Theatre Review: Pueblo Espíritu

Pueblo Espíritu is presented by Latino Theater Company. Created by Organización Secreta Teatro from Rocío Carrillo’s original idea. Directed by Rocío Carrillo.

Pueblo Espíritu is some kind of A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Mexican style. Deep in the forest, five characters try to survive the Covid pandemic. Distrusting each other, they need to find a way to work together and fight for their lives.

In order to imagine a brighter future, they need to look back and learn from their ancestors. In a world of images, sounds, and rituals, the characters start to reconnect with their natural surroundings. During that process, their animalistic instincts are heightened and the tribal structure starts to shape the relationships among each other. Even though the characters in Pueblo Espíritu live in modern times, their transformation is a vision to the lifestyle of pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican civilizations. 

Rocío Carrillo takes elements from the Chichimeca peoples to recreate the rituals and mythical figures seen in the play. This production relies on music, colors, kinetics, and lighting to tell the story, as there is no dialogue. The result is an enthralling and emotional journey that enraptures the audience from beginning to end. The modulation of intensities throughout the play is a visual language that is rarely seen in theatre. It’s poetic, mysterious, and open to interpretations. In that sense, the relationship with the audience becomes dynamic, never static.

Pueblo Espíritu is a reference to the values that have been lost in the frenetic pace of today’s world. It is a ritual of life and death, an exorcism to clean the soul. It’s an invitation to go back to the basics, to open up our hearts and minds to Mother Earth. In the words of Michael Cretu, it is the return to yourself, the return to innocence. It is a mystic and cathartic experience worth trying.       

Pueblo Espíritu

The Los Angeles Theatre Center
514 S. Spring Street
Los Angeles CA 90013

May 3 – May 14

  • Wednesday, May 3 at 8 p.m. (opening night)
  • Thursday, May 4 at 8 p.m.
  • Friday, May 5 at 8 p.m.
  • Saturday, May 6 at 8 p.m.
  • Sunday, May 7 at 4 p.m.

Tickets: latinotheaterco.org

Original idea by Rocío Carrillo. Cast: Beatriz Cabrera, Alejandro Joan CarmarenaBrisei GuerreroStefanie IzquierdoErnesto Lecuona, Mercedes Olea and Jonathan Ramos. Directed by Rocío Carrillo.