CANTA Y NO LLORES:
EL DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS FESTIVAL
An original, bilingual Day of the Dead celebration
October 30-November 15, 2009

Every fall, the dead are commemorated in a lively show of dance, music and theatre in Portland’s longest-running Day of the Dead celebration. This year, in honor of Oregon’s 150th birthday, los muertos return singing familiar tunes that hearken back to another era when times were tough and tradition was one of the few things folks could call their own. Even as we shed one way of life for another, the spirit endures and we remember the only thing to fear — in life or death —is fear itself.

Suitable for all ages, however students of Mexican culture, English and Spanish languages, and even Oregon history will want to take special note of this fun, bilingual introduction to cherished traditions.

AMERICAN SUEÑO
A Teatro Milagro original bilingual production
Created by Dañel Malán and Rebecca Martínez
January 15-23, 2010

We are the outsiders — the homeless, the outcast, the gay, the immigrant — but we still dream “The American Dream” … everybody’s hope for a better job, a better life, a better tomorrow. Weaving together our real-life stories, American Sueño is our hopeful journey toward a new era of acceptance.

A smart, bilingual discussion starter for high school and college multicultural student organizations, gay-straight alliances and others who wish to address diversity, as well as students of Spanish, English as a second language, social studies and theatre arts.

ENTRE VILLA Y UNA MUJER DESNUDA
(Between Villa and a Naked Woman)
Written by Sabina Berman
February 12-March 6, 2010
Presented in Spanish with English subtitles at all performances

In this modern comedy, Gina wants more out of her casual relationship with Adrián, a liberal intellectual who’s in it only for some good sex. Adrián shies away from any form of commitment — that is, until Gina takes up with a younger, sensitive lover. That’s when the spirit of Mexico’s most famous revolutionary rides again, appearing as Adrián’s macho conscience ready to do anything to win this battle of the sexes.

Completely in Spanish — with subtitles projected above the stage in English — this accessible comedy is the perfect immersion experience for high school and college students of Spanish, contemporary Mexican culture, gender studies and world theatre.

HOW THE GARCÍA GIRLS LOST THEIR ACCENTS
A play by Karen Zacarías based on the novel by Julia Alvarez
March 26-April 17, 2010

Uprooted from their home in the Dominican Republic, the four García sisters arrive in New York City in 1960 to find a life far different from the genteel existence of maids, manicures and extended family they left behind. As they plunge headfirst into the freewheeling American mainstream with its dizzying choices and challenges, they remain forever caught between the old world and the new. What they have lost — and gained — is revealed in this provocative story bursting with passion.

This biographical comedy is an excellent choice for students of Latin American literature, English as a second language, as well as social studies and even human development and psychology courses that examine family dynamics, acculturation, assimilation.

EL QUIJOTE
An original bilingual adaptation of a play written by Santiago García based on the novel by Miguel de Cervantes
May 7-29, 2010

To see the world through the eyes of Don Quijote is to embrace life as the fullest adventure. From windmills to wenches, this knight-errant, in the company of his humble squire Sancho Panza, continues to roam the world and spark our imagination as he has for some four hundred years. And this lusty adaptation of Cervantes’ classic — filled with a muscular theatricality — proves the power of imagination to overcome the vagaries of life.

As exciting as it is eloquent, this production complements classes of Spanish and English languages, Peninsular literature, history and culture; translation, and theatre, as well as the psychology of imagination and creation.