by Abel Horwitz
Daily Lobo
For the last six years in the month of January, Albuquerque has been graced with experimental theater that breaks all boundaries and delights audiences with original performances.
This year, the Revolutions International Theater Festival celebrates Albuquerque's tricentennial with a wide variety of acts from all over the world.
"We live in a very diverse place," said Joe Perrachio, director of the festival. "We like to think of Albuquerque as sort of a crossroads of the world, a center of trade and transportation. There are so many cultures within Albuquerque, and we wanted to celebrate that."
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The festival is opening with two shows by Red Sky, an American-Indian theater company from Toronto.
"Though this is the 300th anniversary of the naming of Albuquerque, we wanted to pay tribute to the cultures that built this area that were here before us," Perrachio said. "It's an added cultural bonus that the performers are from Canada. We're excited for that fusion of ideas."
Red Sky will perform "Sun Spirits," which consists of two family shows titled "Raven Stole the Sun" and "Caribou Song." The shows feature beautiful costumes, live music and fascinating dances, all while telling traditional stories that have been passed down through the ages.
"Red Sky is about building world indigenous connections," said Sandra Laronde, director of the group, "I think there's a lot of stories out there floating around that don't really have any sustenance to them, kind of like fast-food stories - they really don't have anything that is going to stick with the audience. In North America we are hungry for stories with sustenance and staying power. People just delight in them. A 4- or 5-year-old can be totally immersed in our stories and so will an adult."
Perrachio, a UNM alumnus, sees the festival as a way to bring unique acts to Albuquerque.
"These are styles and shows that would otherwise not ever come here," he said. "We have particularly chosen these acts because of their styles of work. We watch videos and we ask, 'Have we ever seen anything like this in Albuquerque before? Have we seen this style of work but not by this particular culture before?'"
Personally, Perrachio is looking forward to Dan Guerrero's one-man show "Gaytino," because it is emblematic of the festival.
"Dan wrote a show about his life growing up in a traditional Mexican-American family," he said. "His father, Lalo Guerrero, is probably the most famous musician to come out of Mexico. This is the household that Dan grew up in. What's interesting about this show is that Dan is coming out with contemporary ideas about being an artist as well as being gay."
Guerrero has his own take on his show.ˇ
"Think of this show as you being at a party and I'm sitting in the living room telling stories about growing up in show business and other personal anecdotes about my life," he said. "It's storytelling."
The show deals with Guerrero's relationship with his father, ranging from funny to heartbreaking as Guerrero talks about growing up gay and Hispanic.
"This is not a show that will appeal to only a gay or Latin audience. It absolutely has universal appeal. It took me a while to embrace my culture, and people relate to this. The show really strikes a chord with audiences, and I'm thrilled."
Check out tricklock.com for additional performances and more information.
