By Tony Zamorano – español abajo

With the opening
night of ¡O Romeo! right
around the corner, along with this year’s celebration of Día de los
Muertos (Day of the Dead), now is an appropriate time to
look at the importance of both the holiday and the integration of it into
William Shakespeare’s work. Join us, along with Hamlet, Yorick, Titania,
and many others from Shakespeare’s plays, to celebrate this year’s Día de los Muertos!

Día de los
Muertos is one of Mexico’s most profound and culturally defining holidays, combining
Aztec, Mayan, and Catholic beliefs to highlight the heritage embodied by country’s diverse people.  From the tradition of gaining
luck by biting into the rubber skull baked into the pan de muerto (bread
of the dead) in Puebla, to the religious practice of worshiping the dead in
remembrance of their loved ones in Cuilapan, Oaxaca, this holiday enables all
of Mexico to show appreciation for not only their ancestors and family, but
also their traditions and culture as a country.  Although each region
celebrates the holiday in a different way, it brings the community together on
November 1st and 2nd to remember their loved ones. 

With the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death coming up
on April 23, 2016, this year’s integration of Shakespeare and Dia de los
Muertos is a great way to remember a man who altered
the landscape of drama in dominant Western culture.  Shakespeare changed
the way his world viewed tragedy, comedy, satire, and social constructs through
plays such as Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, and A Midsummer’s
Night’s Dream, among others.  As such, ¡O Romeo!  embraces both the comedic
and tragic elements of theatre that perfectly blends the two for this year’s
celebration.