PHOTO COURTESY OF DESERT ARTS COUNCIL
The Desert Arts Council, with the support of the Oregon Arts Commission Arts Build Communities, will bring Teatro Milagro to Umatilla and Morrow County schools to perform a bilingual play and theater workshops for two days in April.
The theater group will also present the bilingual play, Searching for Aztlán to the public at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 17 at Armand Larive Middle School. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. There is no charge.
Searching for Aztlán, begins in January 2012 with the Tucson school board’s acceptance of HB 2281, shutting down Mexican American Studies and removing its books from classrooms. A giant dust storm, or “haboob,” strikes the city and leaves Dolores Huelga, a teacher, unemployed and in an alternate reality. Lost in the desert, Dolores sets out on a quest for the mythical city of Aztlán.
Along the way she encounters a quirky High-Spanic, a militant Super-Chicano, and a working class Latina Immigrant – all dispossessed exiles – with whom she joins forces to fight for truth, justice, and the “indigenous way.” A biting and satirical journey, Searching for Aztlán takes the audience on a metaphorical yellow brick road of discovery about what it means to be Chicano in contemporary society.
Journey to Aztlan Workshops
For area schools, Milagro “Journeys” workshops use a combination of theatre of the oppressed, commedia and improvisation techniques to engage students in an exploration of self-expression and community building to address current socio-political issues, such as; gender, cultural competence, tolerance and acceptance of otherness. The actors will be visiting classrooms of Language Arts and Spanish at Riverside High in Boardman on Thursday, April 16 and English Language and Drama classes at Hermiston High on Friday, April 17.
Meet the Cast
On Wednesday, April 15, join the Milagro cast for a free and informal potluck dinner and workshop in the basement of the Hermiston Public Library. Attendees are encouraged to bring a dish for the potluck. The fun begins at 5:30 p.m., with dinner at 6 p.m., and dessert is followed by a Movement & Metaphor workshop from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
About Teatro Milagro
The mission of the Milagro, is to provide extraordinary Latino theatre, culture and arts education experiences for the enrichment of all communities. Since its founding in 1985, Milagro has given a primary voice to issues affecting the local and national Latino communities, and has introduced a host of new performers to the local arts and education field. Teatro Milagro, the company’s education and outreach program, tours Oregon and the nation with original bilingual theatre productions and educational residencies. Current global issues are crafted into cutting edge dramatic plays infused with Latino culture and Spanish language. Since 1989 Teatro Milagro has provided culturally appropriate arts education and enrichment programs that build cultural appreciation and further Latino participation in the arts.
The event is made possible in part with the additional support of the Desert Arts Council, the Hispanic Advisory Committee, and the Oregon Arts Commission.
