Caution! Art in rapid progress

Some times art just seems to flow and the time flies as we are creating. Other times, the inspiration just pours out and soon you are in front of a beautiful work. In this case, the award-winning designer and muralist José Solis (and his assistant) are progressing at breakneck speed while creating the mural that will serve as the backdrop to Super Ana!, the newest offer from the touring troupe, Teatro Milagro (more on that soon). 

The three pictures above were taken in the space of 24 hours and take us from the blank, stretched canvas, through the outline sketch and into a full-color sketch!

You can learn more about Jose Solis and his work on his website, and read a brief bio below:


Jose Solis was born in the colonial City of San Luis Potosi (Mexico), home of many artists, he grew up admiring the work of famous Mexican muralists like Diego Rivera, Orozco and Siqueiros. At age 14, while an art student he was admitted as an apprentice at a sign & commercial art studio learning brush lettering and mural design. In the 70s he became famous painting airbrushed murals on custom vans while studying at Customizing Center near Los Angeles, CA. his work in the style of Frank Frazetta was showed on National magazines like Hot Rodding. In 1983 He founded Creative Art Services in Portland, Oregon. That same year The Oregonian published a full page article and photos of his original work a 70’x15’ oil painting on concrete he did at Ascension Catholic church in SE Portland. One of his first commissions was to paint a large Oregon Lottery wheel for a TV commercial. To this date his work has included:

• Scenic painting for many feature films including the stop animation movie “Coraline” by Laika Entertainment, etc., 
• Set design for Nike, Adidas, Doc Martens, Portland Trailblazers, video & photography projects, among others. 
• Art direction for the Oregon Lottery & many other national TV commercials. 
• Mural art & custom lettering for museums, churches, schools, private residences, etc. 

Jose’s work has been recognized for his unique style with awards including: Silver Medal Award at the International Film & Television Festival of New York, Best Spiritual Documentary Judge’s Award winner and People’s Choice Award Winner, & more.

Audacia y entusiamo (reseña en traducción)

Traducción al español de la reseña de "Searching for Aztlán", por Kaitie Todd para Willamette Week. 
Puede comprar entradas para las 3 presentaciones restantes en línea, por nuestra página de Facebook o llamando al 503-236-7253.

Searching for Aztlán comienza en Tucson, pero en diez minutos algo queda claro: ya no estamos en Arizona. La obra de una hora de duración, escrita y dirigida por Lakin Valdez, empieza con Dolores (Alida Holguín Wilson-Gunn), una maestra de Tucson luchando contra la ley de Arizona que prohibe los estudios mexicano-americanos en las escuelas locales. Es una batalla que va perdiendo sin ninguna esperanza. Dolores lleva el pelo en trenzas, viste huaraches y carga un perro de peluche, pero no es hasta que una violenta tormenta de arena azota la ciudad que las referencias a El Mago de Oz se hacen contundentemente obvias. Después de eso, los guiños a la trama clásica son difíciles de ignorar cuando Dolores se ve transportada por arte de magia a una realidad alterna, en la que debe encontrar la tierra mítica de Aztlán, hogar ancestral de los aztecas. En este recuento, la bruja mala es una senadora en traje sastre gritándole a su teléfono celular. Interpretada por Ana Silva con una pronunciación arrastrada y una carcajada irritante, es uno de los destacamentos de la obra. Los acompañantes de Dolores, mientras tanto, son varias caricaturas de los últimos 50 años del movimiento chicano. Teatro Milagro planea llevar Searching for Aztlán a escuelas durante una gira nacional, y su simplicidad y las metáforas obvias son definitivamente más apropiadas para audiencias jóvenes. En lo que cabe, sin embargo, la obra toma una formula familiar y la transforma en algo a la vez satírico y educativo, con una actuación particularmente poderosa de parte de Wilson-Gunn, quien interpreta a Dolores con audacia y entusiasmo.

Photo of the Day: Aztlán school matinee

It's a beautiful day to learn in Aztlán! And that's exactly what our guests did at this morning's matinee performance. Students from Linfield College, as well as Cleveland, Deer Park, Grant and St. Helens high schools, had the opportunity to chat with the cast of Searching for Aztlán in a fascinating post-show talk-back session.

There are three more nights for the public to come along on this metaphorical journey; get your tickets today!

Un viaje metafórico (reseña en traducción)

Traducción al español de ‘Searching for Aztlán' at Milagro Theatre takes us on a metaphorical journey’, por Holly Johnson para The Oregonian. 
Puede comprar entradas para las 3 presentaciones restantes en línea, por nuestra página de Facebook o llamando al 503-236-7253.

"Searching for Aztlán," una nueva obra en el Teatro Milagro, puede ser corta, pero está repleta de ideas, bordada con humor satírico y diseñada para que adultos y jóvenes disfruten y aprendan por igual.

La obra – la cual saldrá de gira a escuelas en el noroeste después de esta corrida en Portland, fue escrita y dirigida por Lakin Valdez, quien formó el aclamado Teatro Campesino. La pieza teatral tiene raíces en el movimiento chicano de los últimos 50 años, y nos lleva en un viaje metafórico, con leves pero astutas referencias a la odisea de Dorothy en “El Mago de Oz.”

