Miracle Theatre Group Hosts 2013 LA LUNA NUEVA FESTIVAL, Now thru 9/18

Opening today, September 13, Miracle Theatre Group will present the 5th edition of "La Luna Nueva", the annual festival of Hispanic arts and culture from around the world, in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Night by night, our renowned multidisciplinary arts festival will showcase the richness and diversity of Latin artistic expressions. Flamenco, Tango, Latin jazz, theater, play readings, comedy, homages to Pablo Neruda and Frida Kahlo and visual art, launching Milagro's 30th season!

The festival runs today, September 13-28, 2013, at El Centro Milagro, 525 SE Stark Street, Portland, Oregon. Admission varies; several events are FREE. All ticket events are reserved seating. Purchase tickets from 503-236-7253 or www.milagro.org.

EVENT CALENDAR:

• "TAPALACA" - Ceramic Art Exhibition

Exhibition open one hour prior to each festival performance • Sept. 13-28, 2013 • Free

Throughout the festival, art lovers can view original ceramic creations by Mexican artist Paco Padilla who brings his work from his studio is Tapalaca, Jalisco. Ceramic flutes created by Samuel Becerra will also be featured throughout the festival.

• PACO PADILLA - Mexican folkloric singer/songwriter

7 p.m. • Friday, Sept. 13, 2013 • $27 advance; $30 door

Part of the Mexican New Song movement with a musical career spanning over 32 years, Paco Padilla's unique style fuses traditional Mexican music with contemporary sounds. This exclusive Milagro Theater performance will be the public's only chance to see him and his band in Portland. This concert will be the opening event for Milagro's "La Luna Nueva" festival, launching Milagro's 30th anniversary season! Get to know more about Paco Padilla's transcendent music at: https://myspace.com/pacopadillaxaliscantos

• "TRAVESURAS" - Flamenco

8 p.m. • Saturday, Sept. 14, 2013 • $25 advance; $28 door

Many "lunas" ago, in Andalucía, Spain, the clash of the Romani and Spanish cultures yielded some of the most spiritual folk music in the world: The Flamenco. Centuries later Ricardo Diaz was captivated by the art of flamenco in San Francisco, where he began his studies with guitarist Jorge Liceaga. After traveling around the world and performing with the finest artists and flamenco groups, Ricardo Diaz returns to Milagro bringing with him the mighty and moving repertoire of Travesuras, his majestic and sensual Flamenco performance featuring an all-male corps of dancers!

• "SOMTIR"- Gerardo Calderon

7p.m. • Sunday Sept. 15, 2013 • $20 advance; $22 door

Somtir means rhythm, the beat that will bring to Milagro the newest musical explorations by beloved local musician Gerardo Calderon. Calderon's new musical compositions will take us around the world through a combination of Latin American, African and indigenous rhythms sounds. This concert will include dances from Argentina, Peru, Mexico and Spain, and will move your body with rhythms meditational to upbeat!

Gerardo's first solo CD, "Somtir" features a blend of gentle string sounds and the soothing sounds of the pan flutes, and 20 copies will be distributed free to the first ticket buyers! The evening includes a post-show reception hosted by Black Cat Café. www.grupo-condor.com

• Play Reading in Spanish - "EL ORNITORRINCO" by Humberto Robles

7 p.m., Monday, Sept. 16, 2012 • FREE

Directed by Kolumba Hedzor, this delightful comedy, presented entirely in Spanish, examines the spectrum of sexual identity in the lives of four lovers. While the rest of the world wants us to choose between gay, straight and bi, for some it's a bit more challenging to self-identify! Like the platypus (el ornitorrinco) nature has created us with great variety that sometimes defies easy definition! For more information about actors and the play visit www.miracleinsider.blogspot.com.

