Barelas is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Albuquerque. It was established in 1662 -- before the laying out of Albuquerque's Old Town. Today, Barelas is the center of the city's Hispanic roots and culture. Residents gathered this spring to share stories of their neighborhood with three local playwrights, Monica Sanchez, Raul Garza and Leonard Madrid. The Barelas Trilogy will be presented to the community for the first time in a series of staged readings, July 28, July 31 and August 3. The project was developed by the local nonprofit Artful Life in partnership with the National Hispanic Cultural Center and Homewise.
"We have this whole stew of material," says Sanchez of the plays she and her colleagues, who are all resident in Barelas, have created. "Anecdotes from neighbors, our own experience and observations, and, not to be left out, our imaginations. So we're not writing their stories. We're taking inspiration from their presence, their energy, and some of their lives, and then of course taking poetic liberties and dramatic liberties."
