''Viva! El Paso'' is an annually performed musical which celebrates

El Paso El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...

's cultural history through dance, drama, narration and songs. It has been running almost continually since 1978 and was updated with a new script and music in 2016. The musical play is performed outdoors in the

McKelligon Canyon McKelligon Canyon is the location of a 1,503-seat amphitheater located in El Paso, Texas, United States, where the play '' Viva El Paso!'' is presented. The amphitheater is also used for concerts, graduation ceremonies, and other special events. Ad ...

amphitheater. With 2020 being cancelled caused by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, the 43rd was deferred to 2021.

About

The performance describes over 400 years of El Paso history. There have been two versions of the

musical play Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

. The original play was created by Hector Serrano and was first performed in 1978. It was first produced by the Los Pobres Bilingual Theatre Repertory Company. In 2014, ''Viva!'' went on hiatus when there was not enough funding to support the play. A new script was written by Marty Martin for the new production starting in 2016. The new version was produced through a partnership with the

University of Texas at El Paso The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stud ...

(UTEP), El Paso Live, the El Paso Community Foundation and the El Paso Community College (EPCC). The new script includes additional musical and dance scenes and streamlines the original script. The 2016 version is also more character-driven than the original, with the focus on two lovers who move through history and time starting with

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

settlers to the more present day. Musical arrangements were done by Jim Ward and Cody Ritchey.

References

External links

Official site
{{Authority control Culture of El Paso, Texas Tourist attractions in El Paso, Texas Festivals in Texas Folk festivals in the United States Theatre in Texas

About

See also

References

External links