Chicago Latino Theater Alliamce

Years ago, under the leadership of Henry Godinez ( Goodman Theatre Associate Director) and the local Latino theater companies, LatinoFest became summer theater fare in Chicago. While the years have passed, we find that the population of Chicago ( and surrounding area) enjoys the theater that the Latino community adds to the mix and many of our local venues have joined in with the CLTA ( Chicago Latino Theater Alliance) to bring us what is now called “The Chicago International Latino Theater Festival”. It is exciting and educational. This year ( the 2nd Festival) is entitled “Destinos”, bringing us plays from Mexico, Argentina and Los Angeles.

The Goodman played host to “Mendoza” Los Colochos Teatro’s radically imagined adaptation of “Macbeth”. It was only during October 2nd thru the 7th and it was in Spanish with screens and sub-tiles visible for all. The play was done in the-round ( so to speak) with the actors using the audience members from time to time ( they never had to speak, but they did get to enjoy a Corona, during the almost 2 hours ( no intermission) and after.

“Macbeth” deals with ambition, blood and power and so does Mendoza”. The story is now interwoven with Mexican History set against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution and the events that many know of from the 2014 Ayotzinpapa massacre. Mendoza is told by a witch that he will one day lead the army, and so , in order to make this come true and inspired by his wife, Mendoza begins to kill off those who might stand in his way. I was caught up in this production and in no way was bothered by the fact that this was a different language. I understood the message and the story and the brilliance and power of this theatrical company.

Destinos will continue thru November 4th- the full schedule can be found at www.clata.org or you can call 312-631-3112

Chicago playwright Ricardo Gamboa WET: A DACAmented Journey (Midwest Premiere) A co-presentation with the Latino Policy Forum

Watch the trailer for Luna de Cristal Still to come New plays from Aguijón Theater Teatro Vista, two of Chicago’s top Latino theater companies, plus a wildly celebrated circus production from Colombia are still on tap for the final weeks of Chicago’s DESTINOS festival, running through November 4. Visit clata.orgto purchase tickets to: American Jornalero / American Day Laborer (Midwest Premiere) by Ed Cardona Jr., a drama about a collision between immigrant day laborers and white power vigilantes, is a Teatro Vista presentation in the Richard Christiansen Theater at Victory Gardens, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave., October 18-21. Show times are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $25/$20 students and seniors. Note: Immediately following its run at Victory Gardens, American Jornalero will transfer to UrbanTheater, 2620 W. Division St. in Humboldt Park, for performances October 24-November 18. Casa Propia / A House of My Own (Midwest Premiere) by Dolores Prida, a lighthearted yet poignant comedy about a woman’s tireless quest for her American Dream, will run October 18-November 25 at Aguijón Theater, 2707 N. Laramie Ave. in Belmont Cragin. Show times are Thursday, Fridays and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 6 p.m. Tickets are $10-$25. Acéléré (North American Premiere) bycelebrated Colombian circus troupe Circolombia, culminates the DESTINOS festival. Acéléré is a high-energy spectacle that features jaw-dropping circus feats from aerialists, acrobats, and contortionists – interwoven with the troupe’s signature live music and dance performances, spanning genres from hip-hop and reggaeton to drum and bass. Performances are October 23–November 4, 2018 at The Yard at Chicago Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave. Show times are Tuesday through Friday at 7:45 p.m., Saturday at 4 p.m. and 7:45 pm., and Sunday at 4 p.m. Tickets are $30-$45/$20 for anyone under age 35. Still running Not For Sale (World Premiere) by Guadalís Del Carmen tackles issues of gentrification and displacement in Humboldt Park. With new neighbors looking to make changes west of Western Avenue in a community rich with decades of culture, the question persists who gets to lay claim to the neighborhood? This production, “blissfully free of the divisive rancor so prevalent in our time” (Chicago Reader), is Reader recommended and Jeff recommended. Performances continue at UrbanTheater Company, 2620 W. Division St. in Humboldt Park. Through October 20: Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 3 pm. Tickets are $15-$25. There’s a Coqui in My Shoe! (World Premiere) by The Miracle Center’s Playwright, Roberto J. Negron, an adaptation of Marissa de Jesus Paolicelli’s children’s book about Puerto Rico’s national mascot, the Coquí (little tree frog) continues at The Miracle Center, 2311 N. Pulaski Rd. in Logan Square/Hermosa, through October 13: Friday at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25.