Grandpa Lolo's Navajo Saddle Blanket (University of New Mexico Press) by Nasario Garcia Recuerdos ViVos New Mexico and Teatro Paraguas present a staged reading of Nasario's simple yet transcendent story of an enduring friendship between a Hispanic rancher and a Navajo herder and weaver in the early part of the twentieth century. Adapted and directed by Shebana Coelho, the readings features Nasario Garcia playing the role of his grandfather Teodoro (Lolo) and Oscar Rodriguez as Manuelito Yazzie. The cast also includes Amador Gonzales in the role of the young Nasario, and Ana Maria Gonzalez, Crawford MacCallum, and Argos MacCallum. Performance dates:  Nasario García, a native New Mexican, was born in Bernalillo, but grew up in Ojo del Padre (Guadalupe), New Mexico in the Río Puerco valley southeast of Chaco Canyon. Considered a leading folklorist in New Mexico, Nasario has published 10 books in Spanish (the language of his countrymen and women) and English related to folklore and oral history. For the past thirty-plus years he has worked tirelessly to preserve the rich Hispanic culture and language of northern New Mexico. Besides his bilingual works on folklore and prose stories—the latter for adults as well as children—that depict a disappearing way of life in rural life New Mexico, García’s books of poetry also capture the spirit of his childhood in his village of Ojo del Padre. As he says in Bolitas de oro: Poems of My Marble-Playing Days, "Since reliving one’s past is not an option, offering a poetic vision of my upbringing in rural New Mexico was the next best thing." Grandpa Lolo lives on a ranch in northern New Mexico. When he buys a black-and- white horse named Zorrillo (skunk) from Manuelito Yazzie, a Navajo who lives in a "This is a lovely story, told simply and with great charm, a tale for children of all ages, including me. Its message? Somos todos amigos. We're all friends."--John Nichols, author of The Milagro Beanfield War http://www.recuerdosvivosnewmexico.com/about.html |
Past Productions >