En 2012, cuando el programa de estudios mexicano-americanos en Tucson (Arizona) se ve clausurado y los libros relacionados son removidos de las aulas, una maestra llamada Dolores (Alida Holguín Wilson-Gunn) se encuentra desempleada, y después transportada en una tormenta de viento a una realidad alterna. Perdida en el desierto, decide buscar el mítico Aztlán, la tierra ancestral de los aztecas que algunos ubican en el sureste de Estados Unidos o el noroeste de México (el concepto de Aztlán es central para el movimiento chicano e inspiró su idea de una nueva nación). Al comienzo de su travesía, se le unen otros viajeros que son exiliados desposeídos, incluso uno traicionero. Pero la solidaridad sale vencedora, a pesar de una malvada bruja (Ana Silva como una villana corporativa, completa con traje sastre, teléfono celular y una frondosa peluca rubia) quien trata de suprimir al grupo. ¿Es Aztlán un estado mental, un lugar emocional quizás, uno que pueda fortalecer la herencia indígena de los viajeros para permitirles encontrar su pasado y nutrir su futuro? Esa parece ser la idea de Valdez, y es potente, aunque partes de la obra se sienten superficiales cuando podrían profundizar más. Aun así, la política resalta fuertemente en la tradición de El Teatro Campesino (el brazo cultural del sindicato campesino United Farmworkers, co-fundado por César Chávez y Dolores Huerta.)

Momento destacado: Cuando los cuatro actores hacen un pequeño baile “del camino de baldosas amarillas” mientras viajan juntos y escuchamos la música de El Mago de Oz combinada con percusión pesada y guitarra eléctrica, estilo James Brown. Es una mezcla perfecta de música y ritmos, un poco de rabia y un poco de dulzura mofante. La música realmente agudiza el espectáculo de una hora, brindándole mayor enfoque.

Puntos bajos: Silva es muy cómica en una variedad de papeles, incluyendo HighSpanic, una joven chicana completamente envuelta en la cultura dominante norteamericana que apenas habla español. Pero la agudeza en todos sus papeles afecta la producción, incluyendo la chirriante risa de su bruja. Sería mejor usar esas notas lo menos posible.

Participante más valioso: Ajai Terrazas Tripathi, egresado de la facultad de teatro de Oregon State University, brinda un maravilloso sentido del humor y fuerte caracterización al espectáculo. Como el único varón en la obra, esboza una variedad de personajes con gran habilidad, pero es más potente, cómico y convincente como un militante de los 1970s que ha estado buscando Aztlán por tres décadas, progresando solo circularmente. Con él todo es ladrido y nada mordida, ostentando una metralleta de juguete como descubrimos, y jugando con los muñecos de peluche que forman su “ejército.” En un momento nos confiesa: “A veces me espanto a mí mismo.”

Frase de la noche: "El Aztlán que buscas es un lugar de conciencia en evolución.”

Mejor momento: Cuando el mural de fondo es revelado, indicando Aztlán como una idea visual. La pintura de la artista escenográfica Sivonna West es cautivadora, aún si el color es un poco tenue.

Mayor sorpresa: Cuando uno de los personajes interpretados por Silva (empleada por la bruja) viste el tocado de una deidad solar y trata de intimidarlos, y después renuncia para unirse a ellos. Bueno, no fue gran sorpresa.

Mensaje: La lucha por la verdad, la justicia y “el modo indígena” siempre ha estado en el corazón de la causa chicana, y Valdez nos ayuda a descubrir lo que significa ser chicano en la sociedad contemporánea, mientras nos permite burlarnos con la sátira de los estereotipos. Menciona en las notas del programa que la inclusión de los programas de estudios mexicano-americanos, los mismos prohibidos en 2012, había tenido una relación directa al aumento en logros estudiantiles entre los latinos. Ahora lidiando con la agenda conservadora del Siglo XXI, se enfrenta a algunos de los mismos problemas que la generación de su padre, y la esencia política de El Teatro Campesino es tan vital hoy como lo era en los años 70s.

Aztlán in Oregon: the Chicano connection

We've seen a lot in our thirty one years as a company. January 29, 2015 will mark the fifth anniversary of the first public location in the city of Portland being named after an American Latino: Cesar Chavez Boulevard. In the years leading to the 2010 renaming of a stretch of 39th Ave., many questioned the union leader's significance to the city, but the national impact of Chavez and the Chicano movement is an undeniable fact of American history. The less-well known story of the leader's presence and legacy in Oregon's history, and that of Latinos in the Beaver State, however, is reason enough to honor the migrant worker from Yuma, Arizona.

One bright moment in Chicano history shone over the first accredited, independent 4-year Chicano/Latino college in the nation, Colegio Cesar Chavez in Mt. Angel, Oregon. Established in 1973, it was one of the few institutions named after the icon before his death in 1993. The college went on to create more Chicano/Latino graduates in 1977 than University of Oregon and Oregon State University combined. And Chavez himself helped create this institution to empower the growing Latino community by taking part in the negotiations for the campus. Others who made the Colegio possible were emerging Chicano leaders like Ernesto Lopez, Sonny Montes and José Romero.

Cipriano Ferrel was one of these young and driven Chicanos who graduated before the Colegio closed its doors in 1983, a principal organizer in what became Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN, or Northwest Treeplanters and Farmworkers United), an important organization that remains strong to this day, as does Chavez's original group, the United Farm Workers (UFW, formerly known as the National Farm Workers Organization, the country's first permanent agricultural union). 

Latinos continue to be the fastest growing group in the region and the nation, and as a reflection the name of this important leader is now on everything from public schools throughout the state to scholarships that empower coming generations, and even a national monument in California commemorating his home and resting place.

Milagro is honored to be part of this ongoing history, and in our own way have come back around to one of the key moments that became entrenched as a show of strength and unity of American workers: the grape strike launched on September 8, 1965 in Delano, California by the NFWA, led by Chavez and Dolores Huerta.

One enduring part of the organizing efforts of the time was the "actos" produced by the itinerant troupe that would become El Teatro Campesino and give shape to Chicano theatre. Our own touring production honor that empowering vision that travels where the community is, with another important link: Lakin Valdez, the son of ETC founder Luis Valdez and a life-time participant in his father's company, wrote and directed Searching for Aztlán, a very contemporary story that reaches from the history of the Aztecs to the future of Latinidad.

Join us at Milagro during its run, starting with a specially priced preview on January 8, before its premiere on January 9, and closing on January 17!

And on January 11, don't miss the free discussion Let’s talk about Aztlán at 3:30 pm. Join the cast and director in a conversation with Chicano líderes who inspired this production in a conversation about their own search for the legendary Aztlán. (You do not need to attend the production to join the discussion.)

Of course, you can also bring a performance to your community!

Aztlán: 5 ways to join the search party

The intrepid members of our touring troupe are hunkering down for the premiere of Searching for Aztlán, coming to Milagro this weekend, and you can join them in the trenches of identity and history!

Written and directed by Lakin Valdez (of El Teatro Campesino, which will be presenting our touring production in May), this play takes as point of departure the sociopolitical turmoil of Arizona surrounding Mexican American Studies programs. Ancient and not so ancient history is also visited, from the mythical birthplace of the Aztecs to the homeland of the Chicano movement.

Here's 5 ways you can join us on this exploration of the past and search for identity:

Jan. 7: Educators interested in the themes are encouraged to attend our special FREE preview event for dress rehearsal; you can decide if the play is appropriate to bring to your school or send your students to see it at our theatre during an evening or matinee performance. Sign up here!

Jan. 8: A specially priced preview is scheduled for the night before the official premiere. Tickets available online and on our Facebook page.

Jan. 9: Join the search party and stay for the other party! The official opening performance will be followed by a great reception hosted by our friends from La Bonita! Tickets available online and on our Facebook page.

Jan. 10-17: The show continues public performances at Milagro before launching its national tour. Tickets available online and on our Facebook page.

Jan.-Nov.: Catch the touring production on the road during their national tour!

And don't forget that Milagro offers senior, student, veteran and group discounts. We also participate in the Arts for All program: present your SNAP card (in person) to purchase up to 4 tickets for only $5 each!

Get your tickets today, and let the haboob carry you away to the land of Aztlán!

Aztlán, haboob, huarache and other "funny" words

One of the most interesting aspects of a modern language like English is that, like other "living" things, it grows, reacts and "learns" from its interactions. It is in such ways that words get borrowed and even high-jacked. American usage is wonderfully fertile for the evolution of the language, thanks in part to the proverbial "melting pot" of our plural cultures.

We're no strangers to "immigrant" words, which sometimes have no equivalents in English, or have become entrenched in our speech despite their "foreign" sounds and origins... much like the lively mosaic of cultures that make up this country we know as the U.S. of A. In discussing and planning the promotion of our upcoming show, Searching for Aztlán, a few words popped up that we found equal parts intriguing and interesting. Today we bring you the origin and meaning of three of them: Aztlán, haboob and huarache.

Aztlán: this name covers a lot of metaphorical and physical ground, which merits a longer post (coming soon), but at its core it refers simultaneously to the mythical land of the Mexicas (better known as the Aztecs), the physical territory that comprised Mexico before the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, and to the geopolitical consciousness that galvanizes the Chicano movement. Literally, it means "Place of (the Whiteness of) Herons".

Haboob: this word borrowed from Arabic means "blasting", an apt description of the violent sand storms that blow through arid territories all over the world like the Sudan and central Australia. The Southwest US also sees its share of these storms, such as the one that hit Phoenix, AZ in 2011 with a dust cloud 5,000 feet tall.

Huarache: Flower-power fashionistas in the US first encountered this term for a flat, leather strapped sandal in the 60s, and it was embraced with all the gusto reserved for comfortable, ethnically-diverse clothing that made dashikis, love beads and buckskin the rage of the age. The word itself is a linguistic corruption of the word kwarachi which means "sandal" in the P'urépecha/Tarascan language from the region around modern-day Michoacan, Mexico.

Strap on your huaraches and let the haboob sweep you along to the mythical land of Aztlán! Join us on January 9th for the official opening of Searching for Aztlán or catch it during its national tour!

Three roads to Aztlán: the creative team

While we're busy getting ready to put on two great holiday events, Posada Milagro (Dec. 14) and our Santas y Santas holiday dance party (Dec. 20), the Milagro Tour crew are focusing their irreverently artistic talents on an important story about current events and the deeper meaning of the history involved: Searching for Aztlán.

The title itself bears exploration, as it refers simultaneously to something physical, mythical and political. And the tutelary beings of this artistic journey, coming to Milagro Theatre Jan. 8-17, are three creative forces who represent some of the most vibrant and significant players in the history of Chicano theatre, reaching back 50 years to the roots of Chicanismo itself.

Lakin Valdez conducting rehearsals
for Corrido Calavera

Writing the script and directing the actors will be Lakin Valdez, whose previous collaboration with Milagro resulted in the raucous 2013 Día de los Muertos show, Corrido Calavera. In addition to a talented and critically-acclaimed theatre artist, Lakin has a direct connection to the earliest day of the Chicano movement as the son of the multifaceted artist, Luis Valdez. The elder Valdez was an integral part of Cesar Chavez's organizing efforts in 1965 at the height of the Delano farm workers' strike by presenting itinerant "actos" or skits to educate and unify. A bastion of Latino theatre in the US, his company is now known as El Teatro Campesino and has been recognized both for its legacy and for its artistic excellence. It is in this political and cultural cradle that Lakin Valdez was nurtured before becoming known as a director, writer, and performing artist in his own right, receiving two NPN Creation Fund Awards, a Zellerbach Award and NEA Access to Excellence Award for his generative work.

