A MOMENT IN TIME. “SOMOS UNO”
In June 1973, the Mexican popular creator company Los Mascarones were on a statewide tour of California performing their theatrical pieces. Also in June 1973 the Teatro Nacional De Aztlan, a national organization of dozen of Chicano theater companies, convened a theater festival in the city of San Jose, California. The Mascarones attended the festival.
Filmmaker Jesus Salvador Trevino saw the opportunity to film a collaboration between the Mexico city theater company and the acclaimed El Teatro Campesino. After the weekend theater Festival, Los Mascarones and El Teatro Campesino collaborated for four days at the home base of El Teatro Campesino in San Juan Bautista, California. Working with Jesus Trevino, Mariano Leyva, director of Los Mascarones and Luis Valdez, director of El Teatro Campesino, combined elements of previous works of each company– El Teatro Campesino’s play, La Carpa De Los Rasquachis and the Mascarones play, Don Cacamafer–into a new play ending titled “Somos Uno” (We Are One). In this photo taken on June 26, 1973, we see members of both theater companies discussing the collaboration to be filmed.
To the right, the man standing is filmmaker José Luis Ruiz, cameraman for the production. Seated below him is Luis Valdez, director of El Teatro Campesino. To the left, standing and pointing down, is filmmaker Jesus Trevino. Below him, seated, is Mariano Leyva, director of Los Mascarones. “Somos Uno” was broadcast in Los Angeles, later that year.
Photo credit: Gayla Trevino.