Community

"We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community... Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own." - Cesar Chavez 

It has been 20 years since Cesar Chavez passed away and these words and his personal commitment to community are still relevant today.  He was dedicated to improving his community by shining a light on the struggles and challenges they faced.  He was doing it to ignite "progress and prosperity".   Today as a community we face challenges and struggles.  The news is always displaying injustice, inequality, and stories of exclusion.  Recent news events have drawn lines to highlight our differences.  We have forgotten to "include the aspirations and needs of others... for our own (sake)".  Challenging our understanding of other cultures and other people is necessary to create prosperous communities. It is this essence that Teatro del Pueblo presents stories of the Latino community. These stories about our history and struggle provide a place to further  intercultural understanding and lead to more tolerance and respect among people.  It is not only for ourselves but for our greater community that we are motivated.  

Have You Met Our Newest Associate?

Join us in welcoming Amy Poulson to the staff of Teatro del Pueblo. She is our Development Associate -- writing grant proposals, organizing fundraising events, keeping our stakeholders informed about Teatro's current and upcoming programs, and providing administrative assistance to keep the office running smoothly.

This summer, Amy will also be supervising two interns -- one who will focus on Office Management and another who will focus on Marketing & Educational Development. She looks forward to working with enthusiastic students and/or other individuals who are interested in working in the very special world of not-for-profit fine arts and educational production.

Amy attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, graduating summa cum laude with a BA in Speech Communication and Business. She has 18 years of corporate experience, working primarily as a consultant inTraining and Development, Organizational Development, and Marketing. With an extensive array of volunteer experience, Amy brings her passion for excellence and contribution, a love of the arts, and a renewed commitment to acting (voice and stage) to Teatro del Pueblo.

Welcome to our team Amy!

Touring "Help Wanted"

Our show "Help Wanted", written and directed by Virginia McFerran has been touring to schools and universities with great success. This is one of our most well received shows by teachers and school administrators because it opens a dialog about immgration, diversity, unions, civil and gender rights.

At Drake University, Des Moines IA, on April 5, 2012

The actors in Help Wanted include: Joy Chavarria, Katia Cardenas, Delta Giordano, Silvia Pontaza, Matt Rei. Touring Stage manager Juan Lopez.

On May 9, 2012, The Mankato Diversity Council brought schools from the area together to participate in The Integration Collaborative Program, where Teatro del Pueblo presented "Help Wanted" to four hundred middle school and high school students, who came to Gustavus Adolphus College, where this activity wa being held. At the end of the show, all the students participated in a workshop about diversity, lead by Al Justiniano from Teatro del Pueblo

Sustainability in Theatre

Al Justiniano, Teatro del Pueblo's artistic director was invited to participate as a guest panelist in this year's Minnesota Theater Alliance conference on Sustainability in Theatre. The conference on April 30- May1, 2012 focused on how inspiration, innovation and tangible choices in different parts of the world have made a difference in the way we run our theaters.

The conference was attended by a large number of theater artists from the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota as well as participants from New York and London via Skype.

Al was part of a panel dealing with Sustainable Administrations. He spoke about the intricacies of Teatro del Pueblo's ongoing collaborative effort with Pangea World Theater.  He discussed the challenges and rewards of developing a new type of collaborative framework that is both equitable and that leans itself to capacity building for both companies.


                                                     Al Justiniano from Teatro del Pueblo

Meena Natajaran from Pangea World Theater 

Other participants in the conference included sessions in Toronto, New York, and Los Angeles, connected by Google+. Presenters included Michelle Hensley, Jack Reuler, Hal Cropp, Laura Zabel, Damon Runnals, Theresa Sweetland and Joanna Harmon among others.

The House on Mango Street Reaches New Heights

This weekend (April 26-29) is your last opportunity to see "The House on Mango Street," the latest collaborative production between Teatro del Pueblo and Pangea World Theater. You won't want to miss it! For individual ticket sales, please go to www.brownpapertickets.com. For group sales (10+), call Al at 651-224-8806.

This heartwarming and eye-opening story about a young Mexican-American girl, Esperanza, paints a vivid picture about growing up in "el Barrio." This play, based on the critically acclaimed novel of the same name by Sandra Cisneros, marks the third collaborative production between Teatro del Pueblo and Pangea World Theater.

