Reading Audiences, Reading Materials: Reception in Tanya Saracho’s El Nogalar
Tanya Saracho’s El Nogalar (2011), adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, recreates the Russian’s play social context in 21st century Mexican society, going through the awakening of the violence that dominates the U.S./Mexico border. The focus of this study is the audience’s response to El Nogalar premier at the Goodman’s theater. Such analysis is conducted by reading the paratextual elements, such as the program and related material found online. By analyzing the script, playbill, reviews, and the study guide, this study calls for an increased use of supplemental material in order to critically think about audience reception. The complexity of the play, as an adaptation alone, is enough to justify the need for more knowledge of non-traditional methods to approach the text and the surrounding material, including reviews, playbills and educational guides. These elements not only provide new insight into interpreting the performance and dramatic text, but they also offer ways to approach audience reception beyond the review.