UTRGV University Production’s first show of the season, “Death and the Maiden,” a political thriller focusing on the themes of power dynamics, truth and revenge, opens at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Albert L. Jeffers Theatre on the Edinburg campus.
The cast includes theatre performance senior Victoria Diaz, alumnus Jonathan Dimas and Christopher Cruz.
Directed by Brian Warren, the story tells of Paulina Miranda, who was arrested and tortured during her time as a prisoner during the Pinchot regime in Chile. Years after her imprisonment, she recognizes the voice of her attacker and proceeds to torture and extract a confession from him, despite the lack of solid evidence against the man.
Diaz, who plays the female lead Paulina, said her love for theater began through small acting skits in middle school and later progressed to bigger high school productions.
This is Diaz’s first lead role at UTRGV. Some challenges she faced while preparing for the role was having to portray a character who has faced a lot of hardship, including rape and imprisonment.
“I actually knew that getting close to this character would take a lot from me, not just physically, but emotionally since Paulina has been through a lot of trials,” Diaz said. “Actually, she has suffered PTSD from her past of being tortured. The play goes into detail on that and I knew that beforehand it was going to take a lot from me and I was hesitant, so I didn’t start digging into the character until August time, when I started really getting to know the character and pick up on her habits.”
She also relates to the character, since Paulina’s experiences are not uncommon in modern days.
“I relate to her in a sense that through the test of time, women have been seen as pieces of meat and in the play, Paulina Salas does talk about her being raped,” Diaz said. “I think that it’s something to bring awareness in general. I relate to her in the sense that I do have family members who have gone through stuff like that and this is a great opportunity to be the voice for them and women who have gone through this.”
Diaz said the purpose of the play is to encourage people to stand up for themselves and spread awareness of sexual assault.
“Several times throughout the play, Paulina is finally getting the chance to say what she’s been wanting to say,” she said.“… It’s just a way to say that it’s OK to have those thoughts and there is a way to overcome that because you are not a victim. When stuff like this happens, you are a survivor and that is ultimately what we’re trying to get across with this play. You have a voice, use it, utilize it.”
The show is the first of its kind at UTRGV and she looks forward to seeing the audience’s reaction, according to Diaz.
“It’s just a really great, intense show. I use the word intense, because, disclaimer, there is some language and mature content,” she said. “We’ve never done anything like this at UTRGV and it’s very ‘in your face’ and I’m curious how the audience will react because growing up very conservative, in the Valley, it’s going to be interesting how the audience interprets it and what they make of it. I hope it leaves the audience [a lasting impression].”
The cast and crew highly encourage the campus community to come out and support the theatre department.
“I really encourage people to come out and watch the show,” Diaz said. “It’s been a great experience for me, being able to portray Paulina, who is a brave, strong woman given the circumstances she’s gone through. Maybe not firsthand, but maybe, someone [the audience knows] went through something like this and in any sense, there is a way to relate for both men and women.”
The show will be presented at the same time Thursday through Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday.
General admission to the show is $15, $5 for UTRGV students and staff with a valid ID and $7 for students with a non-UTRGV student ID.
