Introduction
Art is an essential part of people’s life. Art of different nations differs as these nations have different customs, traditions and history. The theater is one of the art types which can fully represent the viewer with the ethnical peculiarities of that country, which presents its play. Latino America is a country, which traditions are rather special and varied. Ethnical peculiarities of Latino Americans are presented in its art, and theater is one of the main types of art which can show Latino’s traditions and lifestyle fully and broaden.
Latino American Theater shows a great variety of customs and traditions, which are represented for the viewers. “Zoot Suit” by Luis Valdez, “Death and the maiden” by Ariel Dorfman, “Poetics of the oppressed” by Augusto Boal and “Miss Margarida’s way” by Roberto Athayde is the least part of Latino American heritage. These pieces of works represent viewers with social and political problems or issues of Latino America, show language and manner of communication, provide the viewers with racial and ethnic problems in Latino American society. Being more concrete, we are going to analyze some of these plays from the point of view of some of the issues, listed above.
Main Body
Luis Valdez created his play in common with Teatro Campesino and the Center Theater Group of Los Angeles at the Mark Taper Forum. This play changed Latino American Theater greatly. This play showed that society is interested in cultural and class lines, in ethnic problems of the society. One of the aims of the play was the extension of the audience, showing the existing problems in the society and making people think and not forget about what had happened. (Huerta 2000)
“Zoot Suit” by Luis Valdez is a play, which depicts social and racial problems in the Latino American society. The time in the play is 1940s. Injustice and prejudice are the main themes of the play on the racial discrimination background. The play depicts the injustice court which sentenced to jail zoot suit gang. The appearance of this gang in the city made newspapers to write about them. Their names were discussed, and when one Mexican American was killed, there were no doubts, that it was their fault. The play presents us the court trial, during which innocent people were placed under the guard.
Social injustice in the play is seen through lots of characters. Politically colored, this play shows police brutality which existed in the society during 1940s. Social ills, existed in the society, are very difficult to extirpate. The words of the judge in the court sounded so ironically:
Henry Reyna, Jose Castro, Thomas Roberts, Ismael Torres, and so forth. You have been tried by a jury of four peers and found guilty of murder in the first and second degrees. The law prescribes the capital punishment for this offence. However, in view of your youth and in consideration of your families, it is hereby the judgment of this court that you be sentenced to life imprisonment. (Valdez and Ochoa 2004-49).
People are young and life imprisonment is the capital punishment for them. The judge makes emphasize that they lowered the level of punishment but is that really so? Life imprisonment! What can be more painful for young people? Fear and desire to escape also fulfill the play. Latino American society is shown with all its defects and false.
The play is rather funny and lively, in spite of the fact that very serious and painful problems are raised in the play. The style of the play presentation gives the viewers more opportunities to see what the author wanted to tell. Social ills, racial problems, all these are themes which are raised in the play and the author managed to deliver them to the viewer, as the play rating was very high at the times of play premiere and remains till now.
“Death and the maiden” by Ariel Dorfman is also the play which represents Latino American society, people’s position in this society and how past events can closely correlate with the present. The play is titled according to the Fraz Shubert’s piece of music what is rather symbolical in the play. Paulina, the main character of the play, was subjected to violence and torture during the dictator times and the session of violence was by this piece of music. Paulina used to love this music but now she hates it.
Paulina has nothing to do, but to hide behind the sea with her husband as her fear did not leave her. The feeling of revenge arises in her when she hears the voice of her offender. A cowardly plan arises in her mind. Her husband tries to convince her if not to forget about the offence, but at least to release her pain. She does not agree and starts to take her plan in action. The play takes place in Chile, but it could be any other city which appeared under the dictatorial regime. The play ends with Paulina’s monologue about her offender conviction. The viewer never knows the future destiny of Roberto. It is up to everybody to think over Roberto’s destiny. (Dorfman 2001)
The play depicts how past events can create different consequences in the present. The play may be referenced to lots of topics: social, political and others. The theme of discrimination in the past has ruined the life of one person, whose only desire is to take up revenge and that’s all. Paulina cares about nothing, but her plan for revenge.
