SALVADORAN YOUTH SHOWCASE TRANSFORMATIVE PROJECT ON OTTAWA STAGE

Ottawa— With the support of the Stratford Festival and Cuso International, a troupe of Salvadoran youth are using the performing arts as a tool to transform a culture marked by violence into one rejuvenated by hope. For the first time, this troupe is bringing their most recent production to Canada, with shows scheduled for Toronto, Stratford and Ottawa. 

The EsArtes Theatre Group performs in Ottawa on Thursday, October 9, at an event beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the University of Ottawa Studio Léonard-Beaulne at 135 Seraphin-Marion.

The EsArtes Theatre Group from Suchitoto, El Salvador is a six-member acting team. These actors will present Live to Tell the Tale – Vivir Para Contarla, a play that uses first-person experiences and eyewitness perspectives to chronicle the turbulent lives faced by today’s youth in El Salvador and Central America.

The EsArtes project is an arts and vocational institute located in Suchitoto, El Salvador that uses the arts as a vehicle for social change. This is the first time a graduating class from the program is touring in Canada.  EsArtes is operated in partnership with: the Suchitoto-based non-profit group, Primer Acto; the Ontario-based Stratford Festival; and Cuso International, a non-profit international development organization.

The evening includes a reception, a theatre performance, and an opportunity to learn about a unique partnership that is helping transform the lives of youth through the power of the arts.

“This tour brings the EsArtes youth-development project full circle,” said Sarah Pentlow, Cuso International’s EsArtes project coordinator. “Thanks to volunteer and donor support from the global north, these young people have gained practical skills in theatre and in business and are now showcasing their talents in three Ontario venues as a way to give back to the Canadian public.

“Often we think of development as flowing in one direction,” adds Pentlow. “This tour shows that our partnership with EsArtes and Stratford Festival is multi-dimensional.”

Live to Tell the Tale – Vivir para Contarla is written and produced by youth participants of the Es Artes Initiative in collaboration from Edward Daranyi, Resident Teaching Artist, Stratford Festival. The play will be performed in Spanish.

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For further information, please contact:
Jennifer Lavoie, Manager of Communications and Marketing — Phone: 613.829.7445 ext.252
email: jennifer.lavoie@cusointernational.org

Improving Lives. Empowering Communities —   Cuso International is a non-profit international development organization that works to improve the lives of people living with poverty and inequality around the globe. Each year we mobilize hundreds of volunteer professionals who work with local partners to create positive lasting change. Established in 1961, Cuso International is a registered charity in Canada and the United States.