New milestones achieved during this production?

• The most well-attended collaborative production thus far - expanding our reach into the community
• Seven out of the eight actors were Latino - providing an opportunity to showcase, support and develop an underutilized fine arts resource
• The most well-attended school matinee performances and post-show discussions - reaching over 1200 students

We are honored and grateful to have received such a favorable review by Anna Hoeschen at tcdailyplanet. Please click on the link below for her remarks:

TC Planet Review

And finally, another first: one very special birthday girl was flown to the Twin Cities from Dallas, TX by her boyfriend to see this performance on opening weekend. The House on Mango Street was her favorite novel as a girl, and her boyfriend wanted her to experience the only theatrical production of The House on Mango Street in the nation. Happy Birthday! Thank you for celebrating with us.

Teaching of Langages and Cultures Conference

Our golden past, our golden future was the theme at the 2011 Minnesota Council on the Teaching of Languages and Cultures (MCTLC) conference this October. MCTLC’s mission is to advance the teaching of world languages and cultures in Minnesota by bringing educators together for a sharing of knowledge and ideas.

At this year’s conference Teatro performed The Adventures of Juan, a puppet show about a young Chicano boy discovering his heritage and culture through visits from mythical Minnesotan and Mexican historical figures. After the performance the actors and artistic director, Al Justiniano, engaged participants in a short interactive workshop about the themes brought up in the show, including cultural alienation, and the dehumanization that can occur against immigrant communities in Minnesota.

A main purpose of Teatro’s participation in the conference was to spread the word about the upcoming performance of The House on Mango Street, a play adapted from the beloved coming-of-age novel about a young girl growing up in a Latino neighborhood in Chicago. Along with spring performance Teatro is offering in-school residencies to explore the themes represented in the book and upcoming show to students studying the House on Mango Street in their classrooms.

Teatro will continue to be involved in showcasing their programs at the next MCTLC conference next year. Thanks to the organizers for providing Teatro with the excellent opportunity. Until next year!

House on Mango Street

In collaboration with Pangea World Theater, Teatro is bringing The House on Mango Street to the Twin Cities. Adapted from the beloved coming-of-age novel written by Sandra Cisneros. The House on Mango Street is the story of a young girl growing up in Chicago who struggles with wanting to leave her Latino neighborhood and hold onto her identity as a Mexican-American woman.

The Play beautifully captures the moving story of the book while transforming it for the stage in a series of vignettes. The play follows the protagonist, Esperanza, as she grows up while under the watchful eye of Esperanza's adult self who narrates the story.

The play will premiere this spring at the Southern Theater in Minneapolis. Exact show dates will be released soon.

Moxie Awards

Commitment to promote and protect the Latino community’s creative culture is the message Teatro del Pueblo artistic director, Al Justiniano, drove home at the Moxie Awards September 17, 2011.

Teatro del Pueblo, a grant recipient from Philanthropic Foundation (P-Fund), an organization dedicated to developing and supporting the LBGT community by providing grants and scholarships, was invited to speak at the Moxie Awards, an event dedicated to honoring 2010-2011 P-Fund grant recipients.

With the support of P-Fund, Teatro produced Gaytino!, a critically -acclaimed one man show by Dan Guerrero about a father/son relationship and a treasured boyhood friendship chronicling through decades of Chicano history and the gay experience.

Teatro continues to be dedicated to celebrating the vibrant LGBT community in the Twin Cities metro through our artistic programming. It is the support of organizations like P-Fund that make our work possible.

Teatro del Pueblo Receives Art Grant

Teatro del Pueblo received ten thousand dollars in funding from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council (MRAC) to be used for the 10th Annual Political Theater Festival.

Teatro's PTF, which consists of several visiting national performances and local plays following the theme Latinos in Transition, will be presented at Gremlin Theatre in Feburary and March 2011.

Teatro del Pueblo's Artistic Director Al Justiniano with check presenter Senator Sandy Pappas.

On October 15th, 2010, several arts organizations from Saint Paul were presented large visual representations of their award checks for upcoming arts projects and activities. These grants were awarded through a competitive process by MRAC using funds from an appropriation from the Minnesota Legislature and the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

As a nonprofit theatre company, Teatro del Pueblo relies on donations and generous grants such as this to continue our work of promoting Latino culture through the creation and presentation of performing arts. Teatro develops and supports Latino artists, provides educational opportunities for all to experience Latino culture, and promotes cross-cultural dialogue.

