"Teatro in times of plague"
2,255 cases, 123 deaths.
I went out today. Mi number is 9 and 9 was up. It is also the day before the quincena. We pay every fortnight, or quincena, in the teatro. We managed to scrape up a really minimum help for them via Luis’ donation raising.
So I first went to the teatro to meet Luis at 9:20. There was much less movement than I had sensed on Monday in the minutes I went out then. It’s sort of a new normal. I was able to go through downtown without running into any barricades. In the absence of taxis and buses, traffic is light. There’s a line outside Farmacia Castillo. Not many people on the street.
I was early but Luis was already there in the teatro when I arrived. He finally has his official safe conduct pass from the police. So we were completely legal. I even have the luxury of an N95 mask. We got in his car; he would be my driver and bodyguard.
According to Radio Progreso, in the town of Yoro (in the mountains to the south of Progreso) 35 policemen of various ranks, are in quarantine because it turns out the woman who fed them is positive. I wonder how many there are in the Yoro Police. Seems to me a lot for a small town.
Our bank is small; it still manages to have immense lines. According to the official decree 9:00 to 10:00 was for seniors. I have succumbed to that category for movie tickets and the bank. I was the last one waiting, just about allowed to go in. They had a thing for the feet that didn’t strike me as especially effective. After two people came out, the guard let me in. There is a first no-man’s land which houses the ATM. An attractive girl takes your temperature then squirts you with hand sanitiser. Although I don’t understand how her thing works. There is another guard who pushes a button and you are in a small corridor with another button to open the door (not before the other is completely closed) and burst into the salon of the bank.
There are four chairs in safe social distancing configuration. There are three cashiers, who are behind a frosted glass panel at the bottom of which you can see the client’s feet. The chairs made me a little nervous; I ended up on all four chairs and so did everybody else. Well, we shall see.
There are two cases in the colonia INVA. This is the colonia bordering on Pénjamo, which I take care of pastorally. It has traditionally been the source of members of teatro la fragua. I can think of two at the moment. Nery says they are blockading the colonia.
I withdrew the cash we would need for the actors and others and updated the accounts we have set up for donations. Luis’ campaign is getting results.
We went back to the teatro (nobody mugged us) and organized what would be most of Luis’ day; with his salvo conducto he could drive everywhere. So he would take the pay to each one. We have hopes of getting food baskets for all next week.
On the way back to the house I had to pass an army stop. They waved me on without looking at my id. And I was legal.
Friday, May 15, 2020
I’ve just come from a funeral. Our other plague has struck us again. The sister of one of the young Honduran Jesuits, Doris Gutiérrez Cubas (sister of Mario Miguel Guriérrez sj) was shot and killed yesterday evening in her house. 5 shots. She was 34 years old; taught in the Colegio San José, as coordinator of the English language department. We held a funeral mass in the chapel of the San José, and much of the faculty was present. We all observed social distancing, and the occasion was very solemn.
Saturday, May 16, 2020
2460 cases, 134 deaths. There are 54 cases in Progreso.
The army has given a dishonorable discharge to three privates who dared to dance for the cameras on TikTok. In uniform. They got a lot more coverage discharged than they ever would have gotten otherwise. Interesting that they don’t give discharges for shooting protesters or for helping the narcos, but dancing is too much.
We got food for all the family yesterday, with many thanks to Radio Progreso. They included us in a list of people for food baskets. The baskets were in two parts, one personal hygiene stuff and the other food.
The personal hygiene stuff included: 1. Un rollo de papel – toilet paper 2. Un Detergente - detergent 3. Un Paste - washcloth 4. Un jabón de ropa – clothes soap 5. Un jabón de baño – bath soap 6. Un jabón de trastes - dishes soap 7. Una toalla sanitaria – a sanitary towel And then the food: 8. Una bolsita de sal - salt 9. Media libra de frijoles ½ pound of beans 10. Dos libras de azúcar - 2 pounds of sugar .11. Un kilo de manteca – 1 kilo of lard 12. 4 de harina 13.- 4 pounds of floud 13. 4 de Maseca - 4 pounds of corn flour 14. 2 libras de spaguetis 2 pounds of spaghetti 15. 4 libras de arroz - 4 pounds of rice . 3 mascarillas - 3 face masks 17. Gel en una bolsita – a bag of hand gel.
All of this thanks to Radio Progreso.
Luis made use of his safe conduct to deliver them to all.
A bunch of the actors are doing an interview show on TeleProgreso tonight. They’s doing it from home; some sort of zoom conference that TeleProgreso is transmitting.
We are going to run El Asesinato de Jesús tomorrow (Sunday 17) on our facebook page, teatro la fragua hn. This is a recording of a live performance from 2013. Luis found it. He says it’s pretty good. At least it’s a way to be present in these days.
Keep safe and wash your hands.
Jack
Send a contribution to:
teatro la fragua
c/o Jesuit Advancement Office
4511 West Pine Boulevard
St. Louis, MO. 63108, U.S.A./EE.UU.
4511 West Pine Boulevard
St. Louis, MO. 63108, U.S.A./EE.UU.
Please send the donation details to teatrolafragua@gmail.com