In a small Colombian village, Polonio Castro, a poor coffee farmer, is hooked on telenovelas (Latin American soap operas) when civil war and daily lottery losses force him to flee to the big city. Sound familiar? This is just one of the few Latino shows the 2010 Philadelphia Live Arts Festival & Philly Fringe is offering its attendees. The festival is an internationally recognized presenter of performing arts and also supports the work of a broad array of performing artists from Philadelphia and around the world by producing two concurrent sixteen-day festivals each September in venues throughout Philadelphia. The 14th annual Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe will take place from September 3 -18, 2010.
This year, two Latino performances grace the stage: Lucidity Suitcase Intercontinental’s ¡EL CONQUISTADOR! at the Suzanne Roberts Theatre, September 9-11, and BoánDanz Action Company’s Decadere at the Live Arts Studio, September 15-18. Suzanne Roberts Theatre, Broad & Lombard Streets; Live Arts Studio, 919 N. 5th Street; (215) 413-1318. More info on the two acts:
- ¡EL CONQUISTADOR! - What does a Colombian man dream of? Becoming a soap-opera star? Things turn ugly when our star ends up becoming a doorman at an apartment complex. His daydreams are interrupted by the relentless demands of the building's eccentric residents via a video intercom system—an intricate back-and-forth between live actor (Thaddeus Phillips as Polonio) and filmed actors (actual Latin American soap opera stars).
- Decadere - Four characters of different cultures try to survive in a devastated space surrounded by video cameras, microphones and fast food residues. They are trying to recreate the routines of their former lives—their work, their culture, their food, their speech, their dancing. They are being watched. Mixing contemporary dance, salsa, disco, eethoven, pedestrian actions, masks, real-time video, real-time processed sound, speech, and pop music from Latin America and the US, Decadere takes its dancers through a whirlwind interdisciplinary performance.
In addition to these two shows, Armando Batista presents M.A.C.H.O? Are you MAN enough? Are you WOMAN enough? Bound to be a very interesting one-man show, M.A.C.H.O. asks what does it mean to be a Latin man in America? Come see The Fool as he discovers the many faces of machismo. This is a show where audience is as much a subject as the performer—like a mirror. The show will be presented on September 11th at 2:00pm and 7:00pm at the Norris Square Presbyterian Church.
Whether you're looking to expand your artistic adventures or supporting a friend. The Philly Fringe festival should most certainly be added to your things to do. Some of the shows during the festival are also first-time presenters in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Live Arts and Philly Fringe Festival runs from September 3 – 18, 2010. Tickets for most shows cost between $10 and $30. Some shows are free. Ticket buyers who purchase tickets to multiple shows can save 20% when they buy tickets to 2 or more shows. Students and Festival goers 25 and younger pay $15 for Live Arts Festival tickets and receive $5 off Philly Fringe tickets which are priced above $10.
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