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!

Ellie's Intern Experience

Riiiiiiiiing Riiiiiiiing

“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!