El Teatro Campesino presents "Popol Vuh"

Three World-Premiere - Plays Adapted from Mayan Creation Stories



Centuries in the making, the summer's most exciting epic is not available in cinemas and must be experienced live.

El Teatro Campesino presents a unique live theater experience with an original three-part adaptation of "Popol Vuh," the sacred creation book of the Quiche Maya. This cycle of three World-Premiere plays bring to life the major narrative portions of the Mayan text in colorful spectacles of pageantry, puppets, original music, and costumed characters-staged with the style, humor, and flair that El Teatro Campesino has become known for worldwide in its 46-year history of inspiring social action and cultivating cultural celebration.

The first two shows in the cycle will be presented in July and August as FREE family-friendly shows outdoors in historic San Juan Bautista. The third part will be presented in September as a ticketed performance in the in the ETC Playhouse. Adventurous theatergoers can experience the entire three-part "Popol Vuh" cycle daily in back to back presentations over the course of Labor Day Week-end on September 3rd, 4th, and 5th.

The first part of the Popol Vuh cycle will be "Heart of Heaven." This tale of the creation of the world comes to life with large-scale puppetry, captivating masks, colorful pageantry, and dance as the Creator Gods make their attempts to create a being who will worship and revere them. The animals can't speak, the mud people can't walk, and the wood people have no hearts. The Creators must race the impending first dawn to find the right formula for humanity. "Heart of Heaven" will be performed trilingually in Spanish, English, and Quiche-the ancient Mayan language that embodies the oral tradition that has kept this story alive for centuries."Heart of Heaven" is a family-friendly show and will and be performed for free at the San Juan Soccer Field at 100 Nyland Drive in San Juan Bautista on July 23, 24, 30, 31 at 4pm, and Labor Day week-end, September 3, 4, 5 at 12pm.

Next up, ETC will present the second part of the "Popol Vuh" in a new production of "The Story of Seven Macaw." In the days between this world and the last, the arrogant Seven Macaw adorns himself with glimmering jewels and jade and claims to be a golden god and the light of the sun itself. His worshippers believe him too-until the creators of the world send the clever Hero Twins to humble Seven Macaw and show people the true way of reverence. "The Story of Seven Macaw" features lively original music, stunning costumes and scenery, humor, dance and a simple message that all can take to heart. Appropriate for all ages, "The Story of Seven Macaw" will be performed for free at the San Juan Soccer Field at 100 Nyland Drive in San Juan Bautista on Aug. 6, 7, 13, 14, at 4pm and Labor Day week-end, September 3, 4, 5 at 4pm.

In late summer, El Teatro Campesino presents the third and final installment of the "Popol Vuh" cycle with "The Magic Twins "which will be performed indoors at the ETC Playhouse. Set in contemporary times, darker and more provocative than the first two stories of the "Popol Vuh," "The Magic Twins" follows the tale of modern twin brothers, One Hun and Ix Swift as they journey into their subconscious and travel into a parallel ancestral Mayan existence. There, the twins must confront themselves and enter the underworld of Xibalba, where the dark lords of the realm oblige them to play a metaphorical ball game, with which they gain personal retribution and redemption. This contemporary adaptation of the Quiche Mayan myth will challenge and immerse audiences into a sensory, hybrid theatrical experience through the use of innovative puppetry, stirring soundscapes, and mesmerizing lighting by a team of award winning designers.

Note: "The Magic Twins" will not be suitable for children."The Magic Twins" will run as a ticketed performance at the ETC Playhouse at 705 Fourth Street in San Juan Bautista from Sept. 1 through the 5 at 8pm for labor Day week-end, and continuing September 8th through September 25th with performances Thursdays through Saturdays at 8pm, and Sundays 2pm. Ticket prices for "The Magic Twins" range from $12-20. Tickets are available online at www.elteatrocampesino.com or by calling the ETC Box Office (831)623-2444.

A team of talented and vibrant writers, performers, designers, puppeteers, choreographers and musicians are hard at work crafting what promises to be a spectacle of cosmic proportions. ETC's core creative and performing teams will be joined by a series of guest artists who specialize in puppet-making, costume, sound, and scenic design for an unprecedented and amazing theatrical treat that is not to be missed.

San Juan Bautista, the "City of History" and home of El Teatro Campesino for forty years, is the perfect place to experience this cosmic pageant. The picturesque village has a colorful history all its' own-as Native American settlement, Mission-town, old west stagecoach stop, and climactic setting of Alfred Hitchcock's classic 1959 suspense film "Vertigo." Today, visitors can come and soak in all the vestiges of the town's history by strolling the streets, shopping for antiques and treasures, and enjoying a meal at one of the town's excellent restaurants, providing a perfect opportunity to "come for the play and stay for the day."

Don't worry about 2012-El Teatro Campesino's adaptation of "Popol Vuh" invites you to instead celebrate the Mayan vision of the beginning of the world.

The development of "Popol Vuh" is made possible by a grant from the James Irvine Foundation with support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the California Arts Council.

More information is available at www.elteatrocampesino.com
High resolution photos and video trailers, are available at http://www.elteatrocampesino.com/News/sevenmacaw.html

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