On the Boards: Teatro Línea de Sombra Comes to Seattle! November 8th through November 11th.

I am a theater lover, a music lover, a movie lover... In fewer words, I love pretty much anything that has to do with art. For the past few years, I have been following closely the plays that are brought to Seattle, waiting and hoping for any Latino production to come to our theaters. We have not been very lucky with the main theaters; however, I am glad to see other organizations supporting Latino theater  companies like Teatro Línea de Sombra, a theater company that is today one of the most renowned Mexican contemporary theater companies, and awardee of the Best Research Theater of Mexico in 2000 and 2005. 

Teatro Línea de Sombra will make its debut in Seattle with "Amarillo," a play directed by Mexican director Jorge A. Vargas. 

"Amarillo, is a visually stunning and politically-rooted performance that delves into the lore surrounding the US/Mexico borderlands. The bilingual production touches on the hotbed issue of immigration and the reality of what happens when someone undertakes the dangerous journey between the two countries." - On the Boards Press Release.

  

I had the opportunity to contact Jessica Massart, Communications Director for On the Boards, and ask her some questions about "Amarillo." Here are her responses:

Why choose Amarillo? Amarillo is the kind of production that excels on all levels: it’s a visually stunning performance with bilingual text, dance, live projections and music that’s both contemporary and traditional. It deals with a hotbed issue, immigration at the US/Mexico border, and does it in a way that is both illuminating and poetic.

Why bring it to Seattle? It’s incredibly important for Seattle to have access to artists like Teatro Línea de Sombra. They are an important artistic voice from Central America and deal with some major issues at the center of political discourse in our country, lending a perspective that is often not included in that dialogue. The company has also been increasingly present in the international contemporary performance field and have been presented at some of the most prestigious festivals and venues overseas. This is just a short list of why we needed to get this company and this production to Seattle.

How long did it take you to bring it? We’ve been in discussion with the company since early this year after first becoming aware of the production in 2011. In January our artistic director, Lane Czaplinski, was meant to see the performance in Vancouver BC and meet the company, but the Seattle snowstorm prevented it. Despite that we forged on with conversations and were able to successfully program them in the 12/13 Season.

How many other Hispanic productions or theater companies have you been able to bring to Seattle? This will be the third Hispanic production to come to On the Boards in the past two years. Past presentations have included Teatro de Ciertos Habitantes (Mexico City) and the world-renowned director Mariano Pensotti (Buenos Aires). Both of these performances are available as films through OntheBoards.tv where we are building a series of performances, including the soon to be released film of Lagartijas Tiradas al Sol.

Mariano Pensotti’s film: http://www.ontheboards.tv/performance/theater/mariano_pensotti

Teatro de Ciertos Habitantes film: http://www.ontheboards.tv/performance/theater/el-gallo

To get tickets your tickets for "Amarillo" go to: http://www.ontheboards.org/performances/amarillo

And now, to get you excited, here is a clip of this wonderful production: