Revolution is the story of trans man Fernando Reyes' life growing up on the hacienda and joining the Zapatistas in the Mexican Revolution. What follows is an a-spatial, a-chronological examination of Love, Self, and Tierra y Libertad.
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, Alix Hudson, 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 earlier Coronel Robles had quietly enacted his own transition vis-à-vis the chaos of the bola.
The play is historical 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 20th century. It is primarily in English, though there is Spanish and Spanglish integrated as well.
“Simply put, Alexandra Hudson’s play Revolution is pure genius, and a primer for ALL writers of any gender or genre: drama, poetry, fiction, memoir, history, as to how to discern human shadows from those of the natural world, even in the finest distilled moonlight. If you EVER get a chance to read or see a production of this work, be prepared. Your heart WILL be pierced, with or without body armor.”
— Gary Worth Moody
Show Dates
September 29 through October 16
Saturday • Oct. 15 • 7:30 p.m.
Sunday • Oct. 16 • 3 p.m.
Ticket Prices
Thursdays are $10
Friday, Saturdays Sunday: $20 general admission, $12 limited income