El Teatro Campesino presents the world renowned ‘La Carpa de los
Rasquachis,’ written by Luis Valdez. ‘La Carpa de los Rasquachis’
will open Thursday July 31 and run for eight weeks at the company’s
playhouse in San Juan Bautista.
El Teatro Campesino presents the world renowned ‘La Carpa de los Rasquachis,’ written by Luis Valdez. ‘La Carpa de los Rasquachis’ will open Thursday July 31 and run for eight weeks at the company’s playhouse in San Juan Bautista.
Luis Valdez’ ‘La Carpa de los Rasquachis’ is essentially an immigrant’s story – the epic tale of the Chicano farm worker in the United States of America. ‘La Carpa’ unfolds with the struggles, frustrations and ultimate victory of Jesus Pelado Rasquachi in a rich saga is brought to life with Mexican ballads known as corridos. Corridos are earthy narratives often sung to celebrate life’s triumphs and tribulations – usually with ironic humor and a rollicking Tex-Mex beat.
This production of El Teatro Campesino’s seminal classic is directed by Kinan Valdez and features ETC veteran performer, Noe Montoya. ‘La Carpa de los Rasquachis’ features Alejandro Nuño as Jesus Pelado Rasquachi. The audience travels with Pelado on his journey after he decides to leave his mother in Mexico with hopes of “getting rich” as a bracero in the United States.
‘La Carpa de los Rasquachis’ invokes the Carpa or tent shows – popular in the 1930s to ’40s – which would travel and perform in the areas around the U.S.–Mexico borderlands. Drawing on this tradition, El Teatro Campesino has brought ‘La Carpa’ back to many of these border towns with a mission to entertain, inspire and organize audiences to social action. It is a mission that the new generation of El Teatro Campesino hopes to continue.
‘La Carpa de los Rasquachis’ runs through Sept. 21. Opening night admission is free but ETC would appreciate donations. Show times are 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays at and 2 p.m. Sunday matinees. Ticket prices are $12 for adults, $10 for students and seniors and $8 for children 12 and younger. All seats on Thursday nights are only $5. Group rates are available.
El Teatro Campesino playhouse is at 705 4th St., San Juan Bautista. The box office hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
For details and reservations call (831) 623-2444 or visit www.elteatrocampesino.com.
