Torera – 04 October 2025

A lovingly predictable family drama about a female bull fighter, Torera captures the thrill of life-or-death situations while also holding space for their consequences. Along the journey, we come to genuinely root for all of the characters, and get caught up in the frenetic frenzy that is their world. In addition to the characters who told the story, there were two dancers (Christian Jesus Galvis, Andrea Soto) who danced in the scene transitions and portrayed the animals. Brilliantly costumed (Rodrigo Munoz) and entrancingly choreographed (Tatiana Pandiani), these additional performers seemed to be a physical embodiment of Mexican tradition, manifesting how the characters’ figurative dance fit into its cultural context. It was absolutely spellbinding.

Like many theatrical performances, Torera is a show about a woman with big dreams that are above her status. Unlike many theatrical performances, Torera doesn’t end happily at the moment those dreams are realized— rather, it shows us that there can be a big cost of dreaming big, and that sometimes one doesn’t get even a second to deliberate whether or not one wants to pay it. Elena (Jacqueline Gullen)’s father was killed in the bull ring, yet she knowingly steps into the ring because it is her dream to be there. In the process, she too loses someone special, which rips open the fabric of assumptions about where her place really is, and what it means to know it. Thematically, Torera touches on how traditions and expectations can empower, but also stifle.

There’s not a moment of wasted time or space in this production. Every transition contained dances that were beautiful and artful, with dancers looking at the characters whom they embodied and weaving in between the people changing the sets with poise and grace. The set (Emmie Finckel) came alive under the lights (Yuki Nakase Link) and looked incredibly real. It was also practical— Elena climbed the orange tree in the first scene and the top of the house on the right contained a seating area from which Don Rafael (Jorge Cordova) watched the bull fighting. The costuming, particularly of the animals, walked the line between literal and symbolic in a creative way that was also majestic and serene.

Torera, like all WP Theater productions, beautifully challenged assumptions about how women walk in the world and brought with it a cultural component that might be challenging for some. The program notes that some might “find bullfighting contemptible” but implores us to “keep an open mind…[because] it’s not the only [story] being told today.” The production operates from a standpoint of the corrida being an honor, but also shows another honor— to love people for who they really are with fierce honesty and to champion and uplift the people we believe in regardless of what others might say or think. Torera transforms something distant and difficult to understand (bullfighting) into something universal and easy to relate to (love). It is a visually impressive production with great music, great dancing, great storytelling, and great pride.

I attended this performance on a press pass from Vivacity Media Group.