A la diestra de Dios Padre.

This play has been part of TEC's repertoire since 1958. It is based on a short story by Don Tomás Carrasquilla, which elaborates on a widespread Latin American folk tale. Peralta, the main character, is a peasant, a mythical figure that represents Colombian identity against all earthly, heavenly and infernal powers. He is a gambler, but he is a generous gambler, a Robin Hood-like character who shares everything he earns with the poorest among his neighbors. Jesus and Saint Peter come down to earth in order to test Peralta's honesty. As he passes the test, Jesus grants him four wishes. He uses them to help the peasants against the landlords, the King and the Devil. At the end, Peralta becomes as tiny as an ant and comes to sit on Jesus' right shoulder ('a la diestra de Dios Padre') as his good-hearted advisor. This play is an excellent example of how 'creación colectiva' (collective creation), as a creative method, works for TEC: the piece was reworked several times, transformed by audience interaction and the TEC's ongoing exploration of their repertoire. Teatro Experimental de Cali (TEC) is a collective of artists committed to the exploration and creation of new languages for Latin American theater. Founded in Colombia in 1955 by Enrique Buenaventura and a group of students at the Instituto Departamental de Bellas Artes, TEC has had a long and fruitful trajectory; their artistic and theoretical work has revolutionized the way that theater is conceived and practiced in Latin America. In spite of this stress on collective work, TEC had in Enrique Buenaventura its main poet and playwright, who developed most of TEC's texts and directed the majority of their plays. While TEC's works address various historical and social issues, artistic quality is not sacrificed for the sake of political radicalism. TEC has thus created a theater that is politically and culturally engaged, poetic and innovative without losing its popular appeal. Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics