Lisistrata-A Hectic and Shortened Evening

     On Thursday 28 August my wife and I made our way downtown to the Teatro Experimental de Jalisco.

    We had previously purchased tickets to see Lisistrata. We were both a bit scared before attending this show because it has a lot to do with fornication. The plot put simply is in Athens the women take over and refuse to have sex with their husbands until they end their wars. The play was originally witnessed in 411 B.C.  but continues to be a play of significance due to its themes about women and how they are treated in a patriarchal society. Mexico is known for its "machismo" which is basically that men control their women and the women stay at home cleaning and cooking. While it's not the case for all homes, it is of a big enough phenomenon for others to note it in the Mexican culture.
     The trip to the theater was very stressful. There are two locations for the Universidad de Guadalajara in downtown Guadalajara. The first being the main campus, and the other being the historic building located at the heart of Guadalajara. We went to both thinking the theater would be there. It wasn't. I didn't print out the direction, so when I asked those around me if they knew where the Teatro Experimental de Jalisco was located they all responded in the negative. Finally we went to the police and asked them. They told us the main plaza in downtown Guadalajara has Wi-Fi, so we got on Gloria's iPod and looked up the direction. Both police told us a different way to get to Agua Azul and Calzada Indepedencia. I don't know how we ended up making it to the theater, but we got there about 5 minutes late. We crossed a dark park and somehow went straight to the building. Life is so much easier with an iPhone where I can track where we are and where our destination is.
     We walked in after the play had already begun. I felt bad, but we had paid about 77 pesos each to attend, so I didn't feel too bad slipping in 5 minutes late. The performance aesthetics were magnificent. The set was a two dimensional series of pillars, three on each side, with a set of steps leading up to a gateway. They used a fog machine and fantastic masks. The masks covered from the nose up, and made their faces appear much larger. The mouth section was neat. They painted all around their mouth red, to make the lips look big. The clothing was great as well. Knowing they could have made many phallic jokes, since the play deals a lot with old comedy, they opted for a more modest appearance. Their white robes drooped between their legs, and when they made reference to making their "manhood" bigger, all they did was bend over and look surprised.
     I actually understood the Spanish in this show a lot better than in La Casa de Bernarda Alba. Unfortunately what I did hear was pretty immoral. I was putting up with the crude humor until my wife couldn't take any more. She politely stepped out. I followed her example. I let her know before hand that if at any time in any piece of theater, if she felt uncomfortable, that I would support her and leave with her. That is exactly what I did. Thus the evening was cut short about half-way through the performance. There were themes in the show that were note-worthy, though. One of the them is the patriarchal system's abuse of women. This play shows how even in Greek society women yearned for respect and consideration from their husbands and leaders. The topic isn't new. While their way of seeking common grounds is a bit unconventional in today's standards, it nonetheless demonstrates the power women do hold over men.
     We luckily made it home that evening, because our bus back to Patria and Vallarta had stopped running. Though a kind man by the name of Salvador let us on his bus because he was on his way home and he went through all of Vallarta, which meant he would pass Patria. We left just in time to make it home. Lisistrata was a cleverly performed play with wonderful actors who captured their audience. I'm not sure if it was mostly because their masks were so large that when they looked at the audience it was a bit unsettling, or if it was because they dominated their characters so well. I believe the actors were all students at the TEC de Monterrey where I am currently attending.