THE MERMAID WHO LEARNED HOW TO FLY
"The Mermaid Who Learned How to Fly"
Theatre vet premieres her new solo show at Fringe!
Kyla Garcia’s “The Mermaid Who Learned How to Fly” is a deep exploration of what
happens when we allow love to be the ground we stand upon instead of our dreams.
LOS ANGELES – Kyla Garcia is the epitome of a well-rounded actor. She has
performed Off Broadway, at the Globe in London, locally at Boston Court, in several
indie films, digital works and most recently as Mrs. Zeller in Marvel’s Agents of
S.H.I.E.L.D. But now she’s taking on a whole new (and deeply personal) challenge
by debuting her solo show The Mermaid Who Learned How to Fly at the Elephant @
Theatre Asylum as part of the 2014 Hollywood Fringe Festival.
The synopsis: From the moment Victoria could speak, she began telling stories. She
weaved whimsical worlds of magic and fairy tales that traveled from her imagination to
the page with ease. A lifelong dream of writing guided a clear path that no relationship
could ever distract her from…until she meets the enigmatic Luna while still with her
first love, Michael. Victoria is forced to decide which love is most important: the love
for her high school sweetheart, the love for her soul mate, or the love of her destiny. This
one-woman show takes patrons on a journey into one proverbial mermaid’s descent into
magic and madness.
The Mermaid Who Learned How to Fly is a fantastical piece inspired by true events in
Garcia’s life. It’s a one-woman journey into the depths of forgetting who we are and the
heights of remembering. Audiences can expect a diverse array of characters played by
Garcia living in both Victoria’s wild fairy-tale imagination as well as her heartbreaking
love-torn reality.
The Mermaid Who Learned How to Fly began when Kyla took the “Soaring Solo”
Workshop from director Jessica Lynn Johnson, who’s seen success with her critically
acclaimed shows Oblivious to Everyone and Ze. Kyla decided to go up one day in class
and share the most personal poem she’d ever written during the most challenging time of
her life. After the positive response she received from both Johnson and her classmates,
suddenly, she knew she had to tell the story that inspired the poem. Utilizing her dance
background, Garcia began to choreograph movement to the poetry and incorporate scenes
into the piece as well. Over the next year, poem after poem was written and movement
after movement was choreographed until slowly but surely the poems and movement
transformed into her one woman show.
“I’m bringing The Mermaid Who Learned How to Fly to the Fringe Festival because the
Fringe is a safe creative environment where I feel like this piece can really take flight,”
Garcia said. “I love the supportive community of artists that come together during this
exciting time. When I graduated Rutgers, the very first play I booked was in FringeNYC.
There is something really sacred about this festival, it’s almost like a rite of passage for
all artists. So, to be debuting my very first one-woman show in the Hollywood Fringe
feels like everything has come full circle.”
Calendar Listing Request:
The Mermaid Who Learned How to Fly
Written and performed by: Kyla Garcia
Directed by: Jessica Lynn Johnson
SYNOPSIS:
From the moment Victoria could speak, she began telling stories. She weaved whimsical
worlds of magic and fairy tales that traveled from her imagination to the page with ease.
A lifelong dream of writing guided a clear path that no relationship could ever distract
her from…until she meets the enigmatic Luna while still with her first love, Michael.
Victoria is forced to decide which love is most important: the love for her high school
sweetheart, the love for her soul mate, or the love of her destiny. This one-woman
show takes patrons on a journey into one proverbial mermaid’s descent into magic and
madness.
DATES AND TIMES:
Friday, June 6 – 10:00 p.m. (Preview performance)
Sunday, June 15 – 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 28 – 8:30 p.m.
LOCATION:
The Elephant Theater
Theater Asylum
6320 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
TICKET PRICES:
General Admission: $13
*Order tickets by visiting http://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/1887?tab=tickets
**Tickets can also be purchased at the box office on the day of the show (if available).
PRESS CONTACT:
Jim Martyka
Press Manager
(818) 497-3701
