Mentidero: The 1992 Comediantes Banquet

Abstract

MENTIDERO THE 1992 COMEDIANTES BANQUET MICHAEL McGAHA Pomona College The 1992 Comediantes banquet was held on December 28 at Mesón Botín in New York. A cash bar preceded the dinner of Spanish dishes. Following the dinner, Michael McGaha read a message from Everett Hesse describing the first Comediantes banquet, which was held in New York in 1948. Jack Parker offered personal reminiscences of that banquet and circulated a note containing greetings to Everett Hesse for all present to sign. Margaret R. Greer gave the annual report on the state of the Bulletin on behalf of James A. Parr. Szilvia Szmuk urged colleagues to send her data concerning their publications on the Comedia for the annual bibliography. Susana Hernández-Araico requested that colleagues send her suggestions for the 1994 program by early September 1993. Several other colleagues announced upcoming conferences and publications of interest to the group. The topics for the 1993 MLA sessions in the Division of 16th- and 17thcentury Spanish Drama were also announced. They are: "The Comedia Outside of Spain"; "Siglo de Oro y Siglo XX"; and "Subversion in the Comedia ." The MLA Division Executive Committee for 1992 consisted of Dian Fox, Catherine Larson, Michael McGaha, Susana Hernández-Araico, and Catherine Connor (Swietlicki). Charles Ganelin was elected to begin a fiveyear term in 1993. At the Executive Committee meeting, two nominees were chosen to stand for election for the term beginning in 1994. The annual opportunity for scholars who are interested in the comedia to 287 288 BCom, Vol. 44, No. 2 (Winter 1992) commune with one another during the MLA conference is unique to our field, and all those interested in the comedia—from the founders of the Comediantes to the newest members of the profession—are invited to attend the banquet next year in Toronto. For further information please contact Susana Hernández-Araico. Fifty-one members and guest attended the banquet, including: John J. Allen Isaac Benabu Emilie Bergmann Lucía Bonilla Grace Burton Maria Soledad Carrasco Shelley Chitwood Deb Cohen Catherine Connor Mary Daniels Nancy D'Antuono Denise DiPuccio Ezra Engling Susan Fischer Charles Ganelin Jennifer Goldstein Margaret R. Greer Dan Heiple Ana María Hernández-Araico Susana Hernández-Araico María Herrera-Sobek Mary Hivnor Carroll Johnson Monique JoIy Patricia Kenworthy Kathleen Kish Catherine Larson A. Robert Lauer Agnes McGaha Michael McGaha Charles Oriel Jark Parker Mary Parker Michael Perna Alice M. Pollin Helen H. Reed Elias Rivers Georgina Sabat Rivers Dawn Smith Teresa Soufas Anita Stoll Matt Stroud Henry Sullivan Gordon Sumner Szilvia Szmuk Mary-Anne Vetterling Sharon Voros Alison Weber Barbara Weissberger Marcia Welles Shirley Whitaker PERFORMANCES OF LA CELESTINA AND FUENTEOVEJUNA The Bilingual Foundation of the Arts, a Los Angeles-based theatrical company , offered an insightful and amusing interpretation of La Celestina at the Mentidero289 BFA's Little Theatre, 412 North Avenue 19, Los Angeles, from September 22 through December 6, 1992. Performances were in English and Spanish, with one week in English, the following in Spanish, and so on. The BFA will present Fuenteovejuna, at the same location, between September 21 and December 5, 1993, again alternating performances in the two languages. ...