Setting the stage

Sep. 8—Maybe it's the need to escape the hot weather. Perhaps it reflects a mental recovery from the pandemic. Or maybe, as many directors in town have declared in interviews, it's because the Santa Fe theater scene is the most robust it has ever been.

Whatever the reason, theater companies welcome large crowds in 2023, just a couple of years after the pandemic left many in financial turmoil. Every show in the Santa Fe Playhouse's monthlong summer production of A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder sold out, says Playhouse associate artistic director Antonio Miniño. The same was true of its follow-up, Bear Grease, which added a show to accommodate demand, Miniño says.

Santa Fe Classic Theater's Much Ado About Nothing sold out seven of its 16 performances with 91 percent capacity over the show's monthlong run, says company president Kelly Kiernan, calling it a "banner year." Upstart Crows founder Caryl Farkas says her Shakespeare youth troupe sold out and needed to bring in extra chairs for most of its six performances of Twelfth Night in August. That followed strong attendance and two sellouts for June's production of King Lear, she says.

The boost has given theater companies reason to be optimistic heading into fall and winter, a time when there's less competition for locals' entertainment dollars — as well as a drop in tourism. Following is a preview of what they've planned through the end of the year. Some companies have gone dark for the year, while Ironweed Productions states on its website that it's in a state of flux.

TEATRO PARAGUAS

3205 Calle Marie, Suite B; 505-424-1601; teatroparaguasnm.org

United in Blood: The Revolutionary Music and Poetry of Chile runs Friday, September 8 through September 24 — one of the longest runs of any show this year at Teatro Paraguas. It focuses on the lives of four revered Chilean artists: poet Gabriela Mistral, who in 1945 became the first Latin American to win the Nobel Prize in literature; poet Pablo Neruda, who won a Nobel Prize in 1971; Violeta Parra, a visual artist and folk musician; and folk singer/songwriter Victor Jara.

The production also will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the September 11, 1973, coup that ended socialist Salvador Allende's presidency and resulted in a military dictatorship led by Augusto Pinochet. Jara and Neruda were among thousands of dissidents killed during his reign.

Songs and poems will be performed in the original Spanish, with English translations performed or projected above the stage. The cast consists of Cristina Vigil, Jeni Tincher, JoJo Sena de Tarnoff, Miranda Arteaga, Monica Arteaga, Paola Vengoechea Martini, Roxanne Tapia, Argos MacCallum, Jonathan Harrell, and James Stake. Mario Reynolds will play charango, an Andean stringed instrument.

TAKE NOTE: The World Beautiful, a multimedia performance written by University of New Mexico-Los Alamos student Anna Yarrow, celebrates the five years she spent as a caregiver and friend to David Brown, a retired electrical engineer at Los Alamos National Laboratory who was 50 years her senior. Brown is portrayed by actor Don Converse. Christine McHugh developed and directs the show, which runs September 29 to October 1.

THEATRE WALK SANTA FE

Fashion Outlets Santa Fe, 8380 Cerrillos Road; theatresantafe.org

The free walk, sponsored by Theatre Santa Fe, features pop-up performances by more than a dozen theater companies throughout Northern New Mexico. Theatre Santa Fe is an event-listing source supported by the city's collaborative arts marketing pilot program. The lineup wasn't available at Pasatiempo's press time; check theatresantafe.org for updates.

NEW MEXICO ACTORS LAB

1213 Parkway Drive; 505-395-6576; nmactorslab.com

The Nether, a sci-fi drama set in the near future, is described as delving into ethics in virtual reality and the effect of technology on human relationships, identity, and desire. The Nether, staged October 11-29, is a virtual wonderland in which users can log on. A detective discovers a disturbing form of entertainment in this virtual world, beginning an interrogation that yields even more troubling results. The director is Zoe Lesser, while the cast consists of Nicholas "Nico" Ballas, Gregory J. Fields, Joey Beth Gilbert, Rikki Carroll, and Rod Harrison.

JQA explores issues about government, leadership, and the nature of American democracy filtered through the life and times of John Quincy Adams, the nation's sixth president. It consists of conversations between Adams and other historical figures and features Robert Benedetti, Scott Harrison, Kent Kirkpatrick, Alexander Lane, and Danielle Reddick. The show runs November 15 through December 3.

TAKE NOTE: New Mexico Actors Lab founder and managing director Robert Benedetti is retiring after this season, with Katie Olivant replacing him. Benedetti, 84, is directing JQA and will continue to direct for the Actors Lab in retirement.

UPSTART READERS

The Garden Stage at La Tienda, 7 Caliente Road, Eldorado; 505-466-3533; caryl@upstartcrowsofsantafe.org

While Upstart Crows is a Shakespeare troupe for kids ages 10 to 18, its cousin group Upstart Readers is for all ages. The group, which began in 2017, features three actors reading Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. All wear Victorian-era clothing, and performances include a Victorian tea service at intermission. Check it out December 15-17 at the Garden Stage at La Tienda in Eldorado and on December 23 at Unitarian Universalist Santa Fe at 107 Barcelona Road.

TRI-M PRODUCTIONS

505-670-4854; trimsantafe.org

A Grand Night for Singing November 9-12 showcases 36 Rodgers & Hammerstein songs from such Golden Age musicals as Carousel, Oklahoma, The King and I, and South Pacific incorporated into a new storyline. A small chamber orchestra led by Kathlene Ritch provides accompaniment. Tri-M Productions bills itself as a performing arts company for early-career professionals. Performances are at St. Francis Auditorium at 107 W. Palace Avenue.

TAKE NOTE: Tri-M Productions' annual benefit gala is held at the Governor's Mansion and features occasional performances by group members, as well as food and drink. Tickets for the September 29 event are $150.

SANTA FE PLAYHOUSE

142 E. De Vargas Street; 505-988-4262; santafeplayhouse.org

On Clover Road takes place on a desolate road, where a woman waits to be reunited with her runaway daughter. The noir-style thriller is described as pushing family bonds to their limits. It is directed by Antonio Miniño and stars Vic Browder, Chloe Carson, Tris Ikeda, Kelsey Landon, and Patrick MacDonald. Catch it October 19 to November 18.

The Night Before Christmas, November 30 to December 23, is billed as a twisted holiday comedy, relying on a classic storyline but incorporating some modern elements such as hard-to-find Power Rangers toys. Emily Rankin directs; a cast list had not been finalized as of press time.

TAKE NOTE: Robyn Rikoon, the former artistic director at the Santa Fe Playhouse, resigned unexpectedly in July after 3 1/2 years at the helm. Her stated reason was to pursue an independent career in theater and filmmaking. She had been set to direct On Clover Road.