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Mixed Blood Theatre brings Minnecanos, its acclaimed Chicano touring production, to Central Lakes College for a performance from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7 in the Chalberg Theatre, Brainerd campus.
The performance is co-sponsored by the Resource Center for Global Connections and the Office of Diversity and Equity at CLC.
Minnecanos spans four generations and the entire 20th Century in its spirited illumination of Mexican American history. It begins at the Minneapolis home Diego Morales has owned for more than 40 years. Encouraged by the bemused ghost of his loving wife, the old man uses the contents of an ancient trunk to ignite his great-granddaughter’s interest in their rich cultural heritage.
Such milestones as El Rencanche (the train shuttle that brought laborers from the Southwest to Minnesota’s sugar beet fields), the mass deportations of the Great Depression, and the Cesar Chavez-led farm workers’ movement are highlighted in this captivating 45 minute performance.
Brimming with energetic corridos (story-songs), a refreshing optimism, and more than a little humor, this is a buoyant celebration of the accomplishments, character, and aspirations of Latinos in Minnesota and across the country.
Minnecanos was written for Mixed Blood by Thomas Benitez and Joe Minjares. The cast includes returning veterans Pedro Bayón as Diego and Lisa Suarez as both his grand-daughter and the ghost of his wife. They are joined by Thallis Santesteban, who has toured in Mixed Blood’s Theory of Mind, as the great-granddaughter. The show is directed by Raúl Ramos.
Minnecanos is one of four culturally-specific productions toured this season by Mixed Blood Theatre, a Minneapolis-based multicultural theatre company founded in 1976. The others include Dr. King’s Dream, a biography of Dr. Martin Luther King; Daughters of Africa, a music-driven history of African American women; and the afore-mentioned Theory of Mind, about a young man on the autism spectrum.
For more information on this event, contact Tracey Kloeckl-Jiménez at 218-855-8183.
