All the World SA Stage
The Debut of the International Theater Festival at San Antonio
By Robert Faires, Fri., Oct. 22, 1999
Such a notice might be standard fare in Berlin or New York City or maybe even Austin, but San Antonio? Our neighbor to the south is home to the Alamo, the Spurs, the Riverwalk, Red McCombs, not provocative interactive theatre. Is it? What's going on down there?
What's going on is the International Theater Festival@San Antonio, a new banquet of global performance organized by the Mexican Cultural Institute, the Alameda Theatre, and the city itself, and it's S.A.'s bid to become a major player on the world stage, so to speak. The Alamo City intends to prove that it has the amenities, the facilities, the cultural savvy, and the audience that host cities for other international arts festivals do.
And judging by the lineup for the first ITF@SA, they're making a good case for it. Over 10 days -- October 22-31 -- ITF@SA will showcase performances by 25 arts companies from 15 countries, ranging from the U.S. and Mexico to Italy, India, Croatia, Brazil, Argentina, Africa, Spain, Hungary, Greece, and Switzerland. Street theatre, folk dance, puppetry, poetry, chamber opera, children's theatre, and yes, provocative performance pieces will all be on view on stages across S.A.
The following schedule provides a teaser for almost every fest offering, and there should be something to intrigue almost every fan of the arts. Individual tickets are available for every offering (a number of the shows are free). A discount of 50% is available with the full series subscription (all 21 shows except Surcos de Oros). A discount of 20% is available with a five-ticket subscription; buyers may choose which shows and will receive reserved seating at each performance. Scheduling and ticket information may be obtained by calling 210/212-6771, 210/227-5473, or 210/227-0123, or hitting the ITF@SA Web site: http://www.itfatsa.org.
Friday 22
11am
Los Cingaros (Colombia) Teatro Taller de Colombia leads a circus-like parade through HemisFair to a park, where they present legends of gypsies through acrobatic dances on stilts. HemisFair. Free.
8pm
Eva La Yerbabuena (Spain) Flamenco from Eva Garrido -- la Yerbabuena -- the woman acclaimed as the best "flamenco cantaora in the world." Majestic Theatre. $10-30.
Saturday 23
1pm
The Kid Who Ran for President (USA) San Antonio's Magik Children's Theater presents this musical of a 12-year-old whose run for President leads Congress to amend the Constitution. (English) Magik Theater. $6-8.
7pm
Frankenstein (USA) San Antonio's Magik Children's Theater presents its adaptation of Mary Shelley's famous tale of scientific experimentation gone wrong. (English) Magik Theater. $6-8.
8pm
Eva La Yerbabuena (Spain) Flamenco from Eva Garrido -- la Yerbabuena -- the woman acclaimed as the best "flamenco cantaora in the world." Majestic Theatre. $10-30.
Chap Am So: The Amistad Victory (USA) John C. Thorpe's dramatic retelling of the incident that resulted in a group of enslaved Africans being returned to their homeland. (English) Carver Community Cultural Center. $15.
Faith, Hope, and Charity (USA) San Antonio's Charles Falcon Company explores the ways that memories and experiences guide human actions in three acts, each by a different playwright. (English) McCreless Hall, San Antonio College. $12.
10pm
The Man in the Green Suit (Mexico/France/USA) French writer Zaven Pare, Mexican director (and ITF@SA executive director Felipe Santander, and U.S. actor Pierce Bunting collaborate on a tale of power and money, politics and drugs. (English) Jump-Start Theater. $18.
Sunday 24
11am
Charreada (Mexico) A festival of horsemanship featuring riding, roping, branding, and herding, presented here by the San Antonio Charro Association. Lienzo del Charro. $10.
Los Cingaros (Colombia) Teatro Taller de Colombia leads a circus-like parade through HemisFair to a park, where they present legends of gypsies through acrobatic dances on stilts. HemisFair. Free.
3pm
Frankenstein (USA) San Antonio's Magik Children's Theater presents its adaptation of Mary Shelley's famous tale of scientific experimentation gone wrong. (English) Magik Theater. $6-8.
5pm
Faith, Hope, and Charity (USA) San Antonio's Charles Falcon Company explores the ways that memories and experiences guide human actions in three acts, each by a different playwright. (English) McCreless Hall, San Antonio College. $12.
8pm
Palpitation (Switzerland) A play without words from Theater Compagnie Markus Zohner. Empire Theater. $8-20.
10pm
The Man in the Green Suit (Mexico/France/USA) French writer Zaven Pare, Mexican director (and ITF@SA executive director) Felipe Santander, and U.S. actor Pierce Bunting collaborate on a tale of power and money, politics and drugs. (English) Jump-Start Theater. $18.
Monday 25
5pm
Ground Zero (Germany) Interactive theatre proponent Uwe Mengel stages this mystery starting with the lifeless body of a woman in a gallery window. Spectators learn more from four actors around the gallery. (English) Carter Building. Free.
