An Scéal means The Story in the Irish language

An evening of music, storytelling, and theatre blending Samhain and Día de Muertos traditions.

Following a sold-out debut, An Scéal (‘The Story’ in Irish Gaelic) returns with its second annual program, this year centered on Samhain and Día de Muertos. Samhain, the ancient Celtic festival marking the end of the harvest and the thinning of the veil between the living and the dead, meets Día de Muertos, the Mexican tradition of honoring ancestors through ofrendas (offerings), celebration, and remembrance, rooted in a shared impulse to gather and remember those who came before us. 

Co-hosted by Joellen Sweeney, who returns to craft the connective threads of the evening through original text and transitions, the performance brings together Irish and Latine artists including musicians, storytellers, actors, and cultural practitioners. The program unfolds as a sequence of short works, personal stories, and traditional forms, moving between artists and disciplines throughout the night.

An Scéal is made possible with generous support from

Kira Johnston

Creative Team

Joellen Sweeney

Host

Daye Thomas

Producer & Curator

“For me, the entire performance proves what people have always known: The common languages of myth, music and movement speak to us all, and even help us make some sense of things beyond our earthly understanding.”

Linda Ferguson, Oregon ArtsWatch

An Scéal: Samhain x Dia de Muertos Supporters

Season Sponsor: The Ronni S. Lacroute Fund of Oregon Community Foundation

Production Sponsor: Kira Johnston

“She guesses his name. And he gets so angry that he stamps the ground. He stamps the ground and the earth opens up and swallows him whole.”

— from Stilt by Joy Nesbitt