Group brings posada tradition to campus

By Catherina Ragsdale
The Collegian

While many Fresno State students are focused solely on that last week of school and their stressful finals, a group of students are focused on a performance that will show the Fresno State community a little of their culture at Christmas time.

Teatro T.O.R.T.I.L.L.A is performing a posada and the annual play “La Pastorela” on Dec. 13 at the Satellite Student Union from 7 to 10 p.m.

Teatro T.O.R.T.I.L.L.A started on the Fresno State campus in 1991, and was inspired by Luis Valdez’s Teatro Campesina based in San Juan Bautista, Calif. T.O.R.T.I.L.L.A stands for Teatro of Raza Towards Involvement in Local Latino Awareness. The group has 23 active members.

“Our main focus is to promote higher education in the Latino community,” said President Phillipe Hernandez, a fourth-year Fresno State student.

The group performs at Madera Community College for students from high schools throughout the Central Valley who gather for a leadership conference.

“College Me” is a play about a high school senior who is accepted to the UC Berkeley. The conflict is that her father is traditional, and feels that women shouldn’t go to college. She eventually gets her mother’s signature of approval, and heads off to college. Her father then realizes that his daughter is a smart woman and should be in college.

Teatro doesn’t just perform plays. They also work with other Latino organizations on campus with various activities.

Teatro most recently helped set up altars in the Free Speech Area on Dia de Los Muertos. The altars were dedicated to the people who have died.

The group’s next project is the posada and their annual play “La Pastorela” this Wednesday.

Hernandez said the posada is a Mexican tradition practiced throughout America. The focus is Mary and Joseph’s travels to find shelter. People in the community walk from house to house singing Christmas carols. The people within the homes know to sing a response to the carolers that rejects their request for shelter.

“This goes on for three houses,” Hernandez said. “After the third house, [the carolers] go back to the first house.”

Once back at the first house, the people inside realize who the carolers are supposed to represent and let them come inside.

“We’re promoting the Mexican culture, not promoting religion,” Hernandez said. “We don’t do prayers.”

Teatro won’t be able to go house to house, but will travel from the Satellite Student Union to the Science building and back.

Es-tu-dios, a Catholic group on campus, is helping sing songs. Several non-active members are participating also. Hernandez said there are 20 performers and about 30 volunteers.

After the posada, at the Satellite Student Union, Teatro will perform “La Pastorela,” their version of the Latino Christmas play inspired by Luis Valdez and the Teatro Campesino.

“La Pastorela” involves a shepherd and his journey to Bethlehem to witness the birth of Jesus Christ.

Along the way the shepherd encounters the devil and various demons who try to distract him from his journey. The shepherd has an angel that helps him battle the devil to get to Bethlehem.

This is the last performance of the semester for Teatro T.O.R.T.I.L.L.A. Their next performance is March 3 at the leadership conference at Madera Community College.

Anybody can join Teatro. Hernandez said members don’t have to be Fresno State students.

“We have a girl who’s in middle school that performs in our plays,” Hernandez said. “Her older sister is in the group.”

Hernandez said there is never a fee to join either.

“What we do is community service,” Hernandez said.

Meetings for Teatro are scheduled to start the first week of school next spring, and are every Thursday at 7 p.m. usually in Engineering East 191.

To see the group now and a part of Latino Christmas tradition, join the Teatro T.O.R.T.I.L.L.A on Dec. 13 at 7 p.m. at the Satellite Student Union. Admission is free.

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