An enchanting, brutal vampire myth and coming-of-age love story adapted from the best-selling novel and award-winning film LET THE RIGHT ONE IN.

"Déjame Entrar" was our second stage production. Based on the novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist (and adapted for the stage by Jack Thorne), it’s a story that pushes emotional and moral boundaries. At its core, it’s about loneliness, bullying, and the desperate need to connect—wrapped in a supernatural thriller about a vampire who looks like a child but has lived for centuries.

A Dark Love Story

"Déjame Entrar" was my first time directing theatre. It came with a mix of fear and hunger - a new frontier. We had a month-long rehearsal process for what turned out to be a one-week theatre run. Everything was new to us: printed programs, poster design, selling tickets. But how can you not fall in love with this process?

From the beginning, I knew this wasn’t going to be a typical horror play. It’s more than blood and fear - it’s about what happens when someone finally sees you. The love story between Oskar and Eli is uncomfortable, violent, and beautiful in its own twisted way. That paradox is what drew me to it. We weren’t interested in doing a sanitized version so we went full in with the dark and dangerous themes the story needed.

Oscar (Paolo Salinas) and Eli (Emy Mena) on stage.

The Staging Challenge

The cast came from a postponed TV pilot that we were producing, and we had a blast bringing this incredibly touching spectacle of a script to life. From hanging actors upside down, slitting throats, making vampires fly in a techno mayhem, to making it snow - this was a boundary-pushing experience.

The snow was made from shredded paper - lightweight, reflective, and difficult to control. We increased the amount with each performance, which added visual impact but created significant technical challenges. The material was slippery, invasive, and nearly impossible to fully clean. By the end of the run, it had found its way into every corner of the venue - and our homes.

Staging Déjame Entrar in the FEPADE auditorium required both technical precision and emotional restraint. We had to construct scenes of quiet intimacy that transitioned seamlessly into moments of physical violence and bullying. Murders, blood effects, and supernatural movement had to be choreographed with care to avoid slipping into parody. Every lighting cue, sound effect, and transition was calibrated to balance theatrical stylization and emotional realism.

The most demanding sequence was the swimming pool scene. Installing a functioning pool on stage was not feasible, so we developed an alternative: a custom-built transparent tank (our very own “fish bowl”) that allowed the audience to view the final underwater moment in full clarity.

Recreating the sparse, wintry landscapes of Sweden within the context of El Salvador presented another creative challenge. We embraced abstraction—using bare branches, minimal set pieces, and shifting light to evoke coldness and isolation.

We employed every available theatrical device - pyrotechnics, water, snow, sound - and even hanged actors upside down to dramatize throat-slitting scenes. We wanted to commit to a fully cinematic experience. Our aim was to provoke, to unsettle, and to ensure the themes stayed with the audience long after blackout.

Miguel Amador and Fernando Arteaga on stage.

Cast & Crew

I was lucky to work with a fearless cast. Our young actors took on emotionally demanding material and didn’t flinch. The chemistry between our two leads (Emy Mena & Paolo Salinas) was fragile and electric—just what the story needed.

Director’s Note

Taken from the program:

Yo no soy más que un guía para las mentes increíblemente creativas que actúan en esta producción. Y no sé por dónde empezar... llevamos más de un año tratando de montar DÉJAME ENTRAR en El Salvador. Así que antes que nada, gracias. Gracias por venir a vernos.

Todos me han preguntado por qué decidimos producir Déjame Entrar... por qué ahorita... Sí, esta es la única obra de teatro de vampiros que encontramos — y sí, no me aguanto por ver a Eli matar a un par de personas en el escenario... pero la verdad es que la razón es porque en su fondo, estamos contando una historia de abuso y separación familiar... de “bullying”... de abandono... temas REALES, enmarcados en el contexto fantástico de un romance entre un niño y un vampiro.

Desde la primera lectura del guión, hemos venido discutiendo cómo a pesar que son temas que no se hablan mucho en nuestro país, la falta de apoyo de parte de una buena estructura familiar, buenas instituciones educativas y el respeto de los valores de parte de nuestro gobierno han venido afectando a la mayoría de jóvenes hoy en día. Jóvenes como nuestro personaje principal; OSKAR. Alguien que al estar tan desconectado... tan perdido... tan solo y tan desesperado por conectar con cualquiera, que termina enamorándose de la criatura más extraña que encuentra - la única que lo hace sentir valorado y querido, que le importe la falsedad o la gravedad de ese “final feliz”.

Así que les pido, para que no terminemos llenos de sangre, tratémonos bien, abracemos a un par de personas y tratemos de escuchar. Porque así como Ángel Flamenco no me deja olvidar “El mal solo necesita el silencio".