Teatro Vivo
In 2017 Milagro, Portland’s historic Latino theatre dedicated to new play production since 1985, launched INGENIO, a space where Latino/a/x playwrights of all races can develop their plays in a safe, supportive environment with mentors and artists to whom they can relate and support their script being driven to the next stage of production.
Due to the ongoing uncertainty of the pandemic, INGENIO 2020 moves to the digital realm, with rehearsals, workshops, and readings shifting online. INGENIO 2020 offers the opportunity for collaboration beyond geographical limitations, being produced this year in association with Teatros Unidos, an emerging collective of Latinx theatre organizations.
In addition to Milagro, readings will be presented by Baktun12 & Borderlands Theater, Cara Mía Theatre & Teatro Vivo, In The Margin Theatre, Teatro Luna West, and TuYo Theatre.
SEPTEMBER 25-OCTOBER 4
When: September 25 – October 4
Where: Online
Tickets: Free and open to the public
CARA MÍA THEATRE & TEATRO VIVO PRESENT
SPAYCE BOYS BY MATEO HERNANDEZ
ABOUT THE PLAY
spayce boys is the tale of two queer, brown boys who embark on an Odyssey-esque adventure into outerspace to heal, discover their true selves, lean into community and so much more along the way. Iggy and Oñio have never spoken to each other at school but Oñio takes matters into his own hands when he sees how “small” and “squished” Iggy looks. After sneaking into Iggy’s room late at night, Oñio convinces Iggy to follow him onto the roof where the greater Queer forces take control. Once in outer space, Oñio has an itinerary to stick to in order to ensure Iggy makes it out anew by the time the sun rises. But when unspoken tensions between the boys bubble up and mix with the cataclysmic atmosphere of the adventure, both boys find new parts of themselves and a renewed purpose in their life on earth.
SEPTEMBER 27, @ 7PM CDT
Where: Online, links to come
Tickets: Free and open to the public
CREATIVE TEAM
PLAYWRIGHT – MATEO HERNDANDEZ
DIRECTOR – ROBERT RAMIREZ
DRAMATURG – RAMÓN ESQUIVEL
STAGE MANAGER – ALEXANDRIA SEPULVEDA
ARTISTS
Mateo Hernandez (they/he/them/him) is a queer, Chicanx actor, writer, teaching artist based in Chicago, IL. spayce boys is their first full length play and they are so excited to continue its development. As a teaching artist he has worked with companies such as Goodman Theatre, Chicago Children’s Theatre, and Creative Action. Mateo is a company member of FYI (For Youth Inquiry), a performance company making participatory experiences around reproductive justice for young people. They hold a BFA in Theatre Studies from The University of Texas at Austin.
Robert Ramirez has served as Voice and Text Director at the Guthrie Theatre, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, American Players Theatre, Cleveland Playhouse, and has most recently collaborated on a tri-production of Octavio Solis’ QUIXOTE NUEVO with Hartford Stage, the Huntington Theatre Company, and the Alley Theater. He has performed with the New York, Notre Dame, Utah, Illinois, Alabama, Great River, Baltimore, and Wisconsin Shakespeare Festivals, and Actors Theatre of Louisville. He has directed productions and staged readings for Austin Shakespeare, American Players Theatre, and Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, and has been an acclaimed narrator of audiobooks for over 20 years, receiving numerous Golden Earphones Awards from Audiophile magazine. Robert sits on the Board of Directors for Teatro Vivo in Austin, Texas. He is the Chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance at the University of Texas at Austin where he previously served as the head of the acting program. A graduate of the Los Angeles Theatre Academy, he received his MFA from the Professional Theatre Training Program at the University of Delaware. Robert is a proud member of Actors Equity, the Voice and Speech Trainers Association, The National Theater Conference, and is the current Vice President of the University Resident Theater Association.
Ramón Esquivel is a playwright, director, dramaturg, and educator. His plays Luna, Nasty, and Nocturnal are published through Dramatic Publishing, and his work is included in two recent anthologies, New Visions/New Voices: 25 Years/25 Plays, and Palabras del Cielo: An Exploration of Latina/o Theatre for Young Audiences. His play, The Shahrazad Society, won the Aurand Harris Memorial Playwriting Award from New England Theatre Conference. Recent work: Above Between Below, a collaboration between Seattle Children’s Theatre, Oregon Children’s Theatre, and Kaiser Permanente Educational Theatre; The Hero Twins: Blood Race at Appalachian Young People’s Theatre and the University of Texas at Austin; and Dulce at the Austin Latino New Play Festival. Ramón is currently Assistant Professor of Theatre – Playwriting at Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo.
Alexandria Sepulveda – Since graduating from The University of Texas at Austin, Alexandria has worked as a Stage Manager, Theatre Teacher, Production Assistant, and Child Wrangler. While in San Antonio, she Stage Managed productions for The Magik Children’s Theatre and The Classic Theatre, as well as several Summer Fine Arts Academies for the SWISD and UCISD. Recently, Alexandria has worked for The Dallas Theater Center, and Cara Mia Theatre. This is her first collaborative production with Cara Mia and Teatro Vivo. She is thrilled to be a part of this fantastic team, and looks forward to future projects together. Alexandria would like to thank her mother for her unwavering support.
FULL SCHEDULE OF THE 2020 INGENIO FESTIVAL
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25TH
7pm CDT// 5:00pm PDT
Milagro Theatre
Presents:
The Play You Want
by Bernardo Cubrîa
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26TH
7pm CDT// 5:00pm PDT
Baktun12 &
Borderlands Theater Present:
Sancocho
by Christin Eve Cato
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27TH
7pm CDT// 5:00pm PDT
Cara Mia Theatre &
Teatro Vivo Present:
spayce boys
by Mateo Hernandez
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2ND
7pm CDT// 5:00pm PDT
In The Margin Theatre Presents:
Sabor
by AnaSofîa Villanueva
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3RD
7pm CDT// 5:00pm PDT
TuYo Theatre Presents:
Saints Go Marching
by Matt Barbot
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4TH
7pm CDT// 5:00pm PDT
Teatro Luna West Presents:
City Without Altar
by Jasminne Mendez
ABOUT TEATROS UNIDOS
Teatros Unidos is an emerging and growing collective of Teatros and BIPOC Theatre organizations that uplift and give voice to their historically silenced communities by producing plays, multicultural and multigenerational community programs.
The coronavirus pandemic has shed light on prevailing inequities in all facets of American life. Facing uncertainty and loss of earned income, Milagro reached out to Latinx theatres from across the country to come together to share their experiences and challenges and promote each other’s work. Through this initiative, Teatros Unidos was born. The group includes 14 Latinx theatre ensembles who share resources, information, and creative work. Since May 2020, Teatros Unidos has been meeting bi-weekly and is committed to expanding the circle through and beyond the immediate aftermath of the pandemic. Although there are resources for individual Latinx artists to come together, this is the only National Teatro collaboration that exists.
The group includes Baktun12 (Salinas, CA), Borderlands Theater (Tucson, AZ), Cara Mía Theatre Company (Dallas, TX), In The Margin Theatre (Sacramento, CA), Milagro (Portland, OR), Teatro Alebrijes (San Jose, CA), Teatro Bravo (Phoenix, AZ), Teatro Luna West (Los Angeles, CA), Teatro Nagual (Sacramento, CA), Teatro Visión (San Jose, CA), Teatro Vivo (Austin, TX), TuYo Theatre (San Diego, CA), and UrbanTheater Company (Chicago, IL).
