Dichos en Nichos

Dichos en Nichos

August 14th - 28th
Fridays and Saturdays at 7 PM
Sundays at 2 PM

General Admission: $30


SYNOPSIS

Dichos en Nichos is a new, ensemble-driven play adapted from the award-winning story and art collection of the same name. In six interwoven acts, the audience is taken into the heart of a "proverbial" 1950s, Northern New Mexico village, where the orchards, arroyo-roads, adobe homes, and even pigsties hold tales of wit, wisdom, romance, and woe.

As their stories unfold, the characters often exchange ‘dichos,’ folk sayings and proverbs spoken in both English and New Mexican Spanish, to give one another both guidance and chastisement. Each scene in the play serves as a ‘nicho,’ a vivid window into a community thrumming with the many rhythms of life, from poetry and music, to tragedy and scandal. Through its blend of authentic regional dialogue, evocative themes, and unique, compelling narratives, Dichos en Nichos is sure to leave an endearing, enduring impression on all who experience its beautifully crafted and wholly unforgettable world.

CHARACTERS

PREMITIVO: Late 70s, a wise yet hapless vagrant-borracho who has a dicho for every situation, and always seems to have just a little left in his trusty brown bottle.

ESPOSA: Early 20s, she’s hard-working, serious, and values her somewhat limited independence. She is a romantic at heart, but keeps this soft side a secret.

JOSEFA: Esposa’s mother, a widow, early 50s. Just as serious as her daughter, Josefa is also authoritative, traditional, and dead-set on finding Esposa a husband.

MARÍA ROSABEL: Early 20s, warm, intelligent, values integrity, knows what she wants, and loves to dance and paint.

PLUTARCO: Early 20s, an aspiring poet who makes ends meet doing odd jobs around town. He spends more time drinking beer with his cousin, Josué Miguel, than he does writing poems.

JOSUÉ MIGUEL: Early 20s, a dedicated guitarist who composes his own music while drinking beer with his cousin, Plutarco.

ALCARITA: Late 70s, the village’s hardest-working gossip, la chismosa. A bit sour on the outside, inside she can be soft, sweet, and a little spicy.

ORALIA: 50s, Josué Miguel’s mom, Alcarita’s chisme confidante.

FACUNDO: Late 20s, a cattle farming bachelor whose confidence matches his appetite(s).

SALOMON: Claims to be mid 20s, a crop farming bachelor aged beyond his years by countless days working in the sun.

CELESTINO: Esposa’s childhood friend and neighbor. An artist and dancer.

RAMÓN: Guadalupe’s husband, early 30s, aloof, has sharp yet wandering eyes.

GUADALUPE: Ramon’s wife, early 30s, keeps her nose in the air and her ears perked.

ROLES & MULTI-ROLES

1. ESPOSA
2. JOSEFA/ALCARITA
3. MARÍA ROSABEL/GUADALUPE
4. PREMITIVO/SOLOMON
5. PLUTARCO/CELESTINO/RAMÓN
6. JOSUÉ MIGUEL/FACUNDO/ORALIA