Gogue Center Performance Study Guide: "Sugar Skull!"

The Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center at Auburn University engages audiences across the university, the state of Alabama and beyond with curated arts experiences that inspire, enlighten and unite.

Our annual K–12 School Performance Series provides opportunities for schoolchildren to enjoy exclusive performances by some of the most talented and accomplished artists from around the world. Prior to each K-12 school performance, teachers receive a learning guide containing details about the performance, artist and company, supplemental information about the art form and its history, and grade-appropriate activities designed to spark conversation and exploration in the classroom.

To learn more about education and community engagement initiatives at the Gogue Center, visit goguecenter.auburn.edu/education

Produced by the Gogue Performing Arts Center Department of Education & Engagement in collaboration with Rhythm of the Arts LLC.

contributors Victoria Carboni, Christina Ganus and Andrea Jarmon

All photographs courtesy of Rhythm of the Arts LLC. © 2022 David Titensor

Sugar Skull! A Día de Muertos Musical Adventure

history & background

Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a two-day holiday that reunites the living and dead. Families create ofrendas (offerings) to honor their departed family members that have passed. These altars are decorated with bright yellow marigold flowers, photos of the departed, and the favorite foods and drinks of the one being honored. The ofrenda is believed to encourage visits from the land of the dead as the departed souls hear their prayers, smell their foods, and join in the celebrations!

Día de Muertos is a day of happiness as people remember loved ones and where mourning is exchanged for celebration.

There is probably no more iconic symbol for the Day of the Dead than the skull, or calavera. The calavera is often an ornately decorated representation of a skull, often featuring flowers, animals and other decorations. During the holiday, this imagery is seen everywhere, from ofrendas to paper crafts and even to cartoons in newspapers. In a way, the calavera has become an embodiment of the holiday itself.

facts about día de muertos

• Día de Muertos is NOT Mexican Halloween.

• Día de Muertos is NOT a scary holiday.

• The holiday has a rich and ancient history, dating back more than 2,000 years.

• Different holiday traditions exist in different parts of the country.

• Like any special occasion in México, food plays a vital role. The traditional meal often includes Mexican favorites like tamales and atole, but what people look forward to most during the season are the desserts.

performance synopsis

Sugar Skull! A Día de Muertos Musical Adventure is a touring bilingual/bicultural musical that uses traditional regional music and dance from México to tell the story of twelve-year-old Vita Flores. Vita thinks her family has gone loco planning a celebration for deceased loved ones. Why throw a party for the dead? But when a spirited candy skeleton suddenly springs to life, Vita finds herself on a magical, musical journey to unravel the true meaning of Día de Muertos. Meet Sugar Skull, a charismatic skeleton with a secret or two. With her skeletal new friend, Vita dances with ancient ancestors, sings with a sorrowful sorceress, escapes the trickster Chaneques, and even meets the famous Catrina Calavera. But can this clever youth gather the missing pieces needed for her family ofrenda before it’s too late?

Developed by Rhythm of the Arts, Gregory Van Acker, Sinuhé Padilla and Elena Araoz, with Mexico Beyond Mariachi, Sugar Skull! is a joyous, heartfelt adventure that delves into the rich, tuneful traditions of Día de Muertos. Featuring regional dances of México, colorful costumes and traditional music, Sugar Skull! teaches about Mexican culture beyond the expected!

Here are a few of the characters you will meet in Sugar Skull! A Día de Muertos Musical Adventure:

• Vita

• Sugar Skull

• Marigold

• Mamá

• Abuelita

• Catrina Calavera

• El Coco

• La Bruja

• Chaneques

• Meshica

• Aztecas

• Viejitos

Meet the artists

Rafa Reyes

Sugar Skull

Rafa Reyes is thrilled to reprise his role in this fabulously fun family musical. He is an awarded Cultural Representative of Veracruz and a graduate of AMDA New York. Reyes has been seen across different projects of companies such as TheaterWorksUSA, Rhythm of the Arts, Teatro SEA, Teatro LATEA, Ballet Nepantla and Calpulli Dance, among others. Theater credits include West Side Story, Man of La Mancha, and Carousel, both in México and the United States. Reyes is the frontman and creator of the musical revue A Mexican Affair, and he is always honored to represent his beloved México through his artistic work.

