In the video above, Jana Mitchell, Charge Scenic Artist for the DCPA Theatre Company (pictured right),  takes you backstage at the world-premiere play American Mariachi to explain how she and her team brought the massive 60-foot street mural imagined by Scenic Designer Regina Garcia to life.

The enormous mural, designed as a kind of street-art collage, anchors playwright José Cruz González’s story of a young woman in the 1970s who becomes determined to form an all-female mariachi band in a desperate attempt to connect with a mother lost in her dementia.

The wall is made up of six separate pieces. Mitchell explains how her crew treated and distressed the mural so the wall doesn’t have an inauthentic brand-new look.

American Mariachi, a co-production with the Old Globe Theatre, moves directly to San Diego for performances there after it closes in Denver on Sunday, Feb. 25. The director is James Vásquez.

Video by DCPA Video Producer David Lenk and Senior Arts Journalist John Moore. 

More Colorado theatre coverage on the DCPA NewsCenter

American Mariachi: Ticket information

At a glance: Lucha and Boli are ready to start their own all-female mariachi band in 1970s’ Denver, but they’ll have to fight a male-dominated music genre and pressure from their families to get it done. This humorous, heartwarming story about music’s power to heal and connect includes gorgeous live mariachi music..

• Presented by the DCPA Theatre Company
• Performances through Feb. 25
• Space Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex
• Tickets start at $30
• Call 303-893-4100 or BUY ONLINE
• Sales to groups of 10 or more click here

Previous NewsCenter Coverage of American Mariachi:
Tony Garcia: American Mariachi is an American beauty
When Leonor Perez found mariachi, she found her true voice
American Mariachi Perspectives: Music as a powerful memory trigger
Photos, video: Your first look at American Mariachi
American Mariachi‘s second community conversation: Food, music and tough issues
Cast announced, and 5 things we learned at first rehearsal
American Mariachi: Community conversation begins
Summit Spotlight video: José Cruz González, American Mariachi
2016 Summit: An infusion of invisible color and hidden voices
Vast and visceral: 2017-18 Theatre Company season
Denver Center taking new plays to new level in 2017-18

Photos showing the making of the 60-foot wall and turning it into a mural. Photos by John Moore and Adams VisCom for the DCPA NewsCenter.

Photo above of actor Amanda Robles by Adams VisCom.