second. act.
april & may.
developing. the. second. act.
Before starting the second act, I took the last part of feedback I was given: putting a name to every 'Compañera' that I had created. I made a list with all the characters that didn't have a name and created some basic information for them: what they studied, why they were inside the occupation, if they usually participated in these kinds of spaces, etc. This effectively helped me to situate the characters in the play and understand the dynamics they might have with each other. Who knew each other from before? How did they interact with each other?
​
I knew that in this second part I would have to develop what happened on Saturday and Sunday, the challenge was to write about everything that happened before the Velatón and the night-long assembly. In reality, Saturday and Sunday were very slow and not too many actions happened.
So I had the following facts:
1) The second act had to start with what was happening with the Contratoma.
2) The 'leaders' had their first meeting with the authorities on Saturday morning.
3) The Velatón was Sunday at 8pm.
getting. to. know. the. characters.
Once I finished the chain of actions leading to the Contratoma, I moved towards Saturday morning and the after-first-meeting scene. I had already written about how they organised inside, and had general description of things that happened. Now it was abbout creating a storyline and background for each character; Act 2 was where I got to explore and show more depth to the audience. As I was starting to write the second act, I took a moment to write a little bit of each one of them (now also all of them with names):
​
​
​
javiera.
almendra.
Studies Sociology. Very active in assemblies of her school, she is not against or in favour of university political movements but she understands and supports 'institutional' representation. As she studies in the Social Studies School, she knows her way around student political environments and its tension. She knows how to be sensible and find middle points. She is a teacher assistant in two modules. She knows very well how to handle stress. She is in a weird and a little bit toxic relationship. She is mature. Elements that could be explored: being in a bad relationship; creating a paradox between being in a feminist occupation but being in an abusive relationship with a toxic masculine man.
She is a lesbian. Her family is right-winged, she studies theatre. Her fight against the university is her way of protesting against the rejection of her family. She left her house because her parents didn't support her sexual orientation. She studies with a loan. She works and studies. She called in sick to her workplace to be able to stay in the occupation and support Soledad.
valentina.
She studies law. She is in a very conservative and right-winged school. She is used to being in opposition, but because of this new context, she doesn't know how to act because there's very radical people. She had a fight with a teacher because she spoke up for a female classmate after he humiliated her. Since then, the teacher gives her bad grades. She is quite alone in this space; she asked a friend to come with her (Pedro?). She doesn't know anybody else. She is quite popular in Law because, even though she is a minority in how she thinks, she is very easy going.
She is very strong.
coni.
She is in a very apolitical School (engineering), but she is very involved, so she always fills a leadership role in these kinds of spaces. She is very emotional but sensible. As she is so involved in politics, she is a bit irresponsible in her academic life. She is friend's with Cami before the toma as they study the same thing. She is the one that invites her to join the occupation. Coni knows Almendra from some assemblies beforehand, but they are not friends before the occupation.
I think my first attempt was to get to know better the 'antagonists' of the play: Soledad and Javiera. Even though these characters could be the 'less likeable' generally, I needed to go deeper into their personal life to show their multidimensionality as human beings. During this period I was back in Chile, and I met this scriptwriting diploma student (Javiera Salas Cossio), who was very keen on giving me feedback.
​
Something that resonated with me was the fact that I mentioned during the first act that Javiera was a lesbian, and it would be an interesting point to explore. All those little things that rise up in Javiera´s storyline would make the audience be more interested. Maybe she fell in love with someone during the occupation? So, in the decision of going deeper in her story I could also present the friendship between Soledad and Javiera, how Soledad could be a person who actually cared about her friends, show humanity to a character that could naturally feel so emotionally rigid; and with that, the background story that Javiera carried to the toma. Why was she friend's with Soledad? How did she also see the world as Soledad did?​
​
On another hand, and in regards to Tomás's character, there had to be a development to his 'exposed toxic masculinity' during the first act, especially after the intense 'should men stay in the occupation?' discussion. We had so see the discussions impact in him to help his character arc. In addition to that, I remember the character who Cami was inspired by said several times how she had a test on Monday, and that sometimes she would go to another room to study for her test, which she had already not attended on Friday. This allowed me to create a nice subtle interaction between these two characters - Cami and Tomás, the natural leader and the man who is understanding the real objective of the feminist struggle.
​
development. of. the. story.
The 'real-life' series of events during Saturday and Sunday was not significant, so developing the first part of this act was still an important challenge. I continued doing my research on the general facts of those three days, so I decided to 'create my own timeline' of events but exposing things that actually happened: the petition of students for an eviction, a death threat in the Contratoma confrontation, the opposition going live at the Contratoma and talking to the press, and the ongoing rumors trying to discredit the occupation.
