Popular Theatre and the Guatemalan Peace Process

Latin American popular theatre moved away from entertainment and toward consciousness-raising throughout the twentieth century as socio-political criticism and calls for action replaced such notions as catharsis and resolution. This article examines the development and performance of the play No hay cosa oculta que no venga a descubrirse in the Guatemalan community of Santa María Tzejá. The play was produced following the 1992 return of the refugees and consists primarily of the memories of their experiences with violence. The lasting effects of this play show that the type of emotional purgation historically employed as and derided as an instrument of social control returns here as a vital element for collective social transformation.