Set in the 60s, a neighbourhood bakery becomes the setting for suspicion, rumours and increasingly absurd situations in “El Último Pan” (The Last Bread), a student production opening at Arlequín Theatre in Asunción on 13 and 14 November 2026, at 20:00. The play brings together first-year Acting students from section ALFA of the Taller Integral de Actuación (TIA) Maneglia-Schémbori.
Directed by Gerardo Báez and with Jannine Lesme as assistant director, the play closes the students’ Acting I module with two performances, both at 20:00, on their respective days. The production is an adaptation from “El Pan de la Locura” (The Bread Of Madness), an original play by Argentine playwright Carlos Gorostiza.
When an ordinary problem becomes a conflict
In the story, a neighbourhood bakery experiences an unexpected problem involving one of its ingredients. What follows is a chain reaction affecting the workers’ everyday life, as suspicions and uncertainty gradually take over. “What I find interesting is how something that starts with the bread becomes so relevant. The way people try to solve certain conflicts, the listening, the lack of listening, and the imposition of hierarchies,” Báez, director of the play and teacher of the group, explains to The Asunción Times.
He also pointed out how the characters’ circumstances differ from contemporary life. Particularly their limited access to technology when seeking answers. “Today, they would simply Google it, make a phone call or find another way. That is precisely what makes transporting ourselves to a different period interesting.”
Building the story as a team
Báez describes the creative process as a combination of direction and contributions from the students themselves. “The students’ own contributions are very important. Everyone brought something of their own, not simply by being themselves, but by showing how they are beginning to tell stories.”
He also highlights the responsibility and discipline required throughout rehearsals, especially when students developed ideas together with the direction team. “The result is quite beautiful and honest. I feel we are communicating what we wanted to communicate.”
Behind the scenes
Behind the scenes, student and actress Agostina Ruiz Díaz took responsibility for production, marking her first experience producing a theatre performance. Her work involved coordinating costumes, background and acting props, and the practical elements needed to bring the staging together. “Production consists of having an idea of how everything should look, understanding what needs to be there, and working towards the result”, Ruiz Díaz explains.
She describes the experience as rewarding because of the collaboration between classmates. “It was more manageable because we worked as a team. I have a very good group, and that makes the experience even more rewarding.”
“What I find most rewarding is seeing how my classmates progress. It is not about thinking that I did something well individually, but about looking at everything and saying: together, we made this.”
Attending the performances
El Último Pan will be staged on 13 and 14 November 2026 at 20:00 at Arlequín Teatro, located at Antequera 1061, Asunción. Tickets cost ₲50,000 (approximately US$8), and advance sales are available through section ALFA students until 12 November. Tickets will also be available at the theatre box office on both performance dates.
The cast includes: Agostina Ruiz Díaz as Juana, Damián Aranda as Mateo, Victoria Morán as Garufa, Alanna Vega as La Repartidora (The Delivery Woman), Evelhyn Nohemí Romero Villalba as La Empleada (The Maid), Eli Valdez as Mujer 2 (Woman 2), Angela Méndez as Mujer 1 (Woman 1), Enzo Villamayor as El Patrón (The Boss), Caroline Casseli as La Inspectora (The Inspector), Paulina Egüez as Badoglia and Marcos Tatijewski as Antonio.
