Photo by John Daniel Garcia

John Daniel Garcia talks with Graham Reynolds about the inspiration behind his Pancho Villa From a Safe Distance opera for the Big Bend Sentinel …

For Reynolds, who majored in Latin American history in college, the addition of Mexican culture was an important factor in choosing the subject of the opera.

“I wanted to dive more deeply into the landscape and the culture of Mexico and the West Texas border,” he said, adding that a trip to Mexico at age 9 sparked a life-long interest and affinity for the culture. “That trip with my parents was transformative. For the opera, we got [Mexico City-based theater collective] Lagartijas Tiradas Al Sol for the libretto. That was really important to me. I needed to have Mexican and Mexican-American collaborators for this project.”

Keep reading at Big Bend Now, and find more information about Pancho Villa From a Safe Distance at panchovillaopera.com. The production premieres in Marfa tonight, Friday November 11,

  For those of you aching to know more about Graham Reynolds’ opera Pancho Villa From a Safe Distance, check out our new website! Panchovillaopera.com features a full list of the collaborators and some new videos, with more to come. Pancho Villa From a Safe Distance is the third and final chapter in Reynold’s epic Marfa Triptych. Tickets for Pancho Villa‘s public premiere on November 12 are now sold out.
To be added to the waitlist, please email [email protected].

Ballroom Marfa is excited to announce the launch of our Kickstarter campaign for Graham Reynolds’ experimental chamber opera, Pancho Villa From a Safe Distance,

the third and final installment of The Marfa Triptych. Join us in supporting this extraordinarily ambitious collaboration through Kickstarter today! Click here to visit the campaign page and find out more about the project and the unique rewards available to all Pancho Villa backers.

Graham Reynolds and Shawn Sides discuss their upcoming project, the final chapter in the Ballroom Marfa-commissioned ‪Marfa‬ Triptych in the Austin Chronicle … AC: What’s it like working together professionally?
Reynolds: In that first show, Jason [Neulander] was the boss. And in all the Rude Mechs shows, Shawn’s been the boss. And now we’re doing Pancho Villa for Ballroom Marfa, which she’s directing.
AC: So it’s not just a music performance, it’s a whole … ?
Reynolds: It’s a chamber opera, staged, the whole thing. And Shawn’s directing. But, for the first time, essentially, I’m sort of the boss of that one.
AC: So what’s the dynamic like there? Difficult? Enjoyable?
Sides: It’s very enjoyable, I enjoy it very much.
Read the full article in the Austin Chronicle.
The Marfa Triptych: Pancho Villa From a Safe Distance premieres at the Crowley Theater here in Marfa on November 11 and 12. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for soon-coming information on tickets and more. Read more about the project here.