NMDCA News:
ALBUQUERQUE — Three weekends of original plays in partnership with local theater companies are being featured at National Hispanic Cultural Center in August.
“Theater is a core part of the Center’s performance schedule, and we’re thrilled to work alongside an incredible group of local theater companies to bring a fresh slate of plays to life this August,” said National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) Performing Arts Manager Anna Lee DeSaulniers.
This slate of performances pulls back the curtain on Friday, August 14 with Ay, Compadre! In collaboration with the Sandia Performing Arts Company, this story by acclaimed New Mexico author Rudolfo Anaya takes a humorous and poignant look at the lives of two middle-aged Chicano couples in New Mexico as they navigate the personal, physical, and marital crises of aging. Performances begin at 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday, with a matinee performance at 2 p.m., Sunday. Tickets are $25 each, with a $2 discount for students and seniors. This production is recommended for mature audiences.
Head back to the Center the following weekend for more theater and more Rudolfo Anaya! Kicking off with a special community preview on Thursday, Aug. 20, enjoy a staged performance of Bless Me, Ultima, based on Anaya’s beloved novel, in collaboration with the Vortex Theatre. When Antonio Márez is almost seven years old, the old healer Ultima comes to stay with him and his family in their small house in Guadalupe, New Mexico. Antonio’s parents hope that she will be able to tell them what Antonio’s future will be as each parent has very different hopes for him. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, with matinee performances on Saturday and Sunday beginning at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $30 for adults, and $20 for seniors and kids 12 years old and younger.
The month wraps up with the original play Esperanza starting Friday, Aug. 28. Presented in conjunction with Teatro Paraguas, Esperanza retells the incredible story of the 1951 strike by the Mexican American miners, highlighting the struggles of the miners seeking fair wages and safer working conditions against the Empire Zinc Mining Company in Bayard, New Mexico. Performances begin at 7:00 pm Friday and 2:00 pm Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $29, with discounts available for seniors, students, and kids.
Visit nhccnm.org/events to learn more about each of these performances and to get tickets today.
More about National Hispanic Cultural Center
National Hispanic Cultural Center is dedicated to the preservation, promotion, and advancement of Hispanic culture, arts, and humanities. The NHCC presents mission-related events throughout the year, some produced by its history, literary, performing, and visual arts programs, and others by partnering with external organizations. Events take place at its 20-plus-acre campus, which includes a plaza, an art museum, a historically designated building, a library, and a genealogy center. The NHCC is a division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs and is further supported by the National Hispanic Cultural Center Foundation.
