There's a reason Mixed Blood Theatre was the
Twin Cities Theater Bloggers' pick for most accessible theater in 2016 (and best use of social media, BTW). Actually there are many reasons - their
Radical Hospitality program in which all available tickets are free two hours before the show; their recent remodel which makes the building more accessible for artists and patrons of varying abilities and includes new spacious all-gender bathrooms; their commitment to hiring theater artists of all races, classes, gender identities, and abilities; and their programming, which
often features people whose stories aren't usually heard. On the surface the world premiere play
Corazón Eterno (Always in My Heart) isn't very revolutionary; it's a sweet, funny, simple love story, nothing we haven't heard before. But the novelty is that it's performed in both English and Spanish, with surtitle translations to Spanish and English.
According to Wikipedia, Spanish is the second most spoken language in the US, and the US is the third largest Spanish speaking country in the world. It's wonderful to see that statistic, that reality of our world, represented on stage. Even more wonderful was hearing Spanish spoken among the audience on opening night, and the enthusiastic response of the audience to the sweet story told in two spoken languages, and the universal language of love.