Teatro welcomes a new intern!

Four years ago, native St. Louisan Rebecca Willman drifted up the Mississippi River to St. Paul for college. She studies Studio Art and Hispanic Studies at Macalester College, and apart from her school life she likes to delve into the culinary delights of baking, learn and practice how to knit, watch movies, bike, play with her sister’s cats, and refer to herself in the third person. Now in her final semester (whew!) of college, she hopes to expand her horizons and get involved with the community through the non-profit sector. Rebecca came to Teatro del Pueblo after hearing about it through her school and wanting to work for a community arts education program in the Latino community. She hopes to learn more about the inner workings of Teatro and expand her portfolio by creating images for upcoming shows and events. When asked her favorite thing about working with Teatro del Pueblo in a recent interview with herself, Rebecca stated, “the bus ride. It’s really nice to get out and see St. Paul and spend a couple of hours reading on my journey. It keeps me calm and prepares me for a rigorous day at Teatro’s office.” Jokes aside, Rebecca really does enjoy working with Teatro del Pueblo and team members Al, Jonelle, and fellow intern Chad.

What's new for Teatro?

Summer is winding down and along with cooler winds and shorter days come exciting new changes! Here at Teatro del Pueblo, one of those crisp breezes blew in our new AmeriCorp Vista worker, Jonelle Carrera. Jonelle will be joining us for the year as an Educational Coordinator where her main project will be creating our Open Minds program which will target the problem of low education rates for Latino students through theater exercises.

Of course no back-to-school season is complete without the return of Teatro's educational residencies. We have several shows that are appropriate for different age groups from pre-school up through college. If you are interested in collaborating with Teatro this school year, call us at 651-224-8806 and ask for Al.

Our artistic season is gearing up as well as we dive right into the West Side Theater Project's performance, Phantom of the Kitchen. Written by Teatro's Executive Director Al Justiniano, Phantom is a celebration of Latino culture and cooking that takes place right in our own backyard- or at least our neighborhood- St. Paul's West Side. Phantom of the Kitchen is running September 10-12 at the Wellstone Stage at Neighborhood House and tickets are available at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/124887 or by calling 1-800-838-3006.

We are also in the process of preparing for our 10th annual Political Theatre Festival which will take place from late February to early March 2011. The PTF will feature a variety of one-act plays that all deal with the theme "Latinos in Transition". We are currently still accepting scripts for the Festival, so if you have a play that runs 15 to 45 minutes long, features no more than three actors and has minimal props/set, we would love to see it. Just e-mail the script, a synopsis and a character breakdown to al@teatrodelpueblo.org as soon as possible and we will check it out!

Stay tuned to the blog, our website or our Facebook page for more updates!

Last weekend for HOBA

This weekend is the LAST WEEKEND for the House of Bernarda Alba!

and this Thursday is a Pay-What-You-Can Night, meaning there are no reserved seats and you pay what you want to/can afford, be it $8, or be it $88!

If you can't make it Thursday, there are still performances on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for $15 general admission and $12 Students and Seniors.

All performances at 7:30 at SteppingStone Theatre, 55 Victoria Street North, St. Paul, MN

For tickets for Fri-Sun, call 1-800-838-3006

or visit www.brownpapertickets.com/event/100815.

(Tickets are available for purchase up until four hours before performances. After that, remaining tickets will be sold at the Box Office.

For more information visit our website www.teatrodelpueblo.org

Univision TV Interview

We are featured in a Univision TV Interview on youtube for the House of Bernarda Alba!!
The interview is in Spanish.
We are featured 2 mins in to the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFxW6lRhm_4

HOBA Opening Weekend!

This Friday is opening night of The House of Bernarda Alba!

Teatro del Pueblo and Pangea World Theater are bringing you this classic drama by Federico García Lorca.
Life and passion erupt from the oppressive environment in The House of Bernarda Alba where five adult daughters are kept in mourning for their dead father. Bernarda, an overbearing mother is desirous to deny the outside world to her daughters and shroud any controversy in silence. The youngest daughter Adela, determined to reach for love, disrupts the established order in this 20th century classic.

