Spanish-speaking theater group comes to Utah

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    By ANGELA DRAKE

    The first Spanish-speaking theatrical group in Utah, GRETA, performed “Las Danzas de la Muerte,” or “The Dances of Death,” Friday in the Knight Mangum Building.

    GRETA, an acronym for Grupo Experimental de Teatro Americas, is an independent theater company with 25 actors and actresses, said Alejandro Laguna, GRETA’s director. Most of the cast members are from Salt Lake City but some are from Ecuador and Peru. They joined together to “teach people to know theater,” Alejandro said.

    “We expect to have more experience until we are recognized by all people,” said Beatriz Laguna, who plays the role of Death in the play.

    GRETA performs at universities to teach students to appreciate Hispanic literature and theater, Alejandro said.

    They were invited to perform at BYU by Sigma Delta Pi, said Tom Wilson, president of Sigma Delta Pi. Although this is the first time GRETA has performed at BYU, they plan to return for future productions, he said.

    GRETA has performed at the University of Utah and will hit Weber State University, Utah State University and Salt Lake Community College in the next few weeks, Alejandro said. The theatrical group is scheduled to perform in Salt Lake City’s cathedral for the Catholic bishop, he said, and will also make appearances in Las Vegas and California.

    GRETA is working with the University of Utah to produce two plays, Alejandro said. One features the difficult cultural adjustments for Hispanics who immigrate to the United States, and the other will dramatize the battle of Puebla.

    GRETA’s play, “Danzas de la Muerte,” explores perspectives of death in Spanish poetry from medieval to modern times, using such poets as Pablo Neruda. Though the play sounds deathly somber, it is actually a farce, taken from Miguel Sabido’s compilations.

    Death is personified as an all-powerful woman who shows no mercy. Her death-hold affects everyone, from the king to a simple poet. All of the scenes portray Death with certain characters, who are all taken away with her.

    The characters respond differently to Death depending on who they are and whether they are prepared for it. The king, Daniel Rascon, defies Death, proclaiming his power. The poet, Nimio Cabello, tries to woo death with his eloquence. But they all eventually succumb to the same fate.

    Everyone dies, yet in true farce form, the play does not end in tragedy. The cast faces the audience with death masks, and then the “Macarena” begins to play. The deceased characters leap into the aisles, doing the Macarena.

    This element was added because “everything was so tense,” said Alfredo Laguna, GRETA’s scene director.

    This play shows “the importance about death and life,” Cabello said. “The way you are living depends on how you face death.”

    GRETA is “making a base for what is coming,” Beatriz said. The group wants to prove that Hispanics can act, she said.

    GRETA is having auditions for cast members Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in the Mexican Civil Center in Salt Lake City for anyone interested, Alejandro said.

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