Join the FREE Conversations
inspired by Richard Montoya’s play
American Night: The Ballad of Juan José
moderated by Olga Sanchez, Milagro’s Artistic Director
• Saturday, May 2, after
the show: History: Whose Story?
the show: History: Whose Story?
Pablo Picasso once said,
“Art is a lie that tells the truth.” In American Night, Juan José’s dream
challenges everything he has read about U.S. history, to the point that he
doesn’t know what to believe. This is more than just a playwright taking poetic
license, the play’s revisionism illuminates how “history” is recorded and
passed on as fact, in the same way that the school boards in Arizona remove books
from the curriculum and edit history for thousands of students. Richard
Montoya, author of American Night: The Ballad of Juan José, will lead the
conversation on revisionism and art. What inspired him to create this
play? Are certain historical events more misrepresented than others? Is the
artist responsible for setting the story straight? Montoya will be joined
by Prof. Margot Minardi, History and Humanities, Reed College and Dr. Rene
Sanchez, Assistant Professor of Theology at the University of Portland
“Art is a lie that tells the truth.” In American Night, Juan José’s dream
challenges everything he has read about U.S. history, to the point that he
doesn’t know what to believe. This is more than just a playwright taking poetic
license, the play’s revisionism illuminates how “history” is recorded and
passed on as fact, in the same way that the school boards in Arizona remove books
from the curriculum and edit history for thousands of students. Richard
Montoya, author of American Night: The Ballad of Juan José, will lead the
conversation on revisionism and art. What inspired him to create this
play? Are certain historical events more misrepresented than others? Is the
artist responsible for setting the story straight? Montoya will be joined
by Prof. Margot Minardi, History and Humanities, Reed College and Dr. Rene
Sanchez, Assistant Professor of Theology at the University of Portland
• Sunday, May 10, 4:00
p.m: Natural Selection
p.m: Natural Selection
Juan José, a former
police officer disillusioned by his inability to work with integrity in Mexico,
leaves for the U.S. However, the more he learns about his new country, the more
he questions whether he should pledge allegiance. Why do people decide to
become citizens? How challenging is the naturalization process? A significant
number of eligible immigrants in the U.S. decide not to naturalize. What are
their reasons? Panelists: Prof. Alejandro Santana, Philosophy, University of
Portland; Alice Gates, Assistant Professor Department of Sociology & Social
Work at University of Portland and Jess Guzmán, Legal Program Coordinator,
CAUSA
police officer disillusioned by his inability to work with integrity in Mexico,
leaves for the U.S. However, the more he learns about his new country, the more
he questions whether he should pledge allegiance. Why do people decide to
become citizens? How challenging is the naturalization process? A significant
number of eligible immigrants in the U.S. decide not to naturalize. What are
their reasons? Panelists: Prof. Alejandro Santana, Philosophy, University of
Portland; Alice Gates, Assistant Professor Department of Sociology & Social
Work at University of Portland and Jess Guzmán, Legal Program Coordinator,
CAUSA
• Sunday, May 17, 4:00
p.m: Perchance to Dream!
p.m: Perchance to Dream!
Juan José’s madcap
vision, filled with images and personalities, inspires questions about the
power of dreams. New ways of understanding the nature and significance of
dreams have emerged that build upon (or contradict) the classic 20th century
ideas of Freud and Jung. How do these different perspectives compare and
contrast? What are the prevailing scientific ideas about dream
interpretation? How are dreams influenced by our cultural heritage?
Panelists: Carol Walnum, Certified Jungian Analyst and Satya Doyle
Byock, Jungian Psychotherapist
vision, filled with images and personalities, inspires questions about the
power of dreams. New ways of understanding the nature and significance of
dreams have emerged that build upon (or contradict) the classic 20th century
ideas of Freud and Jung. How do these different perspectives compare and
contrast? What are the prevailing scientific ideas about dream
interpretation? How are dreams influenced by our cultural heritage?
Panelists: Carol Walnum, Certified Jungian Analyst and Satya Doyle
Byock, Jungian Psychotherapist
Join us for the free series of conversations and don’t miss your chance to see the amazing the Portland premiere of American Night: the Ballad of Juan José, at Milagro April 30 – May 23, 2015!