McCallum Theatre Family Fun Day

By Moises Huerta 

McCallum Theatre Presents Fourth Annual Family Fun Day!

Our Crisalida Art Van was a very prominent feature this year at the McCallum Theatre Family Fun Day, a fundraising event for the McCallum Theatre with proceeds benefiting Theatre operations and arts education and outreach programs that McCallum provides to the community. 

Family Fun Day began at noon on October 18 in front of the McCallum Theatre. There were loads of fun activities for the entire family…including face painting, balloon pops, a silent auction with great prizes, hula hoops, food vendors, cotton candy, snow cones, popcorn, action figures, a clown, music and balloon animals.

I couldn't resist getting a picture of this awesome face painting job.

The party really got going when the Mariachis provided by Crisalida got there and performed from 1-2 pm.

 This is what I meant by prominent, right in front, with Oscar's Art displayed around the Art Van.

On a Family Fun Day it is only fitting to have a nice family photo.

I sat in that chair and gave away a lot of children's books. It was fun seeing the children's expressions as they picked out the books.

                The Mariachis looked sharp in their outfits and 
                    their music was a real hit with the crowd.

Another Crisalida job well done. Thank you McCallum Theatre!

“Tacos, Teardrops, and Tequila” NEW EAST VALLEY THEATRE LAUNCHES WITH A “TEN-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL ON SEPTEMBER 25 AND 26

 by David Gonzalez

NEW EAST VALLEY THEATRE LAUNCHES WITH A “TEN-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL" ON SEPTEMBER 25 AND 26 

at Coachella Valley Arts Center

Not long ago the idea for a local theatre company was a twinkling in the eye of Carlos Garcia, then there were active dreams, then brainstorming, planning, and last Spring the EVR launched with two new bi-lingual play readings.  And now the EVR is back with an exciting program of short new theatre pieces written by, directed, and acted largely by East Valley community members.

Playwright Laura Aranjo and EVR Artistic Director Carlos Garcia prepare scripts for auditions.

Hopefuls prepare their audition.

Carlos and David G - dueling, (actually collaborating) computers during a strategic planning session.

PRESS RELEASE

East Valley Rep, a new theatrical venture located in the eastern end of the Coachella Valley, will launch its first full production, “Tacos, Teardrops and Tequila,” a Ten-Minute Play Festival, on September 25 and 26 at 7pm at the Coachella Valley Art Center, 45140 Towne Street, Indio.

“Starting a new theatre company is a daunting adventure,” said artistic director Carlos Garcia. “So we recruited adventurous playwrights and actors seeking the challenge of staging a theatrical production of original works. The result is “Tacos, Teardrops and Tequila.”

Seven playwrights participated in playwrighting workshops in August creating seven ten-minute plays addressing issues such as abortion, mental illness, immigration, Alzheimer’s, funeral planning, veganism and homophobia. “Some are funny, some are sad, but all are entertaining and they demonstrate the talent of Coachella Valley residents,” said Garcia.

The writing workshops were supported in part by the Crisalida Arts Project, which is spearheaded by New York performer David Gonzalez in partnership with the McCallum Theatre and funded through a grant from the James Irvine Foundation. Mr. Gonzalez will be moderating a Questions and Answers session immediately following the performances. 

Tickets for the festival are $10 per person. It is recommended for mature audiences only. The material is not suitable for children. Please contact carlos@eastvalleyrep.com to make reservations or for more information about the program and/or the theatre company.

VISIT THE EVR @ https://www.facebook.com/evr.happenings

New video of Herrera event!

New video just published!

U.S. POET LAUREATE Juan Felipe Herrera comes to East Valley

Thank you Jorge Perezchica for doing a great job.

Live Mariachis at Galilee Center

By Moises Huerta

The Galilee Center in Mecca was a happening place this Thursday June 16. It was our first time to experience the talent of the Paul Lomeli Mariachi Group. As you can imagine the music inspired lots of Mexican emotion and lots of pride. It is not easy to ignore the desert heat but after a while it was all about the music.

It is our pleasure to have Paul Lomeli and his mariachis become part of our effort to spotlight the East Valley and all the talent that has too long gone ignored. Paul and some of his group are recent graduates and they seem to have a grasp on the value of being bilingual and bi-cultural. It is reflected in their excellent mariachi performance.

Here are some images of the day we had at the Galilee Center.

These guys killed it!
Puro orgullo Mexicano...

Completa la oracion:   Antes de morir, quisiera... Quiero que me recuerden por...  La leccion mas importante de mi vida es...

 Oscar making the sentence completion post-it boards. Dude is a total artist even when he prints letters.

(Below) Our photographer Jorge Perezchica moving in for the right shot.

Crisalida Is On The Move!

By Moises Huerta

Lots going on!
The big theme this week is Live Mariachi Music. Paul Lomeli's Mariachi group will be providing the ambience for most of our coming events.
Thursday is a big day. Crisalida will be at the Galilee Center in Mecca providing Live Mariachi music from 3:30-4:30 right before the food distribution. That evening our own Maria Galaviz will begin a new poetry workshop in Spanish in Indio at the Coachella Valley Art Center which will run from 5:00-8:00 pm.
The Crisalida Art Van will soon be visiting the Indio Senior Center and also Martha's Village in Indio. I had the honor of meeting Felicitas Lugo of ISC and Elena Rosenthal of Martha's Village. Plans are set for Crisalida to be at the Senior Center July 30th to celebrate all July birthdays. We will be providing Live Mariachi music for this event.
Plans are also in the works for Crisalida to come to Martha's Village, provide Live Mariachi music, and set up the Art Van for the residents and visitors to enjoy. We were received with much enthusiasm and we hope to incorporate other events as well at both locations. We hope this is just the beginning of another East Valley collaborative effort.
Thank you for all the likes on Facebook and for being a part of a growing East Valley movement.

Rolling in the East Valley

Unrelated to the events but I love this picture

Desert Sun Article on the Herrera event

http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/2015/06/22/juan-felipe-herrera-poet-laureate/29115161/