Photo Flash: THE SHRUNKEN HEAD OF PANCHO VILLA At Miracle Theatre 5/8 - 5/30

The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa, a comedy written by Luis Valdez, will be performed at the Milagro Theatre May 5 - May 30. The show is directed by Olga Sanchez and is sponsored by El Hispanic News. Admission is $20 - $22 depending on date; $16 for students and seniors any performance. All tickets are $14 for the May 7th preview performance. Tickets may be purchased from www.milagro.org or 503-236-7253.

From the earliest days of Chicano theatre comes this raucous and unpredictable satire in which a sellout son returns home with a grand scheme to move his family out of the barrio and into the American dream. But will a seductive nostalgia for Mexico’s revolutionary past overwhelm his efforts? That’s when the head begins to talk …

From the migrant labor fields to Broadway, Luis Valdez remains true to his original vision: performance that addresses the Chicano experience in America in a context meaningful to all Americans. Valdez's credits include founder & artistic director of the internationally renowned El Teatro Campesino, council member of the National Endowment of the Arts, and founding member of the California Arts Council. His awards include, Presidential Medal of the Arts, the prestigious Aguila Azteca Award, Governors Award of the California Arts Council. Best known works: Zoot Suit, La Bamba, and Corridos, winner of the George Peabody Award. He continues to work and mentor a new generation of theatre artists at El Teatro Campesino Playhouse. For more information about El Teatro Campesino, visit http://www.elteatrocampesino.com.

Olga Sanchez is the Artistic Director of Miracle MainStage and Bellas Artes.  Last season, she directed in García Lorca’s Bodas de sangre.  Other productions she has directed for Miracle include Dañel Malán’s Frida, un retablo; The Road to Xibalbá by Joann Farías, Clean by Edwin Sanchez; Quiara Alegría Hudes’ Elliot, A Soldier’s Fugue and The Adventures of Barrio Grrrl!; and Lorca in a Green Dress by Nilo Cruz, for which she received a Drammy for Outstanding Direction.  Her directorial work has been seen in Seattle, NYC, Martha’s Vineyard, Peru, Venezuela and Cuba.  Olga is the creator of Miracle’s “Pluma Nueva” bilingual literary and performing arts workshops, and Posada Milagro, Miracle’s community-based holiday program. Olga holds a BA in Theatre from Hunter College, CUNY, and a Masters in Human Development from Pacific Oaks College NW, with specialization in Bicultural Development.

El Hispanic News (EHN), founded in 1981 by Juan Prats, is the oldest Hispanic publication in the Pacific Northwest and a leading source of information for our community. Former New Mexico Secretary of State Clara Padilla Andrews purchased the publication in 1995. She has brought her political and business background to EHN as owner and publisher. With her guidance the publication has been committed to supporting and informing the community.

Miracle Theatre’s 2008-2009 25th Anniversary Season is supported by The Collins Foundation; Regional Arts & Culture Council/Work for Art; The Shubert Foundation; Theatre Communications Group; Oregon Arts Commission; Rose Tucker Charitable Trust; PGE Foundation; Jackson Foundation; Kinsman Foundation; El Hispanic News; El Centinela; U.S. Bank; Bank of America; the National Endowment for the Arts; and Spirit Mountain Community Fund.

The restaurant sponsor for the opening night of this production is La Casita.

Now in its silver anniversary season, the Miracle Theatre Group has been dedicated to bringing the vibrancy of Latino theatre to the Northwest community and beyond for 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.

Photos 2 and 4 - composition by Stephanie Davis and Angela Bolaños

Photo 1 by Stephanie Davis

Photo 3 - composition by Stephanie Davis and Tim Krause

José E. González, Bunnie Rivera, Albert Alcazar, Yolanda Suarez, and Vicente Guzmán-Orozco

Bunnie Rivera, Yolanda Suarez, and Albert Alcazar

Yolanda Suarez and Vicente Guzmán-Orozco

José E. González, Bunnie Rivera, and Vicente Guzmán-Orozco