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review

Also in this section:
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Books, Panama Jack
La Cucarachita Mandinga on the Admin Building steps
The Importance of Being Earnest at the Ancon Theater

He saved the play. When lead actor Amit Nathani injured himself and had to drop out of the play after opening night, film maker Roberto Latorre volunteered to step in and did an admirable job on short notice, saving the second week of the Ancon Theatre Guild's "The Importance of Being Earnest."

A sign of strength in the face of a minor disaster
story and photos by Eric Jackson

When the US military bases finally closed down and the administration of the Panama Canal shifted to full Panamanian control at the end of 1999, many of this country's English-speaking institutions faced serious doubts about their survival, and indeed some of them didn't survive. The Theatre Guild of Ancon faced the threat but made the transition, but it didn't mean that there were no hard times. It suffered but survived the setback of an actor having to drop out of a play, forcing cancellation of the show --- when a community theater group lives close to the edge, it has to live without the understudies that a more secure and prosperous organization will have.

After the first show of "The Importance of Being Earnest," lead actor Amit Nathani suffered a neck injury --- fortunately not the kind to leave him paralyzed or worse --- and had to drop out of the play. But Roberto Latorre stepped forward and volunteered to take over the role, and director Carlos Williams and the whole cast put in some hard days getting the play together with a new man in the lead.

Even if a substitute actor knows the lines by heart, it doesn't mean that he or she can just go onstage and do the play. The movements to be made vary with the dimensions of every set, and there are always differences in the directors' styles, and this particular play was adapted from its original late 19th century English setting to an anachronistic Massachusetts, partly of our time, partly of the past and partly the way it never was and never could be. (No, you can't take a train from Boston to Nantucket!)

But the difficult was done, and it was made to look easy.

It was good luck for the Theatre Guild, this is true. However, this luck was really a sign of the English-language theater's increasing vitality --- among its growing following there was someone capable of stepping in, and among the active core there was a determination to make the show go on.

Another indication of the group's strength was the fact that two of the people in the play, Luz Virginia Parada and Irving Becerra, were acting for the first time. That they did well says something about their aptitudes, but maybe even more about the director's skills.

The Theatre Guild now has its strongest base among Panamanians who speak English as a second language. With a North American community that's growing lately, a West Indian community that's not so entirely assimilated to have completely lost the English language and the Panamanian schools now requiring the study of English, there are plenty of places to go to recruit new talent and new fans. The Guild is stronger than it was a few years ago, and will be stonger yet.

And the play? It was delightful, with the strongest performances in this reviewer's estimation by Latorre and Diana Luz Parada (Luz Virginia's mother).

Understand that all the talent that goes into a Theatre Guild production is not onstage, so even if you aren't an actor you may find an active role:

Bolivar Araúz ran the sound controls

Brenda Scott is a veteran stage manager, but this time she worked the ticket booth

Producer Gale Cellucci did a little bit of everything, or so it seemed

Jeanne Marie Leggiere was stage manager for the second time in her association with the Guild

Walter Borer was at his customary bartending post, but he has been known to act onstage as well

Pedro Caicedo ran the lights...

...and speaking of the lights, the Ancon Theater's electrical systems add up to an antiquated mess and a Save the Lights Fund has been established to raise the $15 grand it will take to do the necessary upgrade. If you want to help with this effort contact the Guild by email at info@theatreguildpanama.org or send your contribution to:

Theatre Guild of Ancon
Apartado 0843-03018
Panamá, República de Panamá

Also in this section:
Cool Internet sites
Books, Panama Jack
La Cucarachita Mandinga on the Admin Building steps
The Importance of Being Earnest at the Ancon Theater