Alida Holguín Wilson Gunn (R),
with Ajai Terrazas-Tripathi in Cuéntame Coyote

Starring in the lead role of Dolores, an Arizona teacher facing the state's controversial changes, will be Alida Holguín Wilson Gunn, who joined Milagro as Associate Artistic Director, to work with the touring productions only a year ago. Distinguished as a performer, the local paper Willamette Week said in its review of Cuéntame Coyote that she "has a passion that is mesmerizing," and in 2006 she was nominated for the Best Actress Mac Award by the Arizona Daily Star. Gunn joined Milagro after more than a decade of working with another beacon of cultural expression and understanding: Borderlands Theater. Eventually becoming Director of Education and Outreach Programs, she describes some of her contributions as helping to "share realities", bridging gaps in Borderlands' generational segments, reaching their rural constituency and creating youth programming. 

Founding Director Dañel Malán (L),
with Tricia Castañeda-Gonzales from Frida: Un retablo

As the brains (and for many years, brawn) of Milagro's educational and touring efforts, Founding Director Director Dañel Malán is responsible for bringing the creative team together, something she has been doing since the earliest days of Milagro, with its first touring production, Perez y Martina in 1989. Malán's career reveals a dedication to keeping alive the spirit of those "actos" performed on a truck bed for an audience who, nearly half a century after Delano, still identifies with the need to point out injustice and evoke compassion. Bringing this itinerant "message theatre" into the 21st century, Malán has built with Milagro the only nationally-touring bilingual troupe, consistently presenting issues of high relevance to Latinos and the US in an engaging and artistic format. She is also the mind behind our arts-infused workshops for students and adults, and is currently conducting the only bilingual arts integration case study for middle Schools in the nation at Evergreen MS in Hillsboro.

Together, these three guiding stars of Searching for Aztlán combine their matching and complementary talents to present and preserve important work exploring history and identity. It is not only the themes of the play that harken back, however. The production's style itself has tremendous significance, as it continues a tradition of compact sets and props that allows for very efficient communication, traveling light directly to the point.

Get your tickets and come along on this irreverent journey, playing at Milagro Jan. 8-17 before it goes on its national tour through November 2015!

Photo of the Day: 'Burguesa goes to work

Just another day of work, as Ajai Terrazas Tripathi and the juicy hamburguesa from Sueños de Fútbol head for another performance. (Photo courtesy A.T.T.)

The touring show about Candi, a young girl who discovers her inner champion as she learns ancient Mayan tales, continues making its way to community centers and summer programs around the region. If you are interested in catching a public performance or bringing one of our performances to your community, contact Alida Holguín Wilson-Gunn or call 503-236-7253.

Explore "Theatre of the Sphere ©" with Milagro and Lakin Valdez

The lazy days of summer are nothing of the kind at Milagro: we continue working to bring you more great ways to celebrate or learn about Latino art and culture. This July, the nationally recognized director, writer and performing artist Lakin Valdez returns to Portland with an innovative workshop.

Join Lakin Valdez, writer and director of Milagro Tour's next production for this unique opportunity. Created from authentic stories from los líderes del movimiento, "Searching for Aztlán" will focus on the roles that women have played in the history of Chicanismo and los MEChistAs and into the future of Latinidad.  Join us in exploring the physical, cognitive, and spiritual processes of developing an ensemble-based approach to theatre making that will be applied to the creation of the play, so share your heart, mind and body -- and gain insight into this unique Chican@ theatre methodology. Monday July 28th from 6:30 – 8:30pm Only  $30 per person!  Limited enrollment. e-mail malan@milagro.org for RSVP

“The Vibrant Being/Theatre of the Sphere Workshop ©” is a theatrical and motivational workshop designed to enhance the natural learning and communicative abilities of each individual.  Physical, emotional and mental exercises designed to unlock both individual and group awareness will draw parallels to other world systems of meditation and movement.  Among the many learning outcomes of this workshop, three ancient Mayan precepts are key and central: 1) In Lak’ Ech, which means You are my other self-if I love and respect you, I love and respect myself; 2) Menyah, which is the Mayan work ethic, meaning To Believe is to Create, to Do with Love and Pain; and 3) K’ukulkan AKA Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent or Enlightened Being of the Americas, as the Link between Popular Art and Spirituality.

The ball (bol) will be the anchoring device in the workshop. Through the use of the ball, literally and metaphorically as a symbol, the workshop participant will come to identify and understand the associative holistic qualities of the body, heart and mind. Through theatrical group exercises, participants will discover how to effectively channel the complexity and depth of their experience into the fabric of their lives.

WORKSHOP MATERIALS: please bring your own soccer ball, and be prepared to move and explore the space with your body and mind. 

You will need:

•    Soccer Ball
•    Journal and writing utensils
•    Movement Attire: e.g. sweat pants, yoga pants, T-shirts, dance shoes (leather soles) or bare feet (no socks)

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Lakin Valdez, director, writer, and performing artist, was born and raised in the extended family of El Teatro Campesino.  He served as the company’s Associate Artistic Director from the years 2000 to 2005. Since 2004, Lakin has written, directed and performed in more than a dozen plays, culminating in work that reflects the rich history and vibrant culture of the Latino/Chicano community. His body of work has been described as “Powerful” (L.A. Times), “Consummately engaging” (Variety), to “Hauntingly intense” (San Francisco Chronicle). He is the recipient of two NPN Creation Fund Awards, a Zellerbach Award and NEA Access to Excellence Award for his generative work.

