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'Viva México!': A 20th century exploration of Mexican history and culture on stage
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“Viva México! The Music, Dance, and Poetry of México” at Teatro Paraguas is returning for a second year, covering a different period of Mexico’s history and culture.
“Last year, we did contemporary poets,” Xochitl Ehrl, show co-producer, said. “This year, we have decided … that we’re going to do the decades and the poets of each decade.”
This year’s show, which celebrates Hispanic Culture Heritage Month and Mexico Independence Day, will focus on pre-Columbian times to the modern era.
“One of our highlights this year is going to be Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, an icon of intelligence and writing from the 1900s,” Ehrl said. “And then we’re going to finish with Rosario Castellanos (a mid 20th-century author and activist), and we are very proud of bringing this about.”
The name “Viva México! The Music, Dance, and Poetry of México” comes from the theater’s goal of giving all three art forms equal billing, according to Argos MacCallum, theater artistic director.
“Viva México!” is one of about 17 productions from Teatro Paraguas, which aims to create plays around poetry, he said.
Last year, “Viva México!” was staged at Teatro Paraguas and the International Folk Art Museum.
“And Xochitl said, ‘Well, this works very well. Let’s see if we can make it into an annual event,’” MacCallum said.
Ehrl said the plan is to highlight a different aspect of Mexican history and culture in each year’s production, so the event becomes “like a solid, huge tree that is planted in Santa Fe.”
The goal, she said, is to “be part of the cultural art scene of our beautiful city,” while creating a path for younger generations to “know who they are, where they come from.”
