Day of the Dead/Día de Muertos

Sunday, October 28, 2018
11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Copley Plaza at The Old Globe

The Old Globe believes that theatre matters, and our work each day is to make theatre matter to more people. We invite friends and families to celebrate the great Mexican tradition Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) with a weekend full of unique activities and artistic expression, as well as premiere performances of a community-generated theatre piece.

For the third year in a row, two of the Globe’s signature arts engagement programs—coLAB and AXIS—unite in the spirit of creative community collaboration to share the artistry originated there. A six-week coLAB workshop with City Heights’s community member participants and local artists, hosted by Globe Teaching ArtistKatherine Harroff and guest director/co-creator Ramón Verdugo, will culminate in premiere performances, to be presented three times over the weekend, in both English and Español.

The initial coLAB performance will take place at SAY San Diego’s City Heights Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) Celebration on Saturday, October 27 at Officer Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park (3795 Fairmount Ave, San Diego, CA 92105). The event will include dancing, singing, music, Aztec dancers, and other performances, as well as a display of community altars, face painting, mask making, and prizes for the best Catrina and Catrin costumes. It will run from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., with a performance of the play at 2:00 p.m.

The free AXIS Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) Celebration will take place on Sunday, October 28 on the Globe’s Copley Plaza in Balboa Park. This participatory event for the whole family will touch upon some of the traditions that encompass this celebration of deceased loved ones. It will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with the play at 12:00 noon (en Español) and 1:00 p.m. (in English). The event will include traditional face painting, large interactive props, and the opportunity for audience members to join in for an open mic moment.

Sunday’s AXIS celebration will precede the 2:00 p.m. matinee of Julius Caesar. A joint venture of the Globe and USD, the Shiley Graduate Theatre Program nationally recruits seven students each year to participate in an intensive two-year course of graduate study in classical theatre. Private funding for the Master of Fine Arts in Theatre program has been contributed through a generous endowment established by Donald and Darlene Shiley. Additional support for the program is provided by the Dorothy Brown Endowment Fund and the Louis Yager Cantwell Foundation.

AXIS is supported by a grant from The James Irvine Foundation. Financial support is provided by The City of San Diego.

Photo: Day of the Dead Celebration, 2017, at The Old Globe. Photo by Rich Soublet II.