Day of the Dead/Dia de los Muertos

Sunday, October 28, 2018
11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Copley Plaza at The Old Globe

For the third year in a row, two of the Globe’s signature arts engagement programs—coLAB and AXIS—unite in the spirit of creative collaboration to share the artistry created within a community, then demonstrated by the members with a performance. After a coLAB workshop hosted by guest director and co-creator Ramón Verdugo, the City Heights community participants and local artists are able to share a piece of their community and traditions in the premiere performances of La Visita de la Abuela (The Grandmother’s Visit), with costumes by Mayté Martinez. The collaborative piece is to be presented three times over the weekend, in both English and Español.

The initial coLAB performance of La Visita de la Abuela will take place at SAY San Diego’s City Heights Día de los Muertos Celebration on Saturday, October 27 at Officer Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park (3795 Fairmount Ave., San Diego, 92105). The event will include music for singing and dancing; performances from Aztec dancers and Drummers Without Borders; a display of community altars; face painting; sugar-skull decorating; and prizes for the best traditional Catrina and Catrin costumes. The event will run from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with a performance of La Visita de la Abuela at 4:00 p.m.

The free AXIS Day of the Dead Celebration will take place on Sunday, October 28 on the Globe’s Copley Plaza in Balboa Park. This inclusive family event will celebrate the traditions that encompass this holiday remembrance of deceased loved ones. It will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., with La Visita de la Abuela at 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Hosted by special guest Tony Valencia, the event will include traditional face painting by Lucia Ramirez, large interactive props, and the opportunity for audience members to join in for an open mic moment. Both the coLAB and AXIS programs involved in Day of the Dead are managed by the Globe’s Arts Engagement Programs Associate Katherine Harroff.

Sunday’s AXIS celebration will precede the 2:00 p.m. matinee of The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program’s Julius Caesar. A joint venture of the Globe and USD, the program nationally recruits seven students each year to participate in an intensive two-year course of graduate study in classical theatre, and this is their final production of 2018.

coLAB and AXIS are programs supported by a grant from The James Irvine Foundation. Financial support of The Old Globe is provided by The City of San Diego.