Bonus Photo of the Day: November 16, 2012

November 16, 2012, a photo by Miracle Theatre Group on Flickr.

Teatro Milagro on the road -- this time we find Ajai and Dañel in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. Travel safely, amigos!

Photo of the Day: November 15, 2012

November 15, 2012, a photo by Miracle Theatre Group on Flickr.

Milagro hits the road again with the final leg of its national tour of "B'aktun 13". Take a look at the billboard for their performance at Sacramento State! Go team Milagro!

October 18, 2012

October 18, 2012, a photo by Miracle Theatre Group on Flickr.

Teatro Milagro's touring troupe is out in Massachusetts right now for workshops and performances of "B'aktun 13". They sent in this cool pic from out in the field -- we just hope that wasn't the train from Boston to Amherst! Safe travels, amigos!

Photo of the Day: October 4, 2012

October 4, 2012, a photo by Miracle Theatre Group on Flickr.

Don't mess with Milagro! Another pic from on the road as Teatro Milagro's touring troupe takes a break to visit the Harley Davidson museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Pictured here, left to right: Ajai, Danny, Tricia and Maya.

Photo of the Day: October 3, 2012

October 3, 2012, a photo by Miracle Theatre Group on Flickr.

The touring troupe of "B'aktun 13" is on the road and stopped in Chicago last night where they met up with a familiar face from the past ... Maya! Pictured with Maya (left) are Dañel and Tricia.

Tales from the tour

One month closer to the "end" of the Mayan calendar folks! Due to imminent fear that has accumulated, experts met in Merida, Mexico last Friday to discuss the implications of the Mayan long count calendar. These experts, which included internationally recognized archaeologists and anthropologists, stressed that ancient Mayans were extremely interested in events beyond December 21, 2012. Meanwhile, back in Gregorian time, in the past week the Milagro touring troupe took B'aktun 13 from the farthest edge of Washington down to a small rural farming community in Oregon. Senior citizens, immigrants and religious community leaders all weighed in about what they thought about the play and the topics presented in four very different performances. Here are just a few of the comments gathered from our feedback forms:

Intensity was amazing, I didn't want it to end.
It was so realistic, it made me visualize where they were – I would watch it again!
I enjoyed the energy of the actors! Great storyline.
I liked the magical way in which the characters transformed.
I loved the great mix of themes and issues addressed.

On Wednesday, Oct. 3 we travel to Appleton, Wisconsin. On Thursday we are in Milwaukee and then next week back in Oregon for a performance in Bend. Stay tuned for Mayan calendar updates!

Tracking Teatro Milagro on Tour

Are you curious where Teatro Milagro's touring production of B'aktun 13 will be this fall? Then here you go ... Check out the show's itinerary below. And if you're interested in bringing the production to your campus or community, then contact Dañel Malán at 503-236-7253 ext. 116 or malan@milagro.org.

9/25/12	7 PM	Portland, OR	Lewis & Clark College	Tracy Nguyen-Chung 503-768-7051
9/26/12	7 PM	Tacoma, WA	Pacific Lutheran University	Angie Hambrick 253-535-8180
9/27/12	12:30 PM	Port Angeles, WA	Peninsula College	Rick Ross 360-417-6533
9/28/12	7:30 PM	McMinnville, OR	Linfield College	Brenda DeVore Marshall 503-883-2290
10/3/12	7 PM	Appleton, WI	Lawrence University	PaLee Moua 920-832-7030
10/4/12	7 PM	Milwaukie, WI	University Wisconsin, Milwaukie	Claudia Guzman 414-229-6998
10/11/12	6 PM	Bend, OR	Central Oregon Community College	Evelia Sandoval 541-318-3726
10/17/12	8 PM	Amherst, MA	Hampshire College	Pam Tinto 413-559-5751
10/18/12	7 PM	Amherst, MA	University Massachusetts	Joyce Vincent 413-545-2517
11/15/12	Noon	Sacramento, CA	Sacramento State University	Zenia LaPorte 916-278-2868
11/15/12	8 PM	Rohnert Park, CA	Sonoma State University	Ashley Yarbrough 707-664-2753
11/16 & 17	8 PM	San Juan Bautista, CA	El Teatro Campesino	Phil Esparza 831-601-6029

Teatro Milagro hits the road for fall tour

From Dañel Malán, Artistic Director of Teatro Milagro, the touring and education arm of Milagro ....