​
​
While I was writing, I was very aware of keeping the stakes high. So after these 'getting to know more of the characters' lives, I believed it was important to insert a new tense situation that would keep the characters stressed (after all, there were actually little moments were the takeover would be at peace). Problem-solution-problem-solution would never have an actual ending of development, just as it happened in real life.
​
A detail I wanted to include was that Cami´s brother had signed the petition for them to be evicted. I felt it could add up to Cami's multidimensionality and attempt to show her vulnerability was when she found out. I tried to explain narratively, 'what an eviction actually meant' and the emotions around the fact that the students of the same university were demanding the Principal to get them out. This seemed like an interesting way to also ground the situation; somebody who really should care about you and - no matter the reasons behind it- can do something as subtle as sign a petition. What was the impact of that 'naïve' action? For Cami, even from a very innocent motivation, ¨it was my own brother who signed that petition even though I was in there.¨
paso. seco. de. mujer.
'Paso Seco de Mujer' (Dry step of a woman) is a song written by Idea Blanco that talks about the oppression women live in society and the patriarchal violence that takes their lives. It serves as a commemoration to women in Chile.
This song mentions Antonia Barra (Paso por Antonia - A step for Antonia) and Gabriela Alcaíno (Paso por Gabriela - A step for Gabriela), two young women in Chile who passed away and were victims of femicides, that resonated all over the country.
I knew this song when it came out, as the artist is an acquaintance of mine. I always believed the lyrics were beautiful, then Alerta came, and I knew it just belonged there.
​
Even though I didn't know in what part of the performance 'Paso Seco de Mujer' would fit specifically. However, there was an event that was part of these three days of protest where it could belong-something that is a cultural act regularly done in these kind of sociopolitical demonstrations- the Velatón.
velatón.
A Velatón is a sort of 'ritual' or cultural act where lots of people unite to commemorate the power of a struggle while remembering the ones that came before us in the fight. In these gatherings, there's a first person who greets and thanks everybody to be present and then serves as an 'open mic', where people can share their thoughts, blessings and thanks. There's also people who may present a performance, sing a song, etc. It is usually held after sunsets by candlelight, and shows pictures from the people that we want to remember. As Rebecca Schneider suggests, 'commemorations theatricalize and theatres commemorate. Bodies are choreographed and plotted, moved into positions, postures, geometries, attitudes and scenarios to fulfil various aims marked for memory' (p. xv)
​
The Velatón, in this context, was done on Sunday evening, one day before the toma was taken down.
When writing the script, I knew that I had to include the velatón as a part of the story. I believe that this moment can portray so much conflict, struggle, confusion and chaos. It is also a way to ground the message behind all these: the occupation was done to protest against many situations around gender violence which needed to come to an end. Fernandes, Haughton and Verstraete state that 'the drive to remember potent moments of identity-formation, embedded with profound emotional legitimacy is inextricably linked with agendas asserting the incontestability of such identities, extending to the national, regional and personal' (p.2).
​
"Sunday 27th - 20:00h
Velatón for the feminist cause
We invite mothers, grandmothers, friends, workers and students to a demonstration
Casa Central UC (outside the occupation)"
As I was already making Alerta immersive - in the assembly, at least- then the Velatón from the story had to turn into a real one; this play transmits a deep political, sensitive and important message. All these women, that we commemorate in this same moment, should be commemorated in this play too. When we discuss 'the act of commemoration, [it is] complex, multi-layered and fluid in its intentions, scope, and affect' (p.2), as 'commemoration, as the. intentional performance of remembering and rejuvenating historical pasts, is a central tool in both propaganda and truth-seeking of the politicized present' (p.2), which is a central part of this movement too. Then, 'how, and why, does theatre centralize commemoration as a performative, conceptual, hoistorical and political site rfom which to interrogate the inherent utopia and dysfunction of a nationhood?' (p.1) With these questions in mind, I thought the audience should be part of this commemoration, hold a candle with every other character, and get into the ritual of the Velatón. Not everybody in a Velatón speaks, it's more about reflecting. And that's what I wanted to create with this.
​
According to Fernandes, Haughton and Verstraete (p.2), 'in feminist contexts, the identity politics embedded in the commemorative act are scrutinized against the backgrop of male privilege and patriarchal value systems to question whether erasure of women from historical narrative has occurredm and if so, how structural and cultural forms of discrimination have been addressed'.
