“The Serpent and the Four Seasons,” a multimedia student production, will be presented tonight outside the 24th Street BART station in celebration of Día de los Muertos. The show is a combination of dance, theater and music produced by San Francisco State University’s Rainbow Theater.
Written and directed by theater arts professor and Mission resident Carlos Baron, the show will be performed by a group of 14 students from the university’s Latino/a Teatro Workshop. It was created with help from choreographer Adriana Sánchez, musician Maestro Miguel Martinez and actress Saday Osorio Córdova.
The show focuses on themes of rebirth and renewal, through the four seasons and the story of a serpent biting its own tail. “I want [the audience] to be entertained, but also to reflect upon life and the fact that you are born with your death,” says Baron. “Don’t be afraid to die; be afraid of not living.”
This is the third year in a row that Rainbow Theater has participated in Día de los Muertos, but the first time the company has performed in public, on a stage built specifically for the occasion. Ten students from SF State’s Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts and Theatre Arts departments are providing technical work and support.
Technical Director Joel Hernandez started working with Baron last year when he took his Latino theater class. “I wanted to get on board because of the day and what it means culturally, and how empowering it can be to people who don’t know about it,” he said. “There are so many ideas going into the play and [they have] an awesome relation to Day of the Dead.”
The free performance begins at 8 p.m.