El Teatro Campesino’s ‘La Pastorela’ enters its second week of shows

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El Teatro Campesino’s Christmas play, “La Pastorela,” enters its second week of production after a successful opening that saw enthusiastic crowds and performers returning to the playhouse for the first time in four years.

Directed by Kinan Valdez, the production brings back a mix of veteran performers and recent additions to the company to tell the story of shepherds trying to reach Bethlehem in time to witness the birth of Jesus.

Looking back on the performances, Teatro Executive Director Christy Sandoval said she loved seeing familiar faces in the audience as well as newcomers to what is an annual Christmas season tradition in San Juan Bautista.

“The energy was great,” she said. “In particular, it was a great experience for a lot of the new actors that we have in the show, for them to feel all the love and support from the community.”

Having a large number of cast members who had performed in previous shows, according to Sandoval, helped the production find its footing after a four-year lay-off from live performances.

“They helped tremendously,” she said. “It’s just like an engine. Once you start, you kind of keep plugging away, and things went well, other than monitoring a few colds here and there.” 

The show follows the shepherds who are protected by angels and harassed by devils as they make their pilgrimage. Mauricio Sámano, who first performed in “La Pastorela” in 2001 as a shepherd with only a single line, plays the major role of “Hermitaño,” a religious hermit who joins the pilgrims on the journey. 

“I almost declined the role,” he said. “I simply did not see myself playing it because he’s a character that I find very different. But I told Kinan, “You’re the genius. I’ll trust you to trust me to get it done.”

Playing the high-energy role has been exhausting for Sámano, who has done almost no stage work since the 2019 “La Pastorela” production, but it helped him come to terms with his struggles during the pandemic.

“I lost people who were near and dear to me, right and left,” he said. “Being back on stage has given me healing, which is a recurring topic that several members of the production have mentioned. From what I am noticing, it is bringing a lot of peace to all of us.” 

While Sámano has been a fixture in the cast for two decades, this production marks the return of Teatro veteran Leticia Candelaria to acting, taking on the role of Luzbel (Lucifer) in her first time onstage in 12 years. 

Candelaria first acted in the play when she was six years old, and though she has not been active onstage, she has served as the production’s vocal director since 1994.

“It was absolutely amazing to be back on this stage,” she said. “It’s a space that I grew up in, and being here again and having more years behind me, I have a deeper appreciation and gratitude for this magical place.” 

A professional vocalist, Candelaria finds the role of Luzbel, whom she calls “Lucy Bell,” to be personally satisfying and, in some ways, cathartic.

“The role helps you to really be creative,” she said, “and channel some of those parts of yourself that are there but you don’t like to show anybody. It’s great therapy and in performance, I can enjoy the vocal and see the world from a different lens.”

The role of Luzbel carries with it some of the most dramatic moments in the play, as well as some of the most difficult passages to sing.

“To boom and to come in with such forceful energy has stressed my vocals,” she said. “But being able to stretch my voice like that and take it to that next level has been really, really fun. It just opens everything up.”

Having the chance again to watch the audience respond to her performance, Candelaria said, has been gratifying.

“It’s definitely been beautiful. The show is a wonderful experience, whether you’re there to see it or whether you’re in it. There’s a beautiful exchange of energy between us that makes the space very intimate and personal.”

A shift in this year’s scheduling resulted in two fewer shows than were performed in the 2019 production, but Sandoval said that the demand for tickets may lead El Teatro to add an extra matinee to the schedule. For now, “La Pastorela” is set to run Thursdays through Sundays until Dec 17.

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