El Teatro Campesino’s annual holiday productions in Old Mission San Juan Bautista have “come to an abrupt end,” the theater company announced Aug. 9.
“After nearly a half-century, the awesome and inspiring tradition of live, community-based sacral theater inside the mission has been terminated by the permanent installation of the pews (required for safety concerns), eliminating our main performance areas in the crucero (center) of the Mission,” El Teatro representatives stated in a press release.
La Virgen del Tepeyac was first performed in the mission in 1971, and was followed by La Pastorela in 1980.
El Teatro estimates more than 250,000 people have attended the shows since their inception, and over 2,000 artists, musicians and community members have been part of the cast, crew and support teams. The productions also generated more than $500,000 in rental fees to the local parish, according to El Teatro.
La Pastorela will be moved to El Teatro Campesino’s Playhouse on 705 Fourth St. in San Juan Bautista, with further details expected to be announced at a later date.
“El Teatro wishes to extend our gratitude to the late Monseñor Amancio Rodriguez, who first opened the doors of the mission to us, starting with the Virgen play in 1971 and then La Pastorela in 1980, when rain drove us from the streets of San Juan into the church,” the statement read. “We wish to thank all the subsequent pastors and staff who have sustained our unique Christmas tradition for five decades. San Juan Bautista is our spiritual and historical home, so we hope to continue to be able to work on mutually beneficial projects/events in the future.”
The news disappointed many longtime attendees.
“The loss of the mission venue is heartbreaking to all of us,” Gloriamalia Perez wrote on El Teatro’s Facebook page. “I know, though, that the brilliant minds of El Teatro Campesino will create the perfect environment to continue this beautiful community holiday tradition at the ETC playhouse. I and family will continue to come and to invite friends to enjoy this wonderful annual uplifting community event, with its songs and the music, in San Juan Bautista.”
Joe Vargas wrote that his family attends every year, including his teenage children, who “still love to go.”
“Thank you to all from ETC for bringing us the opportunity to relive the miracles of our Virgen and Christ’s birth for so many years,” he wrote.