Student putting candles in the front doors of Casa Central
Velatón, May 2018
Open mic
Velatón, May 2018
People attending the Velatón
Velatón, May 2018
After a couple words, there is always a time that people remember the forced disappearances and the ones who were executed during the dictatorship. This, I believe, is one of the strongest moments of the Velatón. As someone says the names of the people to be remembered, the rest responds 'present!'.
​
As this was going to be part of the performance, and the audience would have already been holding their candle for a while, this set up would also give them the choice to chant with the rest of the characters. Even though the final script version had the characters say 'present' in English, the actors asked if they could say it in Spanish, as 'Present' and 'Presente' is so similar and the rest could follow along anyways.
​
I thought of ending the first act with the Velatón. This way, the first act would hold the Friday, Saturday and Sunday just until before the 'intense last assembly', where they voted all night to decide whether the toma would continue or not.
​
Candle
Velatón, May 2018
reality. -towards. the. end.
I am aware that the true story has a lot of events that are complicated to understand at first, as the chain of events can be very confusing, especially towards the end. The real chain of events was a little bit like this:
1) The assembly agrees on certain points to take down the occupation.
2) The leaders of the toma have the meeting with the authorities, where they achieve all of the goals they originally asked for.
3) They come back and a faction of the assembly convinced the rest not to take the toma down.
4) There is a breakdown from the leader's and they all quit.
5) [Cami's real-life inspiration] tells the whole assembly her truth - one that she discovered there as well- and opens up a new discussion of if they should keep or take down the toma.
6) That assembly (Sunday evening) lasts all night long.
7) Early Monday they decide to take down the toma.
8) The more radical faction takes the power and refuses to 'give up' until things they had not originally asked for (to make abortion legal in Chile)
were achieved.
9) A new discussion, more agitated and sleep-deprived arises.
10) They start forcing to repeat votings.
11) They start making people vote by standing up and crossing a line, even though they had already voted.
12) In the chaos of it all, and because a lot of people had gone home to shower and come back to continue discussing, new people enter the assembly (people from inside started calling them to make a majority to take the toma down).
13) During a fight outside the classroom, as they continued voting inside, the rumour comes that they will be evicted if they don't leave the premises.
14) They finally 'agree' on taking the toma down, and the fraction that was against is emotionally destroyed and feels everything as a betrayal.
15)They organise to get out, giving a public statement and holding hands while carrying a banner that reads 'esto recién comienza' (this is just the beginning)
16) They clean everything, there's a university authority that comes in to check that nothing has ben broke during these days.
17) They exit, with all the deals already approved from before.
​
I wanted to show the reality of the events even though they could be confusing to portray. This was something we had to deal with during rehearsals too. The inability to take down the toma twice (for various reasons) towards the end was something the actors did not get at first when reading the script.
spanish. in. the. script.
In my first full draft of the script, I had forgotten that I had the idea to put a Spanish section of dialogue in it. As I was intending to work with only Latin-American actors this was a very achievable thing, and it would be interesting to observe the contrast in their performance in English -most of their second language- and Spanish. So, when I was checking over the finished second-act first draft, I managed to put it there.
​
My intention of using Spanish was because it would support the feeling that I was constantly attempting to create for the audience: the sense of disorientation, that so many things are being discussed or fought in the space. That a lot of time you actually did not know what was happening. So, if during the last stressful scene - when they actually could be evicted- the Spanish came up, it didn't matter if the audience could understand what was happening or not, but the understanding of the emotional stake could reach in a similar way.
original. version.
(English) FRANCISCA: GIRLS, THEY INFORMED ME THAT THEY ARE GOING TO TAKE US OUT WITH SPECIAL FORCES.
VALENTINA: WHAT?
PEDRO enters the room.
PEDRO: Ahora sí que no entiendo nada de lo que está pasando.
CAMI enters the room.
FRANCISCA: CAMI!!! NOS SACAN.
CAMI: Me estay webiando…
VALENTINA: Sí!!! Amiga (to Francisca) qué onda, quién te dijo y qué cosa?
FRANCISCA: Me llegó el rumor de que nos van a sacar ahora.
TOMÁS: Ya pero qué pasa si es solamente eso de nuevo, un rumor?
JAVIERA: Yo no les creo nada.
CONI: Cresta, a mí igual me acaba de llegar un mensaje.
RO: No! Calmao, deja preguntar por mis redes.
RO takes her phone out.
CAMI: Alme, pregúntale altiro a la asamblea de sociales. En volá ellos cachan algo?
ALME: Ya, dame cinco pa’ llamarles y les cuento.
(ALMENDRA takes out her phone and exits the room)
TOMÁS: Ya, yo qué hago?
VALENTINA: Amigo, ahora nada.
