Petra's Pecado by Rupert Reyes Is Published, October, 2013

Published October 24, 2013 in the Cultura in Austin section:

by Nancy Flores

It’s been nearly 20 years since the hit comedy play “Petra’s Pecado” first captured the hearts and minds of Austinites. Since then, playwright and Teatro Vivo co-founder Rupert Reyes’ timeless story has taken on a life of its own with productions in several U.S. cities, two sequels and now its own book.

Often described as the Chicano “Greater Tuna,” the play tells the story of a Latina grandmother'and tortilla factory owner who catches a glimpse of an X-rated program while channel surfing and runs to her priest to confess. Her penance? To direct the church’s annual play.

Reyes shared decades worth of “Petra” memories as we flipped through a thick binder full of archival photographs, posters and newspaper clippings that document the bilingual play’s success. From Minneapolis performances to Reyes’ daughter joining the cast, each page tells a story. When Reyes first played the part of Petra’s husband, he had to make himself look plder; nowadays, not so much, he jokes. It’s clear that after about 20 years, Petra belongs to everyone.

Rupert Reyes (photo: Teatro Vivo)

Reyes has always been a storyteller, but he felt as if he was chosen to tell this particular story. Writing the play, he says, felt more like observing a family having a conversation. He imagined jotting down everything he could in the background.

“Petra’s Pecado” has been bridging cultural gaps one audience at a time, and the recent book ensures that a new generation will be influenced by the heartwarming tale. Part of the proceeds from book sales help fund an effort to send books to every high school in Austin.

“There are many plays in history that have been lost,” Reyes says. “‘Petra’s Pecado’ won’t become of them.”

Listen to excerpts from the play during a reception and book-signing from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Nov. 14 at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center.

And for fans who can’t get enough of Petra, Reyes plans to premiere another sequel soon called “Petra’s Pastorela.”

PINKOLANDIA by Andrea Thome, Salvage Vanguard Theatre, October 17 - November 2, 2013

presents


 
by Andrea Thome
directed by Jenny Larson

Performances run October 17th through November 2nd, 2013 at the Salvage Vanguard Theater, 2803 Manor Rd, Austin TX 78722 -- click for map

October 17th-18th 8pm
October 20th 6pm
October 24th-26th at 8pm
October 30th 8pm
November 1st-2nd at 8pm

Tickets $10 online, and $15 at the door. All tickets are BY DONATION for STUDENTS (at the door only, or email jenny@salvagevanguard.org for group/class reservations). www.salvagevanguard.org
“I always thought it was solid, the ground I walked on.”

When two young sisters are exiled with their family from Chile to a bizarre Reagan-era Wisconsin, they are forced to retreat to an imaginary world to help uncover their family’s past.

To guard herself from the unknown, 8-year old Gaby uses imagination and innocence to create her own identity in a fantasyland of talking polar bears and melting ice caps. While her 12-year old sister Beny desperately seeks answers from her parents about who she is and what happened in their past. But she is met with icy silence and growing distance as her parents arm themselves with anger and the will to forget. When Uncle Ignacio arrives, the entire family starts to feel the ice cracking beneath their feet and the truth bubbling to the top.

Traversing through a fantasy world of glaciers, talking bears and Nazi-fighting revolutionaries, Pinkolandia shows us that when you lose your country and your past, you have to invent your own.

“I want to keep my soul.
I want to remember how to run
I want to remember that I am a bear.”

“Ambitious and often beautiful new play. With a script by Andrea Thome that’s both dreamlike and dramatic… The payoffs are abundant here; the excitements and confusions of youth are palpable” –The New York Times


COMMUNITY TALK BACK EVENTS (following the performances): October 18th– Featuring playwright Andrea Thome and Paloma Diaz, from the Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies. October 25th – Speakers to be announced.

