CalArts School of Theater MFA student Ilse Castro Corona directs Life Is a Dream (Sueños de Libertad), a contemporary ensemble-based reimagining of Calderón de la Barca’s 17th-century play. The production runs Friday and Saturday, Oct. 24-25, at 8 pm at Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica, California.
Created and directed by an international collective of artists, including current CalArts students Euseon Song, Fina Zhou, Cathleen Conte-Marrero, and Yixin (Joe) Bai, along with alumni Ashwath Ram (Theater MFA 25), Tristan Samson (Theater MFA 25), and Brian Nai (Theater MFA 25), the work reframes Calderón’s classic tale of captivity and destiny through the lens of modern detention centers.
In this version, three performers embody Segismundo, the prince imprisoned from birth by a fearful father, while a single Basilio represents the institutional power that confines him. The performance interweaves text, movement, and testimony, transforming the original myth into a poetic reflection on mass incarceration, inherited trauma, and the immigrant experience.
Directed by Ilse Castro Corona, a multidisciplinary artist and creative director whose work bridges theater, film, and media, the piece merges actor training with political and poetic storytelling. With international experience across Mexico, the U.S., Canada, Indonesia and Germany, Castro Corona weaves myth into contemporary performance, creating works that move fluidly between stage and screen.
Tickets range from $20–$25 and are available through Highways Performance Space.
