THE SHRUNKEN HEAD OF PANCHO VILLA

MANAGING EDITOR – DIDIER CADENA

ORIGINALLY PRINTED ON NOV 12, 2022

St. Mary’s University season of theater is upon us. The first of four plays will take place over the 2022-2023 school year. The first theater production of the semester, “The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa,” kicked things off with a resounding success. 

“The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa” is a play written by Luis Valdez, who is notably known for being the director of the 1987 hit film “La Bamba” and the iconic 1981 film “Zoot Suit.” Valdez is considered the father of Chicano

Photo by Sophia Kussel

film and theater and is the founder of the one and only El Teatro Campesino (The Farm Worker’s Theater). 

“The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa” is a raunchy comedy about a Mexican American family. It recruits several stereotypes during the 1950s associated with Mexican American households before the start of the Chicano Civil Rights movement. Some stereotypes include the archetypes of the “wino father, the long-suffering mother, the juvenile delinquent son, the unwed pregnant daughter, the shell-shocked veteran, the indigent brother and the family being on welfare,” according to the Playbill. The play deals with these serious issues with an intelligent sense of humor that was well-received by those in attendance. They continued to line up to view the play for the three days that the production was available.

Shawn Hardee led this year’s theater production, with Hardee making his return to the St. Mary’s department as the play’s director. Other notable individuals that extended their talents and got this iconic play off the ground would be Eleanor Lee, Dion Denevan and Lindsay Hardee, who served as the role’s assistant director, scenic design and lighting, and costumes and props. The cast included members inside and outside the St. Mary’s Community. Seth Trevino, Dani Iniguez-Jaco, Sebastian Esai Aquilar, Sarah Calogero, Alex Johnson, Andrew Thomas, Aileen Macias and Gerardo Ivan Morales graced the stage with their dynamic performances. But the play would not have even been possible without the hardworking members of the crew, willing to do the heavy lifting: Carson Parkinson, Zitlali Aguirre, Emma Welsch, Cristina Herrera, Daija Vanegas, Sophia Galdeano, Catherine Garcia, Jacob Hoffman, Mauricio Rebaza Figueroa, Hiram Franco, SamuelVega, Cory Lang and Brandon Rojas. One of the crew’s tasks entailed carrying background props from the heritage house, taking them up to the third floor of Treadway Hall, and then carrying them down to the stage.


When asked what attracted him to his role, Seth Trevino, an independent actor who worked in close association with director Sean Hardy, gave his take. “I wanted to resonate with my own Mexican- American descent, to see both sides of the discrimination and privileges of the period. My character (Mingo) treads the line of being hateful. Playing my character close to where I came from was  challenge.” When asked why he thought audiences might enjoy the production, Trevino replied, “There is a dark spin to it as it plays on the stereotypes of family units that many people might relate to.” 

“The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa” was an extremely memorable production in the St. Mary’s theater department, once again keeping up with the tradition of excellence that the theater department has. Be on the lookout for more plays happening during the 2022-2023 school year.