Guillermo Calderón, Escuela. Photo: Valentino Saldivar
As the doors opened at the Edlis Neeson Theater for Guillermo Calderon’s North American premiere of his moving play, Escuela, audience members were greeted by five hooded university students singing revolutionary songs. An eerie ambiguity clouded the room before onlookers were transported to 1980s Chile.
This play hits home for Guillermo Calderon, a native of Chile’s capital, Santiago, who was born at the height of Salvador Allende’s democratically elected left-wing alliance, the Popular Unity. When Allende was overthrown by a coup d’etat on September 11, 1973, the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet reigned over Chile until 1990. Pinochet’s regime was known for their extreme suppressive nature and the persecution and killing of dissidents. Consequently, a group of left-wing militants banded together in an attempt to resist and take down the dictatorship. Calderon took us inside the classroom as these revolutionaries sacrificed themselves for something much bigger.
The student’s commitment to the movement, whether intentionally or not, was first displayed in their willingness to be hooded, disorientated and taken to an undisclosed location where they would meet other revolutionaries. These students sacrificed their own individuality for the bigger picture, one that could develop and gain strength if its members knew very little about one another. While some may argue that giving up your individuality is a passive act, Calderon intricately constructs a narrative claiming the exact opposite. Through losing their individual identities, the students were able to construct a group identity that focused all its efforts on overtaking the dictatorship that oppressed them.
Almost immediately, the severity of the times was presented to the audience through the lack of context provided. The five revolutionaries were all in hoods that covered their faces and mouths, leaving only their eyes to provide any details about their individuality. However, to contrast their intense appearances, the five students sang beautiful songs of liberation that gave off a feeling of hope. Feelings of hope and a longing for change are explored through the various episodes that the play was split up into.
With the first episode, one of the students began to explain to the others what capitalism was and how it functioned in their society. These early teachings laid the groundwork for the development of the movement throughout the course of the play. While assumptions could not be made regarding class through physical features, Calderon used dialogue to explore the division of classes not just in the reality that surrounded them, but also within their own movement. At the root of these divisions were the capitalistic and suppressive actions of Pinochet’s regime. The only difference, though, was that the student movement didn’t discriminate and oppress those who came from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, instead they educated them.
Over the course of the play, all of the students were seated in one small room accompanied by only a chalkboard. For the next episode, a dimly lit room silhouetted one of the students over a small bomb that she was in the process of constructing. The mood was quite serious as she detailed the ingredients for the bomb, how to package it, as well as how to light the fuse and run away to a far enough distance in time to not be injured. The other students surrounding her interjected with frequent questions and inquiries, demonstrating their lack of knowledge and familiarity with taking up arms against an oppressive regime.
Arms are essential to almost any type of resistance where the oppressive regime has the arms and power to eliminate any dissidents at will. The final episode centered around this idea as one of the students took the others on a crash course on how to fire a revolver and what stances to use. This section beautifully illuminated the ongoing contrast that was present throughout the work. Although none of what was going on outside of the classroom could be seen or heard, it was known that the students were in a serious battle. However, jokes and laughter flew around the room to signify the naivety of the students.
Many of these students, if not all, had not had any formal training in taking up arms. This fact was accentuated by the almost playful nature in which the student providing the lesson dove into each shooting position. When practicing, the students appeared to be immersed into a video game where they could not be directly hurt. However, this situation was every bit of real and severe. Published in 2004, The Valech Report validated this severity in confirming that more than 3,200 people died, 28,000 were arrested and tortured, and 200,000 Chileans were forced into exile at the hands of Pinochet’s regime. At the end of the day, though, these were students and revolutionaries who were dedicated and optimistic, but also unaware of how far Pinochet’s power extended.
Despite the specific time and place that the play was set in, the message and symbolism transcended far past 1980s Chile. Students and revolutionaries have taken up arms all around the world to fight oppression and injustices. This commonality is something that Calderon displayed very well. The lack of context provided through the bare classroom and the student’s hidden faces illuminated a much bigger point. These students could be anywhere in the world fighting this powerful dictator. It could be Martin Luther King Jr. and his organizers fighting racism in the United States in the 1960s, or it could be the students of present day Chile who are fighting for their right to a good education, which was severely diminished following Pinochet’s reign.
Almost poetically, the final moments of the play left onlookers with an unnerving feeling laced with hope. One by one, each student picked up a small revolver from the table, held it in their hand and extended up to the sky. Highlighted by a spotlight, the student’s arms appeared to come together all at once as each one of them fired a shot into the air. As the lights dimmed, a faint smoke drifted up through the light and into the air hanging above. The continual nature of the smoke’s path conveyed Calderon’s message clear as day. This fight was not over, this fight is forever and those fighting are prepared to take up any means necessary for equality and justice. All of the ambiguity had come together at last to take a concrete form, one of hope and optimism.
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Parker Asmann is a 2015 graduate of DePaul University with degrees in Journalism and Spanish, along with a minor in Latin American and Latino Studies. He is currently residing in Chicago while focusing on issues of social justice and human rights. He is a member of El BeiSMans Editorial Board.
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