• Play Reading in English - "MUMMIFIED DEER" by Luis Valdez

7 p.m., Monday, Sept. 17, 2012 • FREE

Directed by Olga Sanchez this passionate play is one of the newest works by the renowned founder of El Teatro Campesino, Luis Valdez. In this semi-autobiographical piece, the dominant, imposing Mama Chu, a heroine of the Mexican Revolution, must reveal the truths of her past to reconcile the identities of her family. Luis Valdez is acknowledged as the founder of modern Chicano theatre and film of the U.S., with feature films like Zoot Suit and La Bamba. The reading is presented in honor of Lakin Valdez, Luis' son, who starred in the world premiere ofMummified Deer. Lakin is currently directing Milagro's upcoming Día de muertos production, Corrido Calavera! Visit Milagro's blog for the latest news about the play, author and cast: www.miracleinsider.blogspot.com.

• "NOCHE DE NERUDA" - Los Porteños

7 p.m. • Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2013 • FREE • Bilingual

Join us for a night full of sensual emotions with the poetry of Pablo Neruda in celebration of Chilean Independence Day. Los Porteños is a multi-genre Latino writers group dedicated to raising awareness of their diverse languages, canons, stories and cultures. For Noche de Neruda, Los Porteños will share original multilingual poetry and prose written in response to Neruda's works and then YOU are invited to share your favorite Neruda poem in an Open Mic! Since its founding in 2006, the group has produced a number of annual readings including for Día de Muertos and Friends of William Stafford. In collaboration with Literary Arts, Noche de Neruda is also proud to offer the opportunity to win a free registration to Literary Arts' DELVE program, "Whitman and Neruda: The Empathic Imagination"!

• "CINESCOPIO: LUCHA LIBRE" - FusionArte & Joaquin Lopez

7 p.m. • Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2013 • FREE • Spanish

The first in a series of raucous Lucha Libre movie screenings from the Golden Age of Mexican movie-making! This series will bring to Portland and La Luna Nueva legendary movies inspired by the every-day Mexican folklore heroes of la lucha libre like El Santo, El Demonio Azul and many more! FusionArte is an organization dedicated to promoting Latin American arts and culture through educational programming and cultural events. Cinescopio explores Latin American culture through classic era films with a mission to connect today's generation to yesterday's Latin American golden era films!

• "LATINO COMEDY NIGHT" - Stand-up comedy with Shane Torres & Friends

8 p.m. • Friday, Sept. 20, 2013. $17 advance; $20 door • English

11 p.m Friday, Sept. 20, 2013 $10

Shane Torres, winner of 2013 Portland's Funniest Person Contest (Helium Comedy Club), and his friends throw a party guaranteed to make you roll out of your seat laughing! Join this trio of the hottest young comedy talent in Portland: Shane Torres, Anthony Lopez and David Mascorro for two performances on Friday night, giving you more opportunities to start your weekend right!

Shane Torres is one of Portland's favorite comics, performing locally and across the country for over five years. In the past six months Shane has competed in The Seattle International Comedy Competition, and performed at The Laughing Skull Comedy Festival in Atlanta. Shane also performed at "Comedy Central's Comics To Watch" at Helium Comedy Club.

Anthony Lopez is part of an up-and-coming generation of Portland comedians who perform regularly at Down to Funny, a standup comedy night at the EastBurn bar in Portland. He has performed at Bumbershoot, The Bridgetown Comedy Festival, Seattle's Comedy Underground, UCB East and opened for the Whitest Kids you Know. Hailing from Portland, Lopez was picked as one of the Portland Mercury's "Ones to Watch."

David Mascorro was inspired when his uncle gave him a Richard Pryor cassette tape as a young child, and he began performing stand-up in Chicago. He has come a long way working at clubs throughout the country, including Zanies, the IMPROV and the Laugh Factory and working with many talented acts among them Steve Byrne, Carl LaBove and Tim Meadows. He now lives in Portland where he produces a monthly storytelling show called The Awkward Phase.

• "THE ART OF BRAZILIAN GUITAR" - Classic guitarist Alfredo Muro guitarist concert

8 p.m. • Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013 • $22 advance; $25 door

World renowned classical guitarist, Maestro Alfredo Muro returns to Portland fresh from his Europe Tour 2012 ready to share his three great musical passions: the rich folkloric traditions of Latin America, classic Spanish guitar and the signature styles of Brazil. Don't miss this evening filled with passionate and vibrant music to stir the heart, including work by Marco Pereira, Piazzolla, Jobim, Powell, Paulinho Nogueira and the opportunity to hear Alfredo's own compositions. Alfredo Muro is a fascinating guitarist whose transcendent fingerpicking style charms audiences around the world!

