PORT ANGELES — Teatro Milagro will present “Broken Promises,” which deals with how teens can be ensnared in sex trafficking, during Studium Generale on Thursday.
The production, which is free and open to the public, will be presented from 12:35 p.m. to 1:25 p.m. at the Little Theater on the Peninsula College campus at 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd. in Port Angeles.
Teatro Milagro, or Miracle Theatre Group, has been a staple of the college’s Studium Generale program throughout the past decade, providing a variety of performances.
“Broken Promises” — presented with urban Latin hip-hop music, rhyme and choreography — is a bit different from all those that have graced the Little Theater stage in the past, said Dañel Malán, Teatro Milagro artistic director, who founded the group in 1985 with José Eduardo González, executive director.
“It’s a lot more edgy and might appeal to a younger audience,” Malán said.
“It also has a very powerful message. The reviews have been really strong.”
While some students might have to leave for class at the end of the play, Malán said she hopes most can stay to join the rest of the audience for a post-performance conversation.
Post-show discussion
“The play ends with Adriana asking the audience: What should I do?” Malán said. “That leads into a post-show discussion that can be very powerful.”
Teatro Milagro aims to provide “extraordinary Latino theater, culture and arts education experiences for the enrichment of all communities,” founders say.
Rick Ross, associate dean of athletics and student life at Peninsula College, was the first to bring the group to the college in the late 1990s through the “Sound of Unity,” a student-funded program that brought world culture to the campus.
“Our relationship with Dañel and her troupe goes way back,” Ross said. “Every year, they bring a show that our students and our community often haven’t seen before.
“The performances are always passionate and professional, and obviously come from a Latino culture perspective.”
Studium Generale
Faculty members Helen Lovejoy and Kate Reavey collaborated to bring the group back this fall to continue the focus on awareness of trafficking that was featured in Studium Generale during winter of last year.
The event was made possible through the Peninsula College Foundation’s Exceptional Faculty Award, given to Lovejoy, Reavey and Janet Lucas. The award emphasizes the importance of arts and humanities in relation to the political climate of the times.
