Reviving El muerto at Fiesta at the Park
by Cote Lewis
Imagine taking a trip to Spanish Florida, over 300 years ago. Imagine seeing a Spanish sit-com, and learning firsthand about Florida’s Spanish history. Well, that’s exactly what Theatre with a Mission (TWAM) let folks do at the brand-new Fiesta at the Park organized by Conexión Media Group, the publisher of Conexión.
Fiesta at the Park premiered on sunny Sunday, October 15th at The Landing Park in Fort Walton Beach. This new celebration of Latin culture offered live music ranging from Broadway to Bachata, theatre performances, folkloric dancers Raíces Panameñas, Liz Walker’s Gypsy Rhythm Dancers, Yvette Smith’s “Viva Flamenco Florida” and even Belly Dancing by the Kasba Dancers. Food from several Latin nations and also from Jamaica was available and a children’s area full of games and contests. The Fiesta’s main purpose was to “put the UNITY back into CommUNITY,” and part of the proceeds were donated to Samaritan’s Purse and Give Children Hope, two international non-profit organizations.
Theater with a Mission invited audience members to travel back to Florida’s Spanish Mission period, when royal officials used plays to raise money for charity, just like the Fiesta en el Parque did. They presented a play called El muerto, or Better Wed than Dead, and even got people to participate by yelling out “muerto!” every time a character on stage said “muerto”. Written by Bernardo de Quirós in 1658, El muerto tells the story of a Capitán named Lorenzo, who swears his little sister Eufrasia will get married to her boyfriend (a dashing Astrólogo-Sailor) “over his dead body.” So Eufrasia and all her friends (including the audience) convince Lorenzo that he has actually died, and only the dashing Astrólogo-Sailor can bring him back to life … at the price of setting his seal of approval on the couple’s marriage.
The play, presented on the lawn under the shade of two beautiful live oak trees, had people laughing out loud at Eufrasia’s tricks and Lorenzo’s antics. Families sitting on the grass enjoyed meeting a Spanish family from Florida 350 years ago, seeing customs (and costumes) that Spanish Floridians would recognize (esp. the custom of sewing a dead body into a shroud), hearing language that Spanish people actually spoke centuries ago (Theater with a Mission’s translation is in English poetry peppered with phrase from the original Spanish), and weighing ideas that connect Hispanic heritage to Florida today (esp. ideas about marriage and family).
Fiesta at the Park was a solid success and TWAM looks forward to participating again next October! For pictures from Fiesta at the Park and upcoming regional events, visit Conexión’s website (www.conexionflorida.com) or Facebook site: www.facebook.com/pg/CONEXIONFlorida/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1953447398239496
For more sneak peeks into TWAM’s rehearsals, past productions, and future plans, be sure to visit their website at www.theaterwithamission.com. You man also follow TWAM on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram by searching “Theater with a Mission” (TWAM). Viva la Fiesta!