Milagro Tour's social life is not just on Facebook

"Coyote" is on the road again, taking its trickster tales and desert dangers around Oregon and beyond!
This week, the intrepid Milagro Tour crew is engaging the citizens of Baker City and Salem with bilingual performances, arts-enriched workshops and even a nice potluck gathering to share stories!

In addition to school and public performances of Cúentame Coyote, Milagro Tour spreads culture and learning to places off the beaten path with classes for groups of all ages. This Saturday April 5, the residents of Echo, Oregon, will have a special opportunity for community-building through with Milagro Tour's Reality Theatre Workshop, which incorporates the techniques and ideas of improvisation, Commedia, and Augusto Boal to explore current sociopolitical issues. If you're in the area, contact presenter Susan Kays to join in and help find the answers to big questions like "what can theatre teach us about ourselves?" and "what is my role in my community?" 

Milagro Tour also has two other exciting shows available, Aventuras de Don Quixote and El Niño Diego (appropriate for grades K-3 and 3-8 respectively), each also with its own series of arts-enriched workshops led by the performers (also trained as arts educators) to give greater depth to the issues raised by the plays.

Follow Milagro Tour and the coyote on Facebook, and catch them at these events: 

• April 3, Potluck with Milagro, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church
• April 4: Cuéntame Coyote at Iron Gate Theatre (7:30pm)
• April 5: Reality Theatre Workshop at Echo Community Center Ballroom (12:30-2:00)
• April 9: Cuéntame Coyote at Chemeketa Community College (3pm & 6pm)

Check out Milagro's website for more dates! For more details, or to arrange a performance for your school, library or community group, contact Founding Director Dañel Malán or Associate Artistic Director AlidaHolguín Wilson Gunn at 503-236-7253 or agunn@milagro.org.

Milagro Tour takes fun and learning on the road

Milagro Tour, the traveling educational component of the company, has become well known in the Northwest and beyond for their work in presenting bilingual plays highlighting the culture, history and current significance of Latinos around the world. So significant is their presence that the entire company was known by the troupe's earlier name, Teatro Milagro. Also well received by presenters and participants are Milagro Tour's engaging arts-integrated workshops led by arts educators who also perform in the plays.

Currently, there are two shows for K-8 students, and one for high school-age and college students and general public, with optional workshops that can be conducted before, after, or separately from a performance. Read on to learn about the different performances, the enrichment programs that can complement them, and how you can bring them to your school or community!

Aventuras de Don Quixote is a fun interactive adventure inspired by Miguel de Cervantes' classic story. Through a “play within a play” set in a library, the audience experiences the story of a young girl who, after being unknowingly drawn into Don Quixote’s exciting world, learns the importance of reading and discovers her love for books. The workshops that accompany Aventuras are designed to encourage an appreciation for reading at all ages, and they feature bicultural activities that highlight the themes presented in books recommended for elementary readers, including arts, crafts and story-telling, as well as creative opportunities for students to explore history and mythology, and create their own.

El Niño Diego shares the imagined story of a young Diego Rivera, the renowned Mexican painter, empowered by a magical paintbrush given to him by Coatlicue, serpent goddess of the Aztecs. The conniving Director Jose Manguino and his dim-witted minion Profesora Escupir, wants to exploit Diego’s magical talents to fulfill their own greedy aspirations. Will Manguino and Escupir succeed in their evil plan? Or will Diego’s nurse Antonia help Diego understand that it will take more than magic to keep him on a path to become the artistic legend he is destined to be? The curriculum for the companion workshops explore Rivera's works as an excellent way to understand history from a visual artist’s perspective, and the character of Coatlicue provides the springboard for a journey into pre-Columbian mythology. The participants also use image theatre to engage in and critique visual and performing arts. Improvisation, script writing and other engaging activities round out this popular program.

Cuéntame Coyote is a journey through cold and dark desert nights with two cousins who desperately dream of a better future beyond the iron fence that defines la frontera. Fleeing sorrow and hopelessness, Maria and José follow coyotes of two legs and four, stepping over dried bones scorched by the sun and chased by a wind that murmurs tales of Santa Muerte. Will their steps lead to the dreams they seek or vanish in the desert sands like so many before? This original touring production of courage and perseverance was inspired by stories from the real people who live along the border and inspires dynamic community sharing in post-show discussions.

Booking Info:
Aventuras de Don Quixote and El Niño Diego are forty-minute, 4-person shows that can be presented in any large space. Single performances are $600 plus travel expenses. Back-to–back performances for schools with more than 200 students are $1000. Accompanying Aventuras and Mural & Mythology workshops are $100 - 200 per hour, depending on the number of classes per session. 

Cuéntame Coyote is an hour-long, 4-person show that can also be presented in any large space, yet is greatly enhanced when presented in theatrical spaces with stage lighting. Single performances are $1,000 plus travel expenses. Journeys workshops on oral history and integrated history are also $100 – 200 per hour, depending on the number of sessions per hour.

For more details, or to arrange a performance for your school, library or community group, contact Associate Artistic Director Alida Holguín Wilson Gunn at 503-236-7253 or agunn@milagro.org.

From the Old Pueblo to Stumptown: Meet Alida!

Español abajo

It did not take long before Portland noticed a bright new talent in our midst. During the run of her first show as part of Milagro Tour, Alida Holguin Wilson Gunn caught the eye of Willamette Week critic Savanna Wasserman, who said Alida "has a passion that is mesmerizing." She projects just as much energy outside of the theatre, even though she knew before the age of seven that she was born to be an actress.

