Tum Tica: una historia de música y familia

 Entertainment   Mon, September 29, 2014 12:07 PM

Washington, D.C. – GALita, a program for the entire family, is proud to present the world premiere of Tum Tica: una historia de música y familia by Cecilia Cackley, with a new bilingual adaptation by Karin Tovar. Directed by Tom Mallan, Tum Tica will be presented from October 13 through October 25, 2014 at GALA Theatre, 3333 14th Street NW, Washington, DC 20010. The theater is located one block north of the Columbia Heights Metro station on the Green line. Parking is available at the Giant Food garage on Park Road, NW. 

When a grandfather and his U.S. born grandson travel to Colombia, they discover their family history and culture through music - a fusion of indigenous, Spanish and African rhythms that make up Latin American beats. Puppets of Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, and other famous Latin American musicians and singers enliven this entertaining voyage of discovery.

 

“The idea for Tum Tica,” states playwright Cecilia Cackley, “first came to me during the rehearsal process for Fabulas Mayas that GALA commissioned and produced last year.  There were several drums, maracas and other instruments in the rehearsal studio and during breaks we would play them to see what kind of music we could create. It occurred to me then that percussion and rhythm are a wonderful entry point to learn about different styles of Latin-American music. But, soon I realized that there was much more material than could be included in a play for young audiences, so I decided to focus primarily on South American sounds.”

 

“Alex,” the main character, continues Cackley, “is a child from a Latino family who doesn't really speak Spanish. He was partly inspired by my mother’s experience, whose grandparents were from Mexico but who didn't learn Spanish until she was in college. I am fascinated by the different ways families hold onto or let go of their language and culture. Some parents send their children to after-school language classes or immersion schools. Some don't have that option. Some kids have the opportunity to go back and visit family in their home countries. For others, that is impossible. Although this play is Alex's story, I hope that those who see the play will also see some of their own experiences in his adventures.  

“I have been thrilled” says director Tom Mallan, “to develop the script with Cecilia Cackley, and use the discovery of music as the key to help Alex,--at first struggling in a new language with little hope of understanding or being understood- figure out so much about the person he’s been and who he could become.”

 Tum Tica is a slice of life that captures the experiences so many of us have, whether as immigrants to a new country or ‘foreign’ visitors to our ancestral lands: feelings of isolation and dislocation combined with sudden bursts of recognition and belonging—the sense of being reduced to a child, no matter your age, when you ‘can’t speak the language,’ the re-discovery of universal languages: the language of family and, most importantly, the language of music.”

Student matinees for Tum Tica are scheduled on October 13 through October 17, and October 20 through October 23 at 10:30 am. Special performances for the general public will take place on Saturday, October 18 and Saturday, October at 3 pm. The duration of the show is approximately 60 minutes and the content is appropriate for the entire family, but in particular for children pre-K through 6th grade.   With the generous support of Target, Tum Tica will also tour to four public schools in the District of Columbia.

The production is made possible with the generous support of Target, the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs, the Inter-American Development Bank, and Bank of America.

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT AND PRODUCTION

Cecilia Cackley is a playwright and puppeteer based in Washington DC. Her play Fábulas Mayas was commissioned and produced by GALA in 2013 and later presented as part of the 2014 INTERSECTIONS Festival at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. Her puppet plays Coyote Places the Stars and Anansi's Appetite have been presented by Wit's End Puppets at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Cecilia is an affiliated teaching artist with The Theater Lab, Imagination Stage and Encore Stage & Studio. She is a company member at Young Playwright's Theater and has directed for three of their New Play Festivals. Upcoming projects include Saudade, a shadow puppet play as well as Malevolent Creatures, both with Wit's End Puppets. 

Tom Mallan has directed and taught theater and opera, much of it in bilingual adaptations, in Central and South America, Spain, and Washington DC. Local directing credits include Abduction from the Seraglio, Idomeneo, The Marriage of Figaro, and the upcoming Don Giovanni (In Series); Bottom’s Dream, ComedyA of Error(es)  (ETC); and Henry IV, Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Winter’s Tale, Entertaining Mr. Sloane  (Washington Shakespeare). He has taught theater across the U.S. for Wolf Trap, Washington National Opera, the Kennedy Center, and Educational Theatre Company, of which he is a founding member. He holds a M.Ed. in Gifted Education from the University of Virginia, and a Masters in Film Direction from the University of Barcelona, and currently teaches film, photography and theatre at H-B Woodlawn in Arlington, Virginia.  

Featured in the cast are Miguel Amaguaña and Roberto Colmenares, who are appearing with GALita for the first time.  Also in the cast are Carol Spring, who appeared in Fábulas Mayas last season; Jerry Daniels, who last appeared in El bosque de mis libros; and Karin Tovar, who appeared in Seneca: Ratón de biblioteca.

Scenic Design is by Elizabeth Jenkins McFadden, who designed sets for the Helen Hayes Awards nominated La casa de los espíritus at GALA. Light Design is by Joseph R. Walls, who designed Fábulas Mayas, Platero y yo and Las aventuras de Don Quijote de la Mancha for GALita. Costume Design is by Collin Ranney and Properties are by Alicia Tessari, who designed properties for Platero y yo. Neil McFadden is Sound Designer and Diana Sáez is Music Director.  Puppet Design is by Wit’s End Puppets and Artemis López is Stage Manager. Anna Bate is Production Manager and Hugo Medrano is Producer.

ABOUT GALITA AND WIT’S END PUPPETS

Since 1980, GALita has produced children’s theater by Hispanic playwrights in both Spanish and English that inspire a sense of joy, discovery, pride and identity in our community’s children. GALita has produced works by such prominent writers as Jorge Díaz from Chile, Néstor Hidalgo from Argentina, and Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra from Spain, among others.  GALita also has commissioned new works and adaptations based on classic Hispanic literature, presented international theater companies such as Teatro Gayumba from the Dominican Republic, produced several children’s film festivals, and collaborated with the Inter-American Development Bank and Kids Euro Festival on children’s programming. 

Wit's End Puppets is devoted to telling stories through puppetry by producing original work, creating puppets for local theater companies, and teaching educational workshops. Founded in 2011, Wit's End presented its first full length original piece, The Amazing and Marvelous Cabinets of Kismet, as part of CulturalDC's 2012/2013 Mead Theater Lab program at Flashpoint. Wit's End has performed the children's play Anansi's Appetite at public libraries and the Mount Pleasant Children's Puppet Hour, and created the shadow play Coyote Places the Stars for a special event at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Wit's End's team of collaborators includes Cecilia Cackley, Genna Davidson, Patricia Germann and Amy Kellett.

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets are $10 each for those under 18 years old, and $12 each for those over 18 years.  For more information call 202-234-7174 or visit www.galatheatre.org.

 

 

CONTACT:
Sarah Barrie Email : sarah@galatheatre.org
Phone : 202 234 7174
 
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