For Tickets call 1-800-838-3006 or visit www.brownpapertickets.com/event/100815.

(Tickets are available for purchase up until four hours before performances. After that, remaining tickets will be sold at the Box Office.

$15 General Admission

$12 Students/Seniors

Parking:

Free parking for weekend performances is available in the William Mithcell College of Law parking lot, one block south of the theatre. The entrance is on Victoria St., just north of Summit Avenue.

Inexpensive paid parking is available at the Victoria Crossing ramp on the corner of Victoria and Grand Avenue. Out of courtesy to the neighbors, on-street parking on residential streets is discouraged. Please respect posted parking restrictions.

We Hope to see you all there!!! And don't forget to bring friends!!!!

The House of Bernarda Alba

So our Political Theatre Festival 2010 has come to a close :( but it has been a great year! Thanks to all the actors, directors, audience members, and everyone involved for making it possible! We are already preparing for next years event!

For our next production, we are teaming up with Pangea World Theater to bring you Federico García Lorca’s classic drama, The House of Bernarda Alba.

Life and passion erupt from the oppressive environment in The House of Bernarda Alba where five adult daughters are kept in mourning for their dead father. Bernarda, an overbearing mother is desirous to deny the outside world to her daughters and shroud any controversy in silence. The youngest daughter Adela, determined to reach for love, disrupts the established order in this 20th century classic.

April 9 - 25, 2010
Thursdays - Sundays at 7:30 pm

SteppingStone Theatre, 55 Victoria Street North, St. Paul, MN

Tickets:

For tickets, call 1-800-838-3006 or visit www.brownpapertickets.com/event/100815.

(Tickets are available for purchase up until four hours before performances. After that, remaining tickets will be sold at the Box Office.

$15 General Admission

$12 Students/Seniors

For more information go to our website! www.teatrodelpueblo.org

We hope you all will join us for our next production!!!

Last Weekend for PTF/Rehenes Film

This is the last weekend for the 2010 Political Theatre Festival!

It is Series C, A one man show written and performed by Teo Castellanos called
N.E. 2nd Avenue

It is about several different characters living in Miami

Final Showings are
Tonight! March 12 and Tomorrow March 13
both at 8 pm
at Intermedia Arts

2822 South Lyndale Ave.

Minneapolis, MN 55408

Tickets prices are:

$15 General Admission

$12 Students/Seniors

Also!

This Saturday, March 13 at 2:00pm at Intermedia,

The U.S. Premire of the film
Rehenes (Hostages)

The film, Rehenes, translated as Hostages in English, is a fictional movie surrounding a historic event in 1996, in which more than 500 people were taken hostage by MRTA guerrillas in the Japanese Embassy in Lima, Peru. The movie centers around a journalist/theatre director who decides to direct a play on the takeover to uncover political intricacies of the social movement. This movie is recommended for mature audiences only.

Presented in Spanish with English Subtitles

Director Bruno Ortiz, will be available after the show for Q&A!

Tickets $6

Teatro's on Facebook, Al is on YouTube... What's next?!

Are you on Facebook? Make your patronage of Teatro "Facebook official" by becoming a fan. While you're at it, why don't you RSVP to the 2010 Political Theatre Festival and invite your Facebook friends to attend as well?

Also, don't forget to check out Al's YouTube debut:

PTF Press: Read all about it!

Twin Cities Daily Planet: "Teatro del Pueblo's Political Theatre Festival again asks the tough questions—and waits for your answers" by Lydia Howell

MinnPost: "Seven plays in Teatro del Pueblo's Political Theatre Festival" by David Hawley

MPR State of the Arts Blog: "Weekend ahead: cool stuff reigns" by Euan Kerr

KFAI Radio: "Feb. 26 on Catalyst; Teatro del Pueblo gender and geopolitics through Latino lens" by Lydia Howell

MNArtists.org: "The 9th Annual Political Theatre Festival"

Get Ready!

The Political Theatre Festival Starts tommorrow!!!!

