“Bodas de Sangre / Blood Wedding Bows"

Laredo Theater Guild International (LTGI) opens its fourth season in an “International Style” by joining talent from both sides of the US-México border to present “Bodas de Sangre / Blood Wedding” by the iconic Spanish poet, director and dramatist, Federico García Lorca.

“Bodas de Sangre / Blood Wedding” will be presented by LTGI in cooperation with Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) in the Center for the Fine and Performing Arts Theatre.

García Lorca’s “Bodas de Sangre / Blood Wedding,” inspired by a true-life 1928 newspaper account, is set in the early 1930’s and is the most famous play of his self-described “trilogy of the Spanish earth.” It is the story of a wedding, arranged between two families, that turns tragic and murderous as shocking events driven by grand passion, deception, revenge, and fate unfold.

Directed by José Flores, and produced by LTGI artistic director Joe Arciniega, the international production features actors, singers, dancers and crew from Nuevo Laredo to Guadalajara and from Laredo to Los Angeles. The cast will perform both Lorca’s original Spanish language version and the translated English version by Michael Dewell and Carmen Zapata at different times during the play’s eight-day run Oct. 18-28.

Performances in English will be offered Thursday, Oct. 18 through Sunday, Oct. 21, followed by the original Spanish language performances from Thursday, Oct. 25 through the closing performance Sunday, Oct. 28. Regular performance show times from Thursday through Saturday are at 8:00 p.m.  Sunday performances will be at 3:00 p.m.

“Bodas de Sangre / Blood Wedding” is recommended for mature audiences. Tickets are $15 general admission, $10 for students and seniors (65+) with valid ID and are available for advance purchase at Foster’s, located at 1202 Del Mar Boulevard, Suite 101; Blue Top located at 101 Hillside Road #11, and at the TAMIU Bookstore, as well as at the box office one hour prior to each show.

Performances will also feature flamenco musicians, singers and dancers weaved through the show according to Lorca’s expressed design and in some cases, performing his own musical compositions.

Julia Vera, a Laredo native who for the past 24 years has been a working actress in Los Angeles, heads the cast.  Vera just completed the feature film “Aztec Warrior” on location in New Orleans, and was recently seen in the motion picture “All She Can,” shown at the Sundance Film Festival, as well as in numerous television appearances and other motion pictures through the years.

Playing male and female leads are Nuevo Laredo natives Casandra Canales and Renato F. García. Casandra, who plays “The Bride,” is a recent TAMIU graduate and has since studied at the Texas Shakespeare Festival.

Cast as the brooding, dangerous Leonardo is another Nuevo Laredo native, Renato F. García, who is returning to the stage after a six-year absence. His other artistic interests include visual arts, vocal performance, and sculpting.  

Canales and García are joined by others who are alternately from the US, México, or have dual nationality, including three members of the Orduña family, Paty, and her children M. Roberto and Julia, originally from Guadalajara.

Other members of the cast include: John Sabas Perez, Stephanie Solis Schnyder, Verónica Ramírez, Julio Mendez, Azahy Ayala, Cristina Greco, Jesús Mendoza, Victoria Young, Gustavo Peña, Andres T. Regalado, Linda Flores, Marco González, Victoria Young, Denise Gomez, and Bruno Gutíerrez.

For more information call LTGI at 956.319.8610, email laredotheaterguild@gmail.com, or on the web www.laredotheaterguild.com

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu