Searching for Aztlán

Milagro Theatre, 525 SE Stark St. presents the world premiere of Searching for Aztlán, a modern tale rooted in the 50-year-old Chicano movement.

The story takes place in January 2012 and the Tucson school board has just accepted a preposterous new bill, HB 2281 (not a fictitious bill), shutting down Mexican American Studies and removing its books from classrooms.

As if in answer, a giant dust storm, or “haboob,” strikes the city and leaves teacher Dolores Huelga unemployed and in an alternate reality. Lost in the desert, Dolores sets out on a quest for the mythical city of Aztlán.

photo by Silvia Malán-González
photo by Silvia Malán-González

She encounters a “quirky High-Spanic”, a militant Super-Chicano, and a working class Latina Immigrant – all dispossessed exiles – with whom she joins forces to fight for truth, justice, and the “indigenous way”.

A biting, satirical journey, Searching for Aztlán takes the audience on a metaphorical yellow brick road of discovery about what it means to be Chicano in contemporary society. The play was written and directed by Lakin Valdez, son of the multifaceted artist Luis Valdez, the iconic founder of El Teatro Campesino and an integral partner of Cesar Chavez’s organizing efforts and the United Farm Workers movement.

The play runs Jan 8 – 17, Thursdays to Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2 pm

Tickets start at $24 with discounts for students, seniors, veterans and groups 15+, available at www.milagro.org or the box office at 503.236.7253.

 

Searching for Aztlán

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