asfTrece Lunas Arts Collective started as the initiative of a group of theatre and music students from Chile and the U.S. in 1997. The original purpose of the Collective was to explore the history of Latin America and its relationship with the United States, using art to encourage critical thinking and meaningful debate about issues of gender, human rights, cultural colonialism, and social justice. The Collective's first production (1997), “Altazor: a voyage in a parachute,” (see this production's page) was adapted from the poem by surrealist Chilean writer Vicente Huidobro, and used live music and circus-theatre to explore the political landscapes of Chilean society during the 20th century. It was performed in Chilean universities, cultural centers, high schools, theatre festivals, and other venues. Our next production (1997), “Otoñeresis o la lógica marchita,” (see this production's page) explored the issue of torture and the marginalization of the Chilean poor. The play was written and directed by Emiliano Silva with live music by Ignacio Muñoz. The production involved a group of students from the University of Chile, who transformed an abandoned nursery school into a small theatre, where extensive experimentation with Antonin Artaud and Jerzy Grotowsky’s methodological approaches to the stage took place. The Collective's last production in Chile (1998), “El Ritual de los Corazones Enterrados,”
(See this production's page) explored the issue of cultural colonialism, adapting and transforming the characters of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” from a third-world perspective. The play was written by Emiliano Silva with music by Cherolyn Fischer.

In the United States, Trece Lunas Arts Collective began operating as an informal arts group on a project to project basis under the umbrella of various community organizations. From 1999-2001, the Collective conducted theatre and music workshops exploring issues of human rights, democracy and social justice in the U.S. and Latin America, in the context of historical colonialism and globalization. The productions that resulted from the workshops, developed with RCTA interns, were performed during RCTA’S coffee hours. In 2000, the Collective performed Remembering Victor Jara, a concert to commemorate the life and songs of the legendary Chilean songwriter who was brutally tortured and killed by the U.S. sponsored dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. The concert included 14 songs and was performed by the Pachamama Band at the Resource Center of the Americas (RCTA) Cafe. During this period the Collective also developed the Children’s Bilingual Story Hour, a series of music and theatre presentations that explored pre-Columbian creation myths of the Americas.

In November 2002, the Collective staged, “Que Vivan Los Muertos!
a political circus-theatre ranchera.”(see Que Vivan Los Muertos page) The play, written by Emiliano Silva with music by the Pachamama Band, is perhaps the Collective's most significant accomplishment to date.

Currently, Trece Lunas Arts Collective is a registered MN non-profit organization.

November 2003,Ku Klux Kumbia! (see Ku Klux Kumbia page). We are also building our membership base.

Currently working on "Revolution Cirkus: The Life and Times of Luis Emilio Recabarren"(see Revolution Cirkus pages)

To find out how you can support Trece Lunas Arts Collective, please visit the Become a Member page.