It’s been a longtime since the last blog post, my end-of-the-Mayan-calendar-followers, but time moves in strange revolutions in the Mayan world.  We took the summer months off from our work on B’aktun 13 to launch a children’s summer camp, and evening educational program for adults, a children’s play for the libraries (Aventuras de Don Quixote) — and wrapped it all up with a street fair.  Phew!  It took two months to recover from the summer activities.  But now we are back in the driver’s seat as we count down the days to December 23, 2012.

This week we began our fall tour of B'aktun 13 with an opener at De la Salle Catholic High School in Northeast Portland and one final public performance at El Centro Milagro Wednesday night as part of La Luna Nueva festival (we'll present Aventuras de Don Quixote, too, on Sunday).  From there it’s off to Tacoma and Port Angeles in Washington, Appleton and Milwaukie in Wisconsin, Amherst in Massachusetts and Sacramento, Santa Rosa and San Juan Bautista in California.  

For show details about the tour, contact the Milagro crew at malan@milagro.org and we’ll get you the very specific details about these mostly free community shows in a town near you!

"B'aktun 13" returns for encore performance Sept. 19

Ajai Terrazas-Tripatho in "B'aktun 13"
Photo by Russell J. Young

7 p.m. • Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2012 
Reserved seating: $15 advance; $18 door

Tickets from 503-236-7253 or our online box office

Swept up in an immigration raid and deported to Mexico, Rio, Luz and Sal are suddenly immersed into indigenous prophecies surrounding B’aktun 13, the final era in the Mayan calendar. In the Yucatán, they encounter Mayan deities who lead the trio deeper into a mythological universe. Time revolves like a Mayan calendar as each must face the consequences of their pasts. When the end of the era of B’aktun 13 arrives on December 21, 2012, will the world change? Or will they?

Ages 12 and older. Bilingual.

Part of Miracle Theatre Group's 2012 La Luna Nueva Festival.

Photo of the Day: May 7, 2012

"B'aktun 13" goes to Indianapolis , a photo by Miracle Theatre Group on Flickr.

The cast of Teatro Milagro's touring show had a great time presenting "B'aktun 13" at the Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis last Friday, as pictured here with Brian Fonseca, Producing Artistic Director, and representatives of tequila sponsor Suavecito.

Photo of the Day: April 6, 2012

April 6, 2012, a photo by Miracle Theatre Group on Flickr.

Check out this photo of actor Danny Moreno in Kennewick, where our trusty Teatro Milagro troupe is preparing for another performance of "B'aktun 13".

Photo of the Day: April 4, 2012

April 4, 2012, a photo by Miracle Theatre Group on Flickr.

This photo came by email from the Teatro Milagro troupe on tour to Eastern Oregon/Washington this week with performances of "B'aktun 13" in Wenatchee, Yakima and Pasco. We weren't sure if the image was supposed to be like this, or if it was just the effects of Stonehenge ...

Photo of the Day: March 30, 2012

March 30, 2012, a photo by Miracle Theatre Group on Flickr.

A beautiful photo sent in from our Teatro Milagro troupe, who are making their way to Laramie for a performance of "B'aktun 13". Beats our rainy weather, don't you think?

Teatro Milagro in the schools

With grant support from the Carpenter Foundation, Oregon Arts Commission, Bloomfield Family Foundation and Juan Young Trust, over 143 students at Crater High School in Central Point participated in Teatro Milagro's UNIDAD curriculum of self, community, and future.

The Land Lab at Crater High had seventy-four students engaged in the UNIDAD curriculum. In these classes students used art to create their vision of "utopia," participated making recycled paper, and created their own eco-dramas about local environmental issues. Students created sustainable communities inspired by Puerto Rico, Japan, and Narnia. It was a very creative exercise that allowed student to stretch their imaginations about futuristic societies. The Land Lab students also had a lot of fun making paper and their own eco-dramas. They created skits that were used as a springboard to discuss the issues the scenes presented. The student preformed their eco-dramas outside after the performance of B'aktun 13. Students discussed environmental issues that pertained specifically to Central Point, such as fishing regulations and not snagging, and pollution in Bear Creek among other things. The programs and residency was greatly appreciated by the students and staff at Crater High.