CAST Gricelda Silva, Elizabeth Bigger, Jude Hickey, Martinique Duchene-Phillips, Rupert Reyes, and Robert Pierson

DESIGN TEAM Graham Reynolds- Original Score, Erin Meyer– Shadow and Video, Leilah Stewart- Set, Steven Shirey- Lights, Jessica Gilzow- Costumes

About Andrea Thome Andrea Thome's plays, theatrical translations and multimedia satires have been presented both nationally and abroad. A Chilean-Costa Rican, Wisconsin-born mutt, Andrea grew up navigating the multiple landscapes and languages that inhabit her plays. She became a playwright by necessity in San Francisco, where her Red Rocket Theater Company paid their theater's rent by creating and producing a new play each month. Andrea also co-directs FULANA, a New York-based satire collective that creates cutting-edge political & cultural parodies (www.fulana.org). She has received fellowships from NYFA, New Voices/New York (Lark), the City of Oakland, INTAR, New York University (MFA Fellow), and the Women’s Project. Andrea has taught at various universities, schools and cultural centers nationwide. She helped create the Lark’s U.S.-México Playwright Exchange, which she has directed since 2006. Andrea has been a resident playwright at New Dramatists since 2009.

PINKOLANDIA is part of the Lark Play Development Center’s Launching New Plays into the Repertoire Fellowship. As part of the LNP initiative the piece premiered at INTAR in NY and will have productions at Two River Theatre, NJ and 16th Street Theater, Chicago. This initiative is made possible with leadership support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. For more information visit www.larktheatre.org.

MADE IN THE SVT are theater works created, produced, or presented by Salvage Vanguard Theater company members.

Salvage Vanguard Theater (SVT) is a theater company and performance hub located in East Austin. SVT creates and presents transformative high-quality artistic experiences that foster experimentation and conversation.

Visit www.salvagevanguard.org or contact Jenny Larson for more information: 512-474-7886 or jenny@salvagevanguard.org

Salvage Vanguard Theater is funded and supported in part by the City of Austin through the Economic Growth & Redevelopment Services Office/Cultural Arts Division believing an investment in the Arts is an investment in Austin’s future.

(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

Seminar: What Makes Austin Theatre Unique?, September 6, 2013

With a tip of the hat to Ia Ensterä:

What makes Austin theatre unique?
An Austin Theatre Symposium

The Brockett Center at the University of Texas Department of Theatre and Dance, American Theatre Archive Project, and the ZACH Theatre invite you to join us on

Friday, September 6th from 7-9 p.m.
at ZACH’s Kleberg stage (1510 Toomey Road, Austin, TX 78704)

The symposium will focus on the characteristics, history, and future of theatre in Austin. The discussion will include remarks from Robert Faires of the Austin Chronicle and a roundtable with members of the Austin theatre community, including the Rude Mechanicals, ZACH theatre, and Rupert Reyes from Teatro Vivo. Renowned theatre historian, Dr. Charlotte Canning of the University of Texas Department of Theatre and Dance will moderate the conversation. The symposium will launch a weekend-long effort to begin the process of archiving Austin theatre materials under the guidance of the American Theatre Archive Project.

The event is free and open to the public.

For questions about this event, please contact Russ Dembin at the UT Department of Theatre and Dance: rdembin@utexas.edu.

(Click to go to AustinLiveTheatre front page)

Opportunity: Call for Tejano Plays for Anthology, Deadline June 26

Posted on Facebook by Rupert Reyes of Teatro Vivo:

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE: JUNE 26, 2013

MADE IN TEJAS An Anthology of Texas-made Latino/a Plays and Performances

TEJAS Teatro companies and individual artists, this one is just for you!

CRITERIA FOR SUBMISSION:
1. Must be created and produced right herein TEXAS by Teatro companies or individuals who consider themselves Chicano/a or Latino/a playwrights or performance artists living and working in Texas.
2. Must be previously unpublished work produced since the year 2000.
3. The work can be in English, English/Spanish, or Spanish.
4. The play or performance must be cleanly typewritten and professionally edited for typos etc. Use MS Word.doc. FORMAT: flush left CHARACTER: talk talk talk. Single space, Times New Roman 12 points.
5. Include a 200 word Company Bio (or mission statement), or Brief Artist Bio with a brief production history of the piece, particularly where it premiered and if it was a commission. Provide website and other social media addresses.
6. Participants provide one image 300dpi format .jpg with release forms for all artists pictured.
7. Artist or company is responsible for procuring permission for the use of any copyrighted material used in the performance from the original source. (This holds true for adaptations.)
8. One submission per company/artist.
9. Companies will select ONE person within their organization as a liaison to communicate with the editors, please.
10. All email communication with the editors requires PROMPT response within 48 hours. We are on a FAST track here.
11. Be willing to participate in The Author Speaks (author/company interview). In the case of devised or collective work, be willing to share the process in written form.

