Documentary Performance Work About Mexican Border Town at MASS MoCA

Scene from 'Juárez: A Documentary Mythology'

Scene from ‘Juárez: A Documentary Mythology’

(NORTH ADAMS, Mass.) — Theater Mitu’s multimedia performance work “Juárez: A Documentary Mythology,” which explores the juxtaposition of neighboring border communities of Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas — one a hot zone of the drug cartel wars, the other the self-proclaimed “Safest Large City in America” – will be staged at MASS MoCA on Saturday, December 3, at 8pm.

Led by Juárez-born and -raised founding artistic director Rubén Polendo, Theater Mitu’s company members condensed hundreds of hours of interviews and field recordings from both cities. Drawing on their research, “Juárez: A Documentary Mythology” illuminates the region’s memories, hopes, and fears.

Based on the disparate lifestyles of “murder capital of the world” Juárez, Mexico, and its neighboring town on the U.S. and Mexico border, El Paso, Texas, Theater Mitu has developed a piece that draws upon the communities’ “memories from the past, both recent and distant, and hopes for the future, near and far.” Incorporating real citizens’ interviews on audio and video, “Juárez” creates a multimedia environment engrossed in the authentic issues and emotions of these border towns. As its story unfolds, “Juárez” confronts hardship and struggle directly, ultimately turning the tides and leaving the viewer with cautious optimism.

The New York-based theater company, Theater Mitu, commits to creating, developing, and presenting a theatrical work that “transliterates a wide variety of performance traditions,” incorporating installation, projection, music, movement, and documentary elements into its theater productions. Driven by a concept it calls “whole theater,” Theater Mitu presents experiences that are “rigorously visual, aural, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual all in the same moment.” The company’s work has been recognized by the Sundance Institute, among others, and the MASS MoCA staging follows a two-week run of shows at the Los Angeles Theatre Center in California.

Scene from 'Juárez: A Documentary Mythology'

Scene from ‘Juárez: A Documentary Mythology’

Lickety Split, MASS MoCA’s café, serves up crisp salads, hearty soups, and lip-smacking pub fare. A full bar serves Bright Ideas Brewing beers and Berkshire Mountain Distillery spirits. Tickets are $5 for members and students, $12 advance, $18 day of, and $24 preferred. Tickets for all events are available through the MASS MoCA box office located on Marshall Street in North Adams, open 11am to 5pm every day except Tuesdays. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during box office hours or purchased online at massmoca.org.

About MASS MoCA

MASS MoCA is one of the world’s liveliest (and largest) centers for making, showing, and enjoying today’s most important art, music, dance, theater, film, and video.

Gallery admission is $18 for adults, $16 for veterans and seniors, $12 for students, $8 for children 6 to 16, and free for children 5 and under. Members are admitted free year-round. The Hall Art Foundation’s Anselm Kiefer exhibition is open seasonally, spring – fall. For additional information, call 413.662.2111 x1 or visit MASS MoCA.

Hours: 11am to 5pm, closed Tuesdays

 

 

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