Description:

In this feminist spectacle, Patricia Ariza (1946-present) tackles important themes of womanhood and family. Ariza uses family dynamics to demonstrate generational conflicts among women. Waning Moon (Colombia, 1993) depicts women exerting patriarchal authority over each other, even though male characters are conspicuously absent. The title itself refers to the female reproductive cycle that is the obsession of all of the characters in this play. Ariza includes a healthy amount of comedic dialogue between her characters, antirealist aesthetics, and an uncanny set design, all of which contribute to a truly unique artistic production. 

Excerpt:

MOTHER: (To ANA 2.) You’re a woman now. Precocious like your grandmother and like me.

(Carrying buckets and pewter platters in and out.) 

GRANDMOTHER:  (To ANA 2.) God bless you. Don’t be afraid. I’m old and withered.  My blood went into hiding long ago.

(MOTHER returning with buckets of hot water.)

MOTHER: I get overheated, and I sweat for no reason. I’m drying out.

GRANDMOTHER: You’ll never stop being a woman now.

MOTHER: (To ANA 2, washing her legs.) Learn to wash yourself and stop slouching!

GRANDMOTHER: Never prick yourself with a needle.

MOTHER: Don’t let the broom touch your feet when you’re sweeping.

GRANDMOTHER: Don’t break any mirrors. If you do, toss the pieces into water.

MOTHER: Don’t brush your hair at night.

GRANDMOTHER: The sailors will lose their way.

MOTHER: Never sit on a white sheet with two women.

GRANDMOTHER: If you do…

MOTHER: One of the two will die.

GRANDMOTHER: Don’t ever put your feet in cold water.

MOTHER: Or in boiling water.

GRANDMOTHER: Don’t wash your hair while you’re menstruating.

MOTHER: Don’t swim in the sea.

GRANDMOTHER: Never make flower arrangements.

MOTHER: Don’t touch the stems.

GRANDMOTHER: Don’t beat your eggs.

MOTHER: They’ll go crazy.

GRANDMOTHER: Eat raw meat.

MOTHER: Never drink lemon juice.

GRANDMOTHER: Stay out of the sun.

MOTHER: These are your secret days.

GRANDMOTHER: Your womanly days.

MOTHER: You’ll have to invent a new language.

GRANDMOTHER: Never say menstruation.

ANA 1: Say mastur…

Translators' Note:

Translating Luna menguante into English was a collective endeavor that required imagination, precision, and dexterity. We deliberated at length about the best choices for words in English that would match Patricia Ariza’s richly symbolic and minimalist dialogue. While our conversations often focused on our collective understanding of the play’s messages, we also often discovered that we did not share the same interpretations of each scene. Thus, we became accustomed to questioning our own assumptions and entertaining new interpretations. We spent an entire morning, for example, talking about one specific line in the play: “no importa los ríos de sangre, no importa que mueras.” Ana 1’s mention of the “rios de sangre'” evokes menstrual blood, however we were unsure of her intentions behind the words, “no importa que mueras”. We debated if the line was meant to be supportive of Ana 2 in her struggle towards womanhood or was dismissive of her fears (i.e. in a caring way, “I’ll still care for you even if you die,” or “I don’t care if you die”). We settled on, “the rivers of blood don’t matter. It doesn’t matter if you die,”  which we felt preserved the ambiguity portrayed by Ariza. We also struggled to find the exact translation of some words such as “pintorretean,” which we came to understand meant applying makeup in a mocking and garish way. In order to capture this idea we used the words “put makeup on…garishly”. We believe that through our enriching collaborative process including understanding our difference in opinions, helped us to accurately represent the characters and their actions while staying true to the source material.

Waning Moon, links to texts and performance videos:

Coming soon

Citation:

Farnsworth May, Abel Guzman, Isabelle Girolamo, Demarius Coleman, “Waning Moon,” Spanish and Hispanic Studies Digital Gallery at HWS, accessed July 18, 2024, https://galeriahispana.omeka.net/exhibits/show/feminist-revivals/wanning-moon--patricia-ariza--

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.