We are looking for these FOUR TYPES of work:

Plays: Any one act or full length play by individual artist or companies.
Performances: Work by an individual artist or group of the spoken word
Theatre for Young Audiences: Plays or performances designed to be performed for audiences of children and/or adolescents.
Devised/Collective creation: Plays or performances created through a collective process by a company or group of artists for adults.

PLEASE SEND SUBMISSIONS TO ALL: Teresa Marrero (Marrero@unt.edu), Lorenzo Garcia (Garcia@unt,.edu) and Vanessa Mercado-Taylor (vanessamercadotaylor@gmail.com).

SUBJECT LINE: PLEASE STATE ONE OF THE FOUR TYPES OF WORKS LISTED ABOVE (PLAY, PERFORMANCE, YOUNG AUDIENCES, DEVISED/COLLECTIVE).

AUSTIN LATINO NEW PLAY FESTIVAL, Staged Readings by Teatro Vivo at Rollins Theatre, Long Center, May 16 - 18, 2013

presents

The Third Annual Austin Latino New Play Festival

May 16-18, 8 p.m.

at the Rollins Theatre at the Long Center for the Performing Arts

Click to purchase tickets on-line from the Long Center

Playwrights Ariana Mendez, Caroline Dobson Chavez and Rupert Reyesembrace the full spectrum of humanity through the Latino cultural lens.

Teatro Vivo presents the third annual Austin Latino New Play Festival (ALNPF) in collaboration with the Long Center for the Performing Arts and ScriptWorks. Everyone is invited to enjoy these three evenings of staged readings of new Latino plays. Performances take place at the Long Center for the Performing Arts, Rollins Theatre, May 16-18, 8 p.m. Reserved seats are $10 and $8 for students and seniors for each evening. An ALNPF Festival Pass is available for all three evenings for $30 and $20 for students and seniors. A limited number of free general admission tickets will be made to the public for each performance.

ALNPF is a theater event, which unites regional playwrights and audience members in conversation about three new workshop productions that bring insight into the Latino experience. The staged readings are workshop-style presentations with readings using props and movement on stage. After each workshop, the playwright, director and actors partake in talkback sessions with the audience. Though the productions have Latino roots, they explore cross-cultural age-old themes and modern dilemmas that will surprise, challenge, engage and push the dramatic envelope for audience members accustomed to one-way conversations at the theater.

El Jardín Viviente (The Living Garden)

by Ariana Mendez

Thursday, May 16 (8 p.m.)

Synopsis: Susana, a woman in her mid thirties, is suffering from breast cancer and has accepted her fate despite her family’s attempts to keep her alive. Her brother, Marcos, and sister, Gloria, each turn to their spiritual beliefs in hope that Susana will recover and overcome cancer. Ultimately, Marcos and Gloria realize that despite their efforts to keep their sister alive, they have to no power when it comes to God’s will and nature.

Playwright: Ariana Mendez is a California native born to Mexican immigrant parents. Her passion for writing stemmed from watching dramatic soap operas as a child. She dreamed of bringing her own writing to life in novelas or film. Ariana is currently studying Radio-Television-Film and Theater at the University of Texas at Austin, where she developed an interest for playwriting because she wanted to contribute to the Latino representation in theater. She looks forward to graduating in May, and hopes to pursue a career in playwriting and documentary filmmaking.

Quincea-WHAT?

by Caroline Dobson Chavez

Friday, May 17 (8 p.m.)

 
Synopsis: Two almost-fifteen-year-old girls study Spanish together, and, along the way to a quinceañera, discover the real meaning of friendship, family, love, loss and forgiveness in the quest to define themselves.

Playwright: Caroline D. Chavez, originally a native of North Carolina, has lived in San Antonio since 2001. Caroline obtained a Bachelors of Science in Biology and a Doctorate in Pharmacy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She was featured in several television commercials for companies such as McDonald’s, Quincy's Steakhouse and Roses. Caroline’s poetry has been published and received Honorable Mention in the San Antonio Poetry Fair Anthology, Voices Along the River 2002, 2003, 2008 and 2011 editions. Quincea-WHAT? is Caroline's first script endeavor.

Petra's Pastorela

by Rupert Reyes

Saturday, March 18 (8 p.m.)

