Ellie's Intern Experience

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“Hello! Teatro del Pueblo, this is Ellie.”

Every time I use that phone greeting, I am surprised.

How did I – a born Minnesotan and staunch English speaker – become affiliated with the premier Latino theatre company in the Midwest?

I blame Al.

I had heard that Teatro del Pueblo was committed to social justice theatre before I applied for a summer internship position. As a self-designed “Theater for Social Justice” major, I thought it would look great on a resume.

When preparing for the interview, I tried to think of clever answers to the questions that my parents and professors had told me to expect:

FACELESS INTERVIEWER: Do you have any past administrative experience?
ANXIOUS ME: A little.

FACELESS INTERVIEWER: Do you know how to use a Mac?
ANXIOUS ME: Um – sorta.

FACELESS INTERVIEWER: Can you readily adapt to changes in your work environment?
ANXIOUS ME: What? … Sure.

FACELESS INTERVIEWER: Are you reliable?
ANXIOUS ME: Sometimes.

Oh, yeah. I was getting hired for sure.

But actually, the interview didn’t go that way at all. I sat down with Al, Teatro del Pueblo’s Artistic Director, and listened to him explain Teatro’s mission and programming. It was clear that he was very passionate about the company, and I grew worried that I wouldn’t be able to answer his questions with equal fervor.

But then he asked:

“So Ellie – what is your passion?”

I was stunned. Even though I was vying for a position in an arts organization, I didn’t expect for my passions to be recognized. Certainly not as an intern. Certainly not this soon.

So I told him. I told him that, more than anything else, I wanted to be a playwright. And he listened. And he considered.

“You know, I think that Teatro could help you out with that. We have a lot of projects that involve new play development.”

And so my summer internship with Teatro del Pueblo began.

The experience has been so much more than a resume-builder for me. Al has been true to his word about presenting me with opportunities to grow as a playwright. This summer, I have overseen the submissions for our annual Political Theatre Festival, reviewed scripts for Teatro del Pueblo’s educational programming, aided in the development of a community-based musical, and even written my own puppet show for the company’s 2010-2011 season.

Also, Teatro del Pueblo has supported me in my own theatrical endeavors. This summer, I wrote and produced a one-act play about marriage in my garage. Not only did Al attend the event, but he also offered to sponsor four hours of dramaturgical consultation at the Playwright Center.

All of this has been in addition to learning other valuable skills such as office management, grant writing, publicity and networking. I was even able to serve as stage manager and actress in Teatro del Pueblo’s 2009 MN Fringe Festival show.

Now that the summer is drawing to a close, I am looking for ways to continue my relationship with Teatro as an artist and friend. I look forward to seeing what new faces –and passions – will enter the company next!

Call for Submissions!

Teatro del Pueblo is seeking submissions for its Ninth Annual Political Theatre Festival!

Since 2002, Teatro del Pueblo’s Political Theater Festival has given voice to a wide range of contemporary Latino issues. This year’s festival theme, “Across the Divide,” seeks to explore the geo-political divide between the United States and Latin America as well as the infamous “gender divide.” We are therefore looking for fresh, dynamic plays that pertain to Latino immigration and/or Latina women’s issues.

Characters: 3 maximum
Length: 15 – 45 minutes
Minimal sets, please.

To submit electronically, please e-mail a copy of your play to al@teatrodelpueblo.org with “PTF 2010 PLAY SUBMISSION” in the subject line.

You may also send a hard copy of your submission to:

Teatro del Pueblo
PTF 2010 PLAY SUBMISSION
209 Page Street W. #213
St. Paul, MN 55107

DEADLINE: Postmarked no later than September 15th,

We look forward to reading your work!

Spring Residencies

This Spring, Teatro del Pueblo did residencies at Highwood Hills, where we used theater to teach literacy and poetry, and Cherokee Elementary, where we taught an Aztec dance class in collaboration with Danza Mexica Cuauhtemoc in preparation for their Cinco de Mayo Celebration. Here's some pictures.

Location, Location, Location

Teatro del Pueblo is gearing up for our spring show, "The True History of Coca-Cola in Mexico". We are proud to announce that we will be performing our show at a NEW venue: Gremlin Theatre. Take a look yourself here.

Not only is it in our native St. Paul but it is so close to Minneapolis that you could practically throw a sombrero at Minneapolis and hit it. Convenient, no?

Also, there is free parking kitty-corner to the theatre at US Bank. And if you didn't think it could get any better, it is right on the bus route. Be green and plan your trip using Metro Transit's Trip Planner.

Opening night is May 1st and we can't wait! Pretty soon it will be Cinco de Mayo so start planning to spend some time with us that week. Want to know more about our production of "The True History of Coca-Cola"? Visit us at our website, oh, and friend us on Myspace.

Political Theater Festival off to a Great Start!

The 8th Annual Political Theater Festival is off to a great start this year. We opened Series A on Thursday, Series B on Friday, and performed our educational matinee for El Colegio, Multicultural Indigenous Academy and Eagan High School On Friday during the day. If you haven't had a chance to see this year's edition of our most successful program, you still have time! Series A and B run through March 1, and then spoken word artist Paul Flores comes into town with his hip hop theater production, Representa! We hope to see you soon. More info at www.teatrodelpueblo.org and www.intermediaarts.org!

