Revolution

Colonel Fernando Reyes is inspired by Amelio Robles. Amelio Robles, born Amelia Robles, was a decorated Zapatista officer. Unlike many women – the well-documented soldaderas – who cross-dressed only for the duration of the war, Robles took the opportunity of the chaos of the bola to transition. He lived the rest of his life as a man.

The playwright discovered Amelio Robles during research for a Chicana Literature studies course; her final paper was titled “Malinche Redimida: Marimachas en la Frontera” and explored the identity politics of butch Mexicanas. Hudson was struck, in the midst of more modern and explicit sexual revolutions such as Moraga and Castillo, how a century before Coronel Robles had quietly enacted his own transition vis-à-vis the chaos of the bola. His presence stayed with her, and she is proud to pay homage to him, and to the millions of historically-silenced LGBTQ narratives (including but not ending in Orlando), with Fernando Reyes and Revolution.

The play is historical fiction. Xochitelco is a fictional town; all characters are fiction, though The Dance of the Forty-One (a raid of gay men in Mexico City in 1901) was a real event – as was the battle of Chilpancingo. As such, the play is rooted firmly in the culture of southern Mexico in the 20^th century. It is primarily in English, though there is Spanish and Spanglish integrated as well.

As an old man, Fernando Reyes (JoJo Sena de Tarnoff) reflects back on his own life in Revolution; the play takes place between the years of 1910 and 1962 and moves through many locations throughout Central and Southern Mexico. During his introspection, he relives interactions with both civilian men (Devin Zamora), and those in uniform (Daric Gutierrez). When he was a young girl (Cristina Vigil), he meets wealthy and unapologetic transwoman Alejandra (Giacomo Zafarano) – whose strength and insight change his life. As a Zapatista revolutionary (Roxanne Tapia), he literally and figuratively battles the homogenization of the hacienda structure. The sameness of the hacienda is juxtaposed with the verdant polyculture of the forest and his beloved, Ana Maria (Alix Hudson). The Revolution becomes the freeing space for Reyes to realize his transition