Award-winning filmmaker Diego Muñoz Holguin reaches for the moon with his first full-length play, Rey de la Luna, which will be performed twice December 14 in the Philanthropy Theatre inside the Plaza Theatre complex.

Part of the El Paso Community Foundation Jewel Box Series at the Philanthropy Theatre’s 10th anniversary season, performances of Rey de la Luna are at 2:30 and 7 pm Sunday, December 14.

General admission tickets are $15 for each show, on sale at the Plaza Theatre Box Office (no service fees) and Ticketmaster (with service fees). The box office is open 10 am-3 pm weekdays and three hours before showtime.

Rey de la Luna is set in 1969. American astronauts were the first to set foot on the moon. In the play, young Rey Mendoza must choose between the neighborhood gang and his dream to become an astronaut. The play features a 10-member cast.

Writer-director Muñoz is known primarily as a filmmaker. His from-the-heart short films have shown at festivals around the country, including the El Paso Community Foundation Plaza Classic Film Festival’s Local Flavor showcase. He teaches theater at St. Joseph’s School in El Paso.

The Jewel Box Series was created in 2014 in partnership with El Paso Live to host local performing artists and groups in that jewel box of a venue, the Philanthropy Theatre in the Plaza Theatre Performing Arts Centre. The monthly series runs each fall through spring.