( Program Cover )

THE CONQUISTADORS
inspired by the poems of Pablo Neruda

CAST

Fortuneteller 1	Hope Pulick
Fortuneteller 2	Cristi Catt
Young Girl Fortuneteller	Kate E. Hultgren
Moctezuma	Corey Shagensky
Cortes	Michael Rudmann
Malinche 1	Michelle Martin
Malinche 2	Elena Araoz
Malinche 3	Maura Gotha
Julie 1	Robyn McGrath
Julie 2	Melissa Battino
Julie 3	Julie-Ann Green
Delano	Stephanie Blicharz
Alejandro 1	Sebastian Kunnappilly
Alejandro 2	Steve Shove

Conquistador, Chorus	Edward Bryztwa
Conquistador, Chorus	Frank Cannava
Aztec, Dancer	Marie-Alana Cassullo
Llama Dancer	Melissa Ciaccia
Aztec, Bishop	Tim Doherty
Teteotcingo, Chorus	Pedro Figueroa
Aztec	Francois Garand
Conquistador, King of Spain	Jonathan Hastings
Conquistador, Tortilla	Cliff Kirvan
Conquistador, Chorus	James O'Connor
Aztec, Dancer	Tara-Marie Perri
Aztec, Chorus	Heather Razoyk
Aztec, Chorus	Jonathan Sroka
Aztec, Wife	Alyson Suduiko
Priest, Conquistador	Tim Wetham
Aztec Priest, Chorus	Michael Xavier
Old Women By the Sea	Stephanie Blicharz
	Marie-Alana Cassulo
	Heather Razoyk
	Alyson Suduiko

Director/Librettist	Lynn Kremer
Composer	Shirish Korde
Choreography	Daniel McCusker
Costume Design	Kurt S. Hultgren
Set Design	William J. Rynders
Lighting Co-Design	Gabriella M. Dewey & William J. Rynders
Mask, Puppet & Prop Design	Deborah Farrell

MUSICIANS

Assistant Musical Director	Rob McDade
Rehearsal Accompanist/Piano	Greg Pagel
Flute	Jean DeMart
Guitar	Jack Pezzanelli
Bass	Thomson Kneeland
Drummer/Percussionist	Gary Fieldman
Percussionist	Bob Schultz

PRODUCTION STAFF

Co-Stage Managers	Joe Danbusky
	Mary Phillips-Sandy
Assistant Stage Manager	Patrick Schleisman
Technical Director	William J. Rynders
Associate Technical Director	Jeremy Franceschi
Light Board Operator	Alexandra McGowan
Projection Computer Operator	Dai Wakabayshi
Props Manager	Deborah J. Farrell
Stage and Costume Run Crew	Marc E. Anastasia
	Gabriel M. Aufiero
	Michelle S. Cadin
	Christopher Casey
	Erin A. Coyle
	Kelly A. Cummings
	Michael E. Dussault
	Mellissa Jean-Charles
	Annemarie van den Broeck
	Nicole M. Williams
Scene Shop Managers	Carrie Giardino
	Carol Sanclemente
Scene Shop Assistants	Theodore W. Brooks
	Deborah J. Farrell
	Peadar A. Wall
Lighting Technician	Gabriella M. Dewey
Lighting Production Assistant	Stephanie A. Blicharz
Set, Props and Costume Construction Crews, Ushers	Theodore W. Brooks
	Damian E. Fallon
	Jennifer F. Farrell
	Peter J. Fortin
	Francois Garand
	Neil E. Hopkins
	Kyle H. Kombrink
	Billy D. Kosteas
	Sebastian Kunnappilly
	Megan D. Lydon
	Alexandra E. McGowan
	Rafeal E. Millares
	Kevin P. Miller
	Patrick Murphy
	Andrew E. Nelson
	Matthew J. Nuttall
	Francis D. O'Connor
	Coleen O'Leary
	Eric D. Purcell
	Elizabeth A. Rausch
	Jason M. Russell
	Corey C. Shagensky
	Stephen Shove
	Kerry A. Skowron
	Michael G. Xavier
Costumer	Kurt S. Hultgren
Assistant to Mr. Hultgren	Patricia Mandella
Cutter	Kaya Autler
Costume Shop Manager	Michelle Bergeron
Costume Shop Assistants	Julie Clark
	Julie Evans
	Jennifer Ferraiuolo
	Edyta Zych
Make-up Coordinator	Molly M. Gallup
Make-up Crew	Courtney Chambers
	Sarah Coughlan
	Allyson Kreter
Armour Construction	Michael Dufault
Head Dress Construction	Martha Deering
	Kate E. Hultgren
	Christine Weinrobe
	Jeremy Franceschi
	Jayne Ortiz
Box Office Manager	Rachael Coyne

Director's Notes
The Conquistadors is inspired by the section of Pablo Neruda's poem cycle of the same name that focuses on the arrival of Cortes in Mexico in 1519. But the piece also employs material from the Love Sonnets, Residence on Earth, General Song, and Book of Vagaries. The poems have been woven together with a variety of materials including Nahautl poems, historical translations and images from the paintings of Diego Rivera. In addition to the historical narrative, a second, fictitious story based on Mary Morris's Nothing to Declare, provides a contemporary counterpoint.

