Teatro Paraguas presents the 6th Annual El Día de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead) community celebration with an exciting line-up of live music, staged cuentos (folk-tales), a medley of songs, local dancers, poetry, and a short original comedy.

Two cuentos will be performed, the first directed by JoJo Sena de Tarnoff, entitled "Wait a Minute” (bilingual) by Yuyi Morales, adapted by Paola Martini, featuring the kids of TP's children's program; and the second, “Dona Sebastiana,” featuring Paola Martini, Juliet Salazar, Carlos de la Torre, Armando Hernandez, Cristina Vigil, Emilia Martini, and Josephine Tincher, directed by Argos MacCallum. Armando Hernandez has written a short skit to be performed by TP's Young Adult Ensemble.

An altar to honor los antepasados, those who came before, will be set up in TP's Second Space, and the public is invited to add mementos and photographs to honor their own relatives.

Israel Haros Lopez's poetry & paintings will be featured at the celebration, and Carla Trinidad will offer calavera face painting to all ages. On Sunday, La Muerta Blanca (Lisa Pelletier) will offer short readings. Refreshments will also be served in the Second Space.

The Teatro Paraguas Orchestra will perform a medley of songs, including Skeleton, Chumbala, Cumbia de los Muertos, El Muerto Vivo, La Santa Cecilia, La Llorona, and Tumpas por Aqui.

Xochitl Ehrl has gathered some impressive dancers for the celebration: The Aztec Dancers will open the ceremony; Dancer Lupita Salazar of Espanola will lead the TP Youth Ensemble in a modern and hip hop dance fusion; and La Negra Tiene Tumbao will be performed with lead dancer, Juana Maria Nava of the Dominican Republic, featuring TP's Adult Ensemble.

At 5:00 pm on Sunday, after the “kid friendly” celebration, Teatro Paraguas will present a staged reading of Volver Volver Volver, a play by New Mexico playwright Leonard Madrid. A young man who led a fast and reckless life is called back from the dead by an unknown bruja in Portales, and finds the inner peace which eluded him in life.

Originally from Portales, Leonard Madrid is a playwright, director and actor who has studied theatre at Eastern new Mexico University and dramatic writing at UNM. He taught theatre at Central New Mexico Community College and in the Albuquerque Public Schools. He is a member of Blackout Theatre in Albuquerque.

The reading is part of Teatro Paraguas’ 6th annual El Día de los Muertos community celebration, and admission is by free will donation at the door; your donation goes to keep the theatre doors open, and all donations are gratefully accepted!

Contact: Argos MacCallum <teatroparaguas@gmail.com> 505-424-1601