Miracle Insider
Volume 11 Issue 1, January 11, 2012

 B’aktun 13 opens on Friday the 13 … coincidence?
Here at Milagro, we’re gearing up for Friday’s big opening night – the world premiere of a new, bilingual touring production from Teatro Milagro, the educational arm of our company that each year takes its act on the road to perform in colleges and community centers around the country.

But Portland is where it all begins when B’aktun 13 plays for two weekends only, beginning with a preview Thursday night followed by the official opening Friday. Performances continue through Jan. 21, when the production will offer a special Saturday matinee that will be complemented by a community resource fair (see details on the fair below).

But just what is B’aktun 13?  It’s the end of the current Maya era, a time when many predict major changes in the world. Others, however, see the end of the era as an opportunity for personal growth and social development. If you missed the previous edition of the Insider and want to catch up, visit Miracle Theatre Group’s blog, where you can read interviews with the cast, follow the development of the script and check out photos from the production!

Here’s a little more about the story …

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 Ixchel, goddess of water and moon, and Ahpuch, god of death, 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?

Get your tickets now … see sidebar for details.

Don’t miss our fourth annual community resource fair Jan. 21
Nearing the end of the Mayan long count calendar, B’aktun 13 invites us to reflect on the state of the modern world and our co-existence with nature as well as each other. In the spirit of B’aktun 13, this year’s community resource fair seeks to encourage community invigoration and transformation while celebrating Mayan culture and tradition. Teatro Milagro is honored to present Mayan dance groups Grupo Jaranero Lol-beh and Raíces Unidas por Yucatán as well as Portland’s Latino writers collective, Los Porteños, during its 4th annual community fair to be held Saturday, Jan. 21 from 1 to 5 p.m. (with a break during the performance of B’aktun 13 between 2 and 3 p.m.) in Miracle Theatre’s Zócalo space adjacent to the theatre lobby. Fair admission is free and open to the public, show tickets are available for purchase.

El Zócalo will be filled with activity giving way to an afternoon featuring traditional Mayan dances by both Grupo Jaranero Lol-beh and Raíces Unidas as well as a delectable selection of bilingual works by Los Porteños who will be leading an open-mic reading. In addition, Teatro Milagro is pleased to partner with a number of  local community organizations including City Repair’s Village Building Convergence, VOZ, Union Verde, PCASC-Immigrant Rights Committee, Mother Earth School, NWIYA, Hacienda and local environmental activists who will be on-hand to speak about the countless possibilities available for transformational work and collaboration between our communities here in Portland. Several demonstration and crafts stations will be available to participants and local Latin American artisans will sell their goods. Finally, Powell’s Books will be providing a selection of books on Mayan culture, community environmentalism and immigration that will also be available for purchase, a portion of which will benefit Teatro Milagro.

Now on its fourth installment, Teatro Milagro’s community resource fair has something for everyone. We invite you to come learn, share, and create in this once a year family oriented FREE event!

Casi al final del calendario maya de la cuenta larga, B'aktun 13 nos invita a reflexionar sobre el estado del mundo moderno, nuestra convivencia con la naturaleza, así como con nuestro prójimo. En el espíritu de B'aktun 13, la 4ª Feria de Recursos Comunitarios  busca fomentar la transformación y el aprendizaje de nuestra comunidad mientras celebramos en conjunto las tradiciones de la cultura maya. Por este motivo el Teatro Milagro se enorgullece en tener como invitados especiales a los grupos de danza Grupo Jaranero Lol-Beh y Raíces Unidas por Yucatán así como el colectivo de escritores latinos de Portland, Los Porteños, para la feria de la comunidad que será el sábado,  21 de enero, 2012 de 1 p.m. a 5 p.m. (con un descanso durante la realización de B'aktun 13 entre 2 p.m. y 3 p.m.) en el Zócalo del teatro Milagro. La feria esta abierta al público y la entrada es totalmente gratuita. Las entradas para espectáculo, B’aktun 13, están a la venta en línea o en la oficina del teatro.

