Valparaíso

Valparaíso (/ˌvælpəˈraɪzoʊ/, Spanish: [balpaɾaˈiso]) is a major city, seaport, and educational center in the county or commune of Valparaíso, Chile. Greater Valparaíso is the second largest metropolitan area in the country. Valparaíso is located 111.8 kilometres (69.5 mi) northwest of Santiago and is one of the South Pacific's most important seaports. Valparaíso is the capital of Chile's third most populated administrative region and has been the headquarters for the Chilean National Congress since 1990.

Valparaíso played an important geopolitical role in the second half of the 19th century, when the city served as a major stopover for ships traveling between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans by crossing the Straits of Magellan. Valparaíso mushroomed during its golden age, as a magnet for European immigrants, when the city was known by international sailors as "Little San Francisco" and "The Jewel of the Pacific". In 2003, the historic quarter of Valparaíso was declared a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World HeritageSite

Valparaiso (play)

Valparaiso is Don DeLillo's second play, in which a man suddenly becomes famous following a mistake in the itinerary of an ordinary business trip which takes him to Valparaíso, Chile, instead of Valparaiso, Indiana.

The 1999 play, which incorporates live performance with video projection, looks at how the media has affected modern mankind. The central character, Michael Majeski, tries desperately to establish his own identity by throwing himself under the spotlight of celebrity. The piece is composed entirely of interviews, for a range of different media, and culminates in the protagonist committing assisted suicide with a microphone lead on a TV talk show.

Valparaiso received its premiere at the American Repertory Theater in 1999 under the direction of David Wheeler. Since then it has seen numerous revivals, including a production by Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre and a French-language version in Paris. In 2002, the Rude Mechanicals of New York staged the New York premiere, referred to by the New York Times as "a revelatory new production", directed by Hal Brooks. In 2003, it received its college premiere at Savannah College of Art and Design under the auspices of the Ghlei company. In 2005, Don DeLillo granted the UK premiere rights of the play to 24-year-old film school graduate Jack McNamara, whose production premiered at the Old Red Lion Theatre in London on April 25, 2006. The London production was produced by Weaver Hughes Ensemble. US productions in 2007: The Garage Theatre, Long Beach, California; directed by Jeff Kriese and running from October 05, 2007 to November 03, 2007. The Hideout Theatre, Austin, Texas; a Search Party Production, directed by Jeremy O. Torres and running from November 01, 2007 to November 04, 2007. US productions in 2008 include HB Studio, an HB Ensemble production, New York, New York; directed by Rasa Allan Kazlas and running from 11 June 2008 to 28 June 2008.

Valparaiso, Indiana

Valparaiso (/ˌvɑːlpəˈreɪzoʊ/ vahl-pə-RAY-zoh) is a city and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 31,730 at the 2010 census.

History

The site of present-day Valparaiso was included in the purchase of land from the Potawatomi Indians by the U.S. Government in October 1832. Chiqua's town or Chipuaw was located a mile east of the current Courthouse along the Sauk Trail. Chiqua's town existed from at or before 1830 until after 1832. The location is just north of the railroad crossing on State Route 2 and County Road 400 North.

Located on the ancient Indian trail from Rock Island to Detroit, the town had its first log cabin in 1834. Established in 1836 as Portersville, county seat of Porter County, it was renamed to Valparaiso (meaning "Valley of Paradise" in Old Spanish) in 1837 after Valparaíso, Chile, near which the county's namesake David Porter battled in the Battle of Valparaiso during the War of 1812. The city was once called the "City of Churches" due to the large number of churches located here at the end of the 19th Century.