The life of Mexican legend and cult figure Frida Kahlo will be depicted on stage for one Rogue Valley performance only. Portland's Teatro Milagro will present a free presentation of its production "Frida, un retablo" at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 3, in Phoenix High School's Rose Street Theatre, 745 N. Rose St., Phoenix.

Phoenix High School has been a regular stop on the theater company's West Coast tours. This year's play examines the life and art of Frida Kahlo, one of Mexico's most acclaimed artists. "Frida, un retablo" will feature Phoenix High School students in cameo roles.

Leading up to the performance is a three-day bilingual theatre residency for the students. During the residency activity the students will learn about the history of Kahlo, Diego Rivera and their many famous friends. Student work will be posted on the Teatro Milagro Web site and the artists will receive a gift certificate from powells.com.

The theater's program material describes Kahlo as a sorrowful heroine whose obsession with death provided her with an unquenchable thirst for life.

"Born a Mestizo of European and Mexican parents, her dark braided hair and distinctive bird-wing brows are immortalized in over 200 self-portraits. Art became a retreat from polio, a bus accident and innumerable surgeries that left her in constant pain.

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Via imaginary friends and artistic passion, Kahlo escaped the miseries of her reality. Her work became her life as she reinvented herself into a timeless persona that was mirrored in her art," the program material reads.

In this new reworking of "Frida, un retablo," Teatro Milagro co-founder Dañel Malán portrays the older Frida and Maya Malán-Gonzalez portrays the younger. Omar Vargas plays the artist Diego Rivera. Matthew Preston plays several roles including Leon Trotsky, André Breton and Julian Levy.

Malán and her husband José Eduardo González founded Teatro Milagro (Miracle Theatre Group, in English) in 1985 to present their heritage in ways that acknowledge that the Hispanic experience is diverse and ever-evolving, influenced by indigenous, European, African, as well as U.S. cultures.

Artistic Director Olga Sanchez was inspired by the theatrical performances she witnessed in Latin America, which blended movement, dance, and music with poetic language.

Teatro Milagro conducts extensive research, consultation and collaboration with cultural experts, and tests its productions against the personal experiences of artists and audience members. The company's programming includes public performances as well as specialized touring and education projects.

Milagro's outreach efforts serve the underprivileged, at-risk youth, and under-served communities and individuals throughout the Northwest. The Miracle Theater Group oversees three professional performance companies, the Miracle Mainstage, Teatro Milagro and Bellas Artes. Additionally, it produces and presents cultural programs in El Centro Milagro, Portland's first Hispanic Arts and Cultural Center.

For information about Teatro Milagro, see www.milagro.org.

For information about the show at Phoenix High School, call 535-1526.

if you go What: "Frida, un retablo" When: 7 p.m. Saturday, March 3 Where: Rose Street Theatre, Phoenix High School, 745 N. Rose St., Phoenix Admission: Free Call: 535-1526