In a time where we are constantly reminded of our cultural differences, there is a group of artists celebrating the beauty of the bilingual experience at the Children’s Theatre Company, led by Long Beach director and playwright Juliette Carrillo.
The Mexican-American director has lived in Long Beach for almost 10 years, and has a long history of bringing Latin American works to life. She has staged plays at some of the country’s top theaters, including the Denver Theater Center, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Seattle Repertory and more, and ran the Hispanic Playwright’s Project at the South Coast Repertory Theatre for seven years. She is also a founding member of the Latinx Theater Commons, showing a commitment to Latinx representation in the performing arts.
Carrillo, known for her elaborate visual scenes and emotional depth, has shown a deft skill of manifesting pictures from a page to a stage. The emotion she’s most attempting to convey through “Go, Dog. Go! Ve Perro ¡Ve!”: joy.
In her first stint with Minneapolis’ Children’s Theatre Company, Carrillo is bringing the classic “Go, Dog. Go!” to life, written by P.D. Eastman and edited by Dr. Seuss, as well as its Spanish counterpart “Ve, Perro Ve!” to create a celebratory, colorful, bilingual musical.
Carrillo has been in Minnesota since mid-December, witnessing the escalation of the ICE presence in the state. The Children’s Theatre Company sits only about 2 miles from where Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent on Jan. 7. The traumatic surroundings only cemented Carrillo’s reason for directing a bilingual children’s play at this time.
“It’s very lighthearted and joyful for children, Spanish speaking children, especially at this time, for them to experience things like this with everything else going on,” Carrillo said. “There’s a lot of fear in the air right now, and I’m hoping that we can counter that fear, like I said, this is a lot about joy, it’s a lot about laughter, a lot about celebration.”
Long Beach director and playwright Juliette Carrillo is bringing the bilingual play “Go Dog, Go! Ve Perro ¡Ve! to Minneapolis’ Children’s Theatre Company beginning Jan. 23. (Courtesy of Juliette Carrillo)
This will be the third children’s production Carrillo has brought to life, though her first in a decade. Why now? “This was a great opportunity, and this [musical] is a special one, and it’s a special theater to be doing it,” Carrillo said.
“It’s so rare and unique to have a play in this country that is in Spanish for kids that speak Spanish,” Carrillo continued. “What’s also special is kids that don’t speak Spanish are going to be introduced to it. I love that we’re normalizing Spanish and just including it in the vernacular.”
The musical keeps the sentiment of the book alive, using the stage as a tool to teach new vocabulary to children in both languages. Six colorful and goofy dogs will entertain children throughout the play with their clown-like antics, attempting to build a teeter totter, playing baseball, working together and singing songs.
A large book prop will be used to help children make a connection to the words being taught, and the audience will be encouraged to parrot the Spanish words back to the performers, Carrillo said.
“At Children’s Theatre Company, we believe theatre should be a place where every child sees themselves — in the language they speak, the laughter they share, and the stories that ignite their imagination,” said Rick Dildine, Children’s Theatre Company artistic director, in a public statement.
“Go, Dog. Go! Ve Perro ¡Ve” will play select dates from Jan. 23 to Feb. 22 at 2400 Third St., Minneapolis, Minnesota with tickets starting at $25.
