(11/05/13 2:27am)
John Valadez wants to change the way you see the iconic
titles “War & Peace” and “Pride & Prejudice.”
Instead of seeing classic novels, he saw an opportunity to name his two films based on Chicano and Latino-American culture after them.
ASU’s Comparative Border Studies research initiative within the School of Transborder Studies is bringing Valadez and his films to Arizona for two screenings — one on Tuesday, Nov. 5, at the Tempe campus, and another at the Phoenix Art Museum on Nov. 6. Tuesday, students and members of the community will gather in the Marston Exploration Theater to view Valadez's “Pride & Prejudice.”
Elizabeth Cantu, Executive Coordinator of the Comparative Border Studies initiative, said this year’s director and film screenings will be an unparalleled experience for students and people wishing to explore Latino and Chicano issues throughout U.S. history.
“This year the films feature two specific time periods,” Cantu said.
Valadez’s adaptation of “Pride & Prejudice” is all about the “creation of the Chicano movement in America,” Cantu said. This film focuses on the 1960s and 1970s in the U.S. and the struggle for equal rights and treatment for Chicanos during those years.
"War & Peace" will be screened on Wednesday at the Phoenix Art Museum, followed by a discussion session with Valadez. This documentary focuses on the World War II period and the important, but often overlooked, role Latino Americans played. The director of the Comparative Border Studies Program, Matthew Garcia, is grateful to have a film such as "War & Peace" screened in the Phoenix area, as it busts the myth that Chicanos and Latino Americans played a minor role in WWII.Garcia expressed his feelings about screening the films at ASU as well as at the Phoenix Art Museum."We are proud to host this major filmmaker in the Valley," Garcia said.Cantu spoke of the “social fabric” these groups held together and were a part of during these times. “They have always been there,” she said of Latino and Latino Americans throughout history.
The Comparative Border Studies Program has a mission of exploring and explaining border issues through various mediums. From the arts to lectures and interviews, this program within the School of Transborder Studies aims to expand knowledge of the "geopolitical and cultural borders.”
Cantu expressed that she hopes that when audiences see these films, they will gain “a deeper, layered understanding” of the border issues affecting the Arizona population today.
Although these films are primarily focused on the history of these ethnic groups, the relevance continues to hold true today. After watching the documentaries, Valadez will answer questions and discuss the content with the audience. Cantu stated that she believes the post film discussions will be able to focus on the way the past and the present correlate.
“We encourage all audiences to come and see the films and engage in the dialogue. Maybe they’ll learn something,” Cantu said.Reach the reporter at sjochoa@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @SenoritaSyd
(10/01/13 4:00pm)
That spooky feeling Halloween brings can last all month long with Arizona Curriculum Theater’s performances of Edgar Allen Poe’s eerie poems and prose at the Hotel San Carlos in downtown Phoenix.
Beginning on Oct. 4 through Oct. 26, every Friday and Saturday Arizona Curriculum Theater, will have actors presenting Poe’s works in the Ghost Lounge at the Hotel San Carlos with their annual PoeFest event. On Halloween day, ACT will hold recurring performance readings of Poe’s “The Raven,” throughout the night at The Rosson House Museum instead of the Hotel San Carlos. The Rosson House museum is a Victorian-style mansion on Seventh Street and Monroe, and is the perfect place to listen to Poe’s classic frightening poem.
PoeFest is five years old this year, and James Porter, founder of ACT, is excited as ever for Halloween night as well.
“Poe's works enable readers to explore the darkest recesses of their psyche in the relative safety of classical literature," Porter said. "The themes Poe explores, from alcoholism to mental illness, to the death of a loved one, are universal. And, of course, what better time of year than October to visit the dark side?”
According to their website, ACT's mission is “to use the power of the arts to promote literacy, engage students, and make education more fun and accessible.”
“We teach fractions and ratios through music," Porter said. "We teach physics through dance. We teach history through re-enactments. We teach literacy through interactive storytelling.”
Porter iterated that “every cent” of the money earned from PoeFest is put towards the goal of their mission, part of which is being able to offer free curriculum-based performances for Title I schools.
Jim Coates, a member of ACT, as well a performer in this year’s PoeFest, explained that Poe is not the only author they focus on. When it is not ghost story season, ACT attends schools, libraries and other educational institutions to put on interactive shows about big names in literature and history.
“We perform in schools year-round, we have a dozen different authors we present, and we brainstorm new ones constantly,” Coates said.
A group of actors will perform stories by Poe such as “Annabel Lee” and “The Cask of Amontillado.” Coates has surprises in store for the audience members who plan on seeing his take on “Amontillado,” which he has been performing for the entire five years of PoeFest.
“Each year, James Porter specifically stimulates me to seek new discoveries to keep my performances fresh, visceral and in-the-moment,” Coates said. Unfortunately, he revealed that he will not disclose the “fresh” aspects of his show.
It could be Porter’s artistic direction, in addition to the skill of the actors, that makes PoeFest so popular.
“This year, we expect over 1,000 people to experience our stage adaptations of Poe's works,” Porter said. He expects the event to continue to grow, seeing as they sell out nearly every year.
However, though Porter and his troupe are talented indeed, Poe’s stories are a big part of what keep people and the actors returning to the fall event.
“Although he wrote in a more classical style than modern readers are accustomed to, his works have really stood the test of time," Porter said. "They are as scary today as they were to the readers who first experienced them in the mid-19th century."
From a performer’s perspective, Coates enjoys Poe as a descriptive author as well.“As an actor, I prefer authors with such a superior command of communication," Coates said. "They put the black letters down on the page, and I just love to lift them back up off the page and to breathe life into them again and anew." Although Halloween night is a scary thrill for the audience members, Porter admitted that “The Tell-Tale Heart” is his favorite performance. He especially admires this one. “It is masterful story-telling. … Everything we perform, he wrote,” Porter said.
PoeFest begins on Friday, Oct. 4 and runs through Oct. 26, with the final performance on Halloween night. Ticket information and directions to the event are available on the PoeFest website.Reach the reporter at sjochoa@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter at @SenoritaSyd