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On Oct. 26, the parking lot at El Teatro Campesino brimmed with cars, while nearly every room in the building buzzed with activity—from the main stage, where actors warmed up for a Pastorela rehearsal, to a backstage space where Esperanza Del Valle practiced its dance routines for Día de los Muertos celebrations.
In one lobby, traditional ofrendas—altars in honor of the dead—took shape, and in the costume and dressing rooms, stage outfits for three different productions were meticulously adjusted.
The common thread was the guiding hand of Teatro founder Luis Valdez, 85, who moved through the playhouse from room to room, dispensing notes at one rehearsal before being whisked away to weigh in on a production question, then stopping to suggest changes in a costume before pausing just long enough to puzzle over why the coffee machine refused to dispense.
His lifetime of creativity has resulted this year in the theater company simultaneously preparing its renowned Día de los Muertos procession on Nov. 2—which he introduced to San Juan Bautista in 1972—and its Christmas pageant, La Pastorela, opening Nov. 28, which he first adapted and staged on the town’s streets in 1975, along with helping with a new venture this year, the Dia de los Muertos-themed Celebración de Vida debuting in town on Nov. 1.
Earlier this year, a meeting with Valdez, Teatro Executive Director Christy Sandoval and Teatro production manager David Alvarez, initiated by San Juan Planning Commissioner Dan DeVries, led to the creation of this new event.
DeVries said his inspiration came from the convergence of two factors: the death of his mother, with whom he had been very close, and his watching the Teatro procession over the years. Influenced by the Teatro event, DeVries created an ofrenda in his home in her memory and was surprised at how meaningful it was to him.
“People have so many different ways of remembering their loved ones,” he said, “And I wondered if we could create something that doesn’t merge all those things into one, but instead celebrates all the ways that it has been expressed.”
DeVries said he was impressed by Valdez’s enthusiasm for the idea, describing his reaction as having “incredible positivity and energy.”
“Luis immediately went into his creative genius,” he said. “He was just all about it and started riffing on all these different ideas. I really learned through this experience about how deeply he cares about this place and its history.”
Valdez said he viewed the events as an attempt to capture “the meaning of San Juan Bautista in our time” as a historic resource that still retains much of the spirit of early California.
“San Juan,” he said, “is full of sites and places and memories and vibes that correspond to the meaning of the Day of the Dead. There used to be a sign that said, ‘Come to San Juan to refresh your soul.’ And that’s exactly how I feel about this little town.”
The Nov. 1 event begins with a Celebración de Vida festival starting at 3 p.m. at Washington and Second Streets, with vendors, music, folklorico dancing, food trucks, face painting by Angel Monteagudo, a Central Coast YMCA “Kid’s Zone” and a photo booth hosted by filmmaker Jullian Cook, who will also be documenting the day.
At 4 p.m., Aztec Dancers will be performing at the San Juan Cemetery. At 4:45 p.m., Father Alberto Cabrera will be offering a Mass for the indigenous people buried in the Mission Cemetery, followed by a Mass for the Dead at 5 p.m. Immediately after, Cabrera will revive a neglected tradition by leading a candlelight procession to the San Juan Cemetery, where he will conduct a Blessing for the Dead.
Following the blessing, El Teatro’s La Banda Calavera will lead a procession back to the Celebración de Vida stage for performances by Mariachi Alma de Mexico, Estrellas de Esperanza, Baile Folklorico Juvenil and Soles de Mexico. The event concludes at 10 p.m.
On Nov. 2, El Teatro kicks off their traditional celebration at noon with a full schedule of activities, music and dance at the playhouse on 705 4th Street. Featured performers include Esperanza del Valle, poet Michael Jasso (who recently performed in the Palabra series) and, for the first time, a folklorico group from Anzar High School.
“I was super stoked to bring the Anzar group on board,” Teatro Executive Director Christy Sandoval said. “We love keeping these community connections open, just to bring more vibrancy to the community.”
The lobbies of the playhouse will again be displaying a variety of ofrendas dedicated to Teatro veterans and members of the community. According to San Benito County Arts Council member Sandra Arretche, who helped with their construction, they are designed to symbolize not a time of sadness, but a time of joy.
“They have the four elements, earth, wind, fire and water,” she said. “There are butterflies for reincarnation and marigolds that represent the souls that have come back to visit us and bring the fragrance to welcome our family members home.”
In a change from the last few years, the traditional procession through town staged by El Teatro on Nov. 2 will take place during daylight hours, leaving the playhouse at 3 p.m.
While unusual, Sandoval said there is historic precedent, as recorded in Teatro’s video archive, for celebrating during the daytime, and it will allow for “less tech, but more pageantry, more spectacle.”
“We’ve done daytime processions before,” Sandoval said, “but this time we wanted to create a more family-friendly atmosphere and make sure that everyone could come and enjoy the day.”
Once again, the procession is led by La Banda Calavera (aka Castroville’s Banda Vanidosa), a throwback to past productions, according to past Teatro Musical Director Emiliano Valdez in a nod to the theater company’s 60th Anniversary.
“They are going to be joining us,” he said, “with a nine-piece banda with clarinets, trumpets, tubas and drums. It echoes the traditional makeup of the music in Mexico, which was more around marches and revolutionary themes.”
The procession will travel down Fourth Street to Washington Street, up to Third Street, then back down to the playhouse by way of Muckelemi Street. Following another series of performances, the event will end at 5 p.m.
Luis Valdez said the two events, along with Halloween, offered a great opportunity to launch a three-day pattern of celebrations that could be expanded on in years to come, he said.
“It offers the continuity that you get from thinking of your dearly departed. You’re not disconnected and it’s not as if we’re not headed that way ourselves. It’s part of the stream of life, and it really enhances your own sense of peace and quiet.”
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