IT'S SHOWTIME AT THE ANGELA PERALTA
By Jackie Peterson

For fans of the performing arts, there’s always some thing to look forward to when November rolls around. That’s when the Mazatlan Festival of the Arts kicks off at the Angela Peralta Theater. And this, the eighth year of Mazfest, is being called “Odyssey of the Arts” for a reason: The 2001 schedule is crowded with events for every taste: music from classical to rock, dance, drama as well as exhibitions of photography and art. Most but not all of the presentations will take place at the theater, but a few are slated for other sites in and around the.Plazuela Machado in the center of Maz-atlan’s historic zone. Unfortunately for English-speaking visitors, the plays on the schedule will be in Spanish, but one of them remains a highlight that even those who do not speak Spanish might enjoy. It’s a performance of the classic drama “Don Juan Tenorio,” with noted Mexican stage and TV star Gonzalo Vega (who has brought the comedy “Sra. Presidente” to Mazatlan at least four times) in the title role. Tickets for that show on Nov. 12 will command the highest prices of any performance on the Mazfest schedule: 250 pesos. Prices for all the other concerts had not been set at the time of the Pacific Pearl’s deadline, but Ricardo Urquijo,

the theater manager, said none would exceed 100 pesos for top seats. He said he expected the tickets for all November events to be ready and available at the box office by Nov. 1. Speaking of money, the costs of producing a seven-week cultural festival utilizing such wide-ranging talents as you’ll see on the accompanying calendar does not come at bargain prices. A number of local businesses traditionally donate both their money and their services to help pay for Mazfest. This year, in addition, six top notch local artists have donated works for a silent auction whose proceeds will help to bring scores of out-of-town performers here to participate in “Odyssey of the Arts 2001.” The paintings include works by Mazatlan’s most famous artist, Antonio Lopez Saenz, and a posthumous work by the late Carlos Bueno, who had donated it for the cause before his untimely death in August. The paintings have been on display where audiences for every performance at the Angela Peralta Theater since mid-October could see them and bid on them. They will continue to be shown in the theater lobby through Nov. 13, when bidding will close. The winning bids will be announced on Nov. 14 during a performance by the Ballet Folklorico of Jalapa (state of Veracruz).

 

 

 

 

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