Synopsis: Maria, a young woman, stumbles into a rehearsal of La Pastorela, directed by Petra Dominguez. Already in labor, Maria brings not only a future resident of Las Flores, TX but reveals the past that will unravel Tina Tamayo's world. Petra's Pastorela is a bilingual comedy that explores the joy of birth, the sadness of the loss of life, and love of family that opens the heart to forgiveness, understanding and strength. It is a new twist on the Pastorela plays first performed in the New World by the Spaniards and a play that is still performed though the Latino communities all over the world. Petra’s Pastorela is the fourth play in a series often referred to as the Petra Plays.

Playwright: Rupert Reyes is the co-founder and artistic director of Teatro Vivo. He has appeared in local-made films which include Tadpoles, Arco du Santi and the feature films, Miss Congeniality, Office Space, The Alamo and Rough Riders. He has done TV commercial work for Whataburger, Texas Lottery and HEB. In 2008 his play Vecinos was nominated for a B. Iden Payne Award. Rupert’s Petra plays have been produced nationally. The Petra plays include Petra's Pecado, Petra's Sueño, and Petra's Cuento. Petra's Sueño will be produced in El Paso, Texas in April. Petra's Pastorela is the fourth in the series. Rupert earned a BFA in Theater from The University of Texas at Austin, as well as a marriage license when he wed JoAnn Carreon. Both are still in effect today.

This performance is brought to you in part by the Redd Carpet Fund, providing artists and arts organizations access to the world class facilities at the Long Center for the Performing Arts.

This project is funded and supported in part by the City of Austin through the Economic Growth & Redevelopment Services Office/Cultural Arts Division believing an investment in the Arts is an investment in Austin's future.

About Teatro Vivo

Teatro Vivo has produced more than 25 bilingual plays since JoAnn Reyes and Rupert Reyes founded the company in 2000. Contact JoAnn Reyes at Teatro Vivo for more information, images and playwright interviews: 512-413-6791 or joannreyes@yahoo.com

(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

AUSTIN LATINO NEW PLAY FESTIVAL, Staged Readings by Teatro Vivo at Rollins Theatre, Long Center, May 16 - 18, 2013

presents

(Click to go to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

Auditions for Austin Latino New Play Festival, Teatro Vivo, April 2 and 3, 2013

Teatro Vivo Auditions

Teatro Vivo is holding Actor Auditions for the Austin Latino New Play Festival

Auditions will be held Tuesday April 2 and Weds. April 3, 6:30 – 9:00 PM, at the Community Engagement Center, 1009 E. 11th Austin 78702

Parts are available for men and women ages 18-80+. Knowledge of Spanish for some roles is a plus but not required. Actors should prepare a comedic and/or dramatic monologue. Each monologue should be no more than 1- 2 min. in length. Bring a headshot or photo. You may also bring a resume – optional.

Auditions are by appointment. For more info or to schedule an audition Email JoAnn at joannreyes@yahoo.com

Teatro Vivo Invites Scripts for New Latino Play Festival; Deadline Is February 12, 2013

Teatro Vivo Call for Scripts from Texas Playwrights The 2013 Austin Latino New Play Festival (ALNPF) May 16 - 18, 2013, 8 p.m. 3 nights, 3 new plays at the Rollins Theatre Long Center for the Performing Arts, Austin TX Deadline for submission by e-mail is midnight, February 12, 2013

The Austin Latino New Play Festival brings together playwrights and audience members together for staged readings and rich conversation about three new scripts, each running just one night. After each reading, the playwright, director and actors participate in moderated talkback sessions with the audience. Attendees are able here, to provide feedback to the playwrights. The focus for the 2013 ALNPF is on Texas/Tejano playwrights. ALNPF focused on Austin playwrights in 2011 and in 2012 on a national call for scripts. What is the process for Austin Latino New Play Festival (ALNPF)? How do I submit a script? The ALNPF provides an opportunity for Texas playwrights to hear, see, and receive feedback on their original works. The festival format brings together the playwright to work with a dramaturg, director, and actors to bring their play to life as a staged reading in front of an audience. The rehearsal process for each staged reading is approximately 1 1/2 weeks long. Guidelines for ALPNF scripts: *The script is a work by a Latino(a) playwright or focused on the lives of Latino(a)s. * Scripts already produced or scripts scheduled for full production before August 2013, do not qualify as a script in development. *The script is an original work. *The script utilizes both the English and Spanish language. Playwrights selected will... *be available and willing to collaborate with the dramaturg and the director that are selected to work with your play. *be available to participate in the development process via email, Skype or in person. *be available on to attend the reading of their play, and participate in a facilitated talk back with the audience immediately after the reading. We encourage playwrights to attend all three readings of the festival, if possible. This year's ALNPF will playwrights selected will be invited to share their work with with local writers and community members in a 60- to 90-minute workshop/dialogue the afternoon of their reading.

