Texas Border Business
The Pharr Community Theater Company (PCT) is proud to present Patricio El Penitente by acclaimed New Mexico author Jo Roybal Izay, performed entirely in Spanish.
PCT’s longtime Artistic Director, Pedro Garcia, has had a deep and personal connection to this work, having been involved with the play on four separate occasions since first portraying the role of Blas in 1990. It was during that time, while studying acting and living in Albuquerque, that he met Izay and her husband, Vic.
“I was 29 years old and eager to take on as many roles as possible when Jo saw me perform in another play. After the show, she approached me and said she had a role for me in her play about the Penitentes. Like many people unfamiliar with the culture, I asked her, ‘What is a Penitente?’ She smiled and said, ‘Let me give you the short answer for now—but come to rehearsal next week, and you’ll understand much more.’ I accepted the role—and gained a lifelong friend in the process.”
Both Jo and Vic have since passed, but Izay entrusted PCT’s Artistic Director with her story, allowing him to produce the play multiple times after founding theater projects in the Rio Grande Valley in 1998. This marks the first time the play will be staged entirely in Spanish.
In recent years, PCT—a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2008 by Drs. Keith and Elva Michael, along with Pedro Garcia, and supported in part by the City of Pharr—has expanded its programming to include Spanish-language and bilingual productions, responding to long-standing requests from Rio Grande Valley audiences.
“For many years, our Spanish-speaking community asked for more productions in their language. We listened—and the response has been incredible. Not only has our talent embraced the opportunity, but audiences have welcomed these productions with open arms.”
PCT remains committed to producing works in English, Spanish, and bilingual formats—whatever best serves the story and the community. The company’s mission is to provide accessible theater while offering performers a meaningful space to train and grow.
“I consider PCT an actor’s theater. We focus on developing authentic performances—teaching actors to go deeper, to build real characters, and to tell stories that resonate. That’s what matters most: stories that audiences can connect with and carry with them.”
This version is directed by Wendy B. Lara who is making her mark with this her third direction at PCT. Roxana Badillo is the production Stage Manager.
Since it’s inception, PCT has produced three MainStage productions annually with open auditions for each. The company also actively seeks technical talent, including designers and stage managers, who share in production stipends. While actors volunteer, they receive 6–8 weeks of hands-on training during rehearsals, culminating in approximately 10 performances per production, including select regional tours.
SYNOPSIS
Set in 1940s northern New Mexico, Patricio El Penitente follows a 19-year-old man who defies his family’s centuries-old Penitente traditions to pursue a dream of becoming a writer in Los Angeles. Over the next forty years, he comes to realize that the past he left behind may hold the very story he was meant to tell.
This one-act production runs approximately 70 minutes and is suitable for general audiences (PG equivalent).
| SHOWTIMES |
| April 15–19, 2026 Pharr Community Theater (213 W. Newcombe Ave., Pharr, TX) Wednesday–Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at 3:00 p.m. (seats 55 persons per show) |
| April 24–25, 2026 DRC Center (850 W. Dicker Rd., Pharr, TX) 7:30 p.m. (seats 100 persons per show) |
| TICKETS |
| $10 general admission (advance, no surcharge) Available at: www.pharrcommunitytheater.com or Eventbrite $12 at the door (subject to availability) |
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jo Roybal Izay was born in the village of Llano, at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in northern New Mexico. Her ancestors were among the earliest Spanish settlers in the region in the late 1700s. Raised by her grandparents, she grew up hearing stories of hardship, migration, and faith—including the legacy of Sephardic Jews (Ladinos) fleeing the Spanish Inquisition.
Her works include Mi Mochito: Sephardim from Northern New Mexico and Señor Gamblin Rabbi. Izay devoted over twenty years to translating the ancient alabados—chants and prayers—of the Penitentes, and lectured widely on the subject at colleges and universities.
ABOUT LOS PENITENTES
According to Izay, Los Penitentes are a religious brotherhood rooted in Spanish tradition. Members honor the Passion of Christ through prayer, chant, meditation, and acts of charity. Due to their deeply held values of privacy and devotion, much of their practice has been misunderstood over time. Their guiding principle is to live as closely as possible to the example of Christ. As the late Hermano Supremo Don Miguel Archibeque explained: “When a man enters the brotherhood, he vows to help the needy. But unlike other charitable organizations, a Penitente never reveals his good deeds—it is between him and his Creator.”
