Teacher
Guide
by Alvaro Saar Rios
directed by Michelle Lopez-Rios
guide created by Brenda Gonzales,
Alyysa Mohn, and Oskar Westbridge
Table of Contents
Welcome/Summary ............................................................................................................................................ 3
A History of Lucha Libre .................................................................................................................................. 4
Finding Your Inner Luchador/a ........................................................................................................................ 5
Hall of Fame ......................................................................................................................................................... 6
Make Your Own Mask ...................................................................................................................................... 8
"Me On the Map" Activity .............................................................................................................................. 12
Spanish Vocabulary in Luchadora! .................................................................................................................. 20
Exploring the Music of the Show .................................................................................................................. 21
For Further Reference ..................................................................................................................................... 23
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Hello and Welcome!
Thank you for choosing to attend a production of Alvaro Saar Rios’ Luchadora! with your
students. The play’s main characters,Vanessa and Nana Lupita, represent an important tradition
of women defying expectations placed on them due to their genders. We think that it is a
tradition that demands respect and attention, and we are very excited to have the chance to
share it with you.
Throughout this packet, you will find materials created specifically to add to you and your
students' experience of seeing Luchadora! We have written articles that explain
deeper facets of the play’s subtext and context, as well as activities that allow students to
engage with the themes and narrative of the play in a more active, hands-on fashion.
Luchadora! is produced as part of Chicago Playworks for Families and Young Audiences.
Founded as the Goodman Children’s Theatre in 1925 and recognized as a pioneer of theatre
for families, Chicago Playworks welcomes more than 30,000 students and families to our highlycelebrated productions each season. Today we are dedicated to reflecting our audience’s
experience in an urban, contemporary, and multi-ethnic environment.
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Summary
Luchadora! is the tale of family history and a young girl defying gender norms.
Nana Lupita tells Vanessa the story of when she was young, back in 1968 during the Vietnam
War. As a girl, she found out a big secret about her father: he was a Lucha Libre wrestler!
He became a great champion of his time, but, eventually, he had to stop his career to take
care of his family, and because his body was ailing. He had to back out of a fight with Dragon
Azul, the other great wrestler of the time.
Lupita, finds out that El Hijo, the son of Dragon Azul, has challenged her father to a match. In
secret, she to wrestle El Hijo in place of her father.
As Vanessa hears the story from her grandmother. The women develop a bond that will
continue for generations to come.
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History
What is Lucha Libre?
Lucha Libre is a type of professional wrestling that originated in Mexico. The style of wrestling includes the use
of rapid acrobatic techniques; “high-flying” maneuvers, some of which have been adopted in the United States
and elsewhere; fighting choreography; and contestants who wear masks. Luchadores are traditionally more
agile and perform more aerial maneuvers than professional wrestlers in the United States. A luchador or
luchadora is an entertainer who usually comes from an extended wrestling family, as well as an actor that
develops a story line. They never take off their mask or unveil their real name unless they're forced to give up.
Losing their mask means loss of dignity and status, as well as the loss of the fight.
The Rules:
A match involves two opponents where one must pin the
other for a count of three, then either knock them out of
the ring for a count of twenty, force submission, or
get them disqualified for some other reason. An additional
way of winning is with the use of violence, better known as
“exceso de ru-dezas,” a rule in which the referee awards
the winner the title. A luchador or luchadora is disqualified
when they use an illegal move such as the “piledriver.”
Mascara Dorado begins a Huracan Rana.
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Finding your inner Luchadora and Luchador!
In this activity students are instructed to create a character backstory and make their own Luchador and
Luchadora name. Students are encouraged to be as creative and detailed as possible to make their characters
believable.
Luchador/Luchadora Example Names:
“Hijo del Santo” - Son of the Saint
“El Cardo”- The Thistle
“Blue Demon”
“Yellowtail”
“La Mascara Rosa”- The Pink Mask
“Dragon Azul”- Blue Dragon
Luchador/Luchadora names can be in English OR Spanish. If you come up with a name that seems cool, try
using Google Translate, to see how it sounds in another language!!
Written Prompt
Have you ever pictured yourself as a Luchador or Luchadora? Ever wanted to become a superhero and save
the day? Now is your chance to imagine what it takes to become one by making up your own Luchador and
Luchadora name and origin backstory! You can make it sound as cool as you want and give as much detail as
you want, the goal is to make your story sound unique to you!