Click to go to the Teatro Vivo website for submission inforfmation
 

City of Austin Proclaims Teatro Vivo Days for run of Cuento Navideño, December 6 - 16, 2012

(Click to view larger version)

Cuento Navideño or Bah Humbug! in the Barrio

by Rupert Reyes

plays December 6 - 16 at the Rollins Theatre, Long Center

Click for additional information

Upcoming: Cuento Navideño - Bah Humbug in the Barrio by Rupert Reyes, Teatro Vivo at the Rollins Theatre, Long Center, December 6 - 16

Teatro Vivo returns in December 2012 with the gift of laughter this holiday season with the bilingual comedy

Cuento Navideño, Bah Humbug in the Barrio


December 6 - 16, Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m.
Rollins Theatre, Long Center

Written and directed by Rupert Reyes and inspired by Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Cuento Navideño (A Christmas Story) takes place on Christmas Eve in a modern, urban Latino community. 

Evangelina Cruz is the Latina Ebenezer Scrooge! She is a selfish businesswoman who has lost touch with her culture, her family and connection to her community. An unexpected visit from the ghost of her former business partner, the once equally-greedy Teodora, sets Evangelina on a journey to look closely at her choices. This festive bilingual comedy infuses Latino culture, Spanish language, and Latino holiday traditions in a show to be enjoyed by the whole Austin familia.


Click to purchase tickets via the Long Center

(Click to return to the AustinLiveTheatre front page)

Original Family Theatre in Austin -- Playground Superhero and Mariachi Girl

by Michael Meigs


Children's theatre -- sometimes passed off as 'family theatre' -- is not easy, despite the deceptive appearance of ease when it's well done. And there's not that much of it in Austin.


Visiting companies set up shop for a single day's performance at the One World Theatre out on Bee Caves Road or at the Paramount and State theatres downtown. And of course, studios such as KidsActing, Buzz Productions, Easy Theatre and Center Stage offer young persons their first experience of performance. There's even the Flying Theatre Machine that will initiate them in improv.


Very often purveyors of children's theatre or theatre by children are offering authorized adaptations of familiar stories, successful children's books, and movies. Lots of these studios and various schools are doing Disney scripts -- for example, the MacTheatre at McCallum Fine Arts Academy performed Disney's Beauty and the Beast this past September and the Buzz Productions did Disney's Alice in Wonderland, Jr. this past May.


There's some piracy, too -- not the Long John Silver type but copyright infringement. To date those occasional offerings by community groups and others have remained below the radar (luckily for them, because Uncle Walt's administrators and their ilk are little inclined to tolerance or mercy).


Last week I attended two productions of original scripts for family theatre, done by uniquely Austin theatre companies in partnership with well-established Austin arts institutions. Judy Matetzschk-Campbell's Pollyanna Theatre Company has been performing since 2002; Teatro Vivo of Rupert and JoAnn Reyes, established at about the same time to serve, entertain and reflect Austin's Tejano community, has now moved into family theatre with a script submitted by Roxanne Schroeder-Arce to their first Latino New Play Festival in 2011.

Click to read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Auditions for Teatro Vivo, July 18 and 19

Teatro Vivo Auditions Weds. July 18 & Thurs. July 19, 6:30 – 9:00 PM, Community Engagement Center, 1009 E. 11th Austin 78702 (click for map)
Auditions are for two upcoming productions: Cura by Raul Garza, September 2012 at Salvage Vanguard Theater and Cuento Navideño, Bah Humbug in the Barrio by Rupert Reyes, December 2012 at Rollins Theater at the Long Center

Parts are available for men and women ages 20-50+ and for children ages 8 – 12. Knowledge of Spanish for some roles is a plus but not required. Actors should prepare a comedic and/or dramatic monologue. Each monologue should be no more than 1- 2 min. in length. Actors may be asked to do a cold read from a script.