The style of the piece is informed by contemporary dance, theater and music. The music for The Conquistadors, written for guitar, jazz trio, flute, percussion and voice, is suggested by a variety of music styles: jazz, Brazillian bossa nova, and new music. The dance and movement elements reflect a contemporary sensibility. Drawing on groupings and postures in Diego Rivera's paintings, American Sign Language, the performers' physicalizations of Neruda's poetry, folk patterns, and contemporary dance techniques, these elements are combined and recombined in a series of changing contexts. Ideas are also drawn from puppet theater, avant-garde theater, movement theater and Asian theater.

Sources cited in The Conquistadors include Michael Coe's Mexico: From the Olmecs to the Aztecs, Sandra Messinger Cypress's La Malaniche, Bernal Diaz del Castillo's The True History of the Conquest of Mexico, Dare Dukes' The Separate Prison: A Jazz Opera, Gloria Duran's Malinche: Slave Princess of Cortes, Jorge Encisco's Design Motifs of Ancient Mexico, Eduardo Galeano's Memory of Fire, Serge Gruzinski's Painting the Conquest and The Conquest of Mexico, Miguel Leon-Portilla's The Broken Spears, Mary Morris's Nothing to Declare, Desmond Rochfort's Mexica Muralists, Bernardino de Sahagun's Florentine Codex:General History of the Things of New Spain, William Carlos Williams's In the American Grain. Elisabeth Lamber Ortiz's The Complete Book of Mexican Cooking. Most prominent, of course, is Pablo Neruda's magnificent poetry.

SYNOPSIS
The story chronicles the Aztec world just prior to the arrival of Cortes in 1519. The Aztecs worship that God of Wind, the Feathered Serpent Quetzalcoatl, who they believe will return to Tenochtitlan (part of today's Mexico City) from the east. When Cortes arrives at Veracruz, Moctezuma, the leader of the Aztecs, mistakes him for Quetzalcoatl. He showers the explorer with gifts of gold, and gives him the slave princess La Malinche, who becomes his guide, translator and mistress. Once the Aztecs discover that Cortes, the fair one from the east, is not the god, battles ensue. Moctezuma dies at the hands of his fellow citizens; Cortes abandons Malinche when his wife arrives from Spain; many of the conquistadors begin to live in the new world with dashed expectations; and Aztec society is irrevocably altered.

The historical story is paralleled by the arrival of Julie, a novelist from America who intends to make Mexico her new home. She falls in love with Alejandro, a Mexican of Nahautl decent. With him she re-discovers the world of Cortes and Moctezuma and learns how the past impacts contemporary Mexico.

Delano:
Father Sahagun, the Spanish priest, who arrived shortly after the Conquest and wrote extensively of Aztec Mexico, describes this dish in such detail (and with such relish) that I have been able to work out this version of it. The Aztecs would have used honey where I have used sugar, and certainly a different type of onion, as the modern variety was introduced by Columbus to the New World. But the basic outline is the same. Sahagun's descriptions of Mexican foods are of especial interest, since he tells us a good deal about the cuisine before the foods of Europe and Asia were introduced by the Spaniards.

2 pounds raw jumbo shrimp
1 cup Mexican pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
6 sprigs fresh green coriander
1/2 pound tomatoes (about 1 or 2 small), peeled, seeded, and chopped
6 pequin chiles, crumbled
3 whole pimientos, chopped
1/2 tablespoon ground coriander seeds
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons salad oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Cook the shrimp for 5 minutes in boiling water to cover. Cool and peel. Set aside. Reserve the liquid. Place the pepitas in an electric blender, and blend as fine as possible. Set aside. Combine the onion, garlic, fresh coriander, tomatoes, pequin chiles, and pimentos in the electric blender, and blend to a smooth puree. Stir in the ground coriander, salt and pepper to taste, the sugar, and the pepitas.

Heat the oil in a skillet, and cook the mixture for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add about 1 cup of the reserved shrimp water to bring the sauce to a consistency of heavy cream. Add the shrimp, and heat, stirring, without allowing the mixture to boil. Just before serving, stir in the lemon juice.

Serves 6.