English Language Reparatory Theater in Panama: Theater Guild of Ancon

Don’t miss David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize winning play, Glengarry Glen Ross, at the Theater Guild of Ancon in Panama City through October 17. Mamet’s story of four conniving real estate salesmen in a sales competition is lively, funny, and sad. The top prize is a Cadillac; the second is a set of steak knives. Salesmen three and four will get fired. The Theater Guild of Ancon has been presenting reparatory theater since 1950. Located in the old Canal Zone the Guild has been a theater, a social gathering place, and a home away from home for English speaking expats for nearly sixty years. Glengarry Glen Ross is showing Oct 7-10 and Oct 14-17 at 8 pm. For tickets call (507) 212-0060 or email tgapanama@gmail.com. The guild’s director, Bernard Callaghan has graciously agreed to help any Coronado and other Panama Pacific Coast residents if they have any problems. So, call Bernard at (507) 6670-3434 if you need help with tickets or directions.

 The Theater Guild of Ancon is an all volunteer organization. When I spoke with several of the actors at rehearsal last Saturday I heard the same story over and over. He or she came to a rehearsal with a friend to “help out” and maybe watch someone else “make a fool of themselves” trying to act. Francis Icaza, a professional English-Spanish translator who plays the conniving Dave Moss character in Glengarry Glen Ross, dropped by twenty years ago and has now forgotten just how many plays and musicals he has acted in for guild.

Bernard Callaghan came to Panama a dozen years ago with British Cable and Wireless and, with no prior acting experience, got involved in the guild 8 years ago. Now Bernard is the director. The walls of the Theater Guild of Ancon are covered with playbills going back to its founding nearly 60 years ago and now-retired actors typically drop in for rehearsals as well as performances.

Not everyone acts in every production but the the guild has lots of room for volunteers to make props, paint the set, clean up, serve at the cocktail bar, and more. A measure of the social function of the guild is that when I arrived nearly an hour early for Wednesday’s opening performance the front porch of the old house turned theater was packed with English speakers chatting over cocktails. When the performance ended a buffet table had magically appeared and customer-friends chatted with the actors.

Besides expat English speakers a number of the cast and crew were born in Panama and either learned their English at home from a British or North American parent or arrived from one of Panama’s excellent private schools. The guild stage has been the first step for performers such as Robert Loggia and Ruben Blades, the Panamian salsa singer, actor, lawyer, politician and ex Tourism Minister, as well as successful directors such as Bruce Quinn.

Glengarry Glen Ross is being produced by Rita Banús and Amit Nathan. Tickets cost $10 goes to cover expenses of the theater. None of the actors gets paid, even the ones with twenty years experience acting for the Theater Group of Ancon. The guild will present a yet to be decided production in December. Watch for details.

 For driving instructions visit http://panamaevents.wordpress.com/2009/9/20/.