Auditions are by appointment. Email JoAnn at joannreyes@yahoo.com or 512 413-6791. Bring a headshot or photo. You may also bring a resume – optional.

Arts Reporting: Rupert Reyes on Teatro Vivo's New Latino Play Festival, Austin Statesman, April 1

Jeanne Claire van Ryzin interviews Teatro Vivo artistic director Rupert Reyes about the April 5 - 7 staged readings of the New Latino Play Festival at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican-American Cultural Center:

Festival puts spotlight on new Latino playwrights

by Jeanne Claire van Ryzin

It was standing room only at the first Austin Latino New Play Festival last year.

Teatro Vivo artistic director and co-founder Rupert Reyes hadn't necessarily anticipated an overflow crowd.

After all, the three plays featured were brand-new, not familiar fare, and presented as staged readings, not fully realized productions. It was the kind of free, workshop-style event that attracts a mostly theater-insider crowd fond of chewing over new scripts in post-show discussions.

And so Reyes booked the small black-box theater room at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, which accommodates 80 people.

But when many more than that showed up, extra chairs had to be found and some folks had to stand.

"It wasn't just the number of people who showed up that was so surprising," said Reyes, a veteran theater artist. "It was the sense of people wanting to have their comments about the scripts heard. Everybody stayed for the talk-backs. Everybody was really engaged with the plays."

Read more at the Statesman's Austin360 'Seeing Things' blog . . . .

Rupert Reyes and his Cuento Navideño, Teatro Vivo, December 8 - 18

Rupert Reyes puts "home-made" theatre onstage. And I mean that as high praise.

He and JoAnn Carreon Reyes founded Teatro Vivo ("Live Theatre") in 2000, and the program notes for his Cuento Navideño which closed just before Christmas at the Rollins Theatre, Long Center, record that it was their 27th full-length production.

Rupert is friendly, serene and gently humorous, as is JoAnn. This pair stood before the audience at the December 18 closing performance at the Rollins, not in the least rattled by the fact that they'd had to add an extra 40 chairs to accommodate the overflow crowd. The performance was starting almost half an hour late because of that press and because of the logistics of getting folks from the senior home into their seats in the front rows. Rupert was carrying his granddauighter, a two-year-old who immediately charmed everyone.

Cuento Navideño -- "Christmas Story" --was Rupert's recrafting of Dickens' Christmas Carol. Or "regifting," to use the expression of Austin Chronicle arts editor Robert Faires. To quote from Rupert's remarks in the program,

I have been attracted to Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens long before I appeared as Ebenezer Scrooge in our high school production. Not much of a story there, I promise. Then there was the cartoon version with Mr. Magoo, the Disney version with Mickey Mouse, a version on TV that may have been imported from the BBC and one of my recent favorite movie versions, Scrooged. The attraction has been the story about a person who has a second chaqnce at life. Every time I drive to the intersection of I-35 and 38 1/2 street, I think of this story. Here are people asking for spare change to eat (or4 drink), homeless and probably in poor mental and physical condition, in need of help. WWJD? We all have a chance in life to make a difference, small or large, in someone else's life. And I am not jut talking about money.

Click to read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Call for Latino Plays, Teatro Vivo's Austin Latin New Play Festival, deadline of January 10

Found on-line:

Teatro Vivo Call for scripts for the Austin Latino New Play Festival
Deadline for submission January 10, 2012

In April, 2012 Teatro Vivo de Austin, Texas will present the Austin Latino New Play Festival (ALNPF) dedicated to inspire and support the creation of new Latino plays. What is a Latino play? Teatro Vivo defines this as any play that reflects our mission: "Teatro Vivo is dedicated to producing quality bilingual theater accessible to all theater audiences and artists. Teatro Vivo reflects the heart and soul of the Latino reality by opening a unique window for all to share in this experience."

The scripts chosen will be in workshop/rehearsals for two weeks and then presented as staged readings. The two-week workshop includes work with a director, dramaturg, and actors. Actors will be selected through an audition process. Each play will be showcased in a single staged reading performance on April 5, 6 or 7th. The workshop/rehearsal period will begin with an initial reading of the script on Saturday, March 24 followed by rehearsals over two weeks. Staged readings will be held at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Culture Center. Readings are free to the public. Each staged reading will be followed by a facilitated talkback with the playwright and the audience.

