Milagro Presents ASTUCIAS POR HEREDAR UN SOBRINO A UN TIO

Banned since 1792, this long-lost comedy of manners set in the Age of Revolution is one of the earliest pieces of theatre written and performed in the New World. According to Nicholas Kanellos in his book, A History of the Hispanic Theatre in the United States, Astucias is the first drama staged in California.

Don Lucas is the elderly, archetypal, provincial courtier and his faithful servant, Lucía, and her cohort Crispín, employ trickery and deceit to attempt to inherit his wealth when he passes. Social satire on class clashes and poetic language form this rich piece of literature and theatre history. Presented fully in commedia dell'arte style. MFA trained actor from Dell'Arte International and Astucias Director, Robi Arce states, "In the play of passions, power, hunger and scheming, these characters will have us laughing at their situations but also at ourselves. Throughout history, the world has lost too many valuable things during censorships, but one thing remained... humanity!"

Fermín de Reygadas submitted his comedy, Astucias por heredar un sobrino a un tío, for censorship at the Coliseo de México, which was rejected by father Ramon del Rincon, who did not grant a performance license in April 1790 due to the growing intellectual repression caused by the French Revolution in Spain and its colonies. It was then taken to the newly established colony of Alta California, what is now Santa Cruz, where it was performed by the Catalan Volunteers and was preserved In Hubert H. Bancroft's private collection and UC Berkley's Bancroft Library. The first critical and annotated edition was written by University of Oregon's Dr. Pedro Garcia-Caro in 2016.

Milagro is proud to be the first theatre to present Astucias por heredar un sobrino a un tío since 1792. Astucias is written by Fermín de Reygadas and directed by Robi Arce. The cast includes Milagro veterans Enrique Andrade, Veronika Nuñez, Sara Fay Goldman, Carlos Adrián Manzano, Marian Méndez, Bibiana Lorenzo Johnston, Sara Fay Goldman, and Noel Alvarez.

Adult tickets in advance start at $27. Discounts are available for seniors, students, and groups. Tickets may be purchased at milagro.org, on the phone at 503-236-7253, or in person at 425 SE 6th Ave, Portland, OR during regular business hours. Show times are Thursday through Saturday evenings at 7:30 PM and a Sunday matinees at 2 PM.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT/DIRECTOR
Fermín de Reygadas
Fermín de Reygadas Vitorica was a mining professional, astronomer, political polemicist, poet and dramatist born in Santander, Spain in 1754. Trained as a scientist at the Royal Academy of Knights Guardiamarinas,In the 1780s he emigrated to Mexico where he lived for the rest of his life. Despite his training and experience, he could not agree to teach at the newly formed Real Colegio de Mining of New Spain, and his controversy with the director, also Spanish Fausto de Elhuyar, is an important source about his opinions regarding the state of mining science, the treatment of the Creoles, and in particular around an extensive text that has disappeared from Reygadas. His written credits include: Astucias.. (1789) El Aristarco (1811), and Idea Astronómica, el sistema copernicano censurado (1812).

Robi Arce
Robi Arce is a physical theatre actor, director, clown, mime and fool that holds an MFA in Ensemble-Based Physical Theatre from Dell'Arte International and a BA in Drama from the University of Puerto Rico. Robi has performed, toured, and lead workshops in Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and several cities the U.S. His work is diverse, created through a fusion of styles and fueled by social justice and change. He has worked and collaborated with: The Dell' Arte Company, Teatro del Sesenta, Oregon Children's Theatre, Milagro, Y no había Luz, Fox & Beggar Theatre, and Circo Nacional de Puerto Rico. Robi taught theatre in the Colegio Bautista de Caguas, Puerto Rico, for four years, and he has toured with theatrical, circus and educational shows in Puerto Rico and California. Most recently, Robi collaborated with Kaiser Permanente's Educational Theatre Program as a Teaching Artist in Portland OR.

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