Para el evento, nuestro Zócalo estará lleno de actividad dando paso a una tarde llena de bailes tradicionales por parte de Grupo Jaranero Lol-beh y Raices Unidas por Yucatán así como una exquisita selección de obras bilingües por parte del grupo Los Porteños quienes dirigirán una ronda de lecturas a micrófono abierto. Además, el Teatro Milagro se complace en asociarse con un número de organizaciones comunitarias locales, incluyendo la convergencia de reparación de la Ciudad City Repair Village Building Convergence, VOZ, Unión Verde, PCASC- Comité de Solidaridad con Centro América, Mother Earth School, NWIYA, Hacienda y activistas del medio ambiente locales que hablaran sobre las innumerables posibilidades oportunidades de colaboración con nuestras comunidades aquí en Portland. Habrá estaciones de demonstración y aprendizaje al igual que artesanos locales vendiendo sus productos. Por último, la librería Powell’s Books ofrecerá una selección de libros sobre la cultura maya, ecología y comunidad, y sobre la inmigración, cuyas compras beneficiaran en parte al Teatro Milagro.

Ahora en su cuarto año, la Feria de Recursos Comunitarios del Teatro Milagro ofrece algo para todos. ¡Le invitamos a venir a aprender, compartir y crear con toda su familia y su comunidad! ¡El evento es totalmente GRATIS!

Entradas para espectáculos de B'aktun 13 están disponibles  para comprar en línea, o por teléfono (503-236-7253) o en persona en nuestras oficinas en 425 Ave SE 6th Ave., los días de semana de 8:30am - 5 pm. Para más información sobre el  Miracle Theatre Group, visite nuestro sitio web www.milagro.org.

Get ready to danzón
Forget the cold, wet Portland winter and put on your dancing shoes because we're bringing our Zócalo alive with danzón!  Danzón is not only the official dance of Cuba, but it’s also very popular in the Gulf Coast state of Veracruz in Mexico, particularly in the main plazas of Veracruz, Oaxaca and Mexico City as well as in yearly festivals across the country.  Now you can have the chance to learn the basic steps and get out on the dance floor of our Zócalo when Miracle offers a free eight-week danzón class led by folkloric dance teacher Kenya Marquez (who you may recall from last month’s Posada Milagro) and partner Alberto Romero (who was seen onstage in our Day of the Dead show, ¡Viva la Revolución!).

Unfamiliar with danzón? Then check out this video!

Before the class begins, though, you are invited to join us at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, Feb. 14 here at El Centro Milagro for a free introduction where you can meet the instructor and others interested in the dance, the music and the class. Couples welcome! Participants who choose to continue with the free class will then meet Tuesday evenings for eight weeks, culminating with an informal recital for friends and family.  We’ll be sharing more details in the next Insider, but RSVP now for the first introductory session Feb. 14: call Susy at 503-236-7253 ext. 122 or send your full name and phone number to susy@milagro.org.

Beginning the dance of Boleros…
With rehearsals underway and blog posts from the director in the works, it's high time we shared the who's who and what's what of our upcoming production of Boleros for the Disenchanted, a love story written by José Rivera (author of the screen play for The Motorcycle Diaries), directed by Antonio Sonera and sponsored by Urban Robotics and Willamette Week.

Passion and humor collide amid the warm, sunny breezes of 1950s Puerto Rico when Eusebio sweeps Flora off her feet and off to America — away from her family and her familiar life. Nearly 40 years later, an angel visits Eusebio with a mysterious message that stirs up old secrets and causes Flora to question the life she has tirelessly built in a foreign land.

Visit our blog to see the whole cast list and find out who is working on this production. The artwork pictured here is an original cut-paper creation by Suzanne Tellez; watch for a profile of Suzanne in a future edition of the Insider. Photography by Russell Young (see more at www.flickr.com/miracletheatregroup).

