Balboa Park's Old Globe is partnering up with the historic Centro Cultural Tijuana (Cecut).
The move was confirmed by Barry Edelstein, The Old Globe’s Erna Finci Viterbi Artistic Director, while at a press conference south of the border in Tijuana.
Edelstein says that this could not be possible without the coexistence and great relationship between both, San Diego and Tijuana. He considers both cities to be one piece of land that is simply divided by a border.
“We live in a binational city,” Barry Edelstein said at the press conference. “We really are one giant city that has two halves, and it’s such a pleasure and an honor now for the Old Globe to connect to the other half of our city at long last.”
As reported last week by ChulaVistaToday, "Mala" — by playwright Melinda López and performed in Spanish by Yadira Correa — premiered at the Old Globe in May, providing a play filled with humor and a relatable story to connect with its audience.
With this deal, locals won't have to visit just Balboa Park in order to see this play, but the play will instead come to them across the border in the near future as part of this binational agreement.
“Mala” will be presented for Tijuana locals at the Cecut on Sunday, June 19, at 2 p.m, according to Old Globe representatives.
Edelstein says the main goal of this deal is to build bridges and connections from one city to the other through theatrical performances between both centers.
“We would love to welcome work from Cecut on our stages at the Old Globe,” he said. “It is all about forging connections and seeing if bridges can be built. So, I look forward to a press conference five years from now where we can report to everybody all the amazing programming that has come because of this document today.”
Gaspar Orozco, consul for cultural affairs with the Mexican Consulate in San Diego, says that this deal between both institutions will benefit the spread of cultural appreciation between both communities.
“Shakespeare said that ‘all the world’s a stage,’ and certainly, the border is also a stage,” Orozco said. “What we need to do is to erase the line that divides us, and through theater, and art, to widen that communication between sister communities like Tijuana and San Diego.”
