 "Photo: University Theater")
Emilio Carballido, a Mexican writer and dramaturge, earned particular renown as a playwright. During his lifetime he wrote over 50 different plays on diverse topics. Carballido died in 2008 in Xalapa, Veracruz, but one of his scripts was released in 2007. Perhaps he never thought that today, the play would reach other countries in performance.
On Wednesday, May 26, a performance took place at the Dustin Michael Sekula Memorial Library that brought to life Carballido’s script for “La Lente Maravillosa,” a work made to improve hygiene habits among children.
Students from The University of Texas-Pan American, under direction of theater professor Eric Wiley, and sponsored by the UTPA Undergraduate Research Initiative and the Department of Communication, were in charge of performing this drama; the play was the first at the university done completely in Spanish.
In the play, a group of kids fights against diseases stemming from their bad hygiene habits. They grow to the kids’ sizes with the help of the “marvelous lens,” a magical instrument. It proves bacteria are more dangerous than they appear and should be taken seriously.
The fight between the kids and the bacteria takes place at a park where kids are exposed to more diseases and bacteria. To win, they must use a toothbrush and soap to fight back against bacteria that kidnapped their friends.
The idea came to Carballido when he was asked by the secretary of public education in Mexico to make a play about hygiene care for kids in primary schools. That was the spark that ignited a whole set of plays dedicated to good care, hygiene, and cleanliness habits.
At UTPA, Wiley offered to direct the play in a language unknown to him. With this, the bilingual odyssey started.
At first, the director had all the acting done twice. He could not understand the performance in Spanish so he had the actors performing in both Spanish and English so he was able comprehend the story.
But communication was just one of the problems they faced. Double rehearsals meant twice the effort from the actors. Soon the director asked the stage manager, Silvia Serrano, a theater student at UTPA, to translate everything for him.
In the end, the elementary-aged crowd in the library responded to the performance with a standing ovation. A question-and-answer session helped clarify the context of the play. The actors ensured the difference in languages did not impede their goal.
“The director gave us all his trust and facility to experiment between us, said Roberto Collado, one of the lead actors. “So we could evaluate ourselves during the performances so that, in a collective effort, we could see what was missing in the play, and, as a team, work on the flaws of the play,”
Things couldn’t have gone better, as a project that started as an idea from Spanish-speaking students turned into a world of opportunities.
“Many Mexican students struggle to get a main role in the plays because of their strong accents when they speak English,” Wiley said. “Making plays in their tongue, it’s just a way to help them show their talents.”
The play will be performed again at the McAllen Main Library on Tuesday, June 8 at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, June 9 at the Lark Branch of the McAllen Public Library at 6:30 p.m., and one last show Friday, June 11 at 7 p.m. at South Texas College’s Pecan Campus in the Cooper Center for Communication Arts.
The project’s target is to have more work done in Spanish at the university. The effort presents a new perspective and a new form of entertainment for predominantly Spanish speakers living in the Valley.
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