On September 9-11, the Social Irruption Theatre presented their new play, “Nothing happens here!” at the Mission Cultural center. The members of the recently formed group are veteran Bay Area actors from Germany, Guatemala and Mexico.
According to their own words, they strive to be “a stone in the shoe.” In other words, “a uncomfortable theater that challenges reality and shakes you into consciousness (…). We wish to re-ignite the combative spirit of theater in Spanish to inspire reflection on our social reality and to inspire action for change.”
Social Irruption Theatre writes their plays collectively and uses diverse techniques and theatrical methods ranging from Commedia dell’arte, and guerrilla theater to avant garde, multimedia and street theater. It is important to emphasize that they are one of the few, if not the only, Spanish theater group in San Francisco. A remarkable feat in itself.
The play is presented in three acts with an epilogue. Some of the scenes have very unusual names, like “Chaos and Routine”, “The Towers-Multimedia Show”, and “The Nothingness.”
To summarize the plot is complicated because it’s a mixture, a collage of scenes and utilizing different methods of expression. We go from mimes to a TV show with characters ridiculed to the extreme. The shocking images projected on a back screen include Sept 11, the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the Iraq war, the Arizona border or people on the street interviews. The non-stop action lasts 50 minutes including live music, which plays a fundamental role in the production.
However, if the final goal of the play was to shake people into consciousness, we believe that is achieved only partially. The excellent multimedia presentation, with very impressive and strong images, overshadows the acting and all the rest. We wonder, “What is the message?” Is it the fanatical terrorist attack on Sept. 11? Or the pacifist message against the war in Iraq? Or the ecological disaster in the Gulf of Mexico? Or the racism and immigration in Arizona? Or the economic crisis?
Aren’t there too many messages in so little time? Nevertheless, the acting reaches brilliant moments using black humor and ferocious social criticism in scenes like the parody of Nadalilia Show, a takeoff of the Christina show.
Like every unfinished play, we hope that after the opening the performances will grow and develop in coherence and shed its most inconsistent parts. Sometimes we wonder, are we witnessing a series of unconnected scenes or is there an invisible thread that holds them together.
The answer is not easy and that is why we encourage the group to undergo a deep reflection in order to clarify some of the most confused sections of the play including the excessive jamming together of ideas that seeks to say so many things in so little time. With less ingredients it is quite possible that the final outcome would have been much more inspiring.
But beside these little divergents, we strongly support the efforts made by the Social Irruption Theatre by presenting their work in Spanish, something badly needed in our community. The reaction of the public at the opening was one of total approval, rewarded by an abundant applause for the collective effort of the actors.
This little project needs to grow a bit more because we really look forward to seeing more of your plays in Spanish in the future.