Bless Me, Ultima

This special co-production of the Vortex Theatre and Albuquerque/Bernalillo County Library will be the kickoff event for the ABC Library’s 2012 “Big Read” program, a month-long celebration of beloved New Mexico author Rudolfo Anaya.

The play, live onstage at the KiMo Theater, is a coming-of-age story set on the llano of eastern New Mexico in the 1940s. A young boy named Tony encounters a curandera named Ultima, and from this wise healer he learns about people, nature, and the battle between good and evil. The adult Tony narrates his own story, filled with children, witches, and the colorful characters, songs, and dances of the community.

The October 19 performance is a slightly condensed version of Bless Me, Ultima in a new staging by Liz Chavez, choreographer of the acclaimed 2010 Vortex show that packed houses in eight New Mexican cities. Much of the original cast will re-inhabit the rich major roles that gave that dramatization such vivid life.