ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
HISTORY
1981 Founded in 1981 at the 1,560-seat McKelligon Canyon Amphitheater by Hector Serrano and produced by Southwest Repertory Organization, the festival opened with A Midsummer Night’s Dream and ran for four seasons. A new play was added each season. It closed in 1984, when eight performances were presented over two weekends of four plays in repertory: Midsummer, Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew and Julius Caesar.
1993 Revived at McKelligon in 1993 by Hector Serrano and the El Paso Community College (EPCC) Drama Department in association with the El Paso Association for the Performing Arts (EPAPA) with Mr. Serrano’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. One play was added each season until, in 1996, four were presented over a four-week period in September.
1997 Modified repertory scheduling was introduced in 1997 and full repertory in 1999.
2002 In 2002, the tenth anniversary season, attendance at the 16 performances was 10,028 (Highest attendance: 13,088 in 2000). The Festival had grown to include a nightly pre-show dinner, pre-show discussions, backstage tours, and a one-night-only Royal Feast. Eight plays were presented in the 15 years of the Festival at McKelligon: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, The Taming of the Shrew, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, Much Ado about Nothing, and Antony and Cleopatra. Hector Serrano retired as artistic director after the 2002 season.
2003 The Festival was downsized in 2003 by EPAPA: the season was cut from four to three weeks and only three plays were produced. EPAPA suspended the Festival in 2004.
2004 In 2004, Hector Serrano continued the tradition of the Festival with an indoor production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Scottish Rite in downtown El Paso in May, August, September, and November.
2005 Hector Serrano revived the Festival again in September 2005 and moved it to the Mission Valley at the Ysleta ISD Fine Arts Amphitheater, a 350-seat venue located at 8455 Alameda Avenue. The 2005 season, produced by Eden Enterprises in association with El Paso Community College and Ysleta ISD, ran for eight performances over three weekends in modified repertory. Two plays were presented: A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Julius Caesar. There were three sold-out student matinees. A Renaissance Fair and Royal Feast were added on the last weekend. Total attendance was 2,084.
2006 The 2006 season reprised the two plays from 2005 and added The Tempest. The number of performances grew from eight to twelve and the festival was extended from three to four weeks, the final one in repertory. Attendance grew to 3,314, including the five student matinees.
2007 The 2007 season, the 18th of the Festival under Mr. Serrano's direction, includes the three plays from 2006 and adds Romeo and Juliet.
SOTR PLAY BY PLAY
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MCKELLIGON CANYON AMPHITHEATER:
1981 1 week, produced by Southwest Repertory Organization (SRO)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
1982 2 weeks, in repertory
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Romeo and Juliet
1983 2 weeks, in repertory
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Romeo and Juliet
The Taming of the Shrew
1984 2 weeks, in repertory; last season produced by SRO
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Romeo and Juliet
The Taming of the Shrew
Julius Caesar
10 year hiatus
1993 1 week, produced by the El Paso Community College Drama Department (EPCC) in association with the El Paso Association for the Performing Arts (EPAPA)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
1994 2 weeks, same producers
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The Tempest
1995 3 weeks, produced by EPAPA, with EPCC as associate producer
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
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The Tempest
Romeo and Juliet
1996 4 weeks
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The Tempest
Romeo and Juliet
The Taming of the Shrew
1997 4 weeks, first modified repertory season
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The Tempest
Romeo and Juliet
The Taming of the Shrew
1998 4 weeks, modified repertory
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Romeo and Juliet
The Taming of the Shrew
Julius Caesar
1999 4 weeks, first full repertory season
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Romeo and Juliet
The Taming of the Shrew
Julius Caesar
2000 4 weeks, full repertory
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The Taming of the Shrew
Julius Caesar
Macbeth
2001 4 weeks, full repertory
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Julius Caesar
Macbeth
Much Ado about Nothing |
2002 4 weeks, full repertory
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Macbeth
Much Ado about Nothing
Antony and Cleopatra
2003 3 weeks, full repertory, last season produced by EPAPA
Much Ado about Nothing
Antony and Cleopatra
Comedy of Errors
SCOTTISH RITE THEATER & YSLETA ISD FINE ARTS AMPHITHEATER
2004 12 performances spread out from May to November: 11 were indoors at the Scottish Rite Theater and one outdoors. Produced by Eden Enterprises
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
YSLETA ISD FINE ARTS AMPHITHEATER
2005 3 weeks, last week in repertory; produced by Eden Enterprises (EE) in association with El Paso Community College (EPCC) and the Ysleta ISD Fine Arts Department (YISD)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Julius Caesar
2006 4 weeks, last week in repertory
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Julius Caesar
The Tempest |
THE DIRECTOR
Hector Serrano, Director, is the head of the Drama Department at the Valle Verde campus of the El Paso Community College. He has a master’s degree in English literature from the University of Texas at El Paso, and has studied at Pasadena Playhouse, the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute in New York, New York University, and the University of London. He has directed over 150 productions.
Mr. Serrano created the outdoor drama Viva El Paso! in 1978 and directed it for 25 seasons until his retirement in 2002. He is currently promoting Spanish language theater as artistic director of Los Actores Theater Company. Under his direction the company has produced ten plays since its founding in 2000.
Mr. Serrano started Eden Enterprises in 2003 to produce theater in partnership with various community groups. He directs the First Thanksgiving Reenactment and the Pastorela/Shepherd’s Play for the Mission Trail Association. He directs the Viva los Niños! children’s outdoor drama for the Ysleta ISD and directs theater pieces for public school audiences. Mr. Serrano first inaugurated Shakespeare on-the-Rocks Theater Festival at McKelligon Canyon Amphitheater from 1981 and it ran through 1984. He revived it at the Canyon in 1993 with his acclaimed production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which ran for ten seasons. With the support of the Ysleta ISD and EPCC, he has now revived the Festival for a second time in this new, more intimate venue in the Mission Valley.
EDEN ENTERPRISES
Eden Enterprises is an El Paso theatrical production company headed by Hector Serrano and David Mills. It produces plays and dance shows, many of which tour area schools. Eden Enterprises partners with the Los Actores Theater Company to stage Spanish language plays and often produces in association with the El Paso Community College Drama Department. Recent projects included school tours of Entremeses Cervantinos, Bocón, Shakespeare in Love, The Chicano Experience, Don Perlimplin y Belisa en el Jardín, and To Kill a Mockingbird for both the Ysleta and El Paso school districts; the First Thanksgiving Reenactment in San Elizario; and Viva los Niños!, a summer musical drama performed for the fourth year by children from Kindergarten through sixth grade at the Ysleta ISD Fine Arts Amphitheater in August. Upcoming projects include a December celebration of the bilingual Pastorela/Shepherd’s Play at the Socorro Mission in partnership with the Mission Trail Association, fall and spring school theater tours, and the 2007 edition of Viva los Niños! The Los Actores Spanish language Theater Company will stage two plays at the El Paso Playhouse: Pastores de la Ciudad in December and Lorca: Teatro, Danza y poesía in April.