The final play of the season at the Lakeside Little Theatre, “Social Security,” opens on Friday, March 28 and runs through April 6.
Directed by Phil Shepherd, it’s a sophisticated comedy by U.S. screenwriter Andrew Bergman. The Broadway production opened in 1986 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre where it ran for 388 performances. Tickets for the show are 200 pesos, and the box office will be open from 10 a.m. to noon through the run of the show (except for the Sunday matinees), and one hour before curtain time for each performance.
Train Station birthday bash
The Centro Cultural González Gallo (CCGG) is commemorating the 94th birthday of Chapala’s ill-fated railway line with a week-long series of special events.
The program opens Friday, April 4, 7 p.m., with a recital by the Clemente Orozco Cedart Chamber Orchestra.
Latin American sounds will be featured Sunday, April 6, 12:30 p.m., at the joint appearance of the Ensamble Latino musical troupe and Son y Alma chorus.
The Orquesta Típica de Chapala will offer a repertoire of traditional Mexican compositions on Tuesday, April 8, 7 p.m.
Students from CCGG and Ixtlahuacan’s Casa de Cultura will appear together for an evening of song on Thursday, April 10, 7 p.m.
A screening of the Mexican film “Como Agua Para Chocolate” (Like Water for Chocolate) is booked for Friday, April 11, 6:30 p.m.
The calendar closes Saturday, April 12, 5 p.m., with a folk dance and music show featuring the Ballet de Ixtlahuacan and Grupo Mi México.
Admission to see the movie is set at 20 pesos. All other events are open to the public free of charge.
The inaugural run of the Chapala-Guadalajara railroad line took place on April 8, 1920, with a full load of passengers pulling out from the state capital at 9 a.m. and arriving at the station set on Lake Chapala’s shoreline at 12:45 p.m. The railway company founded by Norweign entrepreneur Christian Schejtnan went belly-up just six years later. The stately railroad station designed by Guillermo de Alba was left in abandon, gradually falling into disrepair. The building was donated to the people of the state in 1992. Following years of on and off restoration work, it was finally reopened in 2006 to headquarter the CCGG.
LLT elections
At Little Lakeside Theatre’s annual general meeting on March 19, Peter Luciano was elected president and Beth Leitch secretary. Both appointments will take effect on May 1.
Approval was also given for the installation of solar panels at the theater to save on electric bills.
The meeting was well attended and members congratulated the board on a successful season. A slate of plays (and directors) was announced for the 2014-15 season. More detailed information will follow on what promises to be an outstanding 50th anniversary season.
ASA
Local artist and sculptor Estela Hidalgo will be the speaker at the Ajijic Society of the Arts (ASA) meeting on Monday, April 7 at La Bodaga Restaurant.
Born in Mexico City in 1955, Hidalgo studied mathematics at the Anglo Mexican University and taught for several years before she moved to Ajijic.
She then finished her art studies at the University of Guadalajara School of Art and the Cabañas Cultural Institute. Hidalgo has participated in many individual and collective exhibits and was one of the first founders of a gallery cooperative in Ajijic.
She has spent the last two years working on international projects, including the sculpture, “Homage to Korean Slaves,” that will be a permanent fixture in the collection of the Museum of Gyeongnam.
Hidalgo is the author of the sculpture “Essences of Ajijic,” carved from the stump of an Indian laurel tree that stood on the Ajijic plaza for decades. The sculpture, which she finished in November 2009, took 340 working days to complete and sports glass, bronze and brass additions to the woodcarvings.
The ASA meeting starts at 10 a.m.