Finally, the Valley has some theatrical entertainment that's hotter than the weather, but forget the suit and tie - this isn't Masterpiece Theatre.
Teatro Caliente (that's "hot theatre" for you non-Spanish speakers) is a two-day festival that features ethnically diverse performances in theater, performance art, installation art, cyber-art, dance and music.
The festival is the brainchild of Chris Danowski, director of the group "Theatre In My Basement" and the artistic director of the show.
"I noticed that the work displayed on stage was very 'white' and wanted to show people that there were other factors that made up the American identity that were much larger than what was represented on stage," Danowski says.
Among the wide variety of artists, there will be group and solo performances over the two-day festival that will be held Oct. 24-25 at Modified Arts in downtown Phoenix. "Chris does some great work and we are really excited to be hosting the show," says Leslie Barton, the manager of Modified Arts.
Being able to put together a show that features "under-the-radar" work has been a dream of Danowski. Much of his multicultural outlook stems from his extensive travels across and outside of the country, having lived and experienced theater everywhere from Minneapolis to Mexico. It was during his formative years growing up in Arizona that Danowski witnessed the dividing lines among different racial groups, but after being out of the state for many years, he was happy to come home to a place that seemed to have changed its mindset.
"What's interesting about Arizona is that it is kind of a training ground for actors who want to eventually move on to L.A. or New York," Danowski says. The festival will serve as a platform for performers who are looking to present their cultural mix and artistic innovation center stage.
Along with his wife, Tamara Underiner, who teaches in the theater department at ASU, he derived many ideas for his festival from Chiapas and Yucatan, Mexico. It was there that he had a first-hand history lesson of the Mayan Indian culture and the Zapatista Movement. Danowski, who has a Polish and Irish background, was strongly drawn to and influenced by Latino culture and art.
Danowski's 'supporting actor,' James Garcia, also serves as executive producer. "I thought I would work on this project next year, but it was James who really pushed me to do it so soon," Danowski says.
Garcia was a journalist for 18 years until last year when he enrolled in the MFA program at ASU, where he met Danowski. Garcia saw it was necessary that Danowski do the pilot version of Teatro soon.
"I saw that Chris had much bigger aspirations, and I felt that it was time to take this big step and see who in the Arizona area fit these roles," he says.
To his own credit, Garcia felt his journalism background provided a stable foundation and felt that it helped him perfect the craft of writing. His diverse themes stem from his days of covering stories on underrepresented communities. Like Danowski, he also took inspiration from the Mayan culture.
"History is rooted in journalism," he says.
He wrote a 1-act play for Herberger's lunchtime theater and focused on plays that were multicultural or Latino-themed.
Garcia's next project is Hamlet with a twist - it will be set in the 1980s in El Salvador during the civil war.
"You will not see mainstream theater at the festival - everything from the subject matter on various ethnic groups to the length of the pieces are nontraditional and, hopefully, refreshing to the audience," Garcia says.
As for the show, Danowski says he hopes that the two-day spectacle will eventually become a five-day festival. Danowski says, "The idea was always to do something that would highlight the identity of Phoenix, Tempe and the surrounding cities."
Reach the reporter at rekha.muddaraj@asu.edu.
