Valentina y la sombra del diablo

No one likes to talk about sexual abuse towards children. It’s difficult to put into words the emotions that children are feeling, much less the hatred we feel towards those who are offenders. And yet, as difficult as this topic is, Veronica Maldonado made a play about it for kids. Wait, what? You read it correctly. When Dr. Compton told me we were to see this kind of a play I thought to myself that it would be a total disaster. I thought, either the play would be too general and not really get at the point, or it would be too explicit and offend the parents that brought their children. Much to our surprise, Valentina y la sombra del diablo (Valentina and the Devil’s Shadow) was a masterpiece that delicately said just enough to get across a message that needed to be said: children who are sexually abused can and should use their voice to denounce their offenders. In fact, Veronica told us after the presentation that two children already told their parents they were being sexually abused by a family member and that in these two cases the perpetrators are now behind bars. This, my friends, is one of the many powers of theater.

(The playwright Veronica Maldonado)

To tackle this subject the play revolved around a young girl who is being sexually abused. Instead of using realism, the play uses symbols to represent Valentina’s different fears, as well as the devil and his shadow, which is the sexual abuser. For example, the devil’s shadow appears in the form of a red cloth with a yellow triangle for a face. This “devil” wants to play “doctor”, or “the game of secrets” with Valentina, and she does not want to play. But each time he appears he uses rhetoric that, to be honest, is very convincing, and especially to someone who is young. It was quite disturbing to hear this, but the devil never explicitly mentions words like sex or taking off clothes. Rather, there is a more inferred tone to the work, something that parents immediately understand, but that some children might not. And that’s ok. As Veronica told us afterwards, some children thought the devil represented a bully, and that they should stand up to bullies.

(Representation of the Devil's shadow.)

(The Devil's shadow coercing Valentina.)

But that’s not to say the work shied away from the issue. Oh no. When the devil did sexually abuse Valentina she would take the red cloth from the actor inside the devil and cover herself as she struggled inside. What drove the action between these sexual encounters was Valentina’s desire for change. She imagined her grandfather offering her counsel after each attack. However, her grandfather was no longer alive, so her encounters were almost like angelic messages. It was touching to see how Valentina was so scared of men that she felt it extremely difficult to even let her grandfather touch her. But as the play progressed she finally allowed herself the chance to hug her grandfather, in what was probably one of the most emotional scenes of the play. Imagine, if you can, someone who is so shocked from sexual abuse from a family member that it is difficult to hug someone who actually loves you.

(On the left is a representation of Valentina's grandfather.)

After two unsuccessful attempts to thwart her attacker and being raped, she finally stands up and uses her voice against him. In fact, she realizes who he is and calls him out; one of her uncles. And this is the message that Veronica is trying to tell us through her play: children may not be physically strong, but they are able to speak, and if they use their voice, they have a power that can be used to stop their sexual abuse.

("Paths and Exits Are Made with Words.")

Another element central to the show is the use of children’s music. Since the actors were adults, the music helped us approach their representation of a young girl. Also, the fact that the devil uses these songs in a manipulative way only adds to the dark feeling we felt when he appeared. If I can make a reference, it’s like in Serial Mom when the psycho mother hacks the old lady to death while the song “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow” is playing from the musical Annie. There’s an extra element of creepiness when children’s songs are used in these settings because the innocence of the lyrics are juxtaposed to the dark scenes in which they are used. However, at the end of the play when the devil is finally overcome, Valentina finishes one from start to finish without any manipulation or distortion. She is finally free of her attacker.

For me, this production is a demonstration to all that difficult subject matter can and should be related to children in a delicate way. Just think, if this play hadn’t been written or produced, two child molesters would most likely still be committing this heinous act. As a parent, I found this story both heartbreaking and urgent. Now, if only there was a way to bring this play to the US.