Who Do I Need Him To Be? My Journey with Complemento
“The state of love is like the state of grace: it demands an act of faith and a miracle of hope.” Rafael Guizado, Complemento.
Complemento by Rafael Guizado enjoyed a critically acclaimed West Coast premiere in summer 2026 in Seattle, WA, co-produced by Latitude Theatre and eSe Teatro. As she “peek[s] out from the balcony of this moment,” translator - and Guizado's granddaughter - Gigi Guizado reflects on the people and organizations who have helped her bilingual translation, from Colombian Spanish to English, reach this celebrated milestone.
1984 - A Connection
Although I didn’t realize it at the time, my journey with Complemento was launched with my very first flight; from San Francisco to Miami. I was sixteen years old, and took the solo trip to reconnect with my father, who had been estranged from my mom and I since shortly after I was born. A familiar looking stranger, he appeared mysteriously, and spoke as if he’d known me all my life. So many lost years, and a family tree ripe with stories to tell, proved too much to share all at once; but we pieced it together as best we could. My father described my late grandfather, Rafael Guizado, primarily as a diplomat; later adding that he had been a playwright and involved in radio theatre. That part intrigued me. It was something we had in common: without any prior knowledge of my grandfather or his artistic accomplishments, I too had embarked on studying dramatic arts and radio broadcasting.
Wisely, my father introduced me to my grandfather’s delicate masterpiece, Complemento, as an icebreaker. As he pulled the linen-colored book from a small collection of Spanish titles by Rafael Guizado, I could see my father’s pride in sharing this legacy with me, even if I didn’t fully understand it yet. We took turns reading the aged pages aloud together, in a cozy Florida room surrounded by palm trees. My interest in translation was sparked by the heightened language my grandfather used. To understand it, I frequently asked questions or referred to my Spanish-English dictionary. The list of definitions I kept jotting down grew so long that it began to resemble a literary translation. The seed of the idea to complete it one day was planted. Complemento, a romantic comedy of errors that uses whimsy and hope to get a family headed on the right path, was like a balm for the sense of identity and connection I had been lacking.
1989 - An Inspiration
In college I majored in drama, and was captivated unexpectedly by studying theatre history. The cross-pollination of art, politics, social movements, philosophy, music, dance, and theatre was fascinating to realize for the first time. As the curriculum progressed from the Ancient Greeks to the present, and around the globe from Europe to Asia to the US, I waited with eager anticipation for the chapter on Latin American theatre. I longed to learn about more plays like Complemento and the historical context they sprang from. Eventually, the curriculum reached the era of contemporary theatre, and a class requirement was to select a modern play and report on it. Finally, my opportunity to delve into Latin American theatre has arrived. Complemento by Rafael Guizado was of the proper time period for the assignment, and although it was in Spanish, I offered to translate it to ensure my professor could read the text. At the time, I was heartbroken that my proposed project was denied. The words my professor used to redirect me to an extremely well-known European play, still ring in my ears: “We’re focusing on the masters of modern drama.” Still a teenager, and uninformed about the acclaim and lasting impact of my grandfather’s playwriting, I lacked the knowledge to offer an effective counter argument. I gave up, defeated. However, that disappointment left its imprint on me, and later motivated me to translate Complemento and share it with new audiences.
“Señorita, I am in my role; when you were indecisive, I had to encourage you. Now that you are hasty, I must preach calmness.” Rafael Guizado, Complemento.
2010 - A Motivation
As the years passed, and I focused on developing my adult life and acting career, the information superhighway was picking up speed, making access to global information much easier. It was there, in cyberspace, that I found the revived ambition and encouragement to translate Complemento in earnest. Online research revealed details my family had never explained to me: Rafael Guizado was a major playwright in Colombia. Complemento was a classic masterpiece of Colombian radio drama that was adapted for the stage, and one of the first plays performed by Colombia’s national theatre. This fresh perspective on how history regarded my grandfather’s play strengthened my resolve to translate Complemento and share it once and for all. I continued scouring the internet to uncover details about the grandfather I had never known, and his protagonist Complemento, who becomes what those dear to him are lacking. Two questions propelled my research: Who owned the rights to this seminal play? Who decides which plays and authors are worthy of translation? The first question led me back to my family in Latin America. Filling in the details of our family history, sharing literary gems, building an archive, contributing to an online exhibition, and tributes to Rafael Guizado’s legacy have brought us closer together. The latter led me somewhere I would never have imagined.
“I've learned to know men by their shadows: for what they are, for what they lack.” Rafael Guizado, Complemento.
