First Festival of Hispanic Classical Theater, LA Escena

This past September Diversifying the Classics, an initiative directed by Barbara Fuchs at, UCLA (http://diversifyingtheclassics.humanities.ucla.edu), brought LA Escena, the first Hispanic classical theater festival. The festival run for 3 days, 21-23 September, at the Greenway Court Theater thanks to the support of UCLA, Riverside and USC. It was also co-sponsored by CLASS, Cal Poly Pomona. It featured 6 plays that adapted or were modeled upon 17th century Spanish works. In late 16th-century Spain, theater became the favorite mode of entertainment for male and female audiences alike. Unlike in public theaters in England, actresses not only performed but were actual divas. The female presence on the stage certainly shaped Classic Hispanic plays in a myriad of ways, including long monologues for actresses and strong female roles. Diversifying the classics and LA Escena Festival precisely aim at diversifying the theatrical canon”beyond Shakespeare” and to offer LA audiences a classical theater that bring new ways of rethinking gender in society.

The festival opened onFriday with Mexican theater company EFE Tres, which presented El Merolico (The Mountebank), aspectacle that adapted two “entremeses” (short farcical pieces forthe stage) written  by one the greatestGolden Age Spanish authors,  Miguel deCervantes. The play introduced the Merolico, a street merchant who walks arounda small town in Mexico.  Condemned to alife of exile, he becomes an observer of human nature. As a storyteller, theMerolico knows how to adapt Cervantes’ entremesesto different audiences, and thus he presents “El Viejo Celoso” (The old jealous man) and “La Cueva de Salamanca” (Salamanca’s Cave). 

The classical adaptation was delivered beautifully by the talented actor Fernando Villa, who immersed the audience in the stories where he played every single character. Thus, with the help of few props he became Cañizares, the jealous old husband, Ortigosa, the nosy neighbor, Cristina, the maid, and even a barber and a sacristan. Charisma and energy filled the room with laughter and excitement. The audience played an important role on what made the festival so successful. Before the play started, there were conversations in Spanish and English overflowing from the seats in the audience. You could hear people speaking in different accents from different Spanish- speaking countries, people from different ages exchanging their anticipation about the play. In fact, one of the best parts of this play was the language. All the dialog was interpreted in Spanish with supertitles in English, which attracted a diverse group of people. There were no barriers between the actor, the story, and the audience, because during the one hour and a half that the play lasted we were all standing in a street from a small town in Mexico as one of Cervantes’ characters.

After a feast of plays, bilingualism, translation and adaptation, the festival closed on Sunday, having revived for 21st-century LA audiences the works of Miguel de Cervantes, Lope de Vega, María de Zayas, and Calderón de la Barca.

The festival aimed at celebrating and honor Hispanic Classical Theater and, to deliver to audiences who otherwise don not have opportunities to see, and support art that represents LA’s diverse Hispanic and Latin demographics. Every single seat at the Greenway Court Theater was taken by an eager spectator, proving that there is a need for more events like La Escena Festival. Places that bring classics to life and allow us to connect with others through a love for art that makes people living in our diverse communities feel a little bit more at home.

Photos by Reed Hutchinson