“At its heart, this production asks: If you feel stuck, what do you do next?” says Director Brandt Reiter as the theater department dives into a new production.
“Tío Juan” is based on another play by Anton Chekhov’s called “Uncle Vanya.”
The opening night will be held at the Performing Arts Center at Cerritos College on March 5 at 8 p.m. The play will continue to run until March 7 at 8 p.m. and close on March 8 at 2 p.m.
“Tío Juan” narrates a four-act play that takes place in 1934 in the South Texas brush country. The play follows the tragedy of the main character Juan, a middle-aged manager who sacrifices years of hard work, dreams and family for a piece of land that does not even belong to him, revealing the search for meaning in life.
This adaptation changes the setting from Russia as seen in the original play to South Texas, creating a stronger sense of home and connection for the audience, as well as the the student body who contributed to bringing the story to life.
While the setting changes, the play still preserves the underlying themes of power, ownership, identity, love, belonging and resentment.
Taking into consideration the cultural background of the students involved in the performance, the adaption includes Spanish dialogue in the script to allow them to connect and resonate more deeply with the play.
This inclusion also brings out authenticity and raw, honest emotion onto the stage.
Even if audience members don’t understand the Spanish dialogue, they can feel the tension rising and emotions bursting, demonstrating that there is no language barrier where genuine understanding is born.
“We’ve changed the lens through which it’s viewed. In “Tío Juan”, the personal and the political collapse into one another as they always do in life,” Director Reiter continues.
The play is meant to feel intimate and authentic, inviting the audience to connect with the story. Despite its dry humor, the production encourages laughter from the audience while still creating moments of discomfort, where viewers can recognize the reality of what is currently happening in the daily lives of people.
