Pelú Theatre Presents Charivari, Closes 11/20

Pelú Theatre presents Charivari!- An adventurous circus about the journey of immigration.

Created and directed by CarlosAlexis Cruz

A brand new original theatre show re-living the life-changing journey of immigration, an odyssey for the American dream.
When: November 10th-13st and 17th-20th, 2011

Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays @ 8pm

Sundays @ 2pm

Special closing performance Sunday 20th @ 7pm
Where: Imago Theatre, 17 SE 8th Ave, Portland, OR
Admission: $10About the play

Miguel is dead. Our immigrant hero wakes up in the midst of his own funeral, surrounded by a procession of all those who were significant in is life. He doesn't remember what happened, much less how he died if he did indeed. The only thing he has engraved in his mind is that vivid memory of how he risked everything for the desire of a better future, that Sueño Americano. Was it worth it?

This production of Pelú Theatre presents a circus theatre spectacle that re-lives the life-changing journey of immigration, an odyssey for the American Dream. But of course, with a comic twist to this existential dilemma of having to leave everything for the chance of a better life. The show is based on real-life stories from those who came through the water and from those who followed the desert route. This is Pelú's most movement oriented production to date.

In it, the company uses elements of the of nouveau cirque(a more theatrical circus) as its vocabulary for telling stories: aerialists, tumblers, acrobats, musicians and, of course, clowns form an ensemble of immigrants trying to weather the storm that is this journey.

The show will be performed in "spanglish", or the language that defines the Latino subculture in the US. Both English and Spanish speaking audiences would not find any trouble in understanding or following the action, and at the same time be transported musically to "la balsa".

Cast

Yoan Calvo.......... Miguel, el imigrante
Acrobats/Ensemble:

Alysia Colón.....................ensemble, contortion, aerial chains, aerial hoop

Tera Nova Zarra................ensemble, acrobatics, hand to hand

Ari Lee.............................ensemble, acrobatics, hand to hand

With the collaboration of A-WOL Dance Collective with special participation from Alicia Doerrie, Paulina Muñoz, and Jessica Hoage for 1st weekend.

Jen Harbaugh Livengood, Emily Krause and Jessica Hoage on the 2nd weekend.

Circus Band:

The Juan Prophet Organization

About Artistic Director CarlosAlexis Cruz

CarlosAlexis is a 2011 Princess Grace Foundation Actor Fellowship, and the Grace Le Vine Award winner for his work with the Miracle Theatre.

CarlosAlexis has been working as a professional actor for the last nine years performing in Puerto Rico, Northern California and Portland, and touring shows from NY City to LA and beyond, and overseas to the Dominican Republic and Mexico. Locally he has performed with Do Jump!, Imago, and Teatro Milagro. As a theatre director, he did the Miracle's physical comedy adaptation Lazarillo. Most recently he staged the show A Suicide Note from a Cockroach... at Imago, marking the debut of his own New Theatre Company Pelú Theatre. A Suicide Note from a Cockroach... has already toured northern California, and some colleges of our region to great success. CarlosAlexis is currently staging a new original circus theatre piece on the theme of immigration opening at Imago Theatre in November 2011.

He was recently seen in the Telemundo's TV film Bala Perdida where he played a leading role. CarlosAlexis has an MFA degree in Ensemble Based Physical Theatre from the Dell'Arte International School in California. He has a BA degree in film studies from the School of Communication at the University of Puerto Rico. He has trained Circus Arts at the San Francisco Circus Center. He will like to thank his wife, Mayra, for all the support, and a la beba Caira, for keeping his life in a constant awe.

About the Sponsors
Pelú Theatre is presented by Imago Theatre.

This show is made possible with the help of the Regional Arts and Culture Council.

About Pelú Theatre

Pelú Theatre is a company based in Portland, OR but rooted in San Juan, PR. As a result its artists are interested in the conversation between the theatre tendencies of these two particular places, creating the birth of a third theatre out of a cultural limbo. The company is mainly interested in fusions... circus and theatre, commedia and melodramas, clowns and death. When "stuff" is mixed up together on stage, just like rice and beans, it creates the birth of that third scene that lives only in front of the eyes of the audience. This keeps audiences at The Edge of their seats, exactly as Pelú wishes.

Tickets can be purchased in advance online at pelutheatre.com, or at the door the day of the event.

Ages 5 and up. The whole family is welcomed...
Media passes: Complimentary tickets for media representatives available.

More Information: www.pelutheatre.com

To post a comment, you must register and login.