Betrayal, murder, and the birth of a nation

‘La Malinche’ and its playwright coming to college MIDDLETOWN — “La Malinche,” a play that explores the complex relationship between Hernando Cortez, the Spanish conquistador of the Aztec people of Mexico, and his indigenous wife, Malintzin, is coming to Orange County Community College. Viewed by some as a traitor to her people, Malintzin was nonetheless a bridge between cultures — caught in the change wrought by the Spanish invasion. The play takes place in a mystical landscape of spirits and specters. The Apprentice Players will showcase this work obyaward-winning playwright Carlos Morton with six November performances. In addition, the college will welcome Morton himself to campus for a Nov. 15 evening lecture and a talk-back following the Nov. 16 performance. The play will debut with an 8 p.m. performance on Friday, Nov. 9, in the college’s Orange Hall Theater. Additional opening weekend shows will take place at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10, and 3 p.m., on Sunday, Nov. 11. The Apprentice Players will also offer three performances the following weekend, with 8 p.m. shows set for Nov. 16 and 17 prior to the 3 p.m. finale on Sunday, Nov. 18. Morton’s lecture, “A Playwright’s Journey Through the Labyrinth of America,” will be held at 7 p.m. Nov. 15 in Orange Hall Theater. His appearance and the performance were planned in conjunction with the college’s debut “Global Initiative: Latin America,” a yearlong focus on Latin American culture, heritage, geography, art, music, and language. Morton is credited with more than 100 theatrical productions, both in the U.S. and abroad. His professional credits include the San Francisco Mime Troupe, the New York Shakespeare Festival, the Denver Center Theatre, the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre, and the Arizona Theatre Company. His other works include “The Many Deaths of Danny Rosales and Other Plays (1983),” “Johnny Tenorio and Other Plays (1992),” “The Fickle Finger of Lady Death (1996),” “Rancho Hollywood y otras obras del teatro chicano (1999)” and “Dreaming on a Sunday in the Alameda (2004).” Ticket are $10, general admission; $8, senior citizens, faculty, and alumni; $4, students; and free for active-duty military personnel. For reservations, call 341-4789. For more information, contact the Arts and Communication Department at 341-4790. Orange Hall Theater is located in Orange Hall. Parking is available in the college lot at the intersection of Wawayanda and Grandview avenues.