Hispanic holiday play includes Aztec version

A Los Angeles Holiday Tradition: 'La Virgen De Guadalupe, Dios Inantzin'
PRESS RELEASE

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- For years now, the Latino Theater Company has presented a holiday gift to the community, its production of "La Virgen De Guadulupe, Dios Inantzin." Adapted for the stage by company member and playwright Evelina Fernandez from the mid- Sixteenth Century text The Nican Mopohua, it relates the story of how the Virgin Mary appeared on four occasions to the lowly peasant Juan Diego in the mountains of Tepeyac near Mexico City in 1531. Miracles attributed to her intercession included the blooming of roses during a time of frost, and the recovery of Juan's uncle from the deadly plague. Juan's devotion to the Virgin was a catalyst for a spiritual renewal in the area. Perhaps two decades after the events occurred, they were recorded on paper in an Aztec language by the Indian scholar Antonio Valeriano.

Ms. Fernandez has transformed the story into a work for the stage whose themes of faith, hope and perseverance can speak to people of all backgrounds.

The show is presented in Spanish with English subtitles.

V.I.P. seating is available for $35 and can be acquired online at www.thelatc.org, or by calling (213) 489-0994 ext. 107.

Preferred seating is available for subscribers to the Face of the World season of Los Angeles Theatre Center and holders of its Flexible Pass.

General admission is free to the public (all are welcome to attend) at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, 555 W. Temple St., Los Angeles, CA 90012, on Thursday and Friday, December 10 and 11, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. A goodwill donation of $5 is suggested. No one is turned away for lack of funds.

Renowned opera singer Suzanna Guzman stars as the Virgin, and Sal Lopez plays Juan Diego, in a cast of over 100 professional actors, singers and dancers that also includes children and seniors from the community.

The production is directed by Latino Theater Company's Artistic Director, Jose Luis Valenzuela. Original music composed by Alfredo Lopez Mondragon.

The famed show has been the subject of feature articles in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times.

You have an alternative when you want a choice besides "A Christmas Carol" or "The Nutcracker" for enjoyable, moving, uplifting holiday entertainment. That alternative is "La Virgen de Guadalupe, Dios Inantzin."