PEDRO: Vamos a cachar si los fachos andan gritando algo desde el otro lado? O si las compañeras de las barricadas tienen la misma info que nosotres.
RO: Creo que es mejor que se queden acá PEDRO, por si acaso.
SOLEDAD: Pero weon! No podemos hacerles caso.
JAVIERA: Nos han metido puro miedo todo el rato.
CAMI: Weona sorry, pero no nos podemos equivocar con esto.
FRANCISCA: Sabíamos que esto podía pasar porque ya es lunes.
VALENTINA: Acuérdense nomás de los comunicados de la facultad de derecho sobre que quizás sí iba a haber clases hoy.
JAVIERA: Ya pero no habían dicho que iban a reasignar salas?
VALENTINA: Javiera por la mierda, es la facultad de derecho!
CAMI: Igual por si acaso partamos ordenando altoque.
VALENTINA: Sí, voy a ir a la sala de al lado que es la más desordenada.
VALENTINA’s phone rings
VALENTINA: Aló? Conchatumadre, es real? (Silence) Ya, le digo altoque a las chiquillas. Ustedes qué onda allá afuera? (Silence) Ya bacán. Porfa anda contándome si pasa algo.
Everybody around her stares at her.
VALENTINA: They heard the same thing outside. They are all gathered in the entrance to support just in case.
​
translation. to. english.
(English) FRANCISCA: GIRLS, THEY INFORMED ME THAT THEY ARE GOING TO TAKE US OUT WITH SPECIAL FORCES.
VALENTINA: WHAT?
PEDRO enters the room.
PEDRO: Now I really don't understand what's happening.
CAMI enters the room.
FRANCISCA: CAMI!!! They're taking us out!
CAMI: You're fucking kidding me...
VALENTINA: Yes!!! Friend (to Francisca), what's up really, who told you and what exactly?
FRANCISCA: I just got the rumour that we're being evicted now.
TOMÁS: Okay but what if it's just that again, a rumour?
JAVIERA: I don't believe them.
CONI: Fuck, I also just received a text.
RO: No! Wait, let me check with my sources.
RO takes her phone out.
CAMI: Alme, ask the assembly of the School of Social Studies. Maybe they know something?
ALME: Okay, give me five to call them and I'll let you know.
(ALMENDRA takes out her phone and exits the room)
TOMÁS: Okay, what do I do?
VALENTINA: Dude, nothing right now.
PEDRO: Let's go check if the fachos are yelling something from the other side? Or if the people from the barricades have the same information as we do.
RO: I think it's better that you stay here PEDRO, just in case.
SOLEDAD: But dude! We cannot pay them attention.
JAVIERA: They have tried to make us be scared all th time.
CAMI: Dude sorry, but we can't make a mistake with this.
FRANCISCA: We knew that this could happen because it's Monday already.
VALENTINA: Just remember the information they sent from the Law School, that there was probably going to be classes today.
JAVIERA: Okay but hadn't they said that they were going to reassing the classrooms?
VALENTINA: Javiera for fucks sake, it's the Law School!
CAMI: Just in case, let's start tidying up right now.
VALENTINA: Yes, I'll go to to the other room that's the messiest.
VALENTINA’s phone rings
VALENTINA: Aló? Fucking hell, is it real? (Silence) Okay, I'll let them know right away. What's up with you guys outside? (Silence) Okay cool. Please let me know if anything happens.
Everybody around her stares at her.
(English) VALENTINA: They heard the same thing outside. They are all gathered in the entrance to support just in case.
​
'It is EXCELLENT having this next section in Spanish. Really effective, suddenly we are transported to the real thing. And as the audience we already know enough that we really don’t need to know what they’re actually saying to understand what is happening.'
​
(Mariella Hudson, dramaturg, feedback on the script).
the. end.
Something I always knew was that this play had to finish with the last moment of the occupation: when all the press was outside and the students opened the doors and came out holding hands. This is an image that I knew I could recreate on stage, considering the amount of actors; the holding hands with a banner, while there was somebody that was reading their last press release about their triumphs.
​
Esto recién comienza (This is just the beginning)
%209_49_35%20p_%C2%A0m_.png)
'our conversations don't end here. the fight does not end here. this movement doesn't stop with us taking down this toma. this is just the beginning.
and most importantly of all: now that we've met again, let's never let go'.
%204.jpg)
During Chile's Social Outbreak in 2018, a popular motto that arose was 'Now that we've met, let's never let go', something that was also totally applicable to this context: the rise of a movement that had been silent for many years and was beginning it's fourth worldwide wave.
Finishing the show with that sentence felt like the natural thing to do.
It was so complicated to find each other, let's not let go!!