A man accused of murder. A live recreation of a courtroom that filled the room with what-ifs. Witnesses unraveling under pressure. And an audience holding their breath, waiting to decide the ending. That was Testigo de Cargo — our most interactive production yet.

Hello Agatha

Adapted and directed by yours truly, this was our take on one of Agatha Christie’s most iconic thrillers: Witness for the Prosecution:

Leonard Vole is accused of murdering a wealthy widow. The evidence is stacked. The stakes are lethal. And as the testimonies unfold, everything starts to twist and shift. Who’s lying? Who’s protecting who? Who really killed Miss French?

The First Salvadoran Production to Return Post-Pandemic

This play marked a huge moment for us - not just artistically, but historically. We were the first Salvadoran production to return to the stage after the pandemic.

And we did it with a bang: opening a brand-new venue, Teatro Galerías, smack in the middle of one of the busiest malls in the country. The space was brand new. The energy? Even greater.

Migue and the cast during the first Curtain Call.

A Courtroom You Could Touch

We didn’t just build a stage - we engineered one specifically for this production. The audience wrapped around the action, creating a fully immersive, in-the-round experience. At the center stood a moving set powered by a pulley system so complex it took six crew members to operate. In total, at least fifteen people worked backstage to pull off just two major transitions - from office to courtroom and back.

The show’s style was mostly traditional and tangible - real furniture, real props. But every so often, it slipped into something more surreal. We’d break out of the courtroom’s monotony and step into fog-filled, dreamlike spaces that hinted at memory, fear, or fantasy - just enough to keep the audience off balance in the show’s (very) long run time of almost three hours.

The costumes, designed by René Figueroa, were a challenge on their own. Sourcing and fabricating period-accurate pieces during a pandemic, with limited budgets and supply chain chaos, was no small feat. The wigs, for example, had to be built entirely by hand - Amazon wasn’t delivering.

Two (Four) Possible Endings

The play had two possible endings. At each performance, a section of the audience - acting as the jury - voted on the verdict. Their decision determined which finale we performed. If they chose Guilty, the ending was intense, shocking, and explosive. If they chose Not Guilty, the story took a completely different turn.

Except… the GUILTY ending almost never worked. One night, the blood bags exploded early. Another night, two characters randomly died (by triggering their blood bags) in front of the jury by accident. Chaos. Hilarious chaos. Beautiful, theatrical chaos.

Patricia Rodríguez rehearsing her lines backstage.

Our Largest, Longest New Theatre

With a cast of 15 actors, 15 crew members, and a runtime approaching three hours, Testigo de Cargo became our longest and most demanding production to date. It ran for 10 sold-out performances. 3/10 were NOT GUILTY verdicts.

Working in a brand-new theatrical space added yet another layer of pressure. The theatre itself and it’s lobby was finished just three hours before we opened the doors to our first audience. We didn’t even have time to complete the dressing rooms - so we improvised with folding tables and candles right beside the audience stalls.

That’s What They Said

“Demuestra el potencial que una obra de teatro, con buen director y actores bien organizados, puede generar en el público.”
— Luis Galdámez
“Saliendo de un teatro, estaba relajado, casi feliz. Saqué el celular y me di cuenta que había estado casi 3 horas en esta sala, ¡sin sentir el tiempo! Esto es lo mejor que puedo decir de una obra de teatro.”
— Paolo Luers

Migue giving notes to the cast before places are called.

Director’s Note

Taken from the program (in Spanish):

Este proyecto comenzó cuando mi abuela me enseñó la colección de historias de Agatha Christie que tenía en su cuarto. Así que gracias Nena, por qué no estuviéramos aquí sin esos pequeños libritos que han venido viajando de generación en generación.

Generaciones amantes de la lectura, el suspenso y el arte. Generaciones que nos enseñaron a soñar en grande – contándonos cuentos, chistes y leyendas... leyendas que le dan sentido a esta vida que tanto nos ha dado de qué pensar últimamente.

Leyendas que esta día unieron a más de quince actores, a una decena de creativos, y hasta un equipo en Londres – todos disfrutando estas nuevas tablas que ya empolvamos, sudamos, pintamos y quebramos.

Pero hoy no es un día para reflexionar. Hoy es un día para divertirnos.

La señorita French está muerta. LEONARD VOLE está siendo acusado de matarla. Hay una fortuna en juego. Estás por ver una dramatización de un juicio en las cortes de Inglaterra. No va a ser fácil. Ni para los personajes, ni para nuestra audiencia. Mi recomendación: por la siguiente hora y media… desconecten – apaguen sus redes – pongan atención – hay pistas escondidas en cada línea de diálogo. Cualquiera pudo haber matado a Emily French.

De mi parte, infinitas gracias por disfrutarnos. Gracias por venir al teatro en el (fin del) fin del mundo. Para nuestro equipo de creativos y actores, no hay honor más grande que compartirles nuestros sueños, pesadillas y misterios; en vivo, en un espacio como este – que fuimos construyendo día a día mientras memorizábamos las palabras de Agatha Christie.

A nuestra audiencia que se animó a ser parte del espectáculo sentándose en el palco del jurado; solo les voy a decir que están en mis asientos preferidos.

Es su turno de elegir: CULPABLE o INOCENTE.

Boris Barraza, Óscar Guardado and Ángel Flamenco on stage.

The Final Veredict

A massive thank you to our phenomenal cast: Ángel Flamenco, Boris Barraza, Paolo Salinas, Óscar Guardado, Carlos Aylagas, Bryan Lestrange, Larissa Maltez, Patricia Rodríguez, Ana Ruth Aragón, Dinora Alfaro, Gabi Rivera, Adri Cortez, Analu Dada, Otto Rivera, and Miguel Amador.

And to our creative and production team - especially our producer Chechi Santos, our crew, designers, our stage manager Cristy Bardi, tech operators, and pulley-pullers: thank you for making this monster of a show possible.