Teatro Paraguas to Open 10th Season with TWO SISTERS AND A PIANO, Begin. 9/13

Teatro Paraguas, northern New Mexico's premier bilingual theatre, will open its tenth season in Santa Fe with two productions inspired by the island nation of Cuba.

Two Sisters and a Piano, written in 1998 by Cuban-born Nilo Cruz, one of the most prominent and prolific contemporary Latino playwrights, will open September 13, 2013 for a three-week run at Teatro Paraguas Studio. The play is performed in English.

Opening on Columbus Day weekend, Dos Patrias: la poesía de Cuba is the latest in Teatro Paraguas' ongoing Poetry Performance series, which explores the richness and diversity of Hispanic/ Latino poetry.

Two Sisters and a Piano, directed by Fran Martone, features Roxanne Tapia and Sylvie Obledo as two sisters, a writer and a musician, who have been released from jail and are under house arrest for their "decadent and subversive bourgeous art." The time is 1991-- outside the walls of their house the Pan-American games are taking place in Habana and Soviet troops are leaving the island as the Soviet Union crumbles.

Rick Vargas plays the lieutenant assigned to guard them. In spite of himself, he becomes personally involved in their story as tension and fear inexorably grow to a breaking point. Jonathan Harrell plays the piano tuner, a practical man who keeps his head down.

Nilo Cruz was born in Matanzas, Cuba in 1960 and emigrated with his parents to Miami on a Freedom Flight to Miami in 1970. He earned a M.F.A. at Brown University in 1994. In 1993 he became the first Latino to win the Pulitzer Prize for his play Ana in the Tropics, as well as the Steinberg Award for Best New Play. His other plays include Lorca in a Green Dress, Beauty of the Father, and The Color of Desire.

Two Sisters and a Piano runs September 13 through September 29 with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm. Admission is $15 general admission and $12 for seniors and students. The Sunday performances are pay-what-you-wish. For reservations please call 505-424-1601.

Two Sisters and a Piano is made possible in part by New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Santa Fe Arts Commission, and the Santa Fe Community Foundation.

Dos Patrias: la poesía de Cuba begins with a tribute to José Marti (1853-1895), a writer, poet, and visionary and revolutionary who led his country's struggle for independence from Spain throughout his short life. One of his most famous poems, Dos Patrias, begins with the line:

Dos patrias tengo yo: Cuba y la noche/ o son unos los dos?

(Two countries I have: Cuba and the night/ or are they the same?)

José Marti died in the Battle of Dos Rios against Spanish troops on May 19, 1895.

The performance includes poetry by other famous Cuban poets, including Emilio Ballagas, Nicolas Guillén, Eliseo Diego, Luis Nogueras, and Nancy Morejón, a well-known and prolific contemporary black Cuban poet. The selection of poetry reflects both pro- and anti-regime positions, yet with an emphasis on poetic passion and excellence.

The actors, including Jonathan Harrell, Xochitl Ehrl, Edgar Nuñez, Dan Bohnhorst, and Pamela Sher, perform the poems in Spanish with simple staging, musical accompaniment, and song. English translations are projected, along with other relevant images. Historical context is provided through brief narration.

Dos Patrias: la poesía de Cuba opens at Teatro Paraguas Studio on Friday October 11 and runs through Sunday, October 20. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm. The show travels to the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque with performances Friday October 25 and Saturday October 26 at 7:30 pm and Sunday October 27 at 2:00 pm.

Admission at Teatro Paraguas is $10 for general admission and $8 for seniors and students. Sundays are pay-what-you wish. Admission at National Hispanic Cultural Center is free, and donations are gratefully accepted.

Reservations for all performances may be made by calling 505-424-1601.

Dos Patrias: la poesía de Cuba is made possible in part by a generous grant from the Witter Bynner Foundation for Poetry, as well as New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, Santa Fe Arts Commission, and the Santa Fe Community Foundation.

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