The deeper meaning of the play is social problems of the countries which were released from dictatorial regime and became independent. These countries still remember what they had to suffer, some classes of population continue to live in constant fear and dream about the revenge. The end of the play is rather mysterious and at the same time very symbolic. The author does not tell what had happened to Roberto after the trial as he did not want to show his attitude to the problem. His desire to make people think over the problem themselves brings some notability to the play.
Ariel Dorfman managed to represent the problem of the countries like Chile through the characters of the play. The disasters and pain which they suffered and the desire to take up the revenge. The play is absolutely political, in spite of the fact that there is no any mentioning about politics. The play shows the condition of Latino American population through the Paulina’s character, throng her intentions, actions and style of life. Her fear of every stranger, her fear of every unknown sound is the fear of every citizen of the Latino American countries.
The struggle between past events and present state of affairs in Paulina’s life may be shifted to the whole Latino American society with their problems in the past, fears in the present and uncertainty in the future. The end of the play directly shows this uncertainty as people are not sure what will happen and how their history will develop later. Ariel Dorfman gave people the choice, whether to remember and think about the revenge, or to release the pain and continue to live calm life. The play gives the options for people and it is their decision what variant to choose.
Ariel Dorfman’s attitude to the social problems of the country is felt in the relations between Paulina and her husband Gerardo: the way he treats her in the play is the direct symbol of how Ariel Dorfman understands and feels Chile’s past and Chile’s dealing with this past.
“Poetics of the oppressed” by Augusto Boal is the part from his book “Theatre of the oppressed”. Reading his book people understand that his only desire was to9 show that theater cannot be apolitical, vice versa, every play contains in itself some parts from political life. Boal, in the introduction to “Theatre of the oppressed” says that theater is “very efficient weapon” (Boal 2000-ix).
Augusto Boal rises up the problem of language in the plays. He says that there are “at least 41 dialects of the two principal languages” (Boal 2000-120). His personal confidence is that by learning a new language person opens lots of opportunities for him/herself, the first of which is the comprehension of new reality. Watching the play, the audience should try to become characters, as only in this case (from Boal’s point of view) the viewer is able to perceive the play as a whole. (Boal 2000)
Returning to problem of a language, Augusto Boal gives such advice. He offers to relate his personal experience in theater “as a participant in the theatrical sector”, this will allow people to “use this new language” what will help to discover new concepts (Boal 2000-121).
The opening lines of “Poetics of the oppressed” by Augusto Boal sound “In the beginning the theater was the dithyrambic song: free people singing in the open air” (Boal 2000-119). He means that now theater became less free and more dependant, that spectaculars are not allowed to take part in the performance, but it is they who are the main characters in Latino American’s plays. (Boal 2000)
Conclusion
So, Latino Americans plays show people not only a good performance with bright costumes, but also depict social problems inside Latino American society. The named works of different authors are only the examples of how Latino American plays depict Latino identity, culture and language, political vision of Latino Americans. Most of the Latino American plays are focused on Latino issues, with which help they tell real stories based on real life, they tell about life experience of people. The social, political, racial and ethnic problems of the Latino American society are shown through the prism of people’s casual life.
The play shows people’s life without any direct depiction of political problems, but looking deep inside the play, all these concepts are seen. Latino Americans’ problems in the society are shown in the plays with light and humor.
Works Cited
Boal, Augusto. Theater of the oppressed. Pluto Press, 2000.
Dorfman, Ariel. Death and the maiden. Nick Hern Books, 2001.
Huerta, Jorge A. Chicano drama: performance, society, and myth. Cambridge University Press, 2000.
Valdez, Luis. Ochoa, Edna. Zoot suit. Arte Publico Press, 2004.