They are young, in their twenties, with a proposal no one would expect: bringing the classics of theater to a young and transnational audience.
“We are graduates of the National School of Theatrical Arts of Mexico. We want to bring a proposal to the younger generation; classical theater has a contemporary impact, and we need to revive it,” says Ismael Rojas, director and co-author of Mulas Teatro. Tamara Garduño Pacheco, the lead actress, and coauthor of the play, is part of this group that will be present at UCLA’s Hispanic Classical Theater Festival, LA Escena, from September 12 to 17. This year, all performances will take place at the newly renovated Nimoy Theater at UCLA in Westwood.
The proposal of Mulas Teatro is very innovative. “La Última Gran Aventura de la Monja Alférez” is based, among other texts, on the “Historia de la Monja Alférez, Catalina de Erauso, written by herself,” which belongs to the late Baroque period, where great writers such as Juan Ruiz de Alarcón and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz left a mark on universal theater.
This story remains relevant for Ismael, originally from Oaxaca and now living in Mexico City. “Erauso, with a tough demeanor and a steely temperament, was shaped by the force of necessity, living their last adventure in Cotaxtla, Veracruz, New Spain. After confronting the gender constructs of the 16th century, they recall their battles, shipwrecks, and long treks through the Andes without food or water, facing hardships but surviving with barely a scratch. What would have become of Erauso if they had received an education in-line with the times?”
“Our message is to show that what was written from Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz to today is still relevant and that those writers and characters are significant,” Rojas affirms. The play was advised by teacher Ana Paola Morales Izquierdo.
“We’ve had a very positive reaction in community; people connect with the story. We want to convey to young people that there’s a message beyond how we’re portrayed. We are more than rap and Peso Pluma,” he says.
Other theater companies from Mexico, Spain, Los Angeles, and New York will perform at UCLA’s LA Escena festival.
LA Escena 2024 will include 10 live performances, all free to the public, and one online broadcast. The festival will feature staged readings of new adaptations and inventive performances of works from Spain’s Golden Age. The performances will be in both Spanish and English, coinciding with the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month on September 15.
Launched in 2018, LA Escena aims to promote greater inclusion of Hispanic culture in the theatrical canon. Celebrating the rich tradition of Spain’s Golden Age from both sides of the Atlantic, the festival shows how these works continue to resonate with today’s audiences.
“La Última Gran Aventura de la Monja Alférez”
Direction: Ismael Rojas
Playwriting: Ismael Rojas and Tamara Garduño Pacheco
Acting: Tamara Garduño Pacheco
Live Music: Paulina Hegewisch
Scenography:
Miguel Ángel Bernard Hernández
Dinorah Celic Cerqueda Sánchez
Costumes: Miguel Ángel Bernard Hernández
Lighting: Dinorah Celic Cerqueda Sánchez
Advisory: Mtra. Ana Paola Morales Izquierdo
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