DIGITAL PROGRAM

El Gran Fandango de La Muerte /

Death’s Grand Fandango

Written & Directed by

Javier Gomez

Presented by

California State University of Channel Islands

Performing Arts Department

Theatre and Performance Studies Program

Dance Studies Program

Inlakech Cultural Arts Center

WARNING:

Synthetic fog and strobe lights are used during this performance.

El Gran Fandango de La Muerte /

Death’s Grand Fandango

Act: Departure from Mictlan

Scene 1: The Procession of the Dead

Scene 2: El Baile de La Muerte/A Mayan Ritual Dance to the Sun

Scene 3: El Gran Fandango en el Mercado

Scene 4: Fiesta in Ultra Tumba

The show will be followed by a Q&A with the cast.

Cast of Characters

Widow - Leo Batista

Ce Acatl Topiltzin - Rae McQueen

Xochiquetzal / Michlancihuatl - Valeria Franco Brito

Folkorico / Aztec Dancer - Joselyn Arreola

Doña Hueso - Isa Steinbrunn Lopez

Camera Tech - Kaitlyn Michaels

Sugar Calavera Vendor - Angelina Villamil

Compa David - Juan D. Mendoza

Marinette Tech - Julio Alcala

Airport Announcer - Catherine Scott Burriss

Quinceñera - Brisa Monsecahua

Quinceñera Cholo Dancer - Jason Monsecahua

Quinceñera Cholo Dancer - Francisco Santos

Quinceñera Cholo Dancer - Eduardo Marquez

Quinceñera Cholo Dancer - Leo Marquez

Quinceñera Cholo Dancer - Bethany Fernandez

Quinceñera Cholo Dancer - Isabela Fernandez

Quinceñera Cholo Dancer - Carlos Santos

Quinceñera Cholo Dancer - Yoselin Santos

Behind the Scenes

Lighting and Sound - Carlos Hernandez and Moisés Garibay

Lead Make Up Artist - Kaitlyn Michaels

Promotional graphic design - Valeria Franco Brito

Lobby design - Leo Batista

Media Specialist - Julio Alcala

Instructor, Producer, Stage Manager - Dr. Catherine Burriss

Directors Notes

Today here at California State University Channel Islands, we are preserving and practicing one of Mexico’s oldest ancient cultural ceremonial celebration known as “Innca Miccailhuitl” best known through out the world as “El Dia de Los Muertos” or “The Day of the Dead.”

El Gran Fandango de La Muerte is a theatrical “Acto” performed in the style of Chicano theatre that reveals how we the living honor those who have passed away. For over 5000 years this Indigenous memorial ceremony has continued to survive and is still practiced throughout Las Americas.

Calaveras!!! Despiertense!!!

Skeletons!!! Wake up!!!

El gran dia ha llego para visitar a los vivos, donde ellos nos esperan. Ahorita ellos nos estan preparando nuestras ofrendas con mucha comida y chupe!

The grand day has arrived for the dead to visit the living, who are anxiously waiting for our arrival. Right now our living relatives are preparing special altars in their homes filled with lots of food and drink.

No lloren por mi mis amigos y parientes. Pronto llegare y bailemos un fandango o si no rezamos.

Don’t cry for me for me my dear ones. Soon enough I will arrive to dance a fandango or cry with joy.

Our ancestors are indebted to Dr. Catherine Burriss, CSUCI’s theatrical department, the theatrical production students for giving life to this manuscript, to the community heroes Julio Alcala and Juan De Dios Mendoza, and to the Inlakech Cultural Arts Center young students who danced onto a stage at a university.

Let us keep alive the memory of those who created us, who empowered us, who educated us, allowing us to see the impossible dream of the past, present and the future. Our Destiny.

Hasta La Muerte! Tlazocamahtli

Special Thanks and Acknowledgements

CSUCI

President Richard Yao

Provost Mitch Avila

School of Arts and Sciences

Dean Vandana Kohli

Lab Safety Officer Bryan Swig

Manager of Academic Resources Trina Darjecky

CSUCI Performing Arts Department:

Associate Professor of Dance Studies Heather Castillo, Chair

Associate Professor of Theatre Catherine Burriss, Theatre Advisor

Art & Performing Arts Program Analyst Erika Ayala

Art & Performing Arts Tech Ivan Grooms

Theatre & Performance Studies faculty:

Laura Covault, Hugo Carbajal, Cameron Harris, Juan Parada

Dance Studies Faculty:

Bonnie Lavin-Hughes, MiRi Park

Music Faculty:

Dr. Paul Murphy, Dr. KuanFen Liu

Craig Bickel, Diana Goodman, Steven Marsh, Ray McNamara, Malia Roberson

PA/ART 191-2A and 391-2A Advanced Production Students (Cast & Crew)

