Upcoming: La Pastorela, Austin Latino Theatre Alliance at the Emma Barrientos Mexican-American Cultural Center, December 2 - 18

Found on-line:

presented by ALTA, Austin Latino Theater Alliance --

La Pastorela, A Shepherd’s Story

is a contemporary musical comedy based on a traditional Yuletide play from Native-American and Latino communities
Thursdays through Saturdays, December 2nd through 18th at 8:00 p.m.
Mexican American Cultural Center, 600 River Street, Austin, Texas.
Admission: $15 Adults, $8 Students/Seniors

The Austin Latino Theater Alliance (ALTA) proudly announces La Pastorela 2010, 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 try to 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 2010 production is the result of collaborative artistic efforts of many of Austin’s finest Latino actors, singers, musicians and theatrical designers. Patricio Villarreal Avila is this year’s Artistic Director and Francisco “Kiko” Villamizar is the Musical Director for 2010. The dynamic cast includes many talented actors from the past twelve years including, Frank Barajas, Donato Rodriguez, Diego Villarreal, as well as new to the Pastorela stage are Ana Luisa Esperon, Chris Shortic, and Tony Salinas to name a few.

About the Director: Patricio Villarreal Avila is a graduate of La Casa del Teatro in Mexico City and has studied under Ileana Dieguez in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Mexico City. Patricio has studied and performed as a member of Escuela Internacional Teatral de America Latina y el Caribe. Patricio has over 18 years of theater experience and says of his 2010 Artistic Direction, “I am thrilled to recreate the original concept of this production of La Pastorela, integrating the oldest traditions from the 16th century with a 21st century artistic experience. I want to give the audience the feel of our old traditions, but with current issues effecting our community today.”

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.

La Pastorela, Austin Latino Theatre Alliance at the Mexican American Cultural Center, December 3 - 19

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.

Upcoming: La Pastorela, Austin Latino Theatre at Mexican American Cultural Center, December 4 - 20

Found on November 18, an all-Spanish production:

La Pastorela, a production of the Austin Latin Theatre Alliance (ALTA)

Enjoy the 11th annual production of this delightful all-Spanish Christmas comedy which tells the story of a group of shepherds trying to reach Bethlehem while they fend off the obstacles placed before them by the savvy devils.

Directed by Luis Ordaz of Proyecto Teatro, Austin’s only all-Spanish theater company.

Of special interest: The December 12th presentation will be preceded by LUPE Arte’s annual event, Virgen de Guadalupe Art Festival. This year LUPE Arte will host a Posada followed by the presentations and exhibits of the art created by the students of their Niños y Arte program during the Fall Semester and as always, a traditional Mexican holiday meal will be served.

The Free Festival is open to the public at 6 p.m. Mexican American Cultural Center 600 River Street Austin, TX 78701

Performances of La Pastorela at 8 p.m.

Canciones for Generations, Mexican American Cultural Center, Sept 12-13 and 18-20

Leticia Rodriguez’s charming one-woman show at the Mexican American Cultural Center is really a one-woman-and-three-musicians-and-a-crowd show. She is onstage throughout, but the magic of multimedia brings us video reminiscences from her family, photos, recorded music, visual jokes and a hectoring quizmaster running a zany bilingual quiz show.

The Big Question for the quiz show is “Eres tejana o coco?”

Are you a Texan with Mexican roots, or are you a coconut – brown on the outside, but white on the inside?

Rodriguez initially plays her young self in 1975 as a beauty queen contestant, aspiring to represent her community. But will she take the oath of allegiance to the Tejano community? Not whole heartedly? In that case, in multimedia dazzle, she is bounced into the quiz.

It’s a sly, funny, heart-warming gambit that gives her the opportunity to outline her roots, from five generations back, to mock stereotypes (frijoles or brisket? Selma Hayek is: a), b) or c)?) and to sit listening with us as her mother and aunt recall growing up Tejana.

My favorite was the translation test. “Traduzca lo siguiente!” booms out the announcer, with idiot cheerfulness:

- - “I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam I am!”

- - “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers, where’s the peck of pickled peppers that Peter Piper picked?”

and

- - “T’was brillig and the slithy toves did gyre and gimble in the wabes/All mimsey were the borogroves, and the mome raths outgrabe!”

Increasingly frustrated, Rodriguez looks to be losing in the contest, until the announcer plays a bolero from the 1940’s and challenges her to identify the singer, then the song, and then the composer.

She beams and gets all three. And then she lets slip that the singer, Eva Garza, the “Sweetheart of the Americas,” was her maternal aunt.

From that point, despite the indignation of the unseen announcer (“Disqualified!!”), the quiz show slips away.

Rodriguez dons a fantastical dress made for Eva Garza by a Mexico City tailor. She delivers three beautiful numbers by Garza, accompanied by guitar, bass and drums, tying them together with memories of growing up to Tejano music.

Along with a double number by Armando Manzanero (“Somos Novios” in Spanish, which became “It’s Impossible,” popularized by Perry Como), she gives us Ernest Tubb’s “Waltzing Across Texas,” played at her own wedding. Other songs complete this 90-minute presentation.

Leticia Rodriguez is lovely, funny and a heck of a cabaret singer. She is a great advertisement for the advantages of growing up in many cultures at once.

John Aeilli of KUT radio ("Unleashed") discusses this production
Performance photo by Wenjing Zhang

Eva Garza biography

Eva Garza at Internet Movie Database

Eva Garza sings “Celosa” at YouTube

Armando Manzanero on Wikipedia