Photo Flash: Miracle Theatre Group's LAZARILLO

Sold to a blind beggar as a child and then passed from one master to another - each more cruel and incompetent than the previous - young Lazarillo must pilfer and deceive to survive, and is usually punished for his pains. But like his literary successors Pinocchio or Huck Finn, the endearing Lazarillo learns to fake miracles and mouse infestations, to expose hucksters and the absurdities of the establishment, all in an attempt to elevate his position in society. Based on the first picaresque novel once banned by the Inquisition, this modern interpretation set in the Bronx of the 1980s integrates hip-hop, circus and comedia dell'arte traditions to create a vibrant evening of physical theatre. Bilingual.

ENSEMBLE
CarlosAlexis Cruz ... Lazarillo
Andrew Phoenix ... Ensemble
Kate Braidwood ... Ensemble
Matthew Kerrigan ... Acrobat
Emily Gleason ... Acrobat
Jeff Holt ... Musician
Kris White ... Musician
Travis McAlister ... Musician

PRODUCTION TEAM
CarlosAlexis Cruz ... Writer/Director
José E. González ... Scenic Designer
Kate Braidwood ... Mask Designer
Valerie Ditchfield ... Costume Designer
Leslie Smith ... Lighting Designer
Gabriela Portuguez ... Choreographer
Alodie Lopez ... Prop Master
José Gutierrez ... Spoken Word Consultant
Gavin Hales ... Stage Manager
Andrew Phoenix ... Master Carpenter
Hampton Rodriguez ... Artcard Artist
Sylvia Malán, Sarah Hinds and Daniel Moreno ... House Managers
Estela Robinson ... Production Assistant
Olga Sanchez ... Artistic Director, Miracle MainStage
José E. González ... Executive Director

ABOUT THE ORIGINAL NOVEL
La vida de Lazarillo de Tormes y de sus fortunas y adversidades was a pioneering book in many ways, and not just because it was published in 1554, barely 100 years after the printing press was invented. At a time when heroes and leaders were always portrayed as wealthy, refined noblemen, Lazarillo was the first picaresque novel (picaresco) - one that revolved around a poor man, a charming rogue (pícaro) whose antics revealed the hypocrisies and flaws of Spain's most powerful people. Lazarillo was a servant (as well as a scoundrel and thief) who moved through a succession of masters, each more powerful and wealthy - and corrupt - than the last. The book was realistic in its depiction of lower-class life and used common, everyday language - shocking innovations in that era. Lazarillo was also centuries ahead of its time in sympathetically portraying an interracial marriage and step-family.

Over the centuries, Lazarillo has inspired a wide range of anti-hero novels from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and On The Road, to Don Quixote, Candide, The Adventures of Auggie March, The Tin Drum, and The Tropic of Cancer. One precursor and likely influence was the German trickster Till Eulenspiegel, a subject of many folkloric tales first published in book form by Hermann Bote in 1510. Eulenspiegel was the original "Merry Prankster," a simple peasant who played cruel practical jokes on his superiors and often misunderstood figurative language by taking it too literally.

ABOUT THE CREATOR/DIRECTOR
CarlosAlexis has been working as a professional actor for the past nine years performing in Puerto Rico, Northern California and Portland, and touring shows from New York City to Los Angeles, from the Dominican Republic to Mexico. Locally he has performed with Do Jump!, Imago and Milagro. He directed Miracle's touring production of El Último and most recently staged the show A Suicide Note from a Cockroach... at Imago, marking the debut of his own New Theatre Company Pelú Theatre. As an actor, Cruz has appeared in Miracle Theatre Group's Spanish language production of Ana en el trópico, among others. CarlosAlexis has an MFA degree in Ensemble Based Physical Theatre from the Dell'Arte International School, a BA degree in film studies from the School of Communication at the University of Puerto Rico, and has trained in Circus Arts at San Francisco Circus Center.

ABOUT THE SPONSORS
This production is sponsored by National Endowment for the Arts, The Boeing Company, and Urban Robotics.

Miracle Theatre Group's 2010-2011 season is funded in part by Meyer Memorial Trust, Oregon Arts Commission, National Endowment for the Arts, Regional Arts & Culture Council and Work for Art, Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Kinsman Foundation, Collins Foundation, James F. & Marion L. Miller Foundation, Juan Young Trust, Shubert Foundation, Jose Mendoza and Hugh Mackworth, Oregon Cultural Trust, El Hispanic News and El Centinela.

The restaurant sponsor for the opening night of this production is La Bonita/Mayahuel Catering.

ABOUT MIRACLE THEATRE GROUP
The Miracle Theatre Group has been dedicated to bringing the vibrancy of Latino theatre to the Northwest community and beyond for more than 25 years. In addition to its national tours, Miracle provides a home for Spanish and Latin American arts and culture at El Centro Milagro, where it enriches the local community with a variety of community outreach projects and educational programs designed to share the diversity of Latino culture. For more information about the Miracle Theatre Group, visit www.milagro.org or call 503-236-7253.