What a tremendous event, the
XXVII International Hispanic Theatre Festival, hosted by Teatro Avante in
Miami!  Four weekends of plays, play readings, and an educational
component that covers a wide range of topics, it runs through July 29th…if
you’re in Miami this year or any year, do check it out! 

It was great to see LTC’s
«Solitude» by Evelina Fernandez, whose themes
of Chicano middle class alienation resonated strongly with the Miami
audience (not a given), as well Urban Theatre Movement’s «Short Eyes»
by Miguel Piñero (highly relevant in light of the recent Sandusky trial), and
«Infieles» by Marco Antonio de la Parra, which launched the new
Compañia Prometeo!  To be clear, Teatro Prometeo has been around for 40
years but this is a new ensemble… adelante!

A new project has been launched,
I’d like to say ‘this year’ but … over the past few years Latino theatre makers
from around the country have gathered in Baltimore, Chicago, Boston, Washington
DC, Los Angeles, thanks mostly to TCG (Theatre Communications Group).
 TCG, which supports theatre makers around the country through a wide
variety of services, holds an annual conference that has enabled Latino artists
to meet with each other in these locations around the US.  The project
is loosely called, «Latinos in Theatre’.  

After the recent conference in
Boston, artists were mobilized to meet in LA, the Bay Area and most recently in
Miami, during the XXVII IHTF!   This past Sunday’s gathering included
folks from Minneapolis/St. Paul and NYC, as well as LA, Portland, and of course
Miami, which illuminated interesting regional differences with regard to
identity within our respective communities, audience-building and artist
training goals, and of course, the nature of our work. Shared strengths included: long-standing working relationships with Latin American and Spanish artists, an
extensive body of bilingual academic writing, and Longevity ~ Prometeo, 40
years; Teatro Avante, 34; LTC,  27; Miracle, 29: Teatro del Pueblo, 20;
IATI Theatre, 44.  Also, two festivals represented: The State of
IberoAmerican Studies Series: Human Rights and Theatre Festival, 18 years in Minnesota; and, the
IHTF, 27 years in Miami! 

The desire to build a national
Latino Theatre network is strong, and a variety of ideas about how to build
communications and collaboration are being generated through these
meetings.  Here at Milagro, we’re looking forward to hosting a gathering
with Latino theatre makers of the Pacific Northwest, we’ll let you know as the
dates firm up!

Speaking of Milagro, I had the
honor of presenting the topic of «Creating Latino Theatre for
Non-Latinos» as part of the educational program of the IHTF.  One of the
things that makes Milagro unique is that we are committed to presenting Latino
theatre, arts and culture programs even though we’re not located in a community
with large numbers of Latinos; this is rare in the US.  It means that we
have a unique opportunity to create work that, even though it is rooted in
Latino experience, history and culture, it demands universal relevance.
 It allows us to create our work in collaboration with artists whose
voices deepen our understanding of the universal human experience.  By
their participation, our work is transformed.  I think of our Dia de
muertos shows in particular, and the diversity that’s seen on our stage
and behind the scenes.   We have the gift of creating work that is most
definitely not going to be found in any museum, because it is work that hasn’t
been seen before.  It’s a whole new recipe… 

I imagine a seed from a far-away place that’s planted in new soil.  It’s not necessarily ideal soil or even a good climate for that seed to take root and grow to yield its familiar fruit.  But here in Portland, the soil has other nutrients and plenty of rain! These good conditions have sustained the seed, roots and plant over the years.  And now, that seed grows a new kind of fruit!