Fifth Sun Rises at Burges High School

Burges surpasses many expectations

While outside wind and rain pounded the small theater’s walls, inside all eyes were glued to the eight Mayan Gods in extravagant costumes standing on a multi-level temple that spanned a large corner of the stage. A large, symbolic cross stood at the top of it, and eerie Mayan music set the mood for what was to come. The Burges Mustang Theatre Company and director Fernando Arana’s presentation of "The Fifth Sun" was heartfelt and courageous, as the actors took on an intense subject that moved everyone in the audience.

This dramatic play is based on the story of the archbishop of San Salvador, Oscar Romero, played very maturely by sophomore Gabriel Joseph Franco-Kull. Romero was assassinated in 1980, in the midst of El Salvador’s civil war. He spoke on behalf of the poor, and though at first he wanted the church to have no voice in politics, was affected so greatly by the guerilla attacks on close to 75,000 people that he became a martyr for them. In the play, we see him react to the violence of these attacks and struggle with the call of God vs. the call of politics.

The Mayan Gods mentioned earlier remained on stage for most of the play in their decadent headpieces, beaded costumes, and beautiful body paint that was stunning to the audience. The haunting voices of these actors carried well as they articulated all their lines, even while dancing and moving around the stage. Their lines to Romero as he stood wondering what to do in the face of such catastrophe was chilling, and accurately resembled the speech of powerful gods. Alpuch, the Lord of Death(Kelsey Marie Houtkooper), in particular resonated very well with the audience in her performance, and her persona was reflected in all of her movements. Also, Chac, the Lord of Rain (Emma Jude Butler), had a commanding presence and was enjoyable to see dance. Their accumulated efforts and effective choreography was the glue that held the play together and provided energy to the other actors.

Franco-Kull was also very believable as a conflicted priest. His mannerisms and facial expressions told the story for him, and his chemistry with his friends Anne Dunn, an American nun played by Molly Butler, and Hector Navarez, the Marxist priest portrayed by Robert Nava, was unmistakable. Butler and Nava also had great chemistry with each other, and their energy never faltered throughout their many disagreements. The Colonel (Adrian Joseph Balderrama) represented the corrupt officials of El Salvador, and looked and acted the part perfectly as a terrorizing figure of power. Albert Scott Payan as the Nuncio brought another great performance to the play as a representation of the church attempting to pull Romero back from the politics of the war. He spoke very clearly and authoritatively, and had command of all his lines.

While a major setback for Burges is not having a well equipped theater, the actors, techies, and directors worked with all they had and surpassed many expectations for such a demanding play. The lights and sound meshed beautifully with the costumes and added a sense of mood and setting to the stage. The actors rarely faltered in their portrayal of such mature characters. When that fatal gunshot ended Romero’s mass and Anne Dunn announced all of the names of the people dead, the audience stood up and clapped  not only for the brilliant work done by Burges High School, but also for the martyrs of El Salvador.


by Khayla Golucke of Montwood High School

Grace and Precision at Burges

After the gun was fired, the world lost a hero and a country their leader. Last Thursday, Burges High School’s Mustang Theater performed "The Fifth Sun," a play that tells the story of Oscar Romero and the struggle of El Salvador.

"The Fifth Sun" was written by Nicholas A. Patriccia and is based on true events. Oscar Romero was the Archbishop of El Salvador from 1977 to 1980. During this time the people of El Salvador suffered from the violation of their rights at the hands of their government.  Romero spoke on behalf of the poor; and his assassination on March 24, 1980 brought about an international cry for reform in El Salvador.

The production of "The Fifth Sun" at Burges High School was very creative. From the costumes to the set, the play showed creativity and detail. One of the best aspects of the play was the choreography and the energy of the actors.

Gabriel Joseph Franco-Kull played the role of Oscar Romero. Gabriel had very good energy throughout the show and showed good chemistry with Rutilio Grande (Joshua Montes). Gabriel’s Mannerisms were befitting those of an old and composed man. His emotions were played out very well and carried the show successfully. Gabriel’s performance was very touching and really heightened Oscar Romero’s kindness.

The group of Mayan gods present in the play really stood out. From the moment the curtain opened, their costumes and presence brought the play to a good start. Each of the gods’ costumes was very intricate, colorful, and visually attractive. Also, the makeup was beautiful and gave each god a personality. The gods helped each character gain focus while speaking and helped with foreshadowing. Also, the choreography was great and the gods had good dancing technique. One god whose dancing stood out was Chac, the Lord of Rain, played by Emma Jude Butler. Her grace and precision was very good and really made the choreography look better.

The set of the play was good. The levels aided the development of the scenes. One aspect of the set that was good was the mount were the Gods stood. It juxtaposed the Mayan temple with the Catholic cross, something which was predominant in the plot of the play. The temple seemed like it was made of rock due to its texture.  Although there were minor difficulties with the sound, the tech team did a great job.

“What will you do Romero?” asked the gods. Romero gave his life to the people of El Salvador. Burges High School honored his memory this past Thursday.  The performance of "The Fifth Sun" by The Mustang Theatre was very emotional and reminded the audience of a struggle that is still not over in El Salvador.


by Ashley Cossio of El Dorado

Comments

[Proud parent]

I was honored to be in the audience when the play was performed on Thursday night. The cast was amazing. It is is truly inpsiring to see the them work so hard to bring a historical event to life. It is true that the lack of auditorium is a set back to the Burges Theatre group, but their creativity and tenacity is much to be respected.Their hardwork is always relfected when the show comes up.You forget you are not in a multi million dollar auditorium.Well done once again.

[El Paso]

Sounds interesting. I often hear good things about Burges High School.