El Teatro Campesino (ETC) is most well-known globally for their actos, short political satires that the company developed in support of the Delano grape strike (1965–70) and nationally for its groundbreaking Broadway production and subsequent Warner Brothers film, Zoot Suit (1981). However, at home in San Benito County and the surrounding Salinas and Silicon Valleys, the company is also revered for its rotating winter productions: the operatic miracle play La Virgen Del Tepeyac and La Pastorela were performed inside the Mission San Juan Bautista church. In 2019, a renovation of the Mission San Juan Bautista church forced ETC’s La Pastorela into their ninety-nine-seat playhouse. I was lucky enough to witness this beautiful and dynamic reimagining of La Pastorela in-the-round that year. The following year, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of so much live performance across the globe, and the production staff at El Teatro Campesino recorded a radio...

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