Scenic Design by Leigh Henderson

Projection Design by Rodrigo García and Leigh Henderson

Teatro Visión (San José, CA), October 2021

By Evelina Fernández with Teatro Visión

Directed by Rodrigo García

Departera is an original work created by Teatro Visión with playwright Evelina Fernández and composer Russell Rodríguez through a 2-year community based process that drew upon the stories and beliefs of the Bay Area Latinx community.

This 2021 production, Teatro Visión’s first return to live performance since the pandemic, was produced for limited live audiences and also recorded for on demand viewing online. Due to limited potential for ticket revenue, scenery was scaled back to save money and projections formed the basis for establishing location and mood. Inspired by the classic dance halls of Mexico in the 30s and 40s, the production creates an ephemeral world of hope and memory, drawing visually on the metaphor of “the road to the afterlife.”

The story of Departera centers on Doña Juana. She is like a midwife (a partera), but instead of bringing babies into this world, she helps the dying move on. As she trains her young protégé, Connie, she also comes to grips with her own past and future. Departera is a story full of humor, profoundly contemporary, yet informed by indigenous beliefs.