"Help Wanted" at Emmerson Immersion School

Thanks to support from Project Success, we had a very successful show at Emmerson Immersion School.

Political Theater Festival 2009

This year's Political Theater Festival is fastly approaching! The festival, now in its eighth year, features new work by local playwright Rhianna Yazzi, Dominic Orlando, and guest spoken word artist Paul Flores.

This year's theme is Social Justice, so come on down to Intermedia Arts for some great theater and dialogue.

TEATRO DEL PUEBLO'S EIGHTH ANNUAL POLITICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL
FEBRUARY 19th – March 14th, 2009

At Intermedia Arts, 2822 Lyndale Ave. S., Mpls, MN 55408
$15 Adults; $13 Seniors/Students/Fringe Button; $11 Groups of
10+/Intermedia Arts Members


In the tradition of Latin American theatre, Teatro del Pueblo once
again joins forces with Intermedia Arts, the University of Minnesota
and the Resource Center of the Americas to bring Minnesota the
biggest, brightest and best Political Theatre Festival yet! This year
includes new plays from around the world, an all new interactive
theatre piece exploring Social Justice and in closing weekend the
Midwest debut of REPRESENTA, written and performed by renowned spoken
word and theatre artist Paul Flores!

Series A: Feb 19, 21, 22, 27, March 1
"Las Madres" by Rhiana Yazzie
"Vivia's Lament" by Matthew Paul Olmos
"Speak America" by Dominic Orlando

Series B: Feb 20, 22, 26, 28, March 1
"R.I.P." by Jose Martinez Queirolo
"La Autopsia" by Enrique Buenaventura
And an all new interactive theatre piece by Dominic Orlando!

For reservations, please contact tickets@teatrodelpueblo.org or call
651-224-8806
For more information on the Political Theatre Festival, please call
(651) 224-8806, or visit www.teatrodelpueblo.org

*All performances in English with some Spanish unless otherwise noted

SERIES A
Thursday, February 19, 8pm (pay what you can)
Saturday, February 21, 8pm
Sunday, February 22, 2pm
Friday, February 27, 8pm
Sunday, March 1, 7pm (pay what you can)

Las Madres by Rhiana Yazzie
Directed by Delta Giordanio
A fresh look at Las Madres de La Plaza de Mayo through the eyes of
their grandchildren.

Vivia's Lament by Matthew Paul Olmos
Directed by Hayley Finn
One immigrant woman's tremendous journey.

Speak America! by Dominic Orlando
Directed by Mark Monfils
Social Justice collides with commercialism in a new hit TV show.

SERIES B
Friday, February 20, 8pm
Sunday, February 21, 7pm (pay what you can)
Thursday, February 26, 8pm (pay what you can)
Saturday, February 28, 8pm
Sunday, March 1, 2pm
Sunday, March 2, 2pm

R.I.P. by Jose Martinez Quierolo
Directed by Carlos Vargas
An odd couple take their own humorous, postmortem look at classicism
based on their own aristocratic status.

La Autopsia by Enrique Buenaventura
A tragic look at one man's struggle as his duty in society versus his
duty to family.

NEW INTERACTIVE by Dominic Orlando Directed by Brian Balcom
The trail of the century comes to Teatro del Pueblo and puts Social
Justice to the test!

Series C:

REPRESENTA, Written and Performed by Paul Flores, March 5, 6, 7

REPRESENTA! Bilingual Theatre for the Hip-Hop Generation,
Co-commissioned by the San Francisco International Arts Festival, La
Peña Cultural Center, GALA Hispanic Theatre, New Jersey Center for
Perfroming Arts and NPN. REPRESENTA! brings together the vision of
writer/performer Paul S. Flores and Cuban rapper Julio Cardenas
developed and directed by Danny Hoch in a fiercely incisive commentary
on terrorism, immigration, Cuba, U.S. foreign policy, Bay Area lefty
culture, New York after 9/11 and pan-Latino identity. Setting itself
apart from other spoken-word performance, REPRESENTA! is bilingual
theatre which combines spoken-word poetry with character portrayals
that are simultaneously hilariously entertaining and provocative. A
diverse and funny show with excellent supertitle translation for
non-Spanish speakers who also want to learn more about contemporary
Cuban culture. San Francisco hip-hop spoken word poet, Flores, travels
to Cuba in 1996 looking for revolutionary solidarity at the Cuban
Hip-Hop Festival. He finds that Hip-Hop in communist Cuba is thriving
while the economy is in a chokehold. When the SF poet meets one
particular Cuban rapper, Cardenas, who is looking for the "come up",
more access, more attention, more validation and accolades for his
art, two revolutions collide: Cuba and Hip-Hop. While the main
characters try to reconcile this paradoxical relationship over a ten
year period, one's desire for a future in Hip-Hop is directly
juxtaposed with the other's desire for a future for the Revolution.