History repeats itself, and art imitates life, or so the cliches
go.
For El Teatro Campesino, it’s a little bit of both.
History repeats itself, and art imitates life, or so the cliches go.
For El Teatro Campesino, it’s a little bit of both.
The renown theater is reviving two one-act plays from the 1960s and 70s.
The first, “Dark Root of a Scream,” by Luis Valdez, deals with the theme of war. Originally written during the Vietnam War, the play has been updated to reflect the current war.
“I felt compelled to stage that piece in particular, given the situation with our world right now,” said Lakin Valdez, the theater’s associate artistic director who directed both works.
In the play, a young man, a leader in his community, dies while at war, and “Dark Root” deals with the effect of his death on his family and community.
“It’s a retelling of the trials and tribulations of his life through each of his friends,” Valdez said.
Valdez said the play also ties into Aztec mythology. The young man who dies in war is named Quetzalcoatl, an Aztec sun god with different manifestations, one of which was as the man who brought peace to the Aztec civilization. With his death comes the sacrifice of an entire community.
While some decided to leave in reference to the draft of soldiers to war, which he feels will be reinstated.
“Dos Vatos,” on the other hand, is a broad comedy about two houseflies, who, as the theater’s release states, are on a “quest to find sustenance and freedom in the violently oppressive environment of a young woman’s studio apartment.”
It was written for and has only been performed as a puppet show.
“What I felt drawn to was it had never been performed with real actors,” Valdez said. “In terms of a challenge, I wanted to see if it was possible.”
But some small changes had to be made to accommodate real people, Valdez said. For instance, one part of the play calls for the flies to be on the ceiling. Valdez had to re-imagine that, given the difficulty of sticking humans to ceilings.
Valdez said he wanted to do the comedy to balance out the heaviness of “Dark Root.”
“I think it’s essential for as many artists, playwrights and directors to tell the story and complexities of war and to identify what really is behind it and the subsequent effects that it has,” he said. “I think it’s essential for everyone to tell their personal stories.”
Both plays open Thursday and run until July 24. Showtimes are Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students and seniors and $8 for children under 12. El Teatro Campesino is located at 705 Fourth St. in San Juan Bautista.
For more information, call (831) 623-2445 or visit www.elteatrocampesino.com
By Colleen Valles