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The 13th blog post of "B’aktun 13"!

The Teatro Milagro troupe just completed two very successful and well received residencies, one in Hillsboro at Hillsboro High School and the other in the small Southern Oregon community of Central Point at Crater High Renaissance Academy.  In both residencies we shared our new curriculum of UNIDAD that celebrates Self, explores Community and ponders Future.  Students in Hillsboro drew portraits and students in Central Point made their own paper and created eco-dramas.  Pictured here is the cast with Matthew Reynolds, director of the drama program at Crater High.

The month started off with a performance at Corbett High in Troutdale and we also squeezed in a show at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg.  Eight days of bilingual/bicultural arts activities in four different counties – not bad for a short month!  Here is what some audience members in Roseburg shared about the performance they saw of B’aktun 13:

"I liked the concept of nature interwoven in life.  Keep doing what you're doing!"

"I loved the simplicity of props and scenery and how that was juxtaposed with such an intricate story line, beautifully executed."

Stay tuned for more as Teatro Milagro travels around the country in 2012....

Photo of the Day: February 23, 2012

February 23, 2012, a photo by Miracle Theatre Group on Flickr.

Teatro Milagro is on tour to Southern Oregon and sent back this photo of Tricia from the road. Still waiting to hear if the horse made it onstage or not ...

Chagrin and bear it: The show must go on

Photo by Russell Young

Within weeks of our Portland debut, Teatro Milagro is on the road with the beginning of its year-long national tour of  B’aktun 13.  The show went well in Portland, but we knew there would be challenges to performing the show on tour. From venue to venue, you never know what to expect; you have to remain flexible and adaptable. Without too much pain and suffering, however, we solved early on the problem of protecting our precious conch shells for the tour by re-staging the opening!  Oh, what a sacrilegious blow we dealt to the director, our most respected deity of theatre.  Yet he knew that day was coming and we all shall live to see tomorrow without too much chagrin.

After spending a week preparing for what we would have hoped was a glorious first journey of the show into the outside world of non-theatre venues, we arrived to our first school performance site to find a theatre without stage lights!  They had been taken down and carried away in the middle of the night by their children’s theatre owners.  Oh, the sadness that fell upon our chagrined spirits! What's more is that the school's choir director then informed us the existing dimmer packs had been blown out and was adamant that fluorescent lighting would have to do.  Oh dear, more chagrin upon this woesome tale!

Yet, from the wings entered two amazing overachievers from the drama program who proposed an incredulous solution.  Upon electrical inspection by an authorized official, the youngsters proceeded to individually patch each instrument with a separate power cord, then plugged six power cords into each side of the stage.  During the show — via hand signals and visual cues — one student would unplug his six cords as the other student would plug his in, thus creating the requested blue wash for one scene followed by a gold wash for the next scene.  Then during the hurricane sequences they would wiggle the plugs to create a flashing effect.  It was some of the most ingenious lighting on the fly that I have seen in over 20 years.

So we hail the creative energy of youth and send a shout out to the theatre program of Corbett High School – you get the gold star for the day and the drama teacher should get a big red apple. We can only hope that all our touring shows will be this great!

Joaquín spills the beans

When Teatro Milagro's production of B'aktun 13 opened a couple weeks ago, audiences were treated to an incredible reception catered by the show's restaurant sponsor La Bonita. Dañel chatted briefly with Joaquín López about the menu and more ...

Dañel: So tell me about the vegan Mayan stew – people seemed to really like it and the fact that La Bonita food is always pretty healthy and sometimes vegan, unlike other Mexican restaurants.

