ABOUT MESSY HOUSE
Messy House is an LA based production company that specializes in entertainment and bespoke narrative branding content. Utilizing conventional, immersive, and interactive storytelling methods, our mission is to bring stories to audiences that exude authenticity and unique perspectives.
Alex Garcia-Laguer
Founder & Creative Director
Alex Garcia-Laguer is a multi-disciplinary writer and producer originally from Jupiter, Florida. After writing plays and short stories in his 20s in New York City, Alex moved to Los Angeles where he received his MFA in Screenwriting at the University of Southern California John Wells Division. At USC, Alex worked on and developed writing projects for the screen, interactive media, and video games. Now, he’s excited to use his storytelling experience to not just bring his own stories to life but to help other artists and brands tell theirs too.
About the show:
Inspired by writer Alex Garcia-Laguer’s personal experiences of working at a high-pressure, fine dining restaurant with an unstable and emotionally demanding manager, The Alchemy of Sadness is a new drama that examines boundaries, power struggles, and the complex energy exchanged between colleagues. Set in a PR firm, the story follows Thiago, a rising young professional, who is assigned to work alongside his demanding boss, Liam, on a high-stakes crisis management project for a renowned chef. Both view the assignment as an opportunity to advance their careers, but as pressure mounts, their relationship becomes increasingly unstable, marked by shifting balances of control, rivalry, and unresolved emotional tension. Incorporating elements of surrealism, the play depicts physical transformations tied to their emotional unravelling, creating a tense exploration of how love and hate intertwine to forge unexpected bonds.
CREW
Alex Garcia-Laguer - Writer/Producer
Alex Garcia-Laguer is a writer and producer based out of Los Angeles, California. He spent his 20s working on writing Avant-Garde theatre in Brooklyn, NY with the Original Idiots theatre company. Afterwards, he moved to Los Angeles where he’s been working as a writer and a narrative designer, focusing on audience engagement and interaction for brands and artists. Most notably, his work over the years in fine dining has bled into his artwork by allowing him to tell chef’s stories through curated and devised pop-up dinners that bring together local artists and community members across various industries.
Leticia Mora is a theatrical director from Miami, FL as well as an attorney at Sidley Austin LLP. When she’s not actively litigating, Leticia loves to spend time at the theater and with her friends. She is so incredibly proud of Alex for taking this journey and can’t wait to see what the future has in store for him and Alchemy of Sadness. Lety hopes you enjoy the show, thanks for joining us!
Leticia Mora - Director
Amy Rauchwerger Stage Manager
Amy Rauchwerger is an AEA Stage Manager based in New York City, and originally hails from Miami, FL. She is so incredibly proud of her friends for their tenacity, creativity, and dedication to making Alchemy of Sadness happen at the Edinburgh Fringe! A graduate of Columbia’s MFA Stage Management Program, Amy travels around the USA and now globe facilitating theatre and bringing her personal stage management expertise to productions large and small. She is so excited for Alex and the journey this has taken him on. Amy is an avid crocheter with a slight addiction to buying yarn, she loves puppies of any size and age, and her love can easily be bought with chocolate. Hope you enjoy the show!
CAST
Oscar Fabela as Thiago Puente
Oscar Emmanuel Fabela (SAG AFTRA / AEA) is an award-winning Mexican-American actor, writer, and producer raised in South Texas, and a proud Scholar and Legacy Artist of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts. A graduate of UCLA’s School of Theater, Film, and Television and The British American Drama Academy at University of Oxford, he was most recently awarded the Golden Globes Acting Fellowship. After working with Francis Ford Coppola on his project Distant Vision, Oscar has served as an Actor and/or Writer for theater companies like The Guthrie Theater, The Latino Theater Company, La Jolla Playhouse, PCPA, and the Grotowski Institute in Poland, among others. Prior to winning the OCTG Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Play for The Motherf*cker with the Hat at The Wayward Artist, Oscar’s original play Don Carlos: Prince of Asturias had its World Premiere at Off-Broadway’s Theatre Row as part of the United Solo Festival in New York City. You can also hear Oscar’s voiceover work on platforms like Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Paramount+, and Audible which most recently garnered him a SOVAS (Society of Voice Arts and Sciences) award. When not performing, Oscar teaches acting at UCLA’s school of Theatre, Film, and Television. Follow the journey on IG: @oefabela and www.oscarfabela.com
Zachary Storey (Liam) is thrilled to debut “Alchemy of Sadness” at the Edinburgh Fringe. TV/film credits include “Murphy Brown” (CBS), “Dirt” (Sofia International Film Festival), and “Meet Cute in Manhattan.” Theatre: Melchior in “Spring Awakening” (Irene Ryan Nominee), Junior in “Crazy for You,” and Henry Clay in “Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson” (Chance Theatre). He studied Musical Theatre at NYU Tisch School of the Arts (New Studio on Broadway/Stonestreet). Special thanks to my family and my partner, Kendall, for making the trip—and to the “Alchemy” team for the chance to explore a nuanced conversation about power and vulnerability.
Zachary Storey as Liam Wentz
Kristen Tarragó as Aurora/Mari
Kristen Tarragó is a New York-based actor recently seen in In the Heights at the Tony Award-winning Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA and on the second North American national tour of On Your Feet!. She’s honored to join Alchemy of Sadness for her Fringe debut. All Glory to God.
Location
The SpaceUK @ Niddry St. (upper)
WRX7+V7 Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Dates
TICKETS & LOCATION
For any inquiries or work requests, please email us at :
CONTACT
August 11-23 (Except Sunday, 8/17)