2015 - A Beacon
A serendipitous internet query led me to the Out of the Wings website. It excited and impressed me to find a group of scholars far away in London, yet specializing in the exact work I was teaching myself to do in isolation. On a whim, I wrote an email introducing myself and my project. “Hello from America!” I began, expecting no response. To my surprise and good fortune, founding director Catherine Boyle quickly replied. “Dear Gigi, Many thanks for your email and for connecting with Out of the Wings.” She invited me to attend monthly table readings and discussions of exactly the genre of plays I had longed for in college. The collective was welcoming, and each meeting offered cultural exchange and food for thought which I put into practice. Eventually, my English translations of my grandfather’s radio plays Scherzo and Complemento were featured in the table readings. The feedback I received was priceless; illuminating areas for improvement and techniques to further develop the translations. The community and mentoring that Out of the Wings provided fulfilled what had been lacking in my education. My goal of translating Complemento and bringing it to new audiences was finally within sight.
2018 - A Voice
As I continued working to re-create my grandfather’s eloquent, poetic voice in a new language, I began participating in a Las Vegas writing group called The Playwright’s Tirade. Led by Marc Gorman, once a month A Public Fit Theatre Company opened its doors to local playwrights, and actors performed cold readings of excerpts from new writing. This was the laboratory where I experimented to find the sweet spot in Complemento’s fanciful wordplay and charming turns of phrase.
Meanwhile, the opportunity arose to participate in the American Literary Translators Association (ALTA) conference at University of Indiana. Catherine Boyle and Sophie Stevens invited me to join them in sharing excerpts from our translations in progress in a workshop titled Out of the Wings: Testing and Advocating for Translation in Performance. My contribution was a scene from Complemento. This national conference with esteemed international presenters increased the exposure of Complemento to a much broader network of theatre makers. And just like that, with a twinkle in his voice, Complemento captured the imagination of translator and theatre director Christopher Kidder-Mostrom, who reached out afterwards to request a copy of my translation when it was finished.
Shortly thereafter, I submitted Complemento for consideration for Out of the Wings Festival 2019, and it was chosen for a staged reading at Omnibus Theatre in London. Being in the rehearsal room with director Camila Ymay Gonzáles Ortiz; and actors Michael Elcock, Chloë Wigmore, Elliott Bornemann, and Daniela Cristo Mantilla enabled me to hear the rhythm of entire acts, rather than extracts, and ensure the small sections I had been refining flowed seamlessly together.
“My job is this: be what the others are not. I don't do anything and I'm worthless. But in the shadow of others, I'm indispensable, super useful, irreplaceable.” Rafael Guizado, Complemento.
2021 - Visibility
During these travels, I had the pleasure of meeting fellow translator Neil Blackadder, who was the translation editor for Another Chicago Magazine. He invited me to submit an excerpt for consideration for an upcoming issue. The opportunity I had lacked earlier in life, to translate and share Complemento, was further remedied in May of 2021, when Another Chicago Magazine introduced it to thousands of readers online. The following year, the publication of the Rafael Guizado virtual exhibition by the Museo de las Artes Escénicas de Colombia provided further exposure in Spanish. At last, thanks to collaboration with Colombian researcher Marina Lamus Obregón and Teatro Libre founder Ricardo Camacho, evidence of my grandfather’s body of work and legacy was organized, displayed and easily discoverable online.
2022 - An Audience
Complemento’s audience continued to expand in 2022 thanks to the first full production in English produced by The Asylum Theatre in Las Vegas, directed by Sarah O'Connell. The cast included Jacob Sidhom, Diana Martínez, Angel Mendoza, Graciela Strahan, Jessie Johnson, and José Anthony. Many steps along this journey with Complemento have offered opportunities to test-drive my translation, to receive feedback from trusted colleagues, and to refine the final version. The current West Coast premiere co-production by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom’s Latitude Theatre and eSe Teatro in Seattle, Washington is no exception. Director Montse Garza and dramaturg Julieta Vitullo requested that I thoughtfully weave some of the original Colombian Spanish back into the dialogue for their bilingual cast. According to The Sound On Stage, “One of the greatest strengths of this production is its unique bilingual presentation, spoken majoritively in English, mixing some Spanish words and phrases in helps keep the setting front and center and allows the actors to accentuate every emotional beat.”
Complemento is a mysterious, romantic comedy centering on a title character who mends broken hearts by becoming whatever people lack. Looking back on my time with Complemento I can see that my broken family and heart have been mended. Whatever motivation, knowledge, and opportunity I have needed has arrived remarkably. It is as if Complemento has been whoever I needed him to be throughout this journey, in order to arrive at this premiere that theatre critic Greg Heilman calls “a match made in heaven.”
“A woman dreams... usted... peek out from the balcony of this moment... it's a sublime spectacle... Life, in pieces, is woven together by the subtle thread of conformity...This is one of the saddest moments for me...no one is unhappy... no one needs me…” Rafael Guizado, Complemento.
Out of the Wings meets every month to read a play in English translation, and organises theatre and translation events throughout the year, both online and in person. Our table reads are programmed with plays that translators, like Gigi, suggest to us. For information on how we work and how to contact us, please see out Frequently Asked Questions section. We look forward to hearing from you.
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