Common Core
W.2.3 Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts,
and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.
W.2.5 With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing.
W.2.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
W.3.3Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
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Lucha Libre Hall of Fame
El Santo: (September 23, 1917 – February 5, 1984)
Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta, more widely known as El Santo,
or in English The Saint, was a Mexican Luchador enmascarado,
film actor, and folk hero., is one of the most famous
and iconic of all Mexican luchadores, and has been
referred to as one of “the greatest legends in Mexican sports.”
His wrestling career spanned nearly five decades,
during which he became a folk hero and a symbol of
justice for the common man through his appearances
in comic books and movies.
Mil Mascaras: Born July 15, 1942,
Máscaras is one of the original “Big Three” of the
lucha libre tradition in Mexico
(the other two being El Santo and Blue Demon).
He is considered one of the most influential
wrestlers of all time for enhancing and
popularizing the lucha libre style around
the world both in the ring and as the star of 20 films.
He is also an accomplished artist and cultural
ambassador from his native country
and has appeared on three of its postage stamps.
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Lucha Libre Hall of Fame
Rey Mysterio: Born December 11, 1974,
Rey Mysterio is an American professional
wrestler currently signed to WWE, where he
performs on the Raw brand and in his first
United States Championship reign. Mysterio is known
for his high-flying Lucha libre wrestling style, which is
credited with having helped kick-start the
emergence of cruiserweight wrestling in the
United States in the mid-1990s.
Xóchitl Leyva Sánchez: Born February 20th, 1973,
She is better known in Lucha Libre as the Luchadora Tiffany.
As with a lot of Lucha Libre stars, Tiffany comes from a
wrestling family. Her father Jesse Rojas “El Vasco”, a
famous Luchador, her mother was the original
La Diabolica and her brother Jessy is also a Luchadore.
Tiffany was trained by her father and made her
professional wrestling debut on July 18, 1993 at the
Arena Solidaridad in her hometown, Monterrey.
She has held the Northern Women’s Wrestling Title,
the National Women’s Wrestling Title twice, the AAA
Reina de Reinas and the AAA World Mixed Tag
Team Wrestling Championship with Chessman.
Irma González: Born on August 20th, 1936
Legendary Luchador Irma Gonzales as trained
by Jorge Rojas, Tarzán López, Gori Guerrero and
Raúl Romero, and made her lucha libre debut
on August 20, 1955 at Cancha San Pedro in
Puebla City, Puebla, Mexico. During her career
she held the National Women’s Wrestling Title,
the UWA World Women’s Wrestling Title (twice),
and the National Women’s Tag Team Wrestling Titles
(with Irma Aguilar). Irma also appeared in
a few Mexican wrestling films like
Las Luchadoras contra el médico asesino (1963).
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Making Your Own Mask
Materials
Scissors
Mask Template (provided on the next pages)
Popsicle Sticks
Glue/Tape
Markers, Crayons, or Colored Pencil
Instructions
1. Pick one of the masks shown on the next few pages. Then cut it out.
(Alternatively, feel free to draw your own mask! Just make sure to add some eyes, a nose, and a
mouth to cut out.)
2. Cut along the dotted lines, making holes for hole’s for your eyes, nose, and mouth.
3. On the mask, draw:
2 people that are important to you.
4 activities that you love to do.
3 objects that are important to you.
4. Glue/tape a popsicle stick to the bottom the mask so that you can hold it up in front of your face.
5. Show off your mask to the rest of the class! Explain what you chose to draw.
Additional Collage Option: If drawing isn’t something you are interested in, you can find pictures that represent the
things that are important to you in magazines/on the internet, cut them out, and glue them to the mask (Requires:
Magazines, and Glue Sticks)
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Mapping Your Way to Milwaukee, WI from Santa Teresa,
Texas!
“Me On the Map”
During Luchadora!, Lupita travels from Santa Teresa, Texas to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to fight
against her opponent El Hijo. This activity is meant for students to reflect on their own
environment.