Tickets are
$15 General Admission
$12 Students/Seniors/Fringe Buttons
$11 Group Rate (10 or more)

There are also 3 Pay-What-You-Can dates:
Feb. 25 at 8:00 pm
Feb. 28 at 7:00 pm
Mar. 3 at 8:00 pm
No reservations are taken for pay-what-you-can shows; $8 suggested donation.

Series A

Thursday, Feb. 25, 8:00 pm (Pay What You Can)
Saturday, Feb. 27, 8:00 pm
Sunday, Feb. 28, 7:00 pm (Pay What You Can)
Friday, Mar. 5, 8:00 pm
Sunday, Mar. 7, 2:00 pm

The American Is Dreaming
by Ignacio Zulueta

An interactive, improv-based show following the Immigration and Naturalization process for citizenship in America. No two performances are alike, as each performance is altered based on the audience’s input throughout the play.

Whatever and Delicately
by Pia Wilson

Two women with very different perspectives on life find themselves in a long conversation in the ladies' restroom of an upscale Mexican restaurant. Their conversation reveals just how wrong first impressions can be when you take the time to really look beyond the surface.

American Civil Liberties
by Dominic Orlando

An Illegal Immigrant's name appears in a New York Times article saying she has died while being detained by the Division of Immigrant Health Services. John seeks out answers for this woman's family, but the INS manager tries denying any involvement with this dark case.

Series B

Friday, Feb. 26, 8:00 pm: B
Sunday, Feb. 28, 2:00 pm: B
Wednesday, Mar. 3, 8:00 pm: B (Pay What You Can)
Thursday, Mar. 4, 8:00 pm: B
Saturday, Mar. 6, 8:00 pm: B

Embassy of the Americas
by Dominic Orlando

One man’s trying ordeal to get an entrance visa into the US at the American embassy becomes a test of wills. Does it pay to follow all the rules and procedures, whether or not they make any sense? He wants to become an American because he loves America, but is that enough?

Sarita, The Frowning Immigrant
by Guillermo Reyes

A girl from El Salvador comes to Los Angeles and undergoes a series of surgeries to restore her smile. This piece touches on the ironies of life as an immigrant in the US and how something as simple as smiling can change your life.



The Free Market
by Dominic Orlando

A man is confronted by his past late one night outside his house. The unexpected, undocumented visitor reminds him of his prior transgression. Who is the criminal and who is the victim? You decide.


Series A and B at the Gremlin Theatre
2400 University Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55104

Series C

March 11 - 13

Thursday, Mar. 11, 8:00 pm
Friday, Mar. 12, 8:00 pm
Saturday, Mar. 13, 8:00 pm

at Intermedia Arts
2822 South Lyndale Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55408

N.E. 2nd Avenue
written and performed by guest artist Teo Castellanos

This one-man play is a compilation of characters that make Miami their home. A jitney—a small Caribbean bus—becomes a metaphor for a journey that takes the audience through the bumpy streets of this city. The work conveys with poignancy and humor the profoundly rich and textured mix of Miami in which distinct Cuban, Haitian, Jamaican, Puerto Rican, Jewish, Gay/Lesbian, and African American influences emerge. N.E. 2nd Avenue brings voices to Miami's marginalized urban populations, exploring underlying issues of racism and social injustice, acknowledging the differences among us and ultimately discovering the common threads that bind us together.

Political Theatre Festival 2010!

Wow! It has been a long time since the blog has been updated!

It is a very exciting time here at Teatro del Pueblo. Almost time for our 9th annual Political Theatre Festival! The dates this year are February 25th- March 13th. Our theme is "Across the Divide," which seeks to explore the geo-political divide between the United States and Latin America as well as the infamous "gender-divide." There will be three different series of plays taking place on different days of the festival. Series A will include 3 plays: The American Is Dreaming by Ignacio Solute, Whatever and Delicately by Pia Wilson, and American Civil Liberties by Dominic Orlando. Series B will include: Embassy of the Americas by Dominic Orlando, Sarita, The Frowning Immigrant by Guillermo Reyes, and The Free Market by Dominic Orlando. The third series will be N.E. 2nd Avenue, a special performance by Teo Castellanos. They all should be interesting takes on Latino Immigration and Latina women's issues. For tickets, call 1-800-838-3006 or visit www.brownpapertickets.com/producer/13486.

So yeah, just a quick update. Hopefully we will keep updating this more frequently!