Boleros for the Disenchanted plays Feb. 9 through March 3, 2012 at the Milagro Theatre (525 SE Stark St., Portland, OR 97214). Performances are Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. A complimentary post-play reception catered by Pambiche will follow the opening night performance Feb. 10. There will be a post-play discussion following the matinee on Feb. 12, and ASL interpretation will be provided on Feb. 19. Tickets are $15-$29 from http://www.milagro.org or 503-236-7253.

Planting the seeds for our “Garden of Dreams”
Looking even further down the road, director Nelda Reyes is already hard at work in preparations for Jardín de sueños. We're thrilled that she'll be providing biweekly updates about the development of this original, Spanish-language show (with easy-to-follow English supertitles). Check out her first blog post!

And why not also visit the website of artist Gene Flores who created the stunning original print for our production! Then get your tickets now by calling us at 503-236-7253 or visiting www.milagro.org; performances of Jardín de sueños are March 22-April 14. See you at the theatre!

TWO WEEKS ONLY!

B’AKTUN 13
Written by Dañel Malán
Directed by Matthew B. Zrebski
Onstage in Portland two weeks only!
Jan. 12-21, 2012
Sponsored by Juan Young Trust and La Bonita Restaurant

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 Ixchel, goddess of water and moon, and Ahpuch, god of death, who lead the trio deep 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?

B’aktun 13 plays Jan. 12-through Jan. 21 at the Milagro Theatre (525 SE Stark St., Portland). Performances are Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sunday and Saturday, Jan. 15 and 21 at 2pm. Tickets are $12 (preview) to $24 from 503-236-7253 or http://www.milagro.org  . This Portland engagement of B’aktun 13 is sponsored by Juan Young Trust, La Bonita Restaurant. B’aktun 13 is a participating production of the 2012 Fertile Ground festival of new works.

Save the date: International Women’s Day (observed) March 3
Each year, Miracle Theatre Group recognizes International Women’s Day with a Spanish-language presentation and forum about a contemporary social issue. We’re still pulling the details together on this year’s event, but mark your calendar for the afternoon of Saturday, March 3 and watch a future edition of the Miracle Insider for complete details.

Cada año, el Miracle Theatre Group reconoce Día Internacional de la Mujer con una presentación y un foro en español sobre algún tema social contemporáneo. En este momento seguimos en preparaciones para el evento de este año pero los invitamos a que marquen sus calendarios desde ahora y aparten la tarde del sábado 3 de marzo.  Sigue al tanto de las siguientes ediciones del Miracle Insider para más detalles sobre el evento de este año.

Teatro Campesino's Luis Valdez to visit Oregon Jan. 21
Eugene's Oak Hill School is pleased to welcome to Oregon Luis Valdez, director of Teatro Campesino, at an event beginning at 7 p.m. on Saturday Jan. 21 in the gym of Oak Hill School (86397 Eldon Schafer Rd., Eugene). The Spanish and Theater Departments at Oak Hill School are pleased to invite you to a presentation by farmworker activist and award-winning director, Luis Valdez.   Mr. Valdez is best-known for writing and directing the Broadway play Zoot Suit and the movie La Bamba (as well as the recent play at Milagro, The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa).  He is the founder of Teatro Campesino Theater Company.  Mr. Valdez also worked with César Chávez for the United Farmworkers' rights movement in California in the 1960s.  The event includes a talk by Luis Valdez himself after Oak Hill School theater students perform his play Los Vendidos.  For more information call: 541- 744-0954.

We want to name a seat after you!
When you make a tax-deductible contribution of $250 toward our ongoing facility improvement s, we’ll engrave your name — or the name of a loved one — on a plaque affixed to a seat of your choice.  Not only will your donation help pay for the recent restoration of our vintage theatre seats, but future upgrades to our lighting and sound systems, lobby restrooms and more! Make an investment in the future of El Centro Milagro as the hub of Latino arts and culture in Portland!  Contribute online anytime or over the phone (503-236-7253), or in person from our theatre offices at 425 SE Sixth Ave. weekdays 8:30 a.m. -5 p.m.