Wilma

Winner of the Best Solo Show from the Association of Critics and Journalists in Mexico (ACTP).

Wilma narrates the story of a girl who grows up as a foreigner on her own land. She is isolated by the racism and classism imposed by her Irish grandmother, who forbids her to learn Maya and associate with Maya speakers. Suddenly, one of the worst hurricanes in history arrives on the peninsula. An early cyclone alert is issued in the Maya languages. Unable to communicate with others, she tries to survive a hurricane without anyone’s help. Will she make it?

To learn more download the Show Information Package here: WILMA Info Package

September 26, 2024 at 7:00 PM
September 27, 2024 at 7:00 PM
September 28, 2024 at 7:00 PM
September 29, 2024 at 2:30 PM

Sunday Sept. 29 – stay after the show for a Talkback with the Artist!

“To poke. Disinfect. Scream. The Theatre of Itzhel Razo makes you feel uncomfortable. It can make you laugh, but it will do so to point out the issue at hand. It is capable of leading you through hilarious moments while also making your stomach churn. It is a theatre that shakes us to the core. It is a necessary theatre.”

Luis Herrera Albertos, El Financiero

About the artist

Itzhel Razo

Director, actress, playwright and cultural manager. She studied Dramatic Literature and Theater at UNAM with a specialization in Directing, and received complementary studies in South Korea and Indonesia. In 2014, she founded the interdisciplinary company PortaTeatro, dedicated to the creation, production, and management of living arts in Mexico. Her work has been presented in Germany, Colombia, Uruguay, the United States and soon Canada. She is currently a scholarship holder of the SACPC young creators program.

Porta Teatro

Porta Teatro is a Mexican company that was founded in 2014, with the need to seek a multidisciplinary mix between dance, theater and visual arts, creating a theater of the body.  It was founded by Itzhel Razo, an outstanding interdisciplinary artist who studied  Dramatic Literature and Theater at UNAM with a specialization in Directing. She also received complementary training in South Korea and Indonesia. Porta Teatro’s most recent production: Wilma, was the winner of the best solo show by the Association of Theater Critics and Journalists (ACPT) 2023 in Mexico City. It has been performed  at various international festivals such as: Festival del Teatro Unipersonal del Uruguay (Montevideo), Festival IMPORT/EXPORT Germany, Festival Sor Juana (Chicago) USA. Porta Teatro is currently preparing its next production “Carne de Cañón,” another autobiographical play that explores feminine archetypes to answer the question: what is it to be a woman? 

What Wilma brings to Toronto.

This Personal Cartography is an act of resistance against racism. It puts a mirror in front of us that reflects back a disturbing image that is hard to accept: that racist and elitist attitudes live in many of us to a greater or lesser extent.

What makes this piece so important is who is telling the story. Itzhel herself is a white, red-haired woman; an artist that feels compelled to expose the society of privilege she comes from. And it is precisely for that reason that this piece is so needed.  

After touring Wilma around Mexico, she finally presented it in her native Yucatán in front of a mixed audience that also included the elite; i.e. people who have been taught to reject the Indigenous people on whose land they live. After the show, Itzhel notes that “many people shared with me that they saw themselves reflected, enacting their own racism or being on the receiving end – something they had some to see as normal since it happens so frequently.”

This piece opens up a dialogue that is important to continue having from all perspectives.  

Wilma is a deep and artistically compelling piece by an emerging female actor, playwright, director and creator with a very strong vision. An inspiring and exquisite theatrical experience that combines humour contrasted with harsh realities. A work of art from beginning to end from a committed young artist who wishes to transform herself and the society around her.

“…it is alarming that in the XXI century, when we are breaking a number of social paradigms such as gender, identity and sexuality, we still continue to discriminate one race from another. In our day to day and in some places, it is evident that white people continue to have the power just because they are white and it is still not talked about that much” – Itzhel Razo