The Arizona transplant is the latest addition to the Milagro staff, and this January's production of Cuéntame Coyote was the beginning of her work with Milagro's Tour & Education department, of which she is Associate Director. She will be directing and managing the touring productions, and she has already applied her aesthetic and skills in the revamping of El Niño Diego and Aventuras de Don Quixote, and is busy creating El Tesoro, an educational work on garbage and recycling funded by Metro.

Born in Flagstaff of a TexMex mother and a Scott-Irish father with generations-long southern heritage, she was keenly aware of how different looks often evoked different treatment, and very early in her artistic endeavors she realized the connection between perception and prejudice, using the art form to explore and expose it. Before joining Milagro, she served as director of Education Outreach Programs for Borderlands Theater, the Tucson-based pioneering company that shares with Milagro a history of presenting new works "while producing plays by established playwrights whose work resonates with the diversity of our audiences".

Please join us in saying "Bienvenida, Alida", and make sure you catch Milagro Tour or schedule a performance for your school or community center!

Del Pueblo Viejo a la Ciudad de las Rosas: ¡Bienvenida, Alida!
Portland no dilató demasiado en descubrir un nuevo y reluciente talento recién llegado a la ciudad. Durante su primera producción como parte de Milagro Tour, Alida Holguin Wilson Gunn captivó la atención de la crítica de teatro de Willamette Week, Savanah Wasserman, quien escribió que Alida "tiene una pasión que es fascinante." Ella emite la misma energía fuera del escenario, aunque sabía desde la edad de 7 años que había nacido para actuar.

Trasplantada de Arizona, Alida es la mas reciente adición al personal de Milagro, y la producción en enero de "Cuéntame Coyote" marcó el comienzo de su labor en el departamento de Giras y Educación, del cual es Directora Asociada. Estará a cargo de las producciones ambulantes, incluyendo su dirección, y ya ha dejado su huella en las nuevas versiones de "Aventuras de Don Quixote" y" El Niño Diego", y actualmente se ocupa de crear "El Tesoro", una obra educativa sobre la basura y el reciclaje patrocinada por Metro.

Nacida en Flagstaff de una madre mexicana/tejana y un padre escocés/irlandés con una familia arraigada en el sur de Estados Unidos, a una temprana edad percibió como gente con apariencias diferentes evocan tratamientos distintos, y casi desde el comienzo de su carrera artística descubrió la relación entre la percepción y el prejuicio, explorando y exponiéndola por medio del arte. Antes de unirse a Milagro, fungió como la Directora de Programas de Extensión Educativa para Borderlands Theater, la compañía pionera de Tucson que comparte con Milagro la función de presentar las obras de dramaturgos nuevos y con experiencia cuya escritura "resuena con la diversidad de nuestro público."

Únase a nosotros a para darle la bienvenida a Alida, y no se pierda las presentaciones de Milagro Tour en su comunidad, o contáctenos para programar una presentación en su escuela o centro comunitario!

Your chance to see Coyote and Quixote this week!

Español abajo

Milagro Tour is on the road again, and this week you have three chances to catch two of their bilingual productions in free public shows around the metropolitan area!

The touching story of immigration and the dangers of the Arizona desert told in Cuéntame Coyote will be presented at the University of Portland (map) this Wednesday Feb. 19 at 8:30 pm. Join two desperate cousins on this adventure that brings them face to face with coyotes of two and four legs, based on true stories of this perilous journey attempted by thousands every year.

Fight the windmills of boredom with an upbeat romp that leads children of all ages into the love of reading. Aventuras de Don Quixote uses the literary classic to promote literacy in young audiences. Come enjoy this tale of chivalry and learn why leer es poder (reading is power) at one of two performances: on Feb. 21 at 6pm, the Portland Children's Museum (map) presents the traveling troupe as part of their "First Friday" event (originally scheduled for Feb. 7). Walters Cultural Arts Center (map) brings the bilingual group to Hillsboro for a 2pm performance on Sat. Feb. 22.

Catch the bilingual touring group at one of these shows, or contact Alida Holguín Wilson Gunn to schedule a performance for your school or community center. A third show, El Niño Diego, which uses Diego Rivera's childhood to teach about the arts and this important Mexican painter, is also available for booking.

El Quixote y el Coyote se presentan esta semana

Milagro Tour está de gira nuevamente, y esta semana Ud. tendrá la oportunidad de ver dos de sus obras bilingües en presentaciones gratis dentro del área metropolitana.

La emotiva historia de inmigración y el peligroso desierto de Arizona que relata la obra "Cuéntame Coyote" se presentará en la University of Portland (mapa) este miércoles 19 de Feb. a las 8:30 pm. Únase a dos primos desesperados en esta aventura que los pone frente a frente con coyotes de dos y cuatro patas, basada en historias reales de esta peligrosa travesía emprendida por miles cada año.

El Quixote lucha contra los molinos del aburrimiento en este divertido espectáculo que lleva a niños de todas las edades al amor por los libros. "Aventuras de Don Quixote" utiliza el clásico de la literatura para promover la  lectura en los estudiantes más pequeños. Descubra como Don Quixote nos demuestra que "leer es poder" en una de las dos presentaciones esta semana: el 21 de febrero el Museo de los Niños de Portland (Portland Children's Museum, mapa) presenta la tropa ambulante como parte de su evento del primer viernes del mes (originalmente programado para el 7 de febrero). Walters Cultural Arts Center (mapa) también presenta el grupo bilingue a las 2 pm el sábado 22 de febrero. 

