It’s hard to imagine a time when public Day of the Dead celebrations and interest in Mexican painter Frida Kahlo were nonexistent in the city. But that was the case before Cora Cardona and her husband, Jeff Hurst, founded Teatro Dallas in 1985. The company went on to give Latino artists like playwright Octavio Solis and David Lozano of Cara Mia Theatre their starts while also translating, producing and importing stage shows from Latin America and Europe.
Forty years later, despite Cardona’s decision to step down in 2017 and Hurst’s passing in 2022, the troupe is still at it. The milestone is to be celebrated Nov. 1 at the Latino Cultural Center, where Teatro Dallas is a resident company. A ticket includes a lavish spread, cake, a toast and musical performances by Liz Mikel of the Dallas Theater Center acting ensemble, local composer Armando Monsivais and San Francisco hip-hop artist La Doña.
The 40th anniversary celebration kicks off an ambitious new season. A few days after the party, the company opens Job, Max Wolf Friedlich’s psychological thriller about empathy in the internet age.
Then next year, groups from Portugal, England and Argentina are scheduled to perform as part of Teatro Dallas’ 22nd International Theatre Festival, and Cardona premieres her new play about famed Oaxacan doctor and curandera María Sabina. The season closes with a Spanish-language version of Like Water for Chocolate. Details, tickets at teatrodallas.org.
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