Cosas pequeñas y extraordinarias (Small and Extraordinary Things)

It is going to be difficult to see another drama on this trip that will be more visually and emotionally brilliant. Images of this play continue to percolate in my head, and I am still held in a sense of awe and wonder at the creative brilliance put into this masterpiece. In fact, while I was watching the play, I was thinking to myself, this is going to be one of those plays that will be reproduced for decades to come. I felt like I was in the middle of history in the making. But enough about my afterthoughts. If you will permit me, let me describe this majestic drama.

We originally went to see this production on Saturday at the Teatro Galeón at the INBA (Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes), but it was sold out. We ended up seeing another piece of theater, which was a pleasant experience, but not much to write about. Then we bumped into Fernando Bonilla and Valentina Sierra, who were able to find a way to get us in to the production on Sunday afternoon. Mind you, the production ended on Sunday, so we were able to see the last production before they went on tour.

Centro Cultural del Bosque, next to the Auditorio Nacional. Photo Credit: Pim

From the beginning, while waiting to enter the theater space, the actors mingled with the kids who were waiting to enter. There was also a special program for children with a small book with activities and a small story asking the children questions about how they would react if they had to move to another country. According to Tim, Daniela and Micaela work well with theatre for younger audiences. After seeing this production, I concur! The mise-en-scene was fantastic. They used a projector to put different things on two projector screens throughout the play. For example, they projected grandma's letters, moving water with blue dye, Emma's room, and other experiences. Also, Jacobo Lieberman created original music and sound for this production. More and more I am learning that background music in plays, when used in creative and effective ways, can be a deciding factor between a moving experience, or something close, but not quite enough. Finally, all four of the actors, Daniela Arroio, Micaela Gramajo, Sergio Solís, and Mario Eduardo D'León were stellar. At every moment of the play I was enraptured by their characters and, not once, taken from the story.

Kids in Emma's new home playfully tease her because of her strange jacket in such a hot climate.
Photo from TipKids

The subject matter of this play is immigration and refugees, but more importantly, how this affects the lives of children. The story follows the life of an eight year old girl, Emma, played by Micaela Gramajo, who loves collecting "cosas pequeñas y extraordinarias" (small and extraordinary things) in her small community. Because where she grew up was cold, she always wore her investigting coat with 22 pockets. This is where she would keep the things she found until she could place them in her museum. She keeps a pocket book where she documents when, where, and how she finds the things she collects. This was a beautiful part of the story, because it showed us the innocent, excentric, and exploring nature of children.

We begin to learn about her community's troubles when, at the beginning of the play, she asks why her parents stopped taking her to see her uncle. Then, we learn that things are becoming more dangerous in her community. She can only go from home to school and back each day. Finally, her parents decide to flee the country. They must leave their family, community, friends, etc. to find a safer place to live. For Emma, though, her grandmother and uncle, as well as her little museum of small and extraordinary things.

Emma's Museum of Small and Extraordinary Things.
Photo taken from Ángel Fuentes Balam's article in Ciudad Ocio

When Emma moves with her family to a new country, the climate, language, and customs are very different. For a girl of eight years, she finds her new home terribly different, and decides to stay inside her room. She misses her grandmother, with whom she continues to write and receive letters. The actresses asked an older lady to read the letters from her grandmother throughout the play. My goodness it was beautiful. Even the lady who read the letters found it difficult to read them because of the sentimental value of writing a close relative who you can no longer see.

The family arrives in the new country. Mother and daughter roles are different from what we saw.
Photo Credit: Yazmín Ortega. 

But, soon after Emma's arrival, a cat arrives, played by Sergio Solís, and befriends her. He learns about her museum, and, because a cat's nature is also to explore new things, he convinces her to go out with him and look for small and extraordinary things in Emma's new vicinity. Emma is hesitant, but accompanies him. While out exploring, they see another girl of Emma's age, whose name is  who likes to dance on the beach. Slowly, Emma and her become friends. Litte by little, Emma adapts to her new community. But it wasn't easy. Miscommunication, differing expectations, and her longing to be with her grandma and uncle, make it so that she breaks down one night and refuses to accept her new home. She wants to return. For her, nothing is small and extraordinary. She demands an explanation from her parents why she can't go back home. They decide to tell her that people aren't safe, that they disappear. In her innocence she replies that no one just disappears. And her parents tell her she is correct. People make other people disappear. She can't handle any of this. Sobbing, she runs to her room and decides to never leave again. Then, something truly magical happens...

Emma sees whales in the ocean. Photo from INBA.

At the height of her desperation, cat tells her to look out at the ocean. Emma sees a parent whale with child, swimming through the ocean. Hypnotically, she wades into the water to get a closer look. My goodness, this scene was absolutely breathtaking. The ambient music, the illuminated whales, the ocean waves, and the dark scenery all contributed to a truly magical moment, both for the spectator, and for Emma. And it is at this pivotal moment that Emma realizes there are extraordinary things in her new home. She then decides, after many attempts at persuasion by the cat, to inaugurate her second museum in her new home.

I am in tears just writing about this. If I could only see one piece of theater while in Mexico City this trip, and it was this one, the entire trip would have been worth it. Unfortunately, the play ended it's production at El Galeón at the Centro Cultural del Bosque. However, and fortunately, the company is now touring the Mexican Republic. When this drama returns to stage, you don't want to miss it! Absolutely magical!

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There is a version recorded on YouTube if you don't have the opportunity to travel to Mexico and see this production. Obviously, it's better live, but you can get an idea of the performance here:

¡Silencio, Romeo!

"Lo que el amor puede, el amor lo intenta"

We came back to another performance by Seña y Verbo: Teatro de Sordos (we previously saw a rehearsal for Gato vagabundo). This time, the production was in conjunction with the British Council. Alberto Lomnitz translated the play Romeo and Juliet into Spanish, and the director, Carlos Corona, in conjunction with the actors, translated that into Mexican Sign Language (LSM: lengua de señas mexicana). We traveled to the Teatro Benito Juárez in Colonia Cuauhtémoc, where we had visited in 2015 to see Valentina y la sombra del diablo. This adaption used simulatenous sign language with oral expression. Two of the actors were deaf: Roberto De Loera (Romeo) and Eduardo Domínguez (Mercutio). The rest of the time, what was signed was concomitantly expressed by either an actor on stage right, or by one of the musicians on stage left. The other two actors, Daniel Ortiz (Nana, París, and Tybalt) and Valeria Fabbri (Juliet) knew and perfomred with sign language, but were not deaf. At the end of the production, they even asked us to applaud in sign language for the two deaf actors. What a treat!

                              Interview with Eduardo Domínguez in Spanish/LSM by Salvador Perches Galván 

Each actor took on multiple roles, and each time a new character was introduced, they showed us their sign, in order for those who might also be deaf, to also distinguish who is who, as well as not having to repeat the spelling of each name each time someone's name was mentioned. For example, when París was mentioned, they would put their index and middle finger around their eye in a "V" formation. For me, the words were accentuated through simultaneous voice. Also, during the final scenes, when Romeo commits suicide next to his beloved Juliet, Roberto De Loera vocalizes "Silencio, Romeo". Because Roberto is deaf, he cannot perfectly hear how he speaks. The choice to have him speak in that moment only, right before his death, appeared to me as a pure vocalization, straight from the heart. This was one of the most powerful moments of the play. It was like what came out of his mouth was purely physical, hardly affected by social norms related to language sounds. It's difficult to explain, but it was at this point that made my eyes started to water - my allergies were acting up at that point! It was the allergies!

The death scene when Romeo & Juliet are found dead by Friar Lawrence.

All in all, this was a fantastic production. My personal taste excludes much Shakespeare, because I think it's time to spread the wealth among productions in English. However, this particular adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, because it was doubly translated into Spanish and LSM, is an exception. I think it is an exception because by nautre it is an adaptation and not a reproduction. Take, for instance, the "What's in name" or "A rose by any other name", and the giddy nature of young love, all of this in colloquial Mexican Spanish, accentuated by sign language that offered other angles for understanding one of the most read and produced plays in Western societies.

