wit and verve by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson and filled with vibrant choreography and live music, this exuberant production explores the emotional rollercoaster and social commentary that make the telenovela the most popular form of storytelling on the planet.

Zacarías is currently one of the most produced playwrights in the U.S. Among her works are adaptations of How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and Just Like Us, The Book Club Play, The Copper Children, Mariela in the Desert, Native Gardens and The Sins of Sor Juana, which won The Kennedy Center’s Charles MacArthur Award for Outstanding New Play.

Santiago-Hudson is an acclaimed actor, director and playwright who penned the recent film adaptation of August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. As an actor, he appeared in the Guthrie’s 1984 production of A Soldier’s Play.

In 2017, the Guthrie produced Zacarías’ comedy Native Gardens, and she is currently under commission from the Guthrie and Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park for an adaptation of Jack Schaefer’s Western novel Shane.

The Guthrie’s 2021–2022 Season sponsors include the Minnesota State Arts Board, WEM 2000 Foundation of The Dorsey & Whitney Foundation, Target, The Shubert Foundation and U.S. Bank. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

Ticket Information
Destiny of Desire is one of five plays available as part of the Guthrie’s 2021–2022 subscription season. New season ticket packages go on sale August 10, 2021. Single tickets range from $15 to $80 and go on sale September 21, 2021. Discounts are available for students, seniors and children. To learn more, visit guthrietheater.org.

Land Acknowledgment
The Guthrie Theater acknowledges that it resides on the traditional land of the Dakota People and honors with gratitude the land itself and the people who have stewarded it throughout the generations, including the Ojibwe and other Indigenous nations.

THE GUTHRIE THEATER (Joseph Haj, Artistic Director) is an American center for theater performance in Minneapolis, Minnesota, dedicated to producing a mix of classic and contemporary plays and cultivating the next generation of theater artists. Under Haj’s leadership, the Guthrie is guided by four core values: Artistic Excellence; Community; Equity, Diversity and Inclusion; and Fiscal Responsibility. Since its founding in 1963, the theater has continued to set a national standard for excellence in the field and serve the people of Minnesota as a vital cultural resource. The Guthrie houses three state-of-the-art stages, production facilities, classrooms, restaurants and dramatic public spaces. guthrietheater.org