Tatiana Mirabent recently graduated from The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. For her graduating series, she played the role of Antigone in the classic Greek tragedy. Tatiana just finished filming a TV pilot for the Tisch School of the Arts and an independent film, The Claddagh, both Latin American projects shedding light on the Latin culture and the struggles faced in America. She is thrilled to be performing in Sugar Skull!, where she will get to dive deep into her Mexican roots and share the beauty of the culture with the world.

Tatiana Mirabent Vita

Get to know a few of the talented artists who have brought Sugar Skull! A Día de Muertos Musical Adventure to life.

Regina Carregha is an award-winning bilingual actress originally from Cancún, México, and based in New York. She trained at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting’s 3-year Conservatory. Carregha loves working on challenging material, especially featuring characters striving for a better life, and Latinx and womxn empowerment stories. Her recent theatre credits include La Diva of OZ/Mother in El Otro OZ (TheaterWorks USA), Chi-Chi in The Briefcase (LAByrinth Theater Company), Lulu in Between Riverside and Crazy (Stella Adler Studio of Acting), and The Bride in Blood Weddings (The Phoenix Theater). Her performance in this show earned her a Best Actress nomination from the Regional Broadway World Awards. Carregha is a current associate of TeamTheatre LLC, and a resident artist at The Fled Collective and Ten Bones Theater.

Argélia Arreola Marigold / Bruja /Chaneque /Viejito

Argélia Arreola was born in México and is a dancer, instructor and choreographer specializing in contemporary, West African, Afro-Cuban and Mexican Folk Dance. Arreola is a dancer and choreographer of Ballet Nepantla, MotusDuet, and Mexico Beyond Mariachi, and a dancer a jarana player with Jarana Beat and La Mezcla Ensemble. She is a fellowship recipient of the Mexican National Program of Scenic Creators FONCA 2021 for her new multidisciplinary work Acusticorporal, has a B.A. in contemporary dance from the Universidad Veracruzana, and has formally trained in traditional African dance of Guinea for 19 years. Her new project, AcustiKorp, examines the dynamic relationship between percussive instruments and the language of Guinean, and Senegalese, Afro-Cuban and Mexican Folk Dance.

Regina Carregha Mamá / Abuelita

Meet the artists

Ancestor / Chaneque / Viejito

Brenda Flores is a dancer, actor and teaching artist. She started her dance career at the young age of 16 as a professional Mexican Folklore dancer. Flores is a former dancer of the renowned Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández. As a member of the first company, Flores had residency in the magical Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City and toured nationally and internationally for four years. As an actress, Flores studied Meisner technique at Maggie Flanigan Studio in New York, completing the two-year program in 2021. She recently played the role of Maria in the off-Broadway play Quince As a teaching artist, she focuses on combining her dance experience with her business knowledge to create artistic opportunities for her local community, working closely with local educational and rehabilitation programs.

Felipe Fournier Percussion / Strings

Felipe Fournier is a Latin Grammy-winning producer, vibraphonist/percussionist, musical director, arranger and educator from Costa Rica. He graduated from the Puerto Rico Music Conservatory with a degree in jazz and Caribbean music in 2010, and the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica in 2006. In 2017, Fournier won the Latin Grammy for Best Mariachi/Ranchero Album as a producer for Las Caras Lindas by Flor de Toloache. He was nominated previously with Charlie Sepúlveda, Nestor Torres, Rubén Blades and Cheo Feliciano. Based in New York since 2013, Fournier is the founder and musical director of Supermambo! A Vibes Tribute to Tito Puente.