• "EL NIÑO DIEGO" - Teatro Milagro's Family-friendly World Premier. Bilingual

2 p.m. • Sunday Sept. 22, 2013 • $4 advance; $7 door

El Niño Diego follows the real life story of painter Diego Rivera as a boy, sent to live with a curandera because of his poor health. It's 1913 as young Diego navigates the balance between his responsibilities to his education and his desire to create art. Dreams and reality collide when the Aztec Goddess, Coatlicue, bequeaths Diego with a magic paintbrush. Filled with humor while asking important questions about la vida, young audiences will love the accessibility to Diego Rivera. This world premier is the latest in Teatro Milagro's 'Aventuras' series which produces educational and magical-story theater pieces for the whole family.

• Play Reading in English - "MACHO" by Vicente Guzman-Orozco

7 p.m., Monday, Sept. 23, 2013 • FREE

"Macho" is a comedy about the trials and tribulations of urban gay Latinos. Ricky's life is turned upside down and inside out when his little brother decides to visit him in the big city. Unfortunately, Ricky's apartment is so small, there's no room for a closet! Vicente Guzman-Orozco is a longtime collaborator with Milagro. As resident playwright from 1995 to 1998, he penned eight plays for Teatro Milagro's touring company. See Milagro's blog for the latest news about the play, author and cast: www.miracleinsider.blogspot.com.

• RICARDO CÁRDENAS - Latin American Guitar

7 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013 • $17 advance; $20 door

Chilean guitarist Ricardo Cárdenas fills the Milagro Theatre with his extraordinary range of classical and folkloric music presented in his unique relaxed, disarming style. His enchanting repertoire includes composers such as Heitor Villa-Lobos, Antonio Lauro, Agustin Barrios, Fleury, J. Cardoso, Joao Pernambuco and his own arrangements of Chilean songs.

• Play Reading in Spanish - "MADE IN LANÚS" by Nelly Fernandez Tiscornio

7 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2013 • FREE

Made in Lanús is one of Argentina's most successful plays. With tremendous simplicity and sensitivity it describes the struggles faced both by those who think about leaving their country, and by those who have left and returned. Visit Milagro's blog for the latest news about the play, author and cast: www.miracleinsider.blogspot.com.

• "WHAT THE TANGO?!" - Including members of the Alex Krebs Tango Sextet and featuring Vicente Griego

7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 26, 2013 • $22 advance; $25 door

Tango and Flamenco are two of the most emblematic musical genres of Hispanic music. International tango performer Alex Krebs and flamenco powerhouse Vicente Griego together at the Milagro Theatre stage like you have never seen them before. Modern Tango and Flamenco meet Jazz and Rock - turning these genres back into their "popular" forms. This concert and dance performance will transport your spirit to South America and Spain, with the rhythm of the bandoneon and Griego's powerful voice.

• "FRIDA, UN RETABLO" Bilingual

7 p.m. • Friday, Sept. 27, 2013 • $22 advance; $26 door

In Tehuan­Tepec dress with eyebrows taking flight like the wings of a raven, Frida Kahlo is legendary for an independence that inspired generations of feminists around the world. From the streetcar accident that left her crippled, to her torrid relationship with muralist Diego Rivera, life and art intertwine in this story of one of Mexico's most acclaimed visual artists.

• "FOR THE DISENCHANTED" - Joaquin Lopez

8 p.m. • Saturday, Sept. 28, 2013 • $20 advance; $23 door

Inspired by Mexican folklore and the Latin American bolero, Joaquin Lopez delivers a world of musical nostalgia and elegant melancholia. He'll perform lush ballads and melodies underscored by the acoustic beauty of the classical guitar, violin and harp featuring musicians Gerardo Calderon, Paul Engler and Antonio Centurion incorporating the digital artwork of Hampton Rodriguez and Marcos Aguirre through projection.

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