Pepián de tres carnes (Pepián of Three Meats)

Yesterday my wife and I traveled to the Miguel Angel Asturias Cultural Center in Guatemala City to see a fantastic piece of adapted theatricality titled "Pepián de tres carnes." The MAACC (1978) is a huge complex which furnishes three theatrical venues: The Great Hall/National Theatre "Efraín Recinos," the smaller, more intimate theatre "Hugo Carrillo," and an outdoor venue, as well as other cultural and theatrical spaces.

Inspired by Mayan culture the outline of the facade is a jaguar in a resting position, a prominent symbol among Mayan cultures. In this particular photo the head is farther away with the back paws more prominent.  According to the MAACC website, this structure is a way of saying that there was absolutely no Greek or roman architectural influence. Rather, they created a very organic architecture that fit within Guatemalan history. 

This was my first time seeing truly Guatemalan theatre. When I say truly Guatemalan I am referring to the language, acting, themes, venue, etc. Having lived in Guatemala in various locations (Xela, San Marcos, Guatemala City) with my wife I've learned some of the colloquialisms of this region (for example=patojo, child; nombre=my goodness; a la gran púchica=you've got to be kidding).

Xela

San Marcos

Guatemala City

I have to admit that had I not experienced Guatemalan culture before seeing this play I would have been very lost. As well, many of the traditional customs reproduced in this work are still held today in various parts of the country (fear of going to the hospital to give birth because your baby could be stolen, killing a chicken if you give birth to a boy, etc). While I may be unaccustomed with some of the cultural ideologies of certain parts of this country, I still respect them and note that their cultural traditions maintain their communities united and of interest to extranjeros like me.

The theatrical troupe that is presenting this show is Teatro Barrio Viejo, under the direction of Edgar Quiñónez, a well known actor, director and writer, among other talents. He is also the Assistant Technical Director of the MAACC. He adapted this show from Hugo Leonel Valle y Valle's story book "Una mano de cuentos" (roughly "A Handful of Stories"), which relates the life of a small fictional village, San Gabriel, Sacatépequez, during the 1950's.

The play was set up so that the handful of stories would be woven into about 5, with one single thread connecting the work together. The chronological sequence of the work really depends on one thing: a university professor's obsession with figuring out why more people die after one person dies (it would seem logical but that was farcical side of the show). However, I felt that each scene was supposed to emphasize relationships and characterization. I feel that is what made this play so special. We see a little of ourselves in each of the characters. By the end of the show when the whole village celebrates a commemoration of their village's support of the Panama Canal, every single character that developed throughout the show was on stage. It was difficult to watch just one person because each character maintained their true self on stage. Honestly, it was like watching a group of friends on stage. You know how each one reacts and they are all enjoying themselves. It was real and it was fun.

Each scene had incredible actors. What really moved me throughout this work was the development of character. Each person had a relationship with another person on stage and it was very obvious how each person was accustomed to acting and reacting with each other. From what I've seen among my wife's family, they had each character right on. While there was a bit of exaggeration and lots of puns, it almost felt completely real. I've met a lot of people who act just like them!

Now, I have to say there were two actresses that stole the show for us. The first was Elizabeth Morales who played the midwife of the village and the eccentric drunk at the party. She captivated all or our attention and had us laughing with all her shot taking at the final party scene ("sus quitapenas" as she called them). The second was Ivette Monney who played Eulalia, one of the main characters throughout the play. When she would return from the market to tell her gossip she had us all captivated. There was one moment when she imitated the drunkard of the village wailing after a woman who cursed him. In one moment she was wailing, and then the next she barely could hold herself from laughing. The transition was impeccable. Absolutely outstanding.

With what I've just said I don't give any justice to the rest of the cast. Really, they were excellent. Each had their own idiosyncracies and captivated us without a doubt. For my first experience with Guatemalan theater, I am impressed and hungry for more.

As you can see from this picture the audience was almost non-existent. In fact, they might have started the show a bit late because at 8:00 P.M. there were probably 10 of us in the theater and the show finally began at 8:20 P.M. (what I like to call "hora chapina" or Chapin time-Chapin means Guatemalan). By the end there were about 20 people there.

Honestly, these are incredible actors (professional and acting students) and the only people really missing out are the ones not attending. The show continues to run until the 28th of August on the weekends in this small venue and the price is Q60 each (the equivalent of about $7.75 a ticket). If you are in the area check it out before it closes. You won't be disappointed as you enjoy a serving of Guatemalan culture in this spectacular production.