Miracle Theatre Group Awarded Multiple Grants in December

Miracle Theatre Group, the Northwest's premier Latino arts and culture organization, has announced that the nonprofit organization was recently awarded three grants:

• $20,000 from The Collins Foundation in support of the company's 2011-2012 28th Season of five major stage productions, one of which will tour Oregon and the U.S. accompanied by bilingual arts education programs for youth and educators. Miracle will also produce a variety of smaller, community-based programs designed to reach out culturally to under-represented populations. The works slated for this coming season will provide audiences and artists a broad range of opportunities for deeper understanding of Latino culture, history and contemporary issues.

• $5,000 from The Bloomfield Family Foundation to support Teatro Milagro's touring production "B'aktun 13" as well as artist residencies in various communities in Oregon throughout the 2012 school year. In these residencies, Teatro Milagro's bilingual artists share a curriculum that integrates self-esteem building and environmental awareness. While learning about good stewardship, the students develop an appreciation for the arts, a growing interest in science, and a sense of social responsibility. Encouraging young people to think independently and take responsibility for their actions develops their skills as successful citizens and community leaders.

• $2,500 from KeyBank to sponsor Teatro Milagro "Journeys" artist residencies in Woodburn schools, the goal of which is to promote improved self-esteem for marginalized students, with a focus on literacy based projects for English language learners. With these residencies and workshops, Teatro Milagro inspires students to become more accepting of diversity and to look for opportunities to engage in community efforts that embrace all people's differences. "Key has a giving focus of economic self-sufficiency, rooted in the belief that economically self-sufficient
individuals are empowered to face the challenges they encounter as they aspire to achieve their dreams," said Jane Ellison, Director of Community Relations for KeyBank.

Miracle Theatre Group's 28th Season began this past September with La Luna Nueva, the nonprofit organization's third annual multidisciplinary festival in recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, filled with flamenco dance, Andean music, Cuban jazz, poetry and play readings. Miracle then staged ¡Viva la Revolución!, an original, bilingual celebration of the Day of the Dead set during the Mexican Revolution of the early 20th century. Folkloric music and dance celebrated Las Adelitas, women who accompanied revolutionaries as they fought for land reform and economic equity throughout the country, while an accompanying exhibit of original ofrendas (altars) created by local Latino artists offered visitors the opportunity to further explore the traditions around the Latino holiday of Día de los muertos (Day of the Dead).

In January, Teatro Milagro presents B'aktun 13 (January 13-21, 2012), an original bilingual work by Artistic Director Dañel Malan. Swept up in an immigration raid and deported to Mexico, Rio, Luz and Sal are suddenly immersed into indigenous prophecies surrounding B'aktun 13, the final era in the Mayan calendar. In addition to a number of student matinees, this production will also feature a free resource fair to link the community with arts and environmental organizations.

Boleros for the Disenchanted (February 10-March 3, 2012), written by award-winning playwright José Rivera, is a love story that spans lifetimes, from a courtship set in romantic Puerto Rico of the 1950s to the twilight years of their marriage, when the couple has moved to the U.S.

Jardín de sueños (March 23-April 14, 2012) is an original, family-friendly production based on Latin American folktales that will be presented in Spanish with easy-to-follow supertitles in English, one of the few, if only, opportunities for the community to attend professional, Spanish-language theatre in the Pacific Northwest.

The season concludes with Oedipus el Rey (May 4-26, 2012), the award-winning drama by Luis Alfaro that re-imagines the classic Greek tale of Oedipus in the California prison system and a Los Angeles barrio.

"Our commitment to Latino culture is born of a desire to share our heritage, present works that describe the universal human experience through the lens of Latinidad, build bridges of understanding for our transforming community, and hold up mirrors that reflect a beauty that is otherwise rarely seen," said Olga Sanchez, Miracle MainStage Artistic Director. "The new season offers a selection of timely works that provoke and entertain in the visceral, alive way that only theatre can."

In addition to the productions presented at El Centro Milagro, Miracle will present dozens of touring performances, residencies and arts education programs both in the Portland metro area and all around the U.S. Miracle also serves the local community with its annual Posada Milagro (held Dec. 11, 2011), a family holiday celebration offered free of cost, featuring local performers and arts workshops; and Mundo de las Mujeres on Saturday, March 3, 2012, a free, Spanish-language theatrical presentation followed by panel discussion in honor of International Women's Day.

ABOUT MIRACLE THEATRE GROUP
For more than 27 years, the Miracle Theatre Group has been dedicated to bringing the vibrancy of Latino theatre to the Northwest community. 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.

Miracle Theatre Group's 2011-2012 season is supported in part by National Endowment for the Arts, Oregon Arts Commission, Regional Arts & Culture Council, Work for Art, Oregon Cultural Trust, Meyer Memorial Trust, The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, The Collins Foundation, The Kinsman Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, El Hispanic News and El Centinela.

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