DEL VALLE
Co-presented with The Capri
Play written & performed by Ned Van Zandt
Directed by Chris Bauer
Saturday, April 8, 2017
Cocktail Hour, 7.30-8.30pm
Performance, 8.30pm
The Capri / 603 W San Antonio Street
Free
RSVP for a guaranteed seat with table service: ccschrim@marfalivearts.org
What's more American than baseball and apple pie? Punk rock, Texas jails, and the fever of fame.
Marfa Live Arts was thrilled to partner with The Capri to bring the extraordinary talent of Ned Van Zandt to Marfa. The cabaret performance of Del Valle was a raucous and poignant evening of true stories at The Capri event space (across from Thunderbird Hotel) on Saturday, April 8th.
The Capri Bar & Restaurant offered limited reserved seating for 13 tables stageside with a special menu and beverage service prior to the show.
What do you do if you’re an actor and you find yourself in a Del Valle Texas State Prison on a drug charge and you’re recognized from your appearances on "One Life To Live" by the Junior Grand Dragon of the Aryan Brotherhood who longs to be an actor himself and trades “protection” for acting lessons?
Del Valle is a one man show in which writer and actor Van Zandt plays all 16 characters, including Sid Vicious, Nancy Spungeon, a bi-polar felon, and a beautiful Bulgarian model. It is the true story of a tumultuous period in the actor’s life: from living in New York’s Chelsea Hotel in the 1970s to living in a Texas jail on a drug charge in 2006. This contemporary Dante’s Inferno takes the audience on a journey with Van Zandt, a well-born Texas man who hits bottom in prison but meets Chaka Khan in Hollywood along the way.
Director Chris Bauer describes the play and Van Zandt as, “one of those 'been everywhere, done everything types' that have jammed several lives into one. Joyfully humbled by the extraordinary life he's led, and with startling, hilarious authenticity, he brings us from the Texas prairie, to 1970s Hollywood, to the Chelsea Hotel, and to the Del Valle Correctional Facility in a redemption story as American as they come. And I'll be damned if it ain't all true.”
Told with a wild sense of humor and suspense, of a man’s redemption through accepting himself for the first time with all his faults and gifts, this will be an unforgettable night of theater at The Capri.
Earlier in the week we screened a free showin of Sad Vacation, a documentary about the final days Sid and Nancy, introduced by Van Zandt and featuring interviews with him at the Adobe Room on Thursday, April 6 at 8pm at The Capri.
Listen to two radio interviews with Van Zandt. First tune into KTEP in El Paso (88.5FM) on April 1st at 10:30am (MT) and then turn your dial to Marfa Public Radio’s West Texas Talk on April 6th at 6:30pm (CST) or stream live.
LINKS:
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John R.P. Del Rosario of El Paso’s Fusion Magazine interviewed Van Zant about his work and trip to Marfa, (pg. 37)
ARTIST BIOS:
Ned Van Zandt is an actor and writer originally from Texas. His great grandfather was one of the founders of the city of Fort Worth. His second cousin was singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt. He has appeared in films, television, and on Broadway ("The Iceman Cometh" with Kevin Spacey). His first job in Hollywood was playing a teenage alcoholic on "The Young in the Restless." His first film role was playing a soldier in a scene with Gregory Peck in "MacArthur." (He also played a soldier in Hal Ashby's "Coming Home" with Jane Fonda). Recent work includes guest star appearances on "The Blacklist," HBO's "All The Way," "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," "Hawaii Five 0," "Person of Interest," "Nurse Jackie" and "Lost." He appears as himself in two documentaries- "Sad Vacation" and "Who Killed Nancy?" about his life at the Chelsea Hotel with Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen. His first play "Del Valle" is about that time and much more.
Chris Bauer most recently appeared onstage in David Mamet’s “Pentinent” at Atlantic Theater Company. He has appeared in over thirty feature films, and has co-starred in seven television series, including HBO’s "True Blood" and "The Wire". He will be seen in David Simon’s upcoming drama “The Deuce”. On film, he was recently seen in Clint Eastwood”s “Sully”, and Jodie Foster’s “Money Monster”. He made his Broadway debut in “A Streetcar Named Desire” and is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama.
THANKS:
The production of Del Valle is generously supported by the City of Marfa and 2017 Season Sponsors. In-kind support by Thunderbird Hotel and The Capri. Special thanks to Virginia Lebermann & Rocky Barnette, Sean Daly, Big Bend Sentinel, Rob Crowley, Mayor Dan Dunlap, Minerva Lopez, Marfa Public Radio, KTEP El Paso, Gory Smelley, Chris Avedon, Jerram Rojo, Robert Saltonstall, Dan Shiman, and Cory Van Dyke. Graphic design by Simone Rubi. Event photography by Jessica Lutz.
Ned would like to extend his gratitude to: William M. Hoffman Nita Friedman, Jane Bergere, Tom Van Zandt, Eden Box, Sandra Hicks, Robert V. Hansmann, Naked Angels, Atlantic Theatre Company, Echo Theatre Company, Marianne Hagen, Miriam Margoyles, Scott Cohen, Alice Garrott, Scott Rogers, Katie Doyle, Cara Coslow, Mike S. Quinn, Gary Lennon, Gina Tuttle, Deborah Offner, David Power, and Dave Brenner.
The official accommodation and hospitality sponsor for Del Valle is the Thunderbird Hotel and The Capri. Thunderbird Hotel is a 24 room boutique hotel with a companion property, The Capri, housing an event space, bar, restaurant, and gardens. The Capri is described as having a high desert vibe that chimes perfectly with Chef Rocky Barnette’s pre-Columbian inspired menu. Check out some recent coverage in the New York Times Style Magazine, "IN MARFA, EATING THE ANCIENT WAY" and in Wallpaper magazine, "CAPRI, MARFA, USA". To make a reservation, book an event, or for a press inquiry, please contact the front desk at 432.729.1984 or email events@thunderbirdmarfa.com.
Image on home page photo by Tracy Wright-Corvo. Additional images and TV stills from Blacklist courtesy of the artist.