Last weekend TuYo, a local theater production company with the mission of telling stories from and by diverse Latinx perspectives, brought their latest production, “Pastorela 2.0,” to life at San Diego State University.
The play was written by Chula Vista resident Mabelle Reynoso, produced by Chula Vista resident Bernardo Mazón and directed by SDSU Associate Professor Peter Cirino.
TuYo was co-founded by Mazón, Cirino, Daniel Jáquez, Crystal Mercado and Evelyn Diaz Cruz in October 2017 after discussion about the lack of Latinx representation on stage and in key artistic positions in San Diego and the potential to make San Diego a vibrant professional hub for Latinx theatre.
“I know that those that come to see the show are astounded to see how our community is represented onstage,” Mazón said. He added that seeing the finished production come together has been really affirming considering that most of the actors and actresses have never been in a play before.
A pastorela is a traditional Mexican Christmas story where shepherds follow the Star of Bethlehem to find Jesus — and “Pastorela 2.0” is about a local market, Mercado Nochebuena, that has been performing a pastorela for years but is struggling to keep the tradition alive in an increasingly social media oriented world where groceries can be bought online.
In a turn of events, the Mercado Nochebuena gets the opportunity to broadcast their pastorela as a live musical on a major network, which presents a new set of challenges that ultimately makes community members question what they value.
“This project was really exciting for me because they knew that they wanted to do a pastorela, and because it’s a traditional Mexican play and its highly recognizable, but they knew they wanted to do something modern that spoke to young people,” Reynoso said.
Mercado Nochebuena was inspired by the markets Reynoso frequents in Chula Vista which serve as an intersection for all walks of life in the community and represent togetherness.
“It’s so important for our community to be able to see themselves in all types of art forms and I think what TuYo is doing is creating a space for the Latinx community,” Reynoso said.
Reynoso works as a teaching artist for Playwrights Project, a nonprofit organization devoted to providing arts education to students in underserved communities and incarcerated youth and adults, with the goal of advancing literacy and creativity while empowering individuals.
“My job is to show how theatre is not just work that was created by playwrights from 500 years ago but about how we ourselves can be the playwright and be the theatre makers… showing them there’s ways to tell their stories and give them power,” Reynoso said.
Daher said he and Reynoso met through Playwrights Project and decided to collaborate because they share similar values and are invested in theatre as a method of rehabilitation and therapy and a tool for civic engagement.
“Theatre especially scene study for actors, depending on your technique or philosophy, it helps a person analyze conflict … and see what is that their habits are, what is that their emotional wiring is. You come to understand yourself a little bit better and unleash yourself a little bit better,” Mazón said.
The inception of “Pastorela 2.0” took place about a year ago, according to Mazón. Casting began in September and rehearsing on a daily basis began the week of Halloween and lasted about six weeks.
With all the time and effort everyone involved has poured into the production, Mazón said he hopes more people get to witness the magic unfolding onstage this weekend.
“There’s a lot of transcendence happening and not enough people to see it,” Mazón said.
There are four more opportunities to see “Pastorela 2.0” at Don Powell Theatre: Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 21 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 22 at 2 p.m. Tickets cost $17 and are available for purchase at https://ttf.sdsu.edu/buy_tickets/buy-tickets. Mazón said discounts are available upon request.
