Ep.81: Merendiando with Santiago Guzmán.
October 19, 2022
I won’t take no for an answer, in the most you know positive and you know like dedicated way, but I think that, that is very important. I feel like that has given me that hunger and like that desire of figuring it out has led me to where I am today. If I had been discouraged by the rejection of Caminos in 2019 I wouldn’t be here. I am very proud and very happy and I always say if Santiago did it, you can do it too. – Santiago Guzmán
Meet Santiago Guzmán, a writer, performer, director and producer for theatre and film originally from Metepec, Mexico, now based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. He is the Artistic Director of TODOS Productions and his work is very brown, very queer, and very real. Santiago is the creator and performer of “Altar” that was part of this year’s Rutas Festival.
Altar tells the story of Eugenio a queer young immigrant living in St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador. Less than a year has passed since his move from Mexico, but in that time, he experienced deep love and deeper heartbreak when his new boyfriend, Benjamin, inexplicably “ghosted” him. No, Benjamin isn’t dead; he just stopped calling and texting. And the thing is…Eugenio’s still not over it. Looking to the traditional Mexican holiday Día de Muertos (The Day of The Dead) and his father’s previous experience with paranormal activities, Eugenio decides to build an altar (a central part of the Día de Muertos ritual) in the hopes that he will be able to summon his boyfriend’s ‘ghost’ to sort out the end of their relationship once and for all. Through the altar, Eugenio realizes that he has been something of a ghost himself to the loved ones he left behind in Mexico. Will setting up an altar be enough for Eugenio to forgive, forget, and love again? Or enough to help him heal the relationships with his friends and family far away?
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