Wednesday, September 23, 2009
A one woman show, but what a woman! At the Georgia O'Keeffe Educational Annex, rows of chairs were set lecture style, facing a central point, a modestly set stage with a few items from time past - a pair of gloves, a hat box, a sweater, the promise of reflection on the life of a woman among women in Santa Fe. Deborah Blanche (http://www.palomitaproductions.org/) appeared from the rear in a wig of muted red tones, introducing herself as Maria Adelina Isabel Emilia (Nina) Otera-Warren on the occasion of her 70th birthday. In a romantic reflection, Nina takes you back to 1921, to her campaign trail with a quick wardrobe change, a hat and a shawl. Her speech reflected the integrity of a woman concerned with education and human rights. In a surprising twist, Nina opens the stage to dialogue with the audience, asking for questions from her future voters. In this repartee, we learned of Nina's life, her wealthy heritage, the murder of her Father over land when she was two years old, her husband, her Santa fe home la casa grande (now the Georgia O'Keefe Research Center), her spirited mother, best friend and assistant Mamie, laws and a political climate of change, the fancy hats she wore then and the sweaters she wore years later when she returned to la casa grande to write a book. Later, we were taken to 1941, and then to the tale of her death, a rather fitting scene for such a woman. A sunday morning, a glass of Sherry and a close of the eyes. The performance itself was educational, heartwarming, and inspiring, much like La Nina herself. For more information on the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum and their fall roster of educational programs and performances, visit http://www.okeeffemuseum.org/. The museum is a short walk from the Don Gaspar Inn.