No se pierda el grupo ambulante en estos eventos públicos, o contacte a Alida Holguín Wilson Gunn para programar una presentación en su escuela o centro comunitario. Una tercera obra, "El Niño Diego", que utiliza la niñez de Diego Rivera para instruir sobre las artes y este importante pintor mexicano, también está disponible para presentarse en su evento o instituto.

Reviews and reactions on the tales of the Coyote

The first review of Cuéntame Coyote began circulating today in the Willamette Week, and if you have yet to read it or see the play, the following are some great recommendations to come to this funny and heart-breaking production:

In the Willamette Week review, Savannah Wassermann writes

"The show- it's bilingual but easy to follow for non-Spanish speakers- is only an hour, but the simplistic story line can make feel longer...Maria (Alida Holguín Gunn) has a passion that's mesmerizing... A simple backdrop of desert scenery, minimal props and modest costumes keep the focus on the straightforward and intermittently funny story." 

Some patrons send us great comments by e-mail:

"Coyote was wonderful!!"

- Catherine Evleshin, long-time Milagro artist and suscriber

"I saw the play on Saturday and I loved it."

- Educator and Milagro patron

"The performance was outstanding."

- Educator and Milagro patron

"La obra me hizo llorar y me quede impactada por la historia"

- Cristina Palacios, Milagro patron

and on Facebook, Frank Delgado of local writers' collective Los Porteños described it thus:

"Reality in the raw."

If you haven't done so, you can still get your tickets at http://bit.ly/1ly8CZm
Only 7 shows left!


*Help us to do what we do better! follow the link and fill out our winter survey, and you can win tickets to any of our 2014-2015 season productions!

Photo of the day: Coyote opening Night Party!

After a really fun opening night post-show party it was really hard to select only ONE photo, but we are staying truth to our photo of the day and have pick this one:

William Gebo, Katalan Braymer, José González, Dañel Malán, Ajai Terrazas-Tripathi, 
Mariel Sierra, Alida Holguín Gunn and Erubiel Valladares Carranza

I you missed the party you can still enjoy more photos of our opening night  on our flicker account, and get your tickets now for Cuéntame Coyote, only 7 shows left!

You can also get tickets by calling 503-236-7253 or in person at 425 SE 6th Ave, Portland. OR Monday - Friday from 9:30 am  to 5:30 pm.

*Help us to do what we do better! follow the link and fill up our winter survey, you can win tickets to any of our 2013-2014 season productions

Caught in the Middle: the Tohono O'odham nation

"We didn't cross the border; the border crossed us" is a slogan associated with the immigrant rights movement, but it is also a sentiment that may apply to the citizens of Tohono O'odham, the country's third largest Indian reservation, located along some of the most inhospitable terrain of the US-Mexico border. Last Summer, ABC News shared a glimpse of their difficult position and the increased problems they face. 

Help us to do what we do better! follow the link and fill up our winter survey, you can win tickets to any of our 2013-2014 season productions.

Walking with the Coyote and Exploring Latino Roots

Fill out our survey!
Español abajo.

Coyote winds his way to the Milagro Theatre with the revamped production based on true border-crossing stories, "Cuéntame Coyote", previewing on Thursday before its official opening on Friday January 10. (Buy tickets here.)

This latest offering from Milagro Tour combines the timeless traditions of the Arizona desert with the important current issue of immigration laws and their consequences. Before it goes on tour around the state and beyond, however, the performance will be accompanied by two amazing exhibits encompassing the history of Latinos in Oregon and the experience of the extreme trek at the heart of the production.

Cuéntame Coyote: Hope for the Hopeless

Fill out our survey!
Español abajo.

Every year, tens of thousands of people attempt to cross the Sonoran desert along Arizona's 388 mile border with Mexico. Each has his or her own reasons, from fleeing economic and political despair in their countries to making a quick buck by smuggling drugs and undocumented immigrants. Oftentimes, they hang their hopes of making it on help from the spiritual realm.

The vast majority of those attempting to cross come from Mexico and other Catholic countries, so it is no surprise that many turn to individuals revered by the faith. The Italian saint Rita of Cascia has become associated with border crossers for a variety of reasons.

Saint Rita (born in 1381 as Margherita Lotti) agreed to marry to please her parents, despite an early vocation to become a nun. Her faith and patience helped her not only survive abuse from her husband, but ultimately to convert him to Christianity. When he was murdered, their two sons vowed to avenge him by the rules of "Vendetta", or honor feud. Rather than losing their souls by such barbarous act, Rita prayed and was relieved when her sons died of dysentery after peacefully preparing to meet their maker. She then joined an Augustinian convent, where she became known for her piety and sacrifice.

Many miraculous cures and other favors were credited to her prayers for others, and she was known for a permanent wound on her forehead interpreted as stigmata and a symbol of her grace. She has been revered in prayer and called upon to intercede in cases of abuse almost since her death in 1457, and she was officially canonized, or named a saint, in 1900, establishing her feast day on May 22.

She is called upon as the patron saint of the impossible, perhaps in part because her body, kept in her shrine at Cascia, is said to remain intact after all these centuries.

La esperanza de los desesperados
Cada año, decenas de miles de personas tratan de cruzar el desierto de Sonora en algún punto de la frontera de Arizona con México que se extiende por 311,000 kilómetros. Cada uno tiene sus propios motivos, ya sea escapar la incertidumbre económica o política de su país, hasta ganarse un dinero en el contrabando de drogas o el transporte de indocumentados. Muchas veces ponen sus esperanzas en asistencia del mundo espiritual.