Call for scripts Please submit a PDF of the first 25 pages of your full- length script by January 10, 2012 via email to teatrovivo@aol.com . Include your name, address, contact number and email address. Plays selected for the ALNPF will be announced January 25, 2012.

Upcoming: Cuento Navideño ¡Bah humbug in the Barrio! by Rupert Reyes, Teatro Vivo, Rollins Theatre, Long Center, December 8 - 18

Found on-line:

You won’t want to miss this holiday gift from

Cuento Navideño

¡Bah Humbug in the Barrio!

written and directed by Rupert Reyes

December 8 - 18
Thurs - Sat 8 p.m. - Sunday 2 p.m.
Rollins Theater, The Long Center for the Performing Arts, South First and Riverside (click for map)

Teatro Vivo gives the gift of laughter this holiday season with the bilingual comedy Cuento Navideño, Bah Humbug in the Barrio. Written and directed by Rupert Reyes and inspired by Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, Cuento Navideño ( A Christmas Story) takes place on Christmas Eve in a modern, urban Latino community. Evangelina Cruz is the Latina Ebenezer Scrooge! She is a selfish businesswoman who has lost touch with her culture, her family and connection to her community. An unexpected visit from the ghost of her former business partner, the once equally-greedy Teodora, sets Evangelina on a journey to look closely at her choices. This festive bilingual comedy infuses Latino culture, Spanish language, and Latino holiday traditions in a show to be enjoyed by the whole Austin familia.

Each performance will have surprise stars representing local community leaders, elected officials, celebrities and guest artists who will have a small (but fun) part in the play.

[Apple users: can't see the video of Rupert Reyes? Click to go to YouTube]

Auditions: Three Child Actors for Teatro Vivo's Christmas Production, October 3 & 4

Found at the 'classified section' of NowPlayingAustin.com:

Teatro Vivo is holding auditions for roles for 3 child actors for our holiday production Cuento Navideño, Bah Humbug in the Barrio. This is a bilingual holiday comedy for the entire family. The play was written by Rupert Reyes and is inspired by Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Performances for this production will be at the Rollins Theater at the Long Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Austin from Dec 8 through the 18th.

Auditions for three child actors. (Adult roles have been cast) Characters ages are 8, 10, and 12. If you are a teenager who can play younger, please audition. Previous performing experience and singing ability are a plus. Knowledge of Spanish is also a plus but not required.

A sample of the script is available electronically upon request. “Sides” (a scene from the play to be used in the audition) will be sent to the actors upon scheduling an appointment.

Parents/Guardians - please make an appointment for your child’s audition.

Auditions will be held: Monday, October 3 @ 6pm-9pm and Tuesday, October 4 @ 6pm-9pm at the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center, 1165 Angelina Street, Austin, TX 78702 (click for map) To schedule an audition please email JoAnn Reyes joannreyes@yahoo.com

Teatro Vivo Auditions Child Actors for Holiday Production

Date Posted: 09/22/11
Organization: Teatro Vivo
City: Austin

Description:

Teatro Vivo is holding auditions for roles for 3 child actors for our holiday production.
Cuento Navideño, Bah Humbug in the Barrio is a bilingual holiday comedy for the entire family. The play was written by Rupert Reyes and is inspired by Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Performances for this production will be at the Rollins Theater at the Long Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Austin from Dec 8 through the 18th.

Auditions for three children actors. (Adult roles have been cast)
Characters ages are 8, 10, and 12. If you are a teenager who can play younger, please audition. Previous performing experience and singing ability are a plus. Knowledge of Spanish is also a plus but not required.
A sample of the script is available electronically upon request. “Sides” (a scene from the play to be used in the audition) will be sent to the actors upon scheduling an appointment.

Parents/Guardians - please make an appointment for your child’s audition.