The beginning of the play when two adolescents at work decide to reenact the play.

On our walk out of the theater, Tim commented how when the actors would say "Escúchame", they would point their index and middle fingers at their eyes, as if to really say in LSM "Mírame". These are the moments that make theater worthwhile; they expand my vision of the world, and deepen my love for communication and understanding. So far, this is my favorite production this year!

De Príncipes, Princesas y Otros Bichos

Last night we attended a one-time performance of Paola Izquierdo's theatre piece: De príncipes, princesas y otros bichos (of princes, princesses, and other creatures) at the Foro Cultural San Simón here in Mexico City. It was a lovely, calm area of town, with a beautiful park next to the theater. In fact, I'm not too aware of all the infrastructure and urban planning that goes on in Mexico City, but I have to say that I am very impressed by the infrastructure I've seen so far. The equipment in the parks, for example, is wonderful for kids, well maintained, and they've added fitness areas for those interested in getting their fit on. Also, this cultural center does not charge a fee to enter, making cultural activities accessible to any who desire to participate. I am so impressed by the Delegación Benito Juárez and how this governmental entity upports cultural centers, amenable urban spaces, and attempts to make sure the quality of life in their delegation is conducive to happy citizens. I am very impressed!

The exterior of the San Simón Cultural Center

The interior of the San Simón Cultural Center

The drama we saw is actually two monologues put into one. The version we saw yesterday began with Paola Izquierdo as the personification of all sorts of Disney princesses as she searched for her prince charming, who happened to be in the form of, yes, a frog. The second part of the show was Paola Izquierdo dressed as a street clown entertaining for money. Accompanying her on stage was Isaac Pérez Calzada (from "Dicen que me parezco a Santa Anna... ¡y yo ni guitarra tengo!") who played the violin, and (still waiting to hear back) who played the piano. The musicians played an integral part in the production, adding their own personalities and sound effects to the words that Paola spoke as both characters. For example, certain phrases and certain words would be accompanied by certain sound effects that were repeated throughout.

Paola Izquierdo as Princess. Photo taken from a review by Jimena Eme Vázquez.

The first monologue follows the princess as she narrates her story of following a rabbit into a hole and meeting several different frogs along her journey. Her story is riddled with feminist critiques of women's roles in society as she struggles between following her dreams of her doctoral thesis or finding her prince charming and staying inside and silent. Along her journey we learn about her family's influence on her decisions. Take the Queen of Hearts, for example. She wants her cousin to get married, or it's "Off with her head!" The humor is more light-hearted during the first half of the show, with songs from Disney movies about princes and princesses.

Paola Izquierdo as Street Clown. Photo taken from a review by Jimena Eme Vázquez.

Then, during the second half of the play, the monologue of the street clown shifts the mood into dark comedy. The ragged clothes, messy makeup, and dirty hair bring a stark contrast to the pristine, well-dressed princess of the first half of the show. It was during this second half, when, even though jokes continued to be told, it felt more uncomfortable to laugh. But laugh we did! It's as if the comedic aspects both made audience members realize that they shouldn't laugh because something should be done to change many heart-wrenching social realities, but at the same time it helps the show from spiraling into a dark abyss of depression and melancholy.

Paola Izquierdo as both clown and princess. Photo taken from a review by Jimena Eme Vázquez.

This play reminds me of Daniel Alarcón's War by Candlelight (2005), and specifically, the chapter entitled "City of Clowns." In this story, a newspaper reporter decides to live the life of a street clown to experience what it's like. But, he learns very quickly how terribly humiliating it is to live this life, and has the possibility to not have to do this for a living. However, according to the play last night, the street clown seemed to be desparate for any type of job. Paola's character described, through albures, the sexual and economic exploitation of kids that end up in the position her character was in.

Our first night in Mexico City and it was one not to forget!