Events
Cuban art at MAC
Cuban Artist Gustavo Acosta’s Collection “Preguntas al Espejo” (Questions to the Mirror) is on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC) through July 30. It is a large-scale exhibition of videos, paintings and drawings urban scenery viewed from afar. A video produced by Zoé and Gustavo Valdés plays at the exhibition, as testiment to the artist’s process.
IMPROV8 at Theatre Guild: Prepare for the unexpected!
By Rita Banús
The happy cast of IMPROV8, an audience-interactive improvisational theater experience
by Danielle Scott (front and center). Last showings are this weekend.
The Theatre Guild of Ancon has scored another English-language hit with their improvisation show titled IMPROV8. After the first three performances, the talented cast and crew of the IMPROV8 show feel immensely proud and grateful for the audience’s response. Attendees have enjoyed themselves so much that some people have even coming back to watch for a second or third time.
Unlike what you might usually see in a theater, IMPROV8 is not a play, and it’s not based on a script. Instead of memorizing lines and developing fixed characters, the cast members have trained with director Danielle Scott of England for many weeks to learn how to improvise. It takes practice and skill to be able to stand on a stage with other actors and act out random suggestions that the audience calls out.
Past performances of IMPROV8 have produced such hysterical scenarios as astronauts at the moon trying to eat cheese through their helmets, little red riding hood getting rescued by a kung fu master, and friends meeting unexpectedly at a clinic for venereal diseases. What could you suggest to top those off?
Being involved at the Ancon Theatre is a rewarding and unique experience for everyone involved. All the members of the Board of Governors, the cast or the crew donate their time and talent to this 59 year-old theater. All of the money donated by the audience ($10 per ticket) goes to maintaining the playhouse and funding the productions.
The Theatre Guild of Ancon was established on 1950 and was the community theater of the “Zonians”, the Americans who lived in the Panama Canal Zone. When the Canal Zone passed to Panamanian hands, the theater was “inherited” by English-speaking Panamanians, ex-pats and foreigners who decided to keep the theater alive and working. Now the Guild serves as a venue to cultivate the love for theater, the English language, and as a meeting point for different cultures and nationalities. IMPROV8’s team is a testimony of this last statement: it includes British, Honduran, Venezuelan, Panamanian and Indian performers; all of them brought together by the English language and the love of performing.
Don’t miss the last performances of IMPROV8 on Thursday, June 25, Friday, June 26 and Saturday, June 27 at 8:00 p.m.! For reservations e-mail tgapanama@gmail.com or call 6775-0728.
Colombian bombshell to host all-night July bash
Colombian bombshell Natalia París.
Electronic music and beautiful women will accompany party-goers well past sunrise at the upcoming Winter Global Dance 2009 party. The festivities begin at 10:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 4 and end at 7:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 5. The stage of the event will be the entire seventh floor of the Veneto Wyndham Grand Hotel, from the rooftop pool and lounge outside, to the grand salon indoors. Event promoter Ivan Escala of Reload Nightlife promises that this will be “one of the most extravagant and luxurious dance festivals ever held in Panama.”
Winter Global Dance will be hosted by Colombian supermodel Natalia París. She will also participate in a runway fashion show featuring swim wear, lingerie and Diesel brand clothing. París will be accompanied by top Panamanian runway models including Carolina Dementiev (Miss Panama 2008) and Wendy Sagel (Miss Reef), among others.
Carolina Dementiev
Reload Nightlife told The Visitor that special packages are available for those wish to take the hedonism and mayhem to another level by staying the night at the hotel (includes late checkout). Rooms for $150 are available on the eighth and ninth floor of the hotel and a VIP ticket is included, (call 265-3210). Tickets for mere mortals cost $25 standard and $40 VIP, on pre-sale at Blockbuster. Organizers reported that strict measures will be in place to ensure safety, including hotel security, private security, national police and an ambulance.
Get ready for Santa Librada
The town of Las Tablas, located in the province of Los Santos, is warming up for the mid-July celebration of its patron saint Santa Librada. This grand celebration will then be followed by the Festival de la Pollera (National Pollera Day), making it a great time to visit this special region of the Azuero Peninsula, considered to be the cultural heart of Panama.
Make your hotel reservation with plenty of time as rooms in the area always run out.
The grand procession held for Santa Librada is on Monday, July 20, when the saint is removed from the church and carried by the faithful throughout the town. On the following Wednesday, July 22 the largest celebration of Panama’s national dress, the pollera, and other “tipico” attributes like the white men’s shirt (camisilla), hat (sombrero pintado) and violin (mejorana) will also be held in Las Tablas at the 51st Annual National Pollera Day.
The contests held at the Pollera Day will be presided over by this year’s Pollera Queen, Lizaneth Guadalupe Tinajero. The site will be the Gimnasio Victorio according to Luciano Cedeño, President of the Committee of the Santa Librada Celebration.
Loads of fun!
Victor Victoria at Teatro en Circulo
Victor Victoria (Victoria Greco) likes “Le Jazz Hot”.
Foto: Edwin Cedeño
Norma Cassidy (Roseta
Bordonea) dances a sexy tango
with “Victor” (Victoria Greco).
Photo: Edwin Cedeño
Showings are from Tuesday to Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at 4:00 p.m. All performances are in Spanish. Call el 261-5375 or 261-5259 for ticket reservations or visit www.teatroencirculo.com for more information.
Country Fairs
 Every city, village and region in Panama has its own annual religious celebration dedicated to a patron saint. These festivals provide a colorful and charming way to experience local traditions and beliefs. June 12-16 Corpus Christi Festival, La Villa de Los Santos, Los Santos province. |