Plate Tectonics (Tectónica de placas)

In a troubled family home in the far north of Chile, Nanna Rainbow is approaching her final days.  Bedridden, she is afflicted by tremors, from the region’s seismic activity and from her incurable Parkinson’s.  And to make matters worse, her family is at loggerheads:  one daughter struggles to cope with the needs of a vulnerable young son; the other, with her two wayward teenagers, is close to breaking point.  Both need the money in Nanna Rainbow’s drawer, and neither shows any sign of moving out of her house.  But her patience has worn thin after years of bailing her offspring out; she is in no mood to hand out any more cash.  And besides, her loyal Colombian home help Marylin is guarding her closely.  But one daughter has a cunning plan, to take advantage of her mother’s illness to dupe her into parting with her cash.  Hitting upon the scheme prompts a brief moment of family harmony, at least for part of it. But all too soon the dastardly plot leads to futher conflict and disarray.  All that’s left is for the earth beneath their feet to get in on the act.

Stop it now, Nan. We won’t bother you any more. I always thought you were quite moody, a bit harsh. I’ve always known you were grumpy. But I didn’t care. Had quite fond memories of you going ballistic, actually. Do you remember, bro, when we used to make our cat Chulapi jump by throwing powerballs at him? You remember how Nan took a potato out the cooking pot once and chucked it at our heads to calm us down. Yeah. Even that used to make me laugh. I even had a special place in my heart for that. But you’ve gone bad. ‘Cause of my aunt. Just as bad as her.

This play has been translated as part of a British Council Santiago project, which aims to translate a number of modern Chilean plays into English for the first time.  Other plays in the selection include The Lady of the Andes by Bosco Cayo, The Desolate Prince, by Juan Radrigán, and The Recommendation by Egon Wolff, some of Chile’s most renowned and prolific playwrights.

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