"HEY GRINGO: A CHILE CHRISTMAS"

Written and performed by Mr. Peter Searles

Forming part of the highly acclaimed Hey Gringo! trilogy, A Chile Christmas describes Peter’s extensive experiences and adventures whilst travelling through Pinochet’s Chile in the mid-eighties. – From the scorching wastes of the Atacama Desert in Northern Chile, we travel south; through shantytowns and smog laden cities to a world of forests, lakes and volcanoes.  Accompanied by over-sexed train drivers, a beautiful young Chilean revolutionary, lots of out of work actors, Marxist priests, fascist police, Chilean Eco-warriors, and Pinochet’s neighbours…it is a journey that turns into a quest for truth and meaning in a land torn apart by thirteen years of military dictatorship – The show is highly entertaining and educational in providing a wonderful insight into Chile, its people, culture and politics of the time.  Peter’s philosophy whilst travelling was to say ‘yes’ to whatever opportunities developed and in doing so his time in Chile took him right into the heart of the country and its people.  He experienced the brutality of the military regime of the time and even found himself dining in the home of Pinochet’s affluent neighbours before they realised that his more left wing, democratic approach to politics did not meet with their tastes.  It ended with Peter (who is an active Greenpeace supporter) being recruited by Chilean Eco-warriors to assist them in their dangerous quest to expose illegal logging within the country.

Monday, 10th of December, 2001

6 p.m. - Boole 2

Running Time:   1hr 40 minutes (plus interval)