Street roots., October 28, 2016, Page 9, Image 9

Street Roots • Oct. 28-Nov. 3, 2016
News
Page 10
"In knowing that the
expectation of the audi­
ences here is that you are
going to go to a Day of
the Dead show, you haw
to see "la muerta«"You
haw to be able to rec­
ognize theatrically that
death is present."
Teatro macabre
Georgina Escobar talks about her new production
for Milagro Theatre's Day of the Dead celebration
BY SUZANNE ZALOKAR
these places have on her as an artist.
having a different syntax - flipping the
context on its head a bit.
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Georgina Escobar: For one, realizing
eogina Escobar, a multi-platform
that
home is where you spend time. It
artist from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico,
shapes the idea of traveling light and letting
has brought her distinguished
go, knowing what is necessary to make you,
theatrical talents to Portland as one of the
you.
artists in residence at the Milagro Theatre.
Escobar’s career hit an early milestone in
Suzanne Zalokar: K>w are one of the
2004, when she co-produced a bilingual,
artists in residence at the Milagro Theatre this
bicultural production of “The Vagina
season. Can you talk a bit about your process
Monologues: Spotlight on the Women of
and experience in writing this play? You met
Juarez in El Paso/Juarez.” The production
the cast on day one and then you wrote and
emerged amid the genocide in Ciudad
directed the play and opening night was four
Juarez, and starred Jane Fonda, Sally Field
and a half weeks later.
and Lila Aragon. The production earned her
honors for “Outstanding Service to Women
G.E.: That goes with being
on The Border.”
“
desarraigado
” (uprooted). It is good for me.
The world premiere of Escobar’s newest
I am a playwright by trade. We deal with
play, “El Muerto Vagabundo,” (Death and
deadlines all the time and with commission
the Tramp) is in full swing right now,
parameters. And so any challenge is an
showing through Nov. 6, at Milagro Theatre
invitation to be extra creative.
in Southeast Portland.
I had written a treatment of what I
Escobar’s play explores homelessness
thought the show could be. After meeting
through the lens of a child who learns the
our cast, I adjusted and refocused my vision
stories of people under bridges, real or
based on (what each of the actors brought
otherwise. Born from an obituary of a
to the production).
homeless veteran with no friends or family,
I spent a week getting to know them. I
the bilingual production ties together
G
multiple genres with a nod to the lives of
the “los olvidados” (the forgotten) so that
they are not forgotten.
The show honors the widely
celebrated Latino holiday: El Dia de
los Muertos - The Day of the Dead,
Nov. 1-2. The holiday is celebrated
by people of Mexican descent, and
focuses on gatherings of people
and ceremonies to remember
friends and family members who
have passed away.
For more than two decades,
Milagro has celebrated Day of the
Dead with theater, and each year’s
production is crafted differently. This year
the season’s theme is “Home.” “El Muerto
Vagabundo” is the opening performance.
Artistic and metaphorical, the
production is filled with charming
moments in tandem with the
stark realities of
homelessness. The show
culminates in a way that
literally draws the
audience into the
performance.
From Ciudad Juárez,
Escobar, eventually
landed in Manhattan,
via Zacatecas, Mexico;
El Paso, Texas, and
New Mexico. I asked
her about the effect
the cultural and
physical geography of
Geogina Escobar
gave them a bunch of exercises to see how
much they could push their imagination. I
was really adamant in having different styles
of storytelling in the play and different
music.
S.Z.: Music is a universal language, and is
quite prominent in the play.
G.E.: That was one of the first challenges
I met - None of the casted actors played an
instrument or sang, and so I had to do a lot
of it myself. I played every day at rehearsal
and sang for them. I ended up recording the
soundtrack that we used.
Music was my entry point. Given the box
of tools I was handed to create this play, I
came with my own paintbrushes. Those
were four particular songs that I knew I
wanted to see show up. More than that, I
wanted to see these songs reinvented or
reshaped, whether it was having a different
tonality or
S.Z.: I notice that you had quite a few
women characters living in your camp - more
than statistically would be on the street as
compared to men - and that a child was a
protagonist in the play. What is the
significance of featuring women and child
characters?
G.E.: What struck me from my research
was that the amount of families and children
who are homeless. These kids still go to
school and function, but they live in
shelters.
The idea stuck with me of the family unit
not necessarily being broken up, but actually
experiencing these stressors. I didn’t
necessarily want to put a family unit on
stage, but I needed the feminine side. I also
wanted to give a bit of presentation to the
sister and “the Kid” who are couch-surfing
and just a skip away from complete
homelessness.
When we think of homeless, we often
think of men. But I was trying to create
characters that took care of one another.
I guess in a way for me, it was like a
fantasy. I would want to see that in real life:
homeless communities move into a
communal sort of mentality: let’s take
care of each other.
S.Z.: Your characters, referred to as
“los olvidados” (the forgotten), seem to be
metaphorical representations of the
reasons people come to experience
homelessness. Is that an accurate
perception?
G.E.: Because of how I
approach my writing and
because my strengths are in
creating hyper-realistic
narratives - I write a lot of
sci-fí - I knew that entering
the space of something so
real, as is the situation of
the homeless, could be a
trap in a way: How do you
put the exact
representation on stage?
See TEATRO, page 11
A scene from Georgina
Escobar’s “El Muerto
Vagabundo” on stage
in Milagro Theatre
through Nov. 6.
PHOTO COURTESY OF
MILAGRO THEATRE