Fruit Fly Productions is a theater company that falls outside of the mold in terms of progressive theater. Much of modern-day theater has struggled with falling into everyday trends and tropes, presenting themes that feel over-tread and ultimately disconnected from the real experiences of young people today. The team behind Fruit Fly is made up of women who understand how to craft a production that feels authentic and ambitious. It is vital that creators and consumers of performing arts, remember the power of advocacy, when done right. In any story plot, the moral throughline is made all the more profound when it is not delivered directly, rather shown through intentional guidance. Further, an audience is not blind to art that has been created with delicacy and passion. The company heads, Naomi Orange, Valentine Alvarado and Valentina Avila come from all ends of the world, each making their home in New York City. Through their global lenses, the trio opt to select pieces they can treat with this intentionality. As performers themselves, they have a unique ability to view acting as a profession, while considering how people outside of the field will take in the art through the performances they direct. The foundation of Fruit Fly Productions is built on the hope that art be made accessible, be it for consumers, producers or actors. When the ability to fund artistic projects is limited, the people that remain become those with a true passion for creation. Accessibility does not always refer to the tangible, it also largely reflects a reality youth often faces to seek opportunities while lacking years of experience and connection building. Yet, their stories, written by their own hands, are the ones that need to be shared, and everyone deserves the chance to experience something made by those who understand them.
Valentina Avila is a Venezuelan actress. A recent graduate of Stella Adler Studio of Acting who also got her BFA from Central Michigan University on theatre. Some of her career highlights have been performing in The Baby Shower (Sophie), Hamlet (Ophelia), and in The Wolves (#11). She has directed shows like Lighting Martha, The Baltimore Waltz, as well as assisted Directed a production of The Revolutionists. She is excited to have her directing debut here in New York amongst the wonderful cast and crew of The Wish!
Naomi Orange is an actor, singer, dancer and director based in New York City. A graduate of the Stella Adler Conservatory, she was born in London, raised in New Zealand and spent her adolescence in Australia, where she trained at the National College of Dance. before relocating to the US. Her theatre credits include Shiva and Wayne’s Gun with the New York Theatre Festival, The Wish (Claire), The Wolves (#2), Carrie (Miss Gardner), Matilda (Miss Trunchbull), and Cahoot’s Macbeth (Macbeth). She has also appeared in several short films and modeling campaigns. Influenced by punk and rave culture, Naomi has developed a bold, personal style that informs both her performance and presence.
Valentine is a Mexican multi-hyphenate artist born in San Diego and based in NYC. In 2023 they performed with the La Jolla Playhouse’s WOW Festival in Teatro Óptica’s immersive project La Lucha. Valentine began devising projects under the guide of Jenn Banda in 2018 with an emphasis on political issues such as the prison industrial complex. They’ve directed projects such as Reckless by Craig Lucas and various movement pieces. Alternatively Valentine can be found watching Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone. (They are also always scheming ways to land Guillermo Del Toro or Mike Flannegan’s next project)
