TA’YER AND THE PASADENA COMMUNITY JOB CENTER PRESENT “CHAMBEANDO (WORKING) PERFORMANCES”
Pasadena Community Job Center Performances
500 North Lake Ave (northeast corner of Villa and Lake)
Pasadena, CA 91101 (626) 440-0112 contact Luis Valentan
Saturday April 28 and Sunday 29; Saturday May 5 and Sunday 6, 2018 at 6 PM $12.00 Donation, no one turned away for lack of funds.
Frida Kahlo Theater
2332 W 4th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90057 (213) 382-8133 fridakahlo.org
May 11, 12, 13,18, 19 & 20 Fridays and Saturdays at 8PM, Sundays at 6PM
TA’YER and the Pasadena Community Job Center presents CHAMBEANDO (WORKING) an anthology of four short theater pieces that advocates for day laborer rights, their aspirations, and a communal spirit of play. This program intends to counteract a national anti-immigrant sentiment sponsored by the Trump administration. These theater pieces have evolved as a result of TA’YER’s artist-in-residence at the Pasadena Community Job Center. During the residence, TA’YER has tapped into the talents of day laborers, their life experiences and a genuine need for self-expression. Theater is an ideal art medium to explore the dynamics of identity, myth, and positive cultural expression. This is a collaborative project involving underserved residents of Pasadena City Council District 5, Pasadena Community Job Center patrons and clients, and the overall community of Pasadena.
Four theater pieces include: ROLAS Y VIDAS, CANCIONES Y RIMAS, a collective creation piece combining songs, personal testimonials, poems and popular rhymes performed by community participants who have taken part in the theater workshops conducted by TA’YER. GRUPO TA’YER has been delighted to find that music playing is an integral part of the daily living of day laborers. The “compas” (meaning comrade or buddy) have a need to sing each other to bond and keep their spirits up during the continuous struggle they face in a foreign rejecting social order. ROLAS is directed by Juan Parada and Moses Norton who have led the theater workshops. LA ATRAVESADA is a theatrical adaptation of a short story by Colombian writer Andres Caicedo. The piece follows the adventures of a young urban misfit. LA ATRAVESADA (THE WOMAN TRANSGRESSOR) is directed and performed by Isabel Treidl who has been collaborating with TA’YER in the last three years. EDDIE GUERRERO VS. LA PARCA by Mick Garcia and Fernando D. Castro and PAPI LUCHADOR by Fernando D. Castro are two pieces about wrestling/lucha libre, a popular Latino cultural phenomenon that encompasses identity, male roles, and personal myth. Pieces are performed by Mick Garcia and Hansel Ramirez under the direction of Moses Morton.
Workshops and presentations in Pasadena are made possible in part by a grant from the City of Pasadena Department of Cultural Affairs 17-18 Annual Grants Program, and the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. Presentations in Los Angeles at the Frida Kahlo Theater are made possible in part by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. We want to thank Luis Valentan at the Pasadena Community Job Center, and the offices of Pasadena District 5 Councilmember Victor Gordo.