8pm
Palpitation (Switzerland) A play without words from Theater Compagnie Markus Zohner. Empire Theater. $8-20.
Begovic Cabaret (Croatia) Teatar ITD, a company which draws some of Croatia's most talented young writers, offers an exploration of love and death, reality and fiction. (Multilingual) Carver Community Cultural Center. $25.
Les Ballets Africains (Africa) Famed ensemble from Africa performs Heritage, a tale of spirits, demons, and brave and honorable men and women spun in music, dance, and mime. Municipal Auditorium. $5-30.
Tuesday 26
9:30am
The Kid Who Ran for President (USA) San Antonio's Magik Children's Theater presents this musical of a 12-year-old whose run for President leads Congress to amend the Constitution. (English) Magik Theater. $6-8.
11:30am
The Kid Who Ran for President (USA) San Antonio's Magik Children's Theater presents this musical of a 12-year-old whose run for President leads Congress to amend the Constitution. (English) Magik Theater. $6-8.
1pm
Santos y Sueños/Saints and Dreams (USA) A mini-festival of work by three San Antonio writers: Jump-Start's Sterling Houston (the chamber opera Santa Negro), Magik Children's Theater's Richard Rosen (the operetta Benito's Magic Bottle), and 24th Street Theater's Rick Slocum (the eight-play collection Santuario de Milagros). (Bilingual) Magik Theater. $15.
3:30pm
Santos y Sueños/Saints and Dreams (USA) A mini-festival of work by three San Antonio writers: Jump-Start's Sterling Houston (the chamber opera Santa Negro), Magik Children's Theater's Richard Rosen (the operetta Benito's Magic Bottle), and 24th Street Theater's Rick Slocum (the eight-play collection Santuario de Milagros). (Bilingual) Magik Theater. $15.
5pm
Ground Zero (Germany) Interactive theatre proponent Uwe Mengel stages this mystery starting with the lifeless body of a woman in a gallery window. Spectators learn more from four actors around the gallery. (English) Carter Building. Free.
6pm
Santos y Sueños/Saints and Dreams (USA) A mini-festival of work by three San Antonio writers: Jump-Start's Sterling Houston (the chamber opera Santa Negro), Magik Children's Theater's Richard Rosen (the operetta Benito's Magic Bottle), and 24th Street Theater's Rick Slocum (the eight-play collection Santuario de Milagros). (Bilingual) Magik Theater. $15.
6:30pm
Georgie & the Noisy Ghost (USA) Paul Mesner Puppets of San Antonio adapts the Robert Bright children's book of gentle ghost Georgie and his encounter with a less-friendly spirit. Empire Theater. $10.
8pm
Begovic Cabaret (Croatia) Teatar ITD, a company which draws some of Croatia's most talented young writers, offers an exploration of love and death, reality and fiction. (Multilingual) Carver Community Cultural Center. $25.
10pm
Lagoon (Greece) Emmanuela Kapokaki combines acrobatics and puppetry to create a magical world of dreams and fantasy. (English) Jump-Start Theater. $18.
Wednesday 27
9:30am
The Kid Who Ran for President (USA) San Antonio's Magik Children's Theater presents this musical of a 12-year-old whose run for President leads Congress to amend the Constitution. (English) Magik Theater. $6-8.
11am
Angels in the Snow (USA) The Frank Williams Company of Bulverde presents a theatrical tale of environmentalism and peace through the saga of three couples separated by the Berlin Wall. (English) Arneson River Theater. Free.
11:30am
The Kid Who Ran for President (USA) San Antonio's Magik Children's Theater presents this musical of a 12-year-old whose run for President leads Congress to amend the Constitution. (English) Magik Theater. $6-8.
5pm
Ground Zero (Germany) Interactive theatre proponent Uwe Mengel stages this mystery starting with the lifeless body of a woman in a gallery window. Spectators learn more from four actors around the gallery. (English) Carter Building. Free.
6:30pm
Georgie & the Noisy Ghost (USA) Paul Mesner Puppets of San Antonio adapts the Robert Bright children's book of gentle ghost Georgie and his encounter with a less-friendly spirit. Empire Theater. $10.
8pm
Intensidad Mistica (Mexico) Poetry inspired by religion, featuring works by poets Pita Amor, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, Federico Garcia Lorca, Amado Nervo, Octavio Paz, and Miguel Unamuno, recited by Compañia de Sergio Lasso. (Bilingual) Southwest School of Art and Craft. $18.
10pm
Lagoon (Greece) Emmanuela Kapokaki combines acrobatics and puppetry to create a magical world of dreams and fantasy. (English) Jump-Start Theater. $18.
Thursday 28
9:30am
The Kid Who Ran for President (USA) San Antonio's Magik Children's Theater presents this musical of a 12-year-old whose run for President leads Congress to amend the Constitution. (English) Magik Theater. $6-8.
11am
Angels in the Snow (USA) The Frank Williams Company of Bulverde presents a theatrical tale of environmentalism and peace through the saga of three couples separated by the Berlin Wall. (English) Arneson River Theater. Free.
