Community Corner
A Speedy, Theatrical Trip Back in Time
In honor of the town's 50th year of cityhood, a micro-play reenacts "Two Hundred Years in San Juan Capistrano in 20 Minutes." The historical drama even includes a whirlwind version of the Swallows Day Parade.
was a make-believe portal for time travel Saturday.
With a stopwatch in hand, writer-director-narrator Gary McCarver led residents and visitors on a whirlwind theatrical journey that crammed 200 years of San Juan Capistrano history into 20 minutes.
During the fast-paced play—performed in honor of the city's—the audience witnessed local actors zip through the Spanish mission era, the California rancho period and the Gold Rush before reaching present-day San Juan.
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“It even includes a small version of the ," said Jim Leone, who played a Spanish soldier and Bouchard privateer.
The play was acted out by people who “love San Juan and know San Juan,” explained McCarver, clad in a long black trenchcoat and a top hat. Many cast members were historical reenactors, such as Leone, who has played Zorro at , McCarver said.
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When the play began, the audience, along with a pair of llamas in the background, found itself transported back to when San Juan was just a Spanish outpost.
McCarver told the audience that Junipero Serra founded the mission in 1775. He recapped the . Then the privateers took vengeance and the mission was abandoned and auctioned off.
“Hooray! California is the 31st state!” With this chant, the cast took the audience to 1850. A train whistle sounded in the background, announcing the , which spurred San Juan to grow.
As the play hit the 16-minute mark, San Juan had paved roads, a drive-in theatre and even an airport.
At the 17-minute mark, San Juan Capistrano became an official city, on April 19, 1961. Old businesses were replaced by new ones, such as former President Richard Nixon’s favorite restaurant, . As the play drew to a close, the narrators spoke more quickly.
“We could go on and on,” McCarver said. “But time is fleeting.” With this, the plot came to an end, but the celebration did not.
The cast sang “San Juan,” a song by Con Conrad and J. Russel Robinson with lyrics written by McCarver.
At the 1 p.m. show, guests Margaret and William Herrera had front row seats. Margaret’s mother, Delfina Olivares, was the owner of the house next to the stage. The house has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and it was built by Margaret’s husband, uncle and dad.
Herrera agreed with Zoomars owner Carolyn Franks that the play was a reminder of the past that keeps history alive.
The venue was “the perfect place for the play because it is at the heart of Los Rios Historic District," said Franks. "Disney has nothing on us.”
The play was presented in association with Camino Real Playhouse, Zoomars Petting Zoo and the San Juan Capistrano Historical Society.