Brenda Flores

Get to know a few of the talented artists who have brought Sugar Skull! A Día de Muertos Musical Adventure to life.

Fernando Brindis is a Mexican musician from Orizaba, Veracruz. He graduated from the Universidad Veracruzana and has had the privilege to collaborate as a session player for Blumen Records and multiple traditional music groups both in México and Brazil and now in the United States. Since 2021, Brindis has performed in New York as a traditional instrumentalist, guitar and bass player for groups such as Jarana Beat, Radio Jarocho and Los Guachinangos, and he is excited to share his love of music with the warm community that has received him in New York.

Tania Mesa Violin / Voice

Tania Mesa is a crossover-style violinist, singer and composer from the Canary Islands. She studied classical violin (ESMUC–Barcelona) and contemporary music at Berklee. Mesa has toured worldwide with The World Orchestra: (UNESCO), the Berklee Silent Film Orchestra, Manolo García, and J. Manuel Serrat, and performed with Dream Theater and Alejandro Sanz and with flamenco artists. Her other credits include performing as a singer, violinist and acting at National Theatre of Catalonia and Caixaforum auditoriums (Barcelona and Madrid), and Fandango for Butterflies at LaMAMA and La Jolla Playhouse. She is a member of the New York band Jarana Beat and leads her own original music band Tania Mesa & The Mediterranean Soul.

Fernando Brindis Guitar / Voice

Vocabulary

Día de Muertos (dee-ah deh mwer-tohs) noun Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday where families remember and honor their deceased relatives with food, drink and celebration. Día de Muertos, also Día de los Muertos, is celebrated each year on November 1 and 2.

Ofrenda (o-fren-da) noun Ofrenda is Spanish for “offering.” An ofrenda is a collection of objects traditionally placed on an altar during the annual Mexican celebration of Día de Muertos.

Pan de Muerto (pan deh mwer-toh) noun

In the United States, pan de muerto is called “dead bread” or “bread of the dead.” This special holiday treat traditionally consists of a sweet roll baked and shared during the weeks leading up to Día de Muertos.

Abuelita (a-bway-lee-tah) noun

The diminutive form of abuela, similar to what granny is to grandmother. You use the diminutive to add affection and tenderness. When you say abuelita, you mean “dearest grandma” in a very personal way.

Calaca (kal-ah-kah) noun

Derived from calavera, calaca is a colloquial Mexican Spanish word for “skeleton.” A calaca is a figure of a skull or skeleton (usually human) commonly used for decoration throughout the Day of the Dead festival.

La Muerte (la mwer-teh) noun La Muerte is the personification of Death and can be interpreted as either a man or a woman.

Nahuatl (naa-waa-tul) noun

The people and language indigenous to southern México and Central America, including the Aztecs. Varieties of this language are still spoken today by an estimated 1.5 million Nahua peoples.

Cempazúchitl (sem-pah-soo-cheel) noun This is the Nahuatl word for the yellow and orange marigolds traditionally associated with Día de Muertos. These colorful flowers are thought to attract and welcome spirits back to their homes.

La bruja (la brew-ha) noun A sorceress or enchantress

Music

Día de Muertos takes students on a magical journey through time and place into a México that they rarely get to see. Much of the performance features instruments that are both ancient and modern, all of which are still played in present day México.

string instruments

Violin

The smallest of the string instruments in an orchestra

Jarana Jarocha (hah-rah-nah hah-roh-chah) Small guitar-like instrument from the state of Veracruz

Vihuela (bee-weh-lah)

Small five-string instrument with a “belly” in the back played throughout central México

Guitar

Six-string instrument of European origin played throughout México

wind instruments

Ocarina (oh-kah-ree-nah)

Flutes made from clay

Sopranino Recorder High-pitched recorder

Wind Whistle

Handmade cylindrical flute made from clay

Conch Shell

Wind instrument made from the shell of a conch and played like a trumpet percussion instruments

