Near & Arnold’s School of Performing Arts & Cultural Education presents La Pastorela - Un Gran Engaño (A Great Deception) written and directed by Oliva Zamora. This Spanish language family theater event will be December 6 & 7, 7 pm at SPACE Theater, 508 West Perkins Street, Ukiah.

Performed for hundreds of years in Mexico, La Pastorela is a retelling of the Nativity story and follows a group of shepherds traveling to meet the baby Jesus. Along the way, the devil tries to thwart the shepherds’ plans while angels intervene to help. Playwright Zamora has updated the story with references to places, customs and situations characteristic of Ukiah and raises awareness of values perhaps lost by younger generations of immigrant origin. Twenty-two local community members ages five to seventy-five bring the story to life with great humor, using idioms of a language that emerged from the fusion of two cultures.

Admission is free and first come, first served. Doors will open at 6:30 pm. For information contact Ignacio Ayala, SPACE Latino Program Director, at 707-462-9370x104 or www.spaceperformingarts.org

This project is part of ¡Viva la Cultura!, an activity supported in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency. Learn more at www.arts.ca.gov.