Latin American Theatre Conference to take place at KU April 2-5

LAWRENCE -- The Hall Center for the Humanities at the University of Kansas announces the fifth annual Latin American Theatre Conference. The Hall Center's Visiting Interdisciplinary Scholars Program and its Conference Program has made the event possible.

Acting troupes from Spain, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica and California will present seven plays April 2 through 5 at various locations in downtown Lawrence. All plays are open to the public, and tickets cost $5 each.

The conference brings together critics, playwrights and fans of Latin American theatre from around the globe for four days of discussions, presentations and workshops on the theme of current issues in Caribbean theatre. Luis Rafael Sanchez, Puerto Rican playwright, novelist, essayist and short story writer, will be the keynote speaker.

Live performances will begin at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, April 3, with "¿Cero, cero? ... Bolero Para Un Eterno Returno" by Malena Espinoza, performed by the Spanish theatre group Teatro Espejismo at Liberty Hall, 642 Massachusetts St. The Puerto Rican troupe Producciones Aremisa Inc. will present "El Olor Del Popcorn" at 8 p.m. April 3 at the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 New Hampshire St.

Groups will give two more performances on April 4, beginning at 4:30 p.m. The first is a trio of short Puerto Rican plays: "Slave," "La Tongo" and "El Generalíssimo Brujillo," which will be presented at the SpringHill Suites, 1 Riverfront Plaza. The 8 p.m. selection at the Lawrence Arts Center is "La Mujer Que Cayò Del Cielo" by Victor Hugo Rascòn Banda, performed by Grupo Universitario de Costa Rica.

The final presentation will be at 5:30 p.m. April 5 at the Lawrence Arts Center. Players from the San Joaquin Delta Community College in California will present "Night of the Assassins" by José Triana in English.

The KU Department of Spanish and Portuguese is sponsoring the conference. For more information, call (785) 864-3851 or visit www.ku.edu/~spanport.