Huehuetl (weh-weh-tl) Large wooden drum Teponaztli (teh-po-nas-tleh) Log drum

Palo de Lluvia (pah-loh deh yoo-byah) Rain sticks

Quijada de Burro (kee-hah-dah deh boo-rroh)

A donkey’s jaw bone; sound is made by scraping its teeth

Tarima (tah-ree-mah)

Small wooden platform where a dancer makes rhythm patterns with their shoes

Questions

We hope you and your students enjoyed experiencing Sugar Skull! A Día de Muertos Musical Adventure at the Gogue Center. Below are a few post-performance questions you can discuss with your students.

Question 1

After seeing the show, what is something new you learned about Día de Muertos? What were you surprised to find out?

Question 2

What part of the performance was most memorable or stuck out in your mind?

Question 3

How does Vita change from the beginning to the end of the performance? What does she learn is the true meaning of Día de Muertos?

Question 4

What does tradition mean to you?

Question 5

What is a holiday or tradition that you celebrate with your family and friends?

Question 6

Music is an important part of the performance. Which song did you like best?

Question 7

The performers used wind, string and percussion instruments. What instruments did you know? What instruments were new to you?

Question 8

What choreography, costumes or set/scenery pieces caught your attention?

Activities

It’s time to get creative! Let’s see how your students have been inspired by Sugar Skull! Below are a few post-performance activities you can share with your students.

Activity 1

Now that students have an idea of what might happen on Día de Muertos, they can write a creative story starring their very own calaca (skeleton). Have them create a story about what their calaca was up to the night of Día de Muertos. Have students draw their own calaca or sugar skull to go along with their story.

Activity 2

After attending the performance, discuss the experience with your students. Ask them questions about what parts of the show they found to be most exciting or surprising.

Next invite students to write a letter to the Gogue Center about the experience.

Ask your students to include a sentence or two about who they are. Students can include their name, age and grade to introduce themselves.

If your students are having writer’s block, no worries. Here are some prompts you can use to help them along:

• My favorite part of the show was …

• While watching the show I felt … because …

• I have drawn a picture of the scene when …

• This experience was special because …

Letters can be sent to the Gogue Center via email at gpaced@auburn.edu or the following physical address:

Gogue Performing Arts Center

Auburn University

attn: Education & Engagement Department 910 South College Street Auburn, Alabama 36849

Activity 3

Ask students, individually or in groups, to pick a region, city or town in México and research how that particular area celebrates Día de Muertos.

How is Día de Muertos celebrated across México? How is it celebrated in other areas of Central America? What Día de Muertos events are happening in 2022?

Activity 4

Using the templates provided on the next spread, have students create their very own sugar skull. Students may color the provided design or use the blank template to create something original.

Día de Muertos is celebrated throughout Central America; however, the holiday is most strongly associated with México, where it originated.

Holidays are often celebrated differently around the world, with customs and events varying from country to country. Some holiday traditions even differ within countries.

That’s right—not all cities and towns within a country celebrate holidays the same way.

cut along dashed lines punch hole to insert string

cut along dashed lines punch hole to insert string

Mexico Beyond Mariachi

Mexico Beyond Mariachi (MBM) was created 15 years ago in New York City by a group of people who saw that there was a need in the community to know more about traditional Mexican performance culture that was extended past the stereotype of just Mariachi music. Responding to the need to diversify representations of Mexican performance and art, MBM created Sugar Skull! They have reached more than 100,000 students across 250 schools and communities. MBM began traveling around the United States to tell the story to young audiences and families. They believe it is an important time to reach new audiences with the message of equity, tolerance and unity while preserving the rigors of technique, all in a safe, nurturing, and inclusive space dedicated to fitness, well-being and lifelong learning.

To learn more about Mexico Beyond Mariachi, visit www.mexicobeyondmariachi.com.