3-act Spanish play brings culture to life

Local Spanish speakers -- from those with mediocre skills in the language to native speakers -- will have the opportunity this weekend to enjoy authentic Spanish-language theater.\nA group of Spanish-speaking actors and actresses will perform a three-act play at 8 p.m. today, Friday and Saturday at the John Waldron Arts Center Auditorium. \nThe play is presented by Grupo de Teatro VIDA, a theater group made up of students and community members, and the Bloomington Area Arts Council, according to a news release from the organizations. \nTickets cost $5 for general admission and are available online at www.bloomingtonarts.info or at the auditorium's door.\nThe appeal of Spanish-language theater had much to do with the strong cultural ties throughout Spain and Latin America, said Lillian Casillas, director of La Casa, IU's Latino Cultural Center.\n"(Theater in the original language) is an expression of culture," she said.\nThe play, titled "Trampa o Triunfo: El Engano en las Manos de una Mujer," translates to "Trick or Triumph: Deceit in a Woman's Hands."\nThe three acts, each directed by a different member of the theater group, will all be performed entirely in Spanish.\nThe first act, "El Viejo Celoso" ("The Old Jealous Man"), is directed by IU graduate student Marda Rose. The second act, "El Delantal Blanco" ("The White Apron"), is directed by Myron Ávila, a faculty member of the department of Spanish and Portuguese, and IU student Anita Park. The third act, "La Que Sigue" ("The Next in Line"), is directed by Carolyn Jackson. \n"I think we're offering something different," Rose, director of the first act, said of the program. "We haven't had theater in Spanish in a long time (in Bloomington). It's that idea of having something live -- for me, it brings Spanish to life." \nThere will be no subtitles throughout the performances due to time constraints, Rose said. But the directors will appear before their acts to give synopses of their stories so audience members, regardless of their Spanish-speaking abilities, can follow along. Rose said that this would be helpful not only to the attendees who do not know Spanish but to the students attending the play who are enrolled in beginning Spanish classes.\nRose said she thought the play would appeal to both native and non-native Spanish speakers as well as those who don't know the language.\nThe Hispanic or Latino population of Monroe County is around 2,294, or 2.13 percent of the total population, according to 2005 U.S. Census Bureau data, available at www.census.gov.\nBloomington's population of Hispanic or Latino people is about 1,981, or 3.6 percent of the city's population, according to the census. Data from 2000 shows that 1,888 people in Bloomington, or 2.8 percent of the population, said they spoke Spanish at home.\nAnd there were 849 Latino or Hispanic students who attended IU during the 2005-2006 term, according to the IU Factbook.\n"Seeing a play live in Spanish really brings the language to life," Rose said. "This is very different from reading a book"