Casa Milagro Youth Solutions in The Milagro Beanfield War September 27, 2024, 1:00 and 6:00 p.m. Performances at Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Arts Center 721 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO 80204 “The Milagro Beanfield War play has inspired me to be involved in our own land rights fight for the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant”. Actor, Jacob Portillo For Information: Contact Millie Duran milliecasamilagro@gmail.com |
A note from Millie Duran – Executive Director
Over three years ago I began speaking with John Nichols, author of the novel, The Milagro Beanfield War, to see if he would allow Casa Milagro Youth Solutions to write an adaptation of his book as a play. John wanted to learn about our organization and what had been instrumental in our focus on Forum Theater and Theater of the Oppressed to work with youth. It was about a month later after a number of conversations about our organization and sending him our brochure and materials to provide him with a pretty extensive background of our work, that John told me he was going to prepare a contract for us. John was very supportive of our work and he, his daughter and I signed the contract. Unfortunately, John passed away before a script was ready for him to read and possibly commentate on.
Although the novel is fiction, it was based on facts of the land grants and water rights in Northern New Mexico and correlated strongly with Southern Colorado. We started last October working with the Move Mountains Youth in San Luis Colorado to begin with the production of this play. A number of our youth are heirs to these same land grants. Our actor, Jacob Portillo shared this comment, “The Milagro Beanfield War play has inspired me to be involved in our own land rights fight for the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant”.
This year The Milagro Beanfield war novel is 50 years old. We pay tribute to John Nichols with each and every performance. Our youth are actively telling this story with John’s keen sense of humor generously sprinkled throughout.
We opened in San Luis, Colorado during Santana Days on July 27-28, 2024. We opened the tour in Saguache at Mountain View School on August 29; we continued to Alamosa at Adam’s State University on September 5; next was Antonito at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Hall on September 12; we moved back to San Luis at Centennial School where most of the student actors go on September 19;and upcoming next Friday, is Denver at Su Teatro on September 27, at 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.; we conclude this tour in Pueblo, at Pueblo Community College at the Hoag Theater on October 3, at 1:00 p.m. You are invited and we hope to see you there. You are welcome to share the information.