Instructions
1. Print out the following pages, each has a different location on it (My House, My Neighborhood etc.).
2. On each page. draw a picture of how that location looks on a map (don’t forget color!!).
3. When you’ve drawn all the pictures, staple them together to make a little booklet.
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Me
On The
Map
13
Here is my house.
14
Here is my neighborhood.
15
Here is my town.
16
Here is my state.
17
Here is my country.
18
Here is my world.
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Spanish Vocabulary Within Luchadora!
For those of us who aren’t able to speak Spanish, sometimes it can be difficult to understand exactly what a
character within the play might be saying. Usually, it is possible to use context clues to figure out what a character might be saying, but in case you are still confused about the meaning of a word of phrase here are English
translations of every piece of Spanish vocabulary used within the play.
Chankla- flip-flop
No te vayas- don’t leave
Tienes hambre- Are you hungry?
No le digas a nadie- don’t tell anyone
Sopa- soup
Por supuesto- of course
Damela- give it to me
Apúrate- hurry
La mascara por favor- the mask, please
Otra vez- again
Terca- stubborn
Lista- ready
Nací en Tejas- I was born in Texas
Tomar- to drink
Nadie- no one
Muéstrame- show me
Mira- look
Nopales- cactuses
Flores- flowers
Tres semanas- three weeks
Sandía- watermelon
Levántate- get up
Sabes que- you know that
No hay tiempo- there is no time
Se me olvidó- I forgot
De veras- seriously?
Gracias mija- thank you my daughter
Diez días- ten days
A los caballos- to the horses
Con amor- with love
Paciencia- be patient
No sé- I don’t know
Mundo- world
Rebozo- shawl
Agua- water
La batalla del siglo- the battle of the century
Ganas- the drive to win
Mentiroso- liar
Vamonos- let’s go
Orita- now
Manzanas- apples
La pata- the foot
Damas y caballeros- ladies and gentleman
Qué te dije- What did I tell you?
Niños y niñas- boys and girls
Buenas noches- good night
Noche- night
Mañana- tomorrow
Siempre hay más- there is always more
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Exploring “De Colores” And “Freut Euch Des Lebens”
The song “De Colores” has been a part of American folk music since the 1600s, when it was brought here
from Spain. It has a rich history behind it. For years, it has been bringing hope to people who want to feel like
they are part of a community. It is very special to families who work on farms and fields, and has become a
theme song for justice ever since a Catholic religious movement from Mallorca, Spain, called the Cursillo movement, adopted it as their theme song.
Take a look at the translation!
De colores, de colores se visten los campos en la
primavera
De colores, de colores son los pajaritos que vienen
de afuera
De colores, de colores es el arco iris que vemos
lucir
Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores
me gustan a mí
Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores
me gustan a mí
All the colors, all the colors, oh how they dress up the
countryside in springtime,
All the colors, all the colors of birdies, oh how they
come back to us outside,
All the colors, all the colors in rainbows we see shining
bright in the sky,
And that’s why a great love of all colors makes me feel
like singing so joyfully,
And that’s why a great love of all colors makes me feel
like singing so joyfully.
The rooster sings, he sings, cock-a-doodle, doodle, doodle, doodle, doodle, doodle, doodle-doo,
Canta el gallo, canta el gallo con el quiri quiri quiri The chicken clucks, she clucks, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck,
quiri quiri
cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck,
La gallina, la gallina con el cara cara cara cara
The little chicks they cheep, they cheep, cheep, cheep,
cara
cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep,
cheep, cheep, cheep,
Los polluelos, los polluelos con el pío pío pío pío
And that’s why a great love of all colors makes me feel
pío pí
like singing so joyfully,
Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores
And that’s why a great love of all colors makes me feel
me gustan a mí
like singing so joyfully.
Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores
me gustan a mí
All the colors, all the great, glowing colors that we see
in the sky at sunrise,
De colores, de colores brillantes y finos se viste la All the colors, all the colors are seen in the thousand
reflections in sunlight,
aurora
All
the
colors,
all
the colors are seen glittering in a
De colores, de colores son los mil reflejos que el sol
diamond ring,
atesora
And that’s why a great love of all colors makes me feel
De colores, de colores se viste el diamante que
like singing so joyfully,
vemos lucir
Y por eso los grandes amores de muchos colores
And that’s why a great love of all colors makes me
feel like singing so joyfully.