Auditions will be held:
Monday, October 3 @ 6pm-9pm and Tuesday, October 4 @ 6pm-9pm
George Washington Carver
Museum and Cultural Center
1165 Angelina Street
Austin, TX 78702

To schedule an audition please email JoAnn Reyes joannreyes@yahoo.com

For more information about Teatro Vivo visit our web site www.teatrovivo.org

Teatro Vivo Cast Talks about Dos Pocitos, Salvage Vanguard Theatre, August 18 - September 3

Teatro Vivo has just posted one-minute videos of cast members discussing their roles in Raul Garza's new play Dos Pocitos, playing August 18 - September 3 at the Salvage Vanguard Theatre. The company did a staged reading at its Latin American New Plays Festival in April (click for ALT review). Dos Pocitos is a dark comedy set in the not-too-distant future, describing the venture of two middle-aged Tejano cousins into "Texaco," the vast stretch of land along the previous U.S.-Mexico border, abandoned by both governments.

Artistic Director Rupert Reyes as Uile the beekeeper

YouTube link: http://youtu.be/UvMajapEGvU

Mateo Barrera as Adam the adventurer

YouTube link: http://youtu.be/mVl6Js3Etfk

Click to view these and two additional videos at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . .

Latino New Play Festival, Teatro Vivo at the Mexican-American Cultural Center, April 21 - 23

The three Austin playwrights showcased at the Autin Latino New Play Festival last week could not have had a gentler or more supportive audience. Organizers Rupert Reyes and Joanne Carrion-Reyes founded their Teatro Vivo about ten years ago, producing appealing, comic pieces, usually written by Rupert and featuring him.

Just the way that Austin has branded itself as the home of "live music," the Reyes' theatre group is known for its "live theatre." "Teatro vivo" can also mean "lively theatre," and their productions have always been that. They reach out to the Tejano community, that large and increasing population of this town whose first language is English but who have close, family familiarity with the Spanish-language community, principally of Mexican connection.

These were staged readings in the recently inaugurated "black box" theatre on the south end of the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican-American Cultural Center. Rupert or Joanne prepped the expectant audiences, explaining that the festival was designed to assist playwrights by putting their works of imagination before live audiences for the first time. Actors carried their scripts with them and moved across minimalist sets. Decoration and costuming existed mostly in the minds of the audiences. Both of the longer pieces used an on-stage reader to deliver the authors' stage directions and descriptions of silently mimed action.

Teatro Vivo has produced full-length works by two of the three writers. Erica Saenz' piece for the festival, Lightning Strikes, comes a year after their production of another family comedy Keeping Track a year ago at the Salvage Vanguard Theatre, and Raul Garza's Dos Pocitos follows a fine production of his Fantasmaville at the Long Center's Rollins Theatre in November, 2008.

The three pieces workshopped by a recognizable regulars from Teatro Vivo differed in form and subject matter. Saenz' s Lightning Strikes examines three households in "the Valley" -- the Rio Grande valley at the southernmost tip of Texas. Roxanne Schroeder-Arce's one-act play Mariachi Girl focuses on the yearnings of an 8-to-10 year old girl to sing the mariachi music of her father and grandfather. Garza's Dos Pocitos posits a hypothetical future in which the United States has de-accessioned an area of southern Texas, leaving it to drug runners, roving bands and the few stubborn Tejanos who refused to move to safer areas of the state.

Read more at AustinLiveTheatre.com . . . .

Upcoming: New Latino Play Festival, Teatro Vivo at the Mexican-American Cultural Center, April 21-23

Received directly and explored on-line:

Teatro Vivo

presents

The Austin Latino New Play Festival/
Festival Latino de Nuevas Obras Teatrales de Austin

in collaboration with
the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center and ScriptWorks

April 21-23, 8 p.m. • Admission is free • Reservations Suggested

Click to Reserve/Contribute via Brown Paper Tickets

Thursday, April 21 Lightning Strikes by Erica Saenz
Friday, April 22 Mariachi Girl by Roxanne Schroeder-Arce
Saturday, April 23 Dos Pocitos by Raul Garza

An invitation from Teatro Vivo artistic director Rupert Reyes:

[Apple users: can't see the video? Click to go to YouTube]

These workshop-style presentations are lively readings with props and movement on stage, riding the fence between staged reading and full-out production. After each production the playwright and audience will participate in moderated talk-back sessions so attendees can provide feedback to the playwrights. Though the productions have Latino roots, they explore cross-cultural age-old themes and modern dilemmas that will surprise, challenge, engage and push the dramatic envelope for audience members accustomed to one-way conversations at the theater.

Click to view more information at AustinLiveTheatre.com about the plays and the playwrights