Tejas Verdes
Monologues aren’t my scene really. Especially the one-man show. Straight off, if you don’t like the actor, that’s it. Night ruined. Which is just as well that Tejas Verdes has five different actresses performing seven different monologues.
This play about the Pinochet regime in Chile has been running since July 6th in the Project, so I suppose this opinion (staying away from the word ‘review’) is a bit late.
Written by Fermin Cabel, Tejas Verdes gives us an intense and emotionally wrought account of the torture and oppression experienced during the 70s. In September 1973, the socialist-led uprising ousted the Marxist government to establish a junta that would remain until 1990.
The play tells the tale of a young social worker who was interred at Tejas Verdes, a hotel resort that became a torture camp. The protagonist, played by Sarah Brennan, is grassed up by her friend (Susan Fitzgerald) and subjected to brutal tactics designed to elicit Marxist secrets.
Ger Ryan who played the part of a gravedigger gave a most convincing performance. She graphically recounts the treatment of human remains and how she herself nearly met her end.
The set design is quite simple, consisting of a swing hung from the theatre ceiling. At the end, photographs of the victims are illuminated in the black backdrop to powerful effect. The Guardian gives the play a five-star rating and this Irish production isn’t half bad either.
Published by Colm.
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