CSUCI Chicano Studies Department

Dr. Jose Alamillo, Dr. Jennie Luna,

Dr. Frank Barajas

CSUCI MECHA Club

Ventura County Community Artists:

Julio Alcala, Media Specialist

Juan De Dios Mendoza

Inlakech Cultural Arts Center:

Parents and Students

Carlos Hernandez Lighting and Sound

And a special Thank You to:

Elaine, Harper and the Burriss-Tse family

Mrs. G and all the Muertos

Meet the Cast and creative team

Julio Alcala is a multitalented Artist, film Director and writer, costume designer, teacher and over all hard worker. Since the beginning of this production he has been working on prepping a wall for a 50 foot long mural while still attending theater rehearsals in the evenings, where he is not only acting but helping inspire the University students and the youth who come from underserved communities such as Nyeland Acres. He assisted Mr Gomez in directing this teatro play by helping with directing, painting props, and assisting in painting the actors with his unique Calaca make-up designs. He also repurposed a marionette with the help of his mother, Blanca Alcala and brought it to life with his puppetry skills. Julio would like to thank all the parents and supporters of this play. Muchas Gracias. He would like to dedicate this Day of the Dead play to his grandparents and his ancestors. His next project will be a barrio Christmas special, which he will film with youth and actors he has helped train during this production.

Valeria Franco Brito is a Mexican-born local student from the city of Ventura who transferred to CSUCI in the Fall of 2021 from Ventura college. She's a double major in Studio Arts with an emphasis in Graphic Design/Video production and Performing Arts emphasis in Theater. She also has 2 minors in Communications and Business. Valeria has experience in stage management and has been involved in previous productions at her community college and at CSUCI's Arts Under the Stars 2023. Valeria is a passionate artist who puts her heart into everything she does, whether that is theater, graphic design, filmmaking, illustration, or dance just to name a few. Valeria is also part of the Student Research program, working side by side with Video Production professor Simon Quiroz for the development of a fully-immersive virtual reality simulator for the public. You will see Valeria's work on the studio arts gallery exhibitions or filming a school event or performing on stage or backstage. This is her first and last performance at CSUCI before she goes studying abroad at the University of Birmingham in the Spring 2024, where she will continue her education for theater and business courses. This event will be her last production as a CSUCI student because she will be graduating in Spring 2024. However, she will be back as CSUCI Alumni for more productions to come.

Juan D Mendoza Rosales, BFA University of Guanajuato.A self-taught musician, actor, painter and entertainer, his career in Fine Arts has been acknowledged by the arts and culture institutions in Guanajuato, Mexico and his artwork is part of the Colección Ashida (Mexico), the Luciano Benetton Imago Mundi Art Collection (Italy) and has been featured in museums and art galleries in The United States.
A prolific Theatre Director, Storytelling and Playwright, in 2000 he founded Espejoscopio Teatro at the age of 17 in Guanajuato, Mexico. Author of Monologos sobre un Altar de Muertos, a play that has been presented continuously from 2000 until today.

Javier gomez

Javier Gomez is the founder and artistic director of the Inlakech Cultural Arts Center, the Ventura County Multicultural Arts Council, Teatro Inlakech, El Instituto Inlakech, and for over 13 years he served as the artistic director of the Ballet Folklorico Regional. He founded Inlakech Cultural Arts Center in 1993 as an after school cultural enrichment program offering free cultural workshops in dance, music, visual arts, drama and other specialized art programs to the communities of Ventura County. He is a cultural arts advocate/activist promoting culture and equality among the arts; a leader in practicing nontraditional casting and cultural democracy in the arts. He is co-founder of Cafe Inlakech and also co-founder of the Annual Statewide Calif Aztlan Chicano/Latino Theatre Festival, showcasing Chicano and Latino Theatre companies since 1988.

Catherine Scott Burriss

Catherine Scott Burriss, Associate Professor of Performing Arts, Theatre, and Performance Studies, is honored to be a part of this delightful and important acto, supporting this wonderful, multi-talented collaboration among her students, Mr. G and his Inlakech students, and the community artists who bring so much to this show! Dr. Burriss has taught, studied, and created theater at Shakespeare Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz, the Montréal Fringe Festival, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Thick Description (San Francisco), New Langton Arts (San Francisco), UC Berkeley, Highways Performance Space (Santa Monica), Working Artists Ventura, and Namba Arts (Ventura). Her adventures in performance and pedagogy at CSU Channel Islands began with the Performing Arts Program’s inception in 2006, and she led the program to become an independent Performing Arts Department this year. Her research areas include gender and sexuality, early modern English and Italian theater, and contemporary performance. She holds a Ph.D. in Performance Studies, with a Designated Emphasis in Women, Gender, and Sexuality, from UC Berkeley. She is currently developing her next solo show, working title “Watchmen and Whiteness,” and is expecting final approval of the innovative curriculum redesign she led for a new Theatre and Performance Studies major at CI any day now.

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