La gran mayoría de quienes tratan de cruzar son de México y otros países católicos, por lo que no es sorprendente que muchos acudan a individuos venerados por la fe. La santa italiana Santa Rita de Casia se relaciona con el cruce por una variedad de motivos.

Santa Rita (nacida en 1381 como Margherita Lotti) accedió a casarse por complacer a sus padres, a pesar de una vocación temprana a convertirse en monja. Su fe y paciencia le ayudaron no solo a sobrevivir abuso por su esposo, sino también a apaciguarle y convertirlo a la cristiandad. Cuando fue asesinado, sus dos hijos juraron desquitarse bajo las reglas de "vendetta", o vengar la honra familiar. En vez de que sus hijos perdieran sus almas al cometer tal barbaridad, Rita rezó y sintió alivio cuando sus vástagos murieron de disentería después de prepararse para encontrarse con su creador. Rita entró a un convento agustino y se hizo famosa por su piedad y sacrificio.

Muchas curas milagrosas y otros favores se acreditan a sus oraciones por otros, y se le conocía por una herida permanente interpretada como estigma y símbolo de su gracia. Se le venera en oración y se le pide su intercesión en casos de abuso desde su muerte en 1457, y fue canonizada (declarada santa) en 1900, con su día de fiesta en el 22 de Mayo.

Se le invoca como santa patrona de lo imposible, quizás en parte porque su cuerpo, conservado en su santuario en Casia, continúa intacto después de varios siglos.

Help us to do what we do better! follow the link and fill up our winter survey, you can win tickets to any of our 2013-2014 season productions.

Meet the Artist: Susana Espino

Español abajo

SUSANA ESPINO RODRIGUEZ is originally from Morelia, in the colorful Mexican state of Michoacan, where she graduated as a Fashion Designer from Instituto Dicormo, as well as training at the Escuela Popular de Bellas Artes, (People's School of Fine Arts). She continued her studies at Portland Community College, and currently she is attending the Art Students League of New York.

Demonstrating talent early on, Susana Espino’s work became well known and received in Michoacan, as has been the case also in Oregon and Washington since her move to the Pacific Northwest. She claims Portland, Oregon as the cradle of some of her more peculiar pieces, and her sculptures feature her skills as a designer to detail and beautify her artwork. She describes her sculptures as born out of her design aesthetic and the whimsical melancholy of Mexico's iconic hoilday, the Day of the Dead.

In 2006, Espino was recognized by the Instituto Dicormo, making a name for herself internationally by taking top honors in a fashion competition. Her artwork has been displayed in well-known galleries and venues such as Galería Onda, the Latino Adventure Blog, El Centro Milagro, Cha Cha Cha Restaurant, La Calaca Comelona, and her giant papier-mache skeleton and devil have presided over Holocene’s Day of the Dead event for three consecutive years. She has held workshops at events organized by LAX (Latin American Artists Exchange) in support of its aim to create a network in the Northwest to share ideas, expression, and art. Her enthusiasm for helping her community led her to return to her hometown with a project bringing art to an orphanage. On January 2013, Espino assembled an art installation based on Frida Kahlo's house. The exhibit was housed at El Centro Milagro, in El Zócalo community space, incorporating photographs, sculptures, paintings and other works of art thematically linked to Kahlo.

Espino now also works on producing other talented artists, as well as collaborating with the Mexican boutique brand Pineda Covalin.

Help us to do what we do better, follow the link and fill up our winter survey


SUSANA ESPINO RODRIGUEZ es originaria de Morelia, en el colorido estado mexicano de Michoacán, donde se graduó como diseñadora de modas del Instituto Dicormo , continuó su formación en la Escuela Popular de Bellas Artes, y prosiguió en el Portland Community College. Actualmente es alumna en la Liga de Estudiantes de Arte en Nueva York.

Demostrando talento desde temprana edad, la obra de Susana Espino llegó a ser reconocida y bien recibida en Michoacán, como ha sido el caso también en Oregon y Washington desde su traslado al noroeste norteamericano. Ella afirma que Portland, Oregon es la cuna de algunas de sus piezas más peculiares, y sus esculturas incorporan sus habilidades como diseñadora para detallar y embellecer sus obras de arte. Describe sus esculturas como nacidas de su estética de diseño y la melancolía juguetona del Día de los Muertos.

En 2006 Espino fue reconocida por el Instituto Dicormo por hacer un nombre por sí misma a nivel internacional al ganar los más altos honores en un concurso de diseño de modas. Su obra se ha exhibido en multitud de locales de renombre, como Galería Onda, Latino Adventure Blog, El Centro Milagro, Cha Cha Cha Restaurant, La Calaca Comelona, y su esqueleto y diablo gigantescos en cartonería han presidido sobre los eventos del Día de los Muertos en  Holocene durante tres años consecutivos. También ha realizado talleres en eventos organizados por Latin American Artists Exchange (Intercambio de Artistas Latinoamericanos) en apoyo de su objetivo de crear una red en el noroeste para compartir ideas, la expresión y el arte. Su entusiasmo por ayudar a su comunidad la llevó de regreso a su ciudad natal con un proyecto para llevar las artes a un orfanato. En enero de 2013, Espino montó una instalación de arte basada en la casa de Frida Kahlo. La exposición se colocó en El Centro Milagro , en el espacio comunitario llamado El Zócalo, incorporando fotografías, esculturas, pinturas y otras obras de arte asociadas con Kahlo.

Espino ahora también se enfoca en la producción de otros artistas talentosos, así como una colaboración con la marca boutique mexicana, Pineda Covalin.