:: New York Press ::
Indie Theatre on the Rise: Empanada for a Dream written and performed by Juan Franscico Villa
by Jody Christopherson, Huffington Post. Read full article here
People You Should Know: Juan Francisco Villa
by Zack Calhoon, Visible Soul Read full article here
:: New York Reviews ::
"When portraying himself, current or former, in the piece, Villa’s voice fluctuates from little kid enthusiasm to a quiet solemnity. He assumes the personas of real-life characters from his ‘hood with the gusto of performers like Anna Deavere Smith, transforming himself in body and voice.... What might, in another production, feel like transitions, here are executed so well, with the help of director Alex Levy...they read as pitch-perfect shifts in tone and tempo. Never taking us out of the story, they instead draw us in, eager to see where we’re going and who we’ll meet next."
-Olivia Jane Smith, New York Theatre Review Read full article here
:: Chicago Press ::
Adalente: Interview with Juan Francisco Villa
Interview by Lourdes Duarte, WGN-TV Watch full interview here
Yo Solo Festival of Latino Solo Performance: Interview with Juan Francisco Villa
By Dan Jakes, Time Out Chicago Read Full article here
:: Chicago Reviews ::
"The undoubted highlight of the festival is Juan Francisco Villa's 'Empanada for a Dream.' If John Leguizamo's 'Freak' had a body count, it would be a bit like Villa's harsh, but often quite funny and touching portrait of his Colombian family on the Lower East Side, whose love of food, music and celebration covered up its roots in drug-related violent crime on a horrifying scale. Villa's anguish at his family's evolution from 'bettering each other to bettering themselves' is at the heart of our current, but evergreen, national debates about what it means to be American and how much responsibility we owe to each other. It's a solo that connects with a wide gallery of characters and concerns, and it deserves a longer outing after Yo Solo wraps"
-Kerry Reid, Chicago Tribune Read full article here
"...wildly exuberant yet wrenching...you will never forget the birthday party pig-out at McDonald’s...Highly Recommended"
-Hedy Weiss Theater, Chicago Sun Times Read full article here
"Harrowing, hilarious, absurd, brave, incredibly well crafted yet terrifying in its rage, Villa's memoir of growing up in the drug culture of Manhattan's lower east side reminds me of nothing so much as William Carlos Williams's advice to readers of Allen Ginsberg's "Howl": "Hold back the edges of your gowns, Ladies, we are going through hell."
-Tony Adler, Chicago Reader Read full article here
"Empanada for a Dream, Juan Francisco Villa’s forceful tale of growing up Colombian-American on New York’s Lower East Side and coming to learn of his family’s dark side, recalls similar solo works by John Leguizamo and Chazz Palminteri..."
-Kris Vire, Time Out Chicago Read full article here
"Juan Villa stands and delivers an Olympic performance wrought with raw emotions..."
-Jeff Stevenson, Examiner.com Read full article here
"Villa’s narrative ties together...strong themes like growing up Colombian in a diverse place, feeling shame and resentment for one’s family and otherness, dealing with premature death, and the consequences of following the American Dream."
-Ilene D. Palacios, Gozamos.com Read full article here
:: Los Angeles Press ::
Empanada for a Dream Recalls a Loisaida Childhood
By Juan Francisco Villa, LA Stage Times Read full article here
Spotlight On: Juan Francisco Villa and his solo performance show Empanada for a Dream
By Fanny Garcia, pLAywriting in the city Read full article here
:: Los Angeles Reviews ::
"Villa hit me right in the heart...expertly presented...Catch it before it closes."
- Rose Desena, Los Angeles Post Read full article here
“A beautiful performance...Villa's performance recalls those of John Leguizamo, for its fluid vivacity and street lingo....Villa moves like a dancer...A richly textured voice and a physical dexterity that allow him to depict an almost bewildering array of characters”
-Steven Leigh Morris, LA Weekly Read full article here
"The entire play is a very visceral, gut wrenching, symbolic representation of a very impressionable young kid, surrounded by people wanting the best for him...The old dramatic adage that tragedy and comedy is intertwined is well exemplified in 'Empanada For A Dream.'"
-Bonnie Priever, Examiner.com Read full article here
"The terrifying places he takes us, coupled with Villa’s passionate retelling and desperate need to understand how he fits into his family’s dark past, give “Empanada for a Dream” an unexpected impact and import."