Try listening to it here, and singing along!
https://open.spotify.com/album/5tUZb8DpRLoc5l0aaWSTES?si=Dm89Js2VQA6g6v0REhZJEA
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Next, take a look at the history of “Freut Euch Des Lebens!”
Freut Euch Des Lebens in German means “Enjoy Life.” It was written by Johann Martin Usteri in 1793, and then
Hans Georg Nageli put music behind it. It has since become a traditional German beer drinking song, because
of its cheerful tone!
Freut euch des Lebens,
Weil noch das Lämpchen glüht;
Pflücket die Rose,
Eh’ sie verblüht!
Life makes you happy,
Because still the small lamp glows;
Pick the rose,
D’oh! it withers!
Man schafft so gerne sich Sorg´ und Müh´,
Sucht Dornen auf und findet sie
Und läßt das Veilchen unbemerkt,
Das uns am Wege blüht!
Freut euch des Lebens
One so easily creates worries and strifes,
and develops a familiarity with thorns.
The violet leaves go unnoticed,
Yet, this is how we bloom.
Life makes you happy.
Wenn Scheu die Schöpfung sich verhüllt
Und laut der Donner ob uns brüllt,
So lacht am Abend nach dem Sturm
Die Sonne, ach, so schön!
Freut euch des Lebens...
If the shy hide themselves,
When the thunder begins to roar,
It is they who laugh in the evening after the storm
When the sun sets so beautifully.
Life makes you happy.
Wer Neid und Mißgunst sorgsam flieht
Und G’nügsamkeit im Gärtchen zieht,
Dem schießt sie schnell zum Bäumchen auf,
Das goldne Früchte trägt.
Freut euch des Lebens...
One who escapes envy and disfavor
And acts with modesty in the Gaertchen,
Quickly attaches to the Baeumchen,
which carries golden fruits.
Life makes you happy.
Wer Redlichkeit und Treue übt
Und gern dem ärmeren Bruder gibt,
Bei dem baut sich Zufriedenheit
So gern ihr Hüttchen an.
Freut euch des Lebens...
One who practices honesty and loyalty
And gladly gives to the poorer brother,
With satisfaction builds himself
So gladly on his Huettchen
Life makes you happy.
Und wenn der Pfad sich furchtbar engt,
Und Mißgeschick uns plagt und drängt,
So reicht die Freundschaft schwesterlich
Dem Redlichen die Hand.
Freut euch des Lebens...
And if the path begins to fade,
And misfortune troubles and pushes us,
Our friendships will be enough
the hand to the fair one
Life makes you happy.
Sie trocknet ihm die Tränen ab
Und streut ihm Blumen bis ans Grab;
Sie wandelt Nacht in Dämmerung,
Und Dämmerung in Licht.
Freut euch des Lebens...
She dries away her tears,
And strews flowers on the grave;
Night changes to dawn,
And dawns the light.
Life makes you happy.
Listen to the song in German here!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFmXWvxeQxI
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For Further Reference
Readings:
The Circuit: Stories From the Life of A Migrant Child by Fancisco Jiminez
Lucia the Luchadora by Cynthia Leonor Garza
Nino Wretsles the World by Yuyi Morales
Bienvenidos a Milwaukee/ Welcome to Milwaukee by Alvaro Saar Rios
Lucha Libre:The Man in the Silver Mask by Xavier Garza
The World of Lucha Libre: Secrets, Revelations, and Mexican National Identity by Heather Levi
Films:
Luchadora a short documentary by River Finlay
Lucha Mexico a documentary by Alex Hammon and Ian Markiewicz
Articles:
Who Was That Masked Man? A Wrestling Priest, New York Times (2018)
(https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/09/lens/luchador-mexico-photography.html)
In Colorful Bouts, Hints of Deeper Struggles, New York Times (2009)
(https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/us/10wrestling.html)
From Chicago to Mexico City, a luchador makes good, Chicago Tribune (2013)
(https://www.chicagotribune.com/hoy/ct-hoy-8289101-from-chicago-to-mexico-city-aluchador-makes-good-story.html)
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This guide was created by the following students of The Theatre School at DePaul
University:
Brenda Gonzales
Alyysa Mohn
Oskar Westbridge
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