Joaquín: The Eggplant Stew came to me one day when I was in the mood to create a vegan tostada option. I pretty much just went down the produce aisle and thought about the colors and tastes I thought would work well. I was lucky cause this dish not only looks beautiful and rich, it is also full of warm and savory flavors. The stew is made by first caramelizing onion, tomato and Brussels sprouts then stewed with eggplant, red cabbage and celery. To add spice, I add chipotle chile and cinnamon at the end. Unfortunately, I was channeling my inner Mexican chef; it is not a Mayan dish!

Dañel: The flan was fantastic – what is your “secret recipe”?

Joaquín: I like to call our flan a bi-cultural dessert: it's a cross between the American cheesecake and Mexican flan. The secret? a stick of Philadelphia cream cheese! This creates a different texture similar to cheesecake yet holds that familiar flavor that we know flan to be. And, with caramelized sugar on top who can resist?

Dañel: Tell us a little about the new location – I’m not sure if we have mentioned that since the last time we did a story on La Bonita.

Joaquín: Yes! Our new location is on the corner of North Killingsworth and Greeley next to the North Station food carts and Blend Coffee. Not only do we offer the same menu, we also serve cerveza; our new favorite friend! We are very fortunate to be there. We have wonderful neighbors. Many familiar faces from our Alberta store come in and express how happy they are that we are closer to their side of town. We are coming up to our one year anniversary February 18th!

Dañel: And not only are you a restaurateur, but you are also a musician and songwriter! When is the next time we might see Joaquín at the Jade or somewhere else around town?

Joaquín: Every first Sunday of the month at the Jade Lounge (2348 SE Ankeny) I hold Corazon Acustico: An evening celebrating the acoustic soul of the Americas. My hope it to create a night where folk musicians can play their hearts and soul in an intimate inclusive setting with an attentive audience. The audience is so diverse and so far response has been great. Soon, I will be creating Noche Bohemia, a late night event at La Bonita North where we can get a little louder and let our hair loose!

Visit La Bonita at its original location at 2839 NE Alberta St., or its newest restaurant at the corner of NE Killingsworth and Greeley.

Willamette Week review of "B'aktun 13"

Wow! Check out this terrific review of B'aktun 13 from Willamette Week and then get your tickets now — only four more performances this weekend!

“B’aktun 13”, a bilingual Miracle Theatre production written by Portland playwright Dañel Malán, explores the prediction that a drastic world shift will take place when the Mayan long count calendar comes to an end on Dec. 21, 2012. While the spiritual side of the ancient prophecy fills plenty of space along the plotline, Malán also ties in contemporary issues of immigration, assimilation and identity that hit even more powerfully and poignantly than the thought of a world that may be no more. Themes of acceptance and unification unfold to remedy the impending doomsday through a narrative of three main characters after they are deported from the U.S. to Mexico. In this case, the passing of the 13th B’aktun doesn’t necessarily mean the end. Instead, it marks the breakdown of borders and the beginning of a new understanding of social constructions and the natural world. –Emilee Booher, Willamette Week

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B'aktun 13, una producción bilingüe del Teatro Milagro  escrita por la dramaturga de Portland Dañel Malan, explora las predicciones de desplazamientos mundiales que se llevaran acabo al final del calendario de la cuenta larga maya, el cual llegara a su fin el 21 de diciembre de 2012. Aun que el lado espiritual de la antigua profecía ocupa una gran parte del trama, Malan también vincula temas contemporáneos como la inmigración, la asimilación y la identidad, los cuales golpean con más fuerza y conmoción que la idea de un mundo que no pueda ser más. A través de una narrativa de tres personajes principales los cuales han sido deportados de los EE. UU. a México, se desenvuelven temas de aceptación e unidad como remedio al
inminente fin del mundo. En este caso la llegada de b’aktun 13 no significa necesariamente el final. Por lo contrario, marca la descomposición de las fronteras y el inicio de un nuevo entendimiento de las construcciones sociales y del mundo natural. --–Emilee Booher, Willamette Week
 

Photos of the Day: January 14, 2012

"B'aktun 13" Opening Night Party, a set on Flickr.

Here are a few snapshots from the wonderful post-play reception the followed the opening night performance of "B'aktun 13" at Milagro Theatre, January 13, 2012, catered by our generous friends at La Bonita restaurant with wine from the terrific folks at A to Z Wineworks.