Central City Opera Presents En Mis Palabras (In My Own Words), A Bilingual One-act Opera for Family Audiences, at Su Teatro at the Denver Civic Theater

Central City Opera Presents En Mis Palabras

(In My Own Words), A Bilingual One-act Opera

 for Family Audiences, at Su Teatro at the Denver Civic Theater

Denver, Colo. – Central City Opera will present a performance of its one-act bilingual opera, En Mis Palabras (In My Own Words), on Saturday, July 10 at 3:00 p.m. The performance, observing the Biennial of Americas month-long celebration, will take place at Su Teatro at the Denver Civic Theater, 721 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, Colorado 80216.



En Mis Palabras was commissioned by Central City Opera to be performed for family and student audiences. The opera weaves Spanish and English throughout and is easily understood by native speakers of either language through clever use of lyrics and staging. En Mis Palabras utilizes four singers, piano and guitar to tell the story of a teenage Latina’s journey into adulthood through her relationships with her father, brother and grandmother. The piece is warm and hopeful, with Latin-inspired music. It’s a classic story that every individual, no matter what his or her cultural background, can relate to.

Saturday’s performance will be followed by a talkback with En Mis Palabras’ composer Roger Ames, director Anthony J. Garcia and Central City Opera’s Deborah Morrow Audience members will be able to ask questions and discuss the opera with its creative team.

Pulitzer Prize nominated composer Roger Ames is known for his operas, musicals and choral pieces including The End of Forever, an opera he composed about the Native American experience in Indiana; and the choral piece In Memoriam, Warsaw 1943, which deals with the subject of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising in 1943. En Mis Palabras librettist Jeffrey Gilden has had a number of stories and essays published and won awards in several screenwriting competitions for his first screenplay, Red Lantern. Having previously worked for Nickelodeon, he now specializes in teaching high school students an alternative playwriting course called Stages which guides them through the collaborative writing and production of full-length musicals.

Anthony J. Garcia, Executive Artistic Director of Denver’s Latino theater company, Su Teatro, has provided the staging for this production. Garcia has been with Su Teatro since 1974 and serves as resident playwright for the company. He is also an instructor in Chicano Studies at the Metropolitan State College of Denver. Sets and props were designed by Michael Gorgan with costumes by Wanda Price.

 “We are honored to return to Su Teatro to perform this heartfelt opera about family dynamics.  We are especially happy that both Tony Garcia, director, and Roger Ames, composer will be in attendance to answer questions and discuss how the opera was conceived and realized,” comments Central City Opera Director of Education and Community Programs, Deborah Morrow.

The 2010 Biennial of the Americas is an international event celebrating the culture, ideas and people of the Western Hemisphere, hosted by the City of Denver. Throughout the month of July, Denver will welcome national and international visitors for a cross-cultural experience bridging and unifying the artistic, intellectual and political progress of the hemisphere's 35 nations. For more information on this celebration, visit www.biennialoftheamericas.org.

Tickets can be purchased at $10 for children/$15 for adults. For more information or to purchase tickets to En Mis Palabras, visit www.centralcityopera.org or call 303-292-6700.

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Celebrating its 78^th year, Central City Opera is the nation’s fifth-oldest opera company, located just 35 miles west of Denver in one of Colorado’s official National Landmark Historic Districts. The company continues to present artistically excellent professional opera; to offer career-entry training to young singers; to produce education and community service programs; and to preserve and maintain the Opera House and 30 other Victorian-era properties. The 2010 Opera Festival runs June 26 to Aug. 8 featuring Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini, the tragic tale of one woman betrayed by love and her ultimate sacrifice; Offenbach’s whimsical operetta based on Greek mythology, Orpheus in the Underworld, featuring the famous “Can-can” dance; and Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers, a modern chamber opera about the struggles of a famous actress and her two adult children. Tickets start at just $38. Call 303-292-6700 or visit www.centralcityopera.org.

EN MIS PALABRAS

(IN MY OWN WORDS)

Music by Roger Ames

Libretto by Jeffrey Gilden

Cast

Ana Maria                     Teresa Davis

Abuela                          Leslie Remmert Soich

Esteban                        Steven Taylor

Rodolfo                         Adam Sattley

Piano                            Deborah Schmit-Lobis

Guitar                           David VanderHamm