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The production “Peregrina” runs through Saturday at Plaza Del Norte inside the Mexicantown Latino Cultural Center in Southwest Detroit. The solo show, performed by Detroit artist Karilú Alarcón Forshee and directed by A Host of People Co-Director Sherrine Azab, is a tribute to victims of femicides in Mexico. Feminicide, the intentional killing of women and girls because of their gender, has been a problem in Mexico for decades, according to the United Nations. Around 10 women and girls are killed every day by intimate partners or other family members, according to government data. The crimes have sparked protests and placed gender violence at the top of Mexico’s political agenda.
“Peregrina,” which translates to “woman pilgrim” or “female wanderer” in English, weaves stories of warriors together with those of the working class through song and storytelling. The show is the first of a series called the Good Ancestors from A Host of People.
I talked to “Peregrina” performer Forshee, who is originally from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, about the show and bringing awareness to female activists in her native country.
BridgeDetroit: How did Peregrina come together?
Forshee: I’ve had the idea in my heart and my mind since 2020 because it speaks of problems that I grew up with in Mexico. It’s something that continues and I thought it was important for me to use my voice.
I’m trying to put this out there by using the music of (Chilean composer, singer-songwriter) Violeta Parra and poetry from local authors, but also trying to write something that would would do justice. It’s a very complicated theme, so to do it in an hour and 20 minutes, it required a lot of reflection and research.
I couldn’t do it alone. I am part of A Host of People, so I asked Sherrine Azab if she was willing to direct me. I told her my idea, I showed her all the content that I already had, and she immediately joined and shared her forces and resources and we continued the work together. This was a collaborative work between A Host of People and me and that’s how it came to to be.
BridgeDetroit: Who are some of the women you highlight in the production?
Forshee: I highlight activists. There’s three in particular, which are Araceli Osorio, Frida Guerrera and Oriana Lopez. These are some of the characters that I play, which are real people and real activists.
(For context, Osorio is an activist and the mother of Lesvy Berlín, who was strangled to death by a boyfriend on the campus of The National Autonomous University of Mexico in 2017. Guerrera is a journalist and activist who is dedicated to searching for disappeared women and memorializing the victims of femicide, and Lopez is a feminist activist for sexual and reproductive rights and health. She is a board member and co-chair for Mama Cash, an organization that supports women, girls as well as transgender and intersex people in their fight for their rights.)
BridgeDetroit: How are you bringing the stories of these women to light? How is the show structured?
Forshee: It’s a multimedia show. There’s the world of the story and there’s also all of these external elements that support the environment on how we are moving the story forward. It is heartbreaking, but necessary. As Sherrine likes to put it, it’s a very heavy piece but it’s wrapped in a beautiful package where we’re gonna be able to embrace everyone that’s facing these realities with beauty and love.
There’s many characters that I play throughout the piece that shows different perspectives of all of these women, as well as the ancestor, which is a soldadera (female soldier) from the Mexican Revolution. They played such an important part for the revolution because they not only fought with arms, but they also fed people, they were nurses, they were mothering at the same time. That kind of character translates to what women do today and what we have in us to be able to to survive and and keep fighting, to lead a more just world. It’s really important that I mention this character (the soldadera) because I feel like it’s what drives the energy and contains all these other characters.
BridgeDetroit: With high rates of feminicide in Mexico and the United States, do you see a brighter future for women and their rights?
Forshee: Absolutely. I have hope, because I think we have what it takes to to search for the light and to land on the light. We are resilient, we are strong, we know what care is and we know love. If we just hold on to that, we will be able to leave a better place for the women that come after us. We need to start by fighting for our own joy and prioritizing our self-love and self-compassion because that’s the only way we’re going to be able to push forward.
BridgeDetroit: What do you hope audiences take away from “Peregrina?”
Forshee: One of the things I want them to take is not fear the pain, to start learning how to move toward the pain, embrace the pain and name the pain, because if we don’t do that, we’re never going to be able to heal. I think one of the biggest problems we have as a society is shying away from pain. Our own pain, other people’s pain; that’s the only path to healing.
General admission tickets for the show are $15 and $10 for students, seniors and Southwest Detroit residents. The show is in Spanish with English subtitles.
As always, have a great week, Detroiters!
Cheers,
Micah
313 Scene
- Hometown rock star Jack White will make a stop at the Masonic Temple on April 12 and 13 as part of his No Name Tour, in support of his Grammy-nominated album “No Name.” Presale started last week and tickets open to the general public at 10 a.m. Friday.
- In other concert news, Tate McRae will head to Little Caesars Arena on Aug. 16 as the Canadian singer and dancer embarks on her Miss Possessive Tour, announced in tandem with news of her third album, “So Close to What,” set for release Feb. 21. Tickets for the LCA show will go on sale at 11 a.m. Nov. 22 through Ticketmaster. A presale for American Express members will start Tuesday, with a fan presale launching Wednesday. (Detroit Free Press)
- Linkin Park will play its first metro Detroit show in more than a decade when the band hits Little Caesars Arena on Aug. 14. The LCA concert comes amid an extension of the group’s From Zero World Tour, which kicked off in September with new singer Emily Armstrong filling the role of late co-front man Chester Bennington, who died in 2017. Tickets for Linkin Park’s Detroit show will go on sale at noon Nov. 21 through Ticketmaster. (Detroit Free Press)
What’s Going on in the D?
- Kick off the holiday season with the Detroit Tree Lighting ceremony 4-9 p.m. Friday at Campus Martius Park. The annual event will feature musical performances by singer-songwriter Alex Sampson, blues and soul band Southern Avenue and Detroit’s “Queen of the Blues” Thornetta Davis. Canadian skating sensation Elladj Baldé will hit the ice rink at Campus Martius, as well as figure skating duo Linzy Fitzpatrick and Keyton Bearinger.
- The Redford Theatre is showing the Steve Martin and John Candy Thanksgiving classic, “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Directed by Michigan native John Hughes, Steve Martin plays a man struggling to get home for the holidays with an obnoxious salesman (John Candy) as his traveling companion. Tickets are $7.
- The Southwest Detroit Business Association is looking for volunteers for its Light Up Southwest event 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The Southwest Business Investment District is providing Christmas lights and decor to be installed and distributed to more than 60 businesses in the Vernor and Springwells corridors. Volunteers can sign up here.
- Get your Christmas shopping started at the Holiday Biergarten Bazaar at Cadieux Cafe! Held from 12-4 p.m. Saturday, local vendors will be selling gifts, seasonal items and holiday decor. The bar will be open during the event for those who want to sip and shop.
- Norwest Gallery is hosting an opening reception for its exhibit, “Digital Ancestry: Life Reimagined” 3-7 p.m. Saturday at the Detroit Foundation Hotel. Created by South African artist Von Mash, the showcase explores Afrofuturism and a world where technology is not merely a tool but an integral part of life and identity. The event is free, but people can register on Eventbrite.
- Comedian Gabriel Iglesias is making a stop at Little Caesars Arena 7:30 p.m. Sunday as part of his “Don’t Worry Be Fluffy” tour. There’s still some tickets left on Ticketmaster, starting at $59.50.
