Teatro Paraguas to Present 'WORD OVER ALL'

Teatro Paraguas presents Word Over All: Walt Whitman and Pablo Neruda, a celebration of the poetry and prose of two of the Americas' most beloved poets, opening on August 13, 2015 for four performances at Teatro Paraguas Studio in Santa Fe. Teatro Paraguas originally presented Word Over All in for two weekends in January 2015 as part of the ongoing ¡Poesía Viva! poetry performance series. The production was presented again for one weekend in April 2015 due to popular demand,.

Whitman and Neruda never met (Neruda was born twelve years after Whitman's death), yet Whitman had a profound influence on Neruda, and there is a strong kinship between their work. Both poets can be by turns personal and political, tender and biting, carnal and ethereal. Both poets celebrate our common humanity, and seek to uplift those traditionally neglected by society.

Word Over All will present the work of Whitman and Neruda without any additional narration, as we seek to demonstrate an inherent relationship and dialogue between the two poets.

The show will feature a number of recently unearthed Neruda poems, discovered among his papers in Chile, and published in Spanish for the first time earlier this year. We are excited to be presenting this"new"work, and to be among the very first to present English translations of the work.

Word Over All is a fully bilingual production: Whitman will be translated into Spanish, and Neruda will be translated into English. These translations will be projected to one side of the stage, while actors will perform the work in its original language.

Dan Bohnhorst, a cast member from the last three shows in Teatro Paraguas' Poesia Viva Poetry Tribute series, has selected and arranged the poetry and prose into a script, and will both direct and act in the production.

The cast includes Liza Frolkis, Jonathan Harrell, Alexandra Hudson, Argos MacCallum, Crawford MacCallum, Xochitl Montelongo-Ehrl, Roxanne Tapia, and James Stake.

The production will include a musical interpretation of Neruda's "Oda a la Guitarra," performed by Lena Stavely and Yves Lucero. Lucero will also provide guitar accompaniment for selected pieces throughout the show.

Word Over All will run April 10-12. Friday and Saturday performances begin at 7:30 PM, and Sunday matinees begin at 2 PM. Tickets are $15 general admission, and $10 for those with limited income. Call 505-424-1601 for reservations or email the box office at teatroparaguas@gmail.com.