Childsplay - Free Family Event - El Puente Theatre Festival & Mask Procession

from our friends at Childsplay:

Childsplay announces FREE Event for Families:

El Puente Theatre Festival & Mask Procession
 

Sunday, April 26:  2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway

(Tempe, Ariz.) Childsplay and local artist Zarco Guerrero present El Puente, Childsplay's third Theatre Festival and Mask Procession! Taking place at Tempe Center for the Arts (TCA) on Sunday, April 26 from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., this unique celebration for families features an afternoon of food, music and art.

Free admission to the festival includes mask-making, fun drama activities for kids, dynamic performances by local artists and other craft activities. Plus, the first 400 people in attendance will receive free admission to the 4pm performance of Childsplay's The Three Javelinas.

The free performances will begin at 2 p.m. and will continue through the afternoon, featuring: 

• Quetzalli Ballet Folklórico
• Desert Sounds Mariachi "Sones del Desierto" 
• Zarco Guerrero's Face to Face in a Frenzy
• DJ Sean Derek 
• Ballet Folklórico Ollin Yoliztli

Families will also see appearances by Axé Capoeira, La Frida & La Flaca Puppets, and more! To conclude the festival, the community can join a masked procession of kids, families, performers and The Three Javelinas on the beautiful pedestrian bridge crossing Tempe Town Lake. The procession will start around 6:00 p.m.

The festival is the third in a series of events aimed at reaching new audiences and broadening Childsplay's reach in the community. The events will be held in conjunction with Childsplay productions and are meant to deepen the audience's connection with the performance.

"The word 'Puente' literally means 'Bridge,'" explains Guerrero. "In every language the word 'Bridge' conjures up universal metaphors of transformation, enlightenment, freedom and even our passing into the afterlife. Here in the southwest the metaphor has special significance, as it represents the crossing of the Arizona-Mexican border, migration and the hope of a better life. In our Valley, we are blessed with the perfect locale to create a unique site-specific festival utilizing the bridge to bring this metaphor to life."

To kick start this year's festival, Guerrero will be holding mask-making workshops with local groups, nonprofits and community centers throughout the Valley.

The "El Puente Project" is supported by a grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, with a focus on building demand for the performing arts through work with a Resident Artist. Childsplay is using the $155,000 grant to plan and implement this residency program that seeks to make theatre for young audiences a vital part of Latino families' cultural experience.