-Jennie Webb, Backstage Read Full Article Here
Indie Theatre on the Rise: Empanada for a Dream written and performed by Juan Franscico Villa
by Jody Christopherson, Huffington Post. Read full article here
People You Should Know: Juan Francisco Villa
by Zack Calhoon, Visible Soul Read full article here
:: New York Reviews ::
"When portraying himself, current or former, in the piece, Villa’s voice fluctuates from little kid enthusiasm to a quiet solemnity. He assumes the personas of real-life characters from his ‘hood with the gusto of performers like Anna Deavere Smith, transforming himself in body and voice.... What might, in another production, feel like transitions, here are executed so well, with the help of director Alex Levy...they read as pitch-perfect shifts in tone and tempo. Never taking us out of the story, they instead draw us in, eager to see where we’re going and who we’ll meet next."
-Olivia Jane Smith, New York Theatre Review Read full article here
:: Chicago Press ::
Adalente: Interview with Juan Francisco Villa
Interview by Lourdes Duarte, WGN-TV Watch full interview here
Yo Solo Festival of Latino Solo Performance: Interview with Juan Francisco Villa
By Dan Jakes, Time Out Chicago Read Full article here
:: Chicago Reviews ::
"The undoubted highlight of the festival is Juan Francisco Villa's 'Empanada for a Dream.' If John Leguizamo's 'Freak' had a body count, it would be a bit like Villa's harsh, but often quite funny and touching portrait of his Colombian family on the Lower East Side, whose love of food, music and celebration covered up its roots in drug-related violent crime on a horrifying scale. Villa's anguish at his family's evolution from 'bettering each other to bettering themselves' is at the heart of our current, but evergreen, national debates about what it means to be American and how much responsibility we owe to each other. It's a solo that connects with a wide gallery of characters and concerns, and it deserves a longer outing after Yo Solo wraps"
-Kerry Reid, Chicago Tribune Read full article here
"...wildly exuberant yet wrenching...you will never forget the birthday party pig-out at McDonald’s...Highly Recommended"
-Hedy Weiss Theater, Chicago Sun Times Read full article here
"Harrowing, hilarious, absurd, brave, incredibly well crafted yet terrifying in its rage, Villa's memoir of growing up in the drug culture of Manhattan's lower east side reminds me of nothing so much as William Carlos Williams's advice to readers of Allen Ginsberg's "Howl": "Hold back the edges of your gowns, Ladies, we are going through hell."
-Tony Adler, Chicago Reader Read full article here
"Empanada for a Dream, Juan Francisco Villa’s forceful tale of growing up Colombian-American on New York’s Lower East Side and coming to learn of his family’s dark side, recalls similar solo works by John Leguizamo and Chazz Palminteri..."
-Kris Vire, Time Out Chicago Read full article here
"Juan Villa stands and delivers an Olympic performance wrought with raw emotions..."
-Jeff Stevenson, Examiner.com Read full article here
"Villa’s narrative ties together...strong themes like growing up Colombian in a diverse place, feeling shame and resentment for one’s family and otherness, dealing with premature death, and the consequences of following the American Dream."
-Ilene D. Palacios, Gozamos.com Read full article here
:: Los Angeles Press ::
Empanada for a Dream Recalls a Loisaida Childhood
By Juan Francisco Villa, LA Stage Times Read full article here
Spotlight On: Juan Francisco Villa and his solo performance show Empanada for a Dream
By Fanny Garcia, pLAywriting in the city Read full article here
:: Los Angeles Reviews ::
"Villa hit me right in the heart...expertly presented...Catch it before it closes."
- Rose Desena, Los Angeles Post Read full article here
“A beautiful performance...Villa's performance recalls those of John Leguizamo, for its fluid vivacity and street lingo....Villa moves like a dancer...A richly textured voice and a physical dexterity that allow him to depict an almost bewildering array of characters”
-Steven Leigh Morris, LA Weekly Read full article here
"The entire play is a very visceral, gut wrenching, symbolic representation of a very impressionable young kid, surrounded by people wanting the best for him...The old dramatic adage that tragedy and comedy is intertwined is well exemplified in 'Empanada For A Dream.'"
-Bonnie Priever, Examiner.com Read full article here
"The terrifying places he takes us, coupled with Villa’s passionate retelling and desperate need to understand how he fits into his family’s dark past, give “Empanada for a Dream” an unexpected impact and import."
-Jennie Webb, Backstage Read Full Article Here