El Trato

El Trato is a multicultural performance of a Mexican folk tale using hand carved puppets and masks made by Mexican and American folk artists. This program provides the audience with the opportunity to experience a variety of artistic disciplines, cultural influences, social differences and thought provoking themes. The performance will be presented on Friday, Nov. 2 for grades 3- 5 students.

Synopsis

There was once a poor woodcutter who eked out a living by cutting and gathering wood that he would sell to the people of his village. It was very hard work and he barely made enough money to feed his wife and children, and they were often hungry. At mealtimes he would notice his children watching him, hoping that he might not eat too much so that they might get a little second helping since the first had been so very small. His one wish, his secret desire, was to eat a whole chicken in peace and quiet by himself with no one staring at him.

The woodcutter's wife decided to make his dream come true. She worked very hard and bought a chicken for him. She gave it to him and told him to take it out into the woods and have a special meal all by himself. As he sat by the fire roasting his chicken, the woodcutter was visited by three strangers, each of them begging for a share of his meal. The first was a rich man who offered gold for just one wing of the chicken. But the woodcutter said, "I don't want your gold...I want meat! You don't know how much this chicken is worth." And the rich man disappeared into the woods.

The second visitor was a pilgrim who said he needed food to continue on his holy journey. The woodcutter refused him as well saying, "Pilgrim, I'm no better off than you are. You should look for your charity from those who can afford it." And the pilgrim also vanished into the woods.

The third and last visitor was Death, Doña Muerte, who said she was hungry. The woodcutter decided to share his chicken with her replying, "Eat, at least you treat everyone equally...Death escapes no one." Death made a deal (el trato) with the woodcutter for being kind to her. She made him a healer, but he had to obey her rules and she warned him never to trick her. The woodcutter became famous and healed many people until one day he tried to trick Doña Muerte.

Watch the play closely to see what happens to the woodcutter!