UPDATE: KUT's Mike Lee interviews director Deanna Deolloz, December 11
Found on-line:
ALTA presents
La Pastorela, A Shepherd’s Story
Mexican American Cultural Center, 600 River Street
December 3 - 19, Thursdays-Saturdays at 8 p.m.
$12 Adults, $8 Students/Seniors
Tickets www.austix.com, 512-474 –8497 or at the theater one hour before each performance.
La Pastorela is a contemporary musical comedy based on a traditional Yuletide play from Native-American and Latino communities presented by ALTA, Austin Latino Theater Alliance.
The Austin Latino Theater Alliance (ALTA) proudly presents La Pastorela 2009, a traditional Yuletide play that has been performed in Native American/Latino communities since the late 16th century when Spanish priests first introduced it to the Native people of this land. Revered in the Christmas tradition aspect, as the Latino counterpart to The Nutcracker, La Pastorela is a family-friendly, musical comedy must see during this Holiday Season. The play follows a group of singing shepherds on their journey to Bethlehem. On their quest, they encounter obstacles in the form of worldly temptations put before them by crafty devils but resist as guardian angels fight to keep the shepherds on their path. This production holds strong roots in Austin's own Latino community as its inaugural run was performed at the original Mexican American Cultural Center building in 1997.
La Pastorela 2009 production is the result of collaborative artistic efforts of many of Austin’s finest Latino actors, singers, musicians and theatrical designers. Founder of the female artist workshop series, Luna Femenina, Deanna Deolloz will direct the 2009 La Pastorela. The Musical Director for 2009 is Brian Ramos of Charanga Cakewalk and creator of Cine Las Americas’ Beat Lab program. The dynamic cast includes many talented actors from the past eleven years including, Marita De La Torre reprising the role of Gila in 2001, Anisha Monay reprising her 2007 role of Pecado (Sin) and Diego Villarreal as Luzbel from the 2008 cast. New to the Pastorela stage are Frank Rios, Joy Scott, Nicole French, Miranda Kromer, Doug Costello and Natalina Ross in a gender-altered, hilarious portrayal of the “Hermit” to name a few.
About the Director: Deanna Deolloz is a Theater Arts graduate from Texas State University. She has over 15 years of theater production experience and has been a part of Austin's La Pastorela since this version was first produced in 1997. Deanna is the Founder of Luna Femenina, a monthly art forum and showcase for women artists in Austin. Deanna has worked with several of the leading Austin Latino organizations including Teatro Vivo, LUPE Arte, Escuelita del Alma and Alma de Mujer among others. Deanna says of her 2009 Artistic Direction, “I am very excited to recreate the original concept of this production by making this a collaborative effort of the artists in this community”.
This project is funded and supported in part by the City of Austin through the Cultural Arts Division and by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts and an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art.
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