11:30am
The Kid Who Ran for President (USA) San Antonio's Magik Children's Theater presents this musical of a 12-year-old whose run for President leads Congress to amend the Constitution. (English) Magik Theater. $6-8.
5pm
Ground Zero (Germany) Interactive theatre proponent Uwe Mengel stages this mystery starting with the lifeless body of a woman in a gallery window. Spectators learn more from four actors around the gallery. (English) Carter Building. Free.
6:30pm
Georgie & the Noisy Ghost (USA) Paul Mesner Puppets of San Antonio adapts the Robert Bright children's book of gentle ghost Georgie and his encounter with a less-friendly spirit. Empire Theater. $10.
8pm
Intensidad Mistica (Mexico) Poetry inspired by religion, featuring works by poets Pita Amor, Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, Federico Garcia Lorca, Amado Nervo, Octavio Paz, and Miguel Unamuno, recited by Compañia de Sergio Lasso. (Bilingual) Southwest School of Art and Craft. $18.
Milonga Boulevard (Argentina) Buenos Aires' Neuva Compania Tangueros, featuring 10 of the finest tango masters in the world, use tango and ballet to spin a tale of romance set in Milonga Boulevard, Buenos Aires' most famous ballroom in the late Forties. Lila Cockrell Theater. $10-45.
Friday 29
9:30am
The Kid Who Ran for President (USA) San Antonio's Magik Children's Theater presents this musical of a 12-year-old whose run for President leads Congress to amend the Constitution. (English) Magik Theater. $6-8.
11am
Angels in the Snow (USA) The Frank Williams Company of Bulverde presents a theatrical tale of environmentalism and peace through the saga of three couples separated by the Berlin Wall. (English) Arneson River Theater. Free.
6:30pm
Georgie & the Noisy Ghost (USA) Paul Mesner Puppets of San Antonio adapts the Robert Bright children's book of gentle ghost Georgie and his encounter with a less-friendly spirit. Empire Theater. $10.
8pm
The Cherry Orchard (Hungary) Mozgó Ház Társulás (Moving House Theatre Company), a company of young artists from Budapest, offer their award-winning adaptation of Chekhov's classic, "a collection of our own memories, the beyond, as it were." (Multilingual) St. Philip College. $25.
Icaro (Italy) Teatro Sunil presents this comedy show about healing featuring a perky Swiss clown and a father-son team of Japanese butoh dancers. (English-Italian) Magik Theater. $18.
10pm
The Stronger (Mexico) Felipe Santander, executive director for ITF@SA, offers his version of Strindberg's play in which a man's wife and mistress -- both actresses -- confront each other in a bar. (English) Jump-Start Theater. $18.
Saturday 30
3pm
Alarmel Valli (India) A program of Bharata natyam, a classical dance of India, as performed by one of the world's finest practicioners of the form, one called "the essense of Dance itself." Carver Community Cultural Center. $20.
8pm
Surcos de Oro/Watered With Tears (USA) New play with music and dance that offers testament to the life and legacy of labor leader César Chavez through the lives of three farmworkers. (Bilingual) Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center. $6-8.
The Cherry Orchard (Hungary) Mozgó Ház Társulás (Moving House Theatre Company), a company of young artists from Budapest, offer their award-winning adaptation of Chekhov's classic, "a collection of our own memories, the beyond, as it were." (Multilingual) St. Philip College. $25.
Alarmel Valli (India) A program of Bharata natyam, a classical dance of India, as performed by one of the world's finest practicioners of the form, one called "the essense of Dance itself." Carver Community Cultural Center. $20.
Icaro (Italy) Teatro Sunil presents this comedy show about healing featuring a perky Swiss clown and a father-son team of Japanese butoh dancers. (English-Italian) Magik Theater. $18.
10pm
The Stronger (Mexico) Felipe Santander, executive director for ITF@SA, offers his version of Strindberg's play in which a man's wife and mistress -- both actresses -- confront each other in a bar. (Spanish) Jump-Start Theater. $18.
Sunday 31
2:30pm
Hansel & Gretel (USA) Engelbert Humperdinck's popular operatic version of the fairy tale performed by conductor David Mairs and the San Antonio Symphony, the Children's Chorus of San Antonio, the San Antonio Metropolitan Ballet, and six soloists. Majestic Theatre. $15.
3pm
Frankenstein (USA) San Antonio's Magik Children's Theater presents its adaptation of Mary Shelley's famous tale of scientific experimentation gone wrong. (English) Magik Theater. $6-8.
4pm
Surcos de Oro/Watered With Tears (USA) New play with music and dance that offers testament to the life and legacy of labor leader César Chavez through the lives of three farmworkers. (Bilingual) Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center. $6-8.
8pm
Romeo & Juliet (Brazil) Grupo Galpâo takes William Shakespeare's tale of romance to the streets in this vital and dynamic adaptation that incorporates modern music, pop culture, and a narrator who conducts the action. (Multilingual) Empire Theater. $10-30.
