Dos Pueblos / Two Towns
A theatrical collaboration across borders between La Comedia Humana (Mexico) and Hand2Mouth Theatre (USA)
Photo Credit: Melissa Ortiz Masso
Dos Pueblos / Two Towns is a collaborative performance between Hand2Mouth Theatre (Portland, Oregon) and La Comedia Humana (Mexico City). This original bilingual performance explores the history of Mexico and the United States as a violent love affair between two nations that cannot get divorced. A brutal ballet of words and images, Dos Pueblos / Two Towns is filled with personal intimacy and vivid allegory.
Under the shared direction of La Comedia Humana’s Ruben Ortiz and Hand2Mouth’s Jonathan Walters, with writing assistance from Miracle Theatre’s Olga Sanchez, the performance unfolds as an intricate collage, drawing on dance-theatre movement, recorded testimonials, loaded symbols and multi-lingual songs of love and war. Performers channel the rage, co-dependence, mutual attraction and revulsion between their two nations, in a surreal, politicized landscape split by an ever-shifting border.
A woman dances on a map made of tortilla chips in red cowboy boots; two men cross the border with water coolers strapped to their backs; Our Lady of Guadalupe sells homemade tortillas in Grand Central Station; men, women and children are massacred at the Alamo; the child heroes of Mexico are killed over and over; Michael Jackson dances with Frida Kahlo; three women giggle themselves to death; and everyone joins together to eat tacos with ketchup and relish.
Dos Pueblos / Two Towns is co-commissioned / produced by Miracle Theatre Group, where it will have its world premiere in September 2008. Major funding for development of the piece provided by the Rockefeller Multi-Arts Production Fund. Additional support is provided by the City of Portland through the Regional Arts & Culture Council, the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, the PGE Foundation and the Celebration Foundation.
Photo Credit: Melissa Ortiz Masso
DETAILS
Personnel: 8 actors, 3 support personnel
Preferred venue: 99-250 seats
Duration: 90 minutes
U.S. Premiere: September 2008, Miracle Theatre Group in Portland, Oregon
Mexico Premiere: October 2008, University of Guadalajara in Guadalajara, Mexico
Touring: Available in Mexico, U.S. and elsewhere after October 2008
ABOUT THE CREATORS
Hand2Mouth Theatre is a Portland-based performance company which incorporates dance, theatre, music, voice and visual artistry. Hand2Mouth Theatre was founded in 2000 by Artistic Director Jonathan Walters, following his work with street theatre troupe Teatr Biuro Podrozy in Poland. Hand2Mouth has premiered 14 original works of theatre and has engaged in long-term international collaborations with groups such as Teatr Stacja Szamocin of Poland. Recently, Hand2Mouth has performed at the Northwest New Works Festival (Seattle), PICA’s Time Based Art Festival (Portland), and On the Boards (Seattle).
La Comedia Humana is a Mexico City-based company under the direction of Rubén Ortiz. A writer, actor, educator and theatre director, Ortiz serves as professor at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and the Working Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo; using methods of physical theatre he has created one-person and large ensemble shows which have toured internationally, including tours to New York City, Vienna, Prague, Madrid, Bilbao and Medellín, Colombia, as well as across Mexico. In the past few years, Ortiz has initiated site-specific work as well as ‘threshold’ theatre in collaboration with other artists and artistic disciplines for theatrical installations.
In addition to Walters and Ortiz, participants include performers Julie Hammond, Faith Helma, Erin Leddy and Jerry Tischleder from Hand2Mouth; performers Alejandro Benitez, Avelina Correa, Carlos Cruz Islas and Alam Sarmiento from La Comedia Humana; set designer Sibyl Wickersheimer and lighting designer Chris Kuhl.
 Photo Credit: Melissa Ortiz Masso
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