In Chocrón's theatrical work, photography has a capital importance, as does enlightenment, which will act to demarcate the scenes, certain temporal transits and narratives, and, in addition, aesthetically signify the dramatic action. Thus, for example, each scene will close with a black fade, fulfilling a syntactic and semantic function, as in the cinematographic montage. The scenes come out of the black as if they will be developed photographically, or sometimes seem to "freeze" as in a photograph.

This protagonist character of photography is fully justified in the work: the presence of the photographer, Luis, a character who unleashes Saúl's existential search, and who has to permeate all history and discourse. This also justifies, as an extra-textual element, the dedication of the work to the memory of Luis Salmerón, a renowned Venezuelan photographer who died of AIDS in 1991, a person with whom Chocrón maintained a very close affective relationship. This reference exposes the autobiographical character of the work.

Likewise, photography has an impact on another dramatic unit: time. In Written and sealed will be presented the history of Saúl, which will occur in a time mostly present, that of the stay in Albuquerque and the encounter with Miguel. The history will be demarcated by a real temporal period, the one between the winter and spring seasons. Saul arrives in Albuquerque in winter, and leaves that city to return to Caracas in spring. This seasonal lapse implies, in turn, a metaphorical sense of the process of death and rebirth that Saul will live particularly; but also the other characters will experience the inner change symbolized by spring. This spiritual modification is noticed by Carmen, at the beginning of the second part: "Now, seeing spring day by day, I am certain that there is a God. Too bad Luisín could not see it!...".

_{Photography by Luis Salmerón, from the original edition of the work in 1993,
edited by Centro Cultural Consolidado.}

It can be said that there is an interaction of times: the present requires the past; it is called from the present, which it illuminates; it is a question of solving a present problem taking into account the past. The past has its entrance through the intervention of Luis, who is dead, and death is timeless: "What happens is that I am in your house in Caracas, working. Long before now, of course. Collapse of time. Advantage of death," Luis tells Saul. The character acts in the present of the story by the force of memory and affection, but also as a ghostly presence justified by death. The condition of eternity that is death is reciprocated with photography. In one of its dialogues it can be read:

Saul: (...) That's the wonder of a picture. It's there: fixed forever.
Nancy: As if time didn't pass.
Saul: Photos are the same as death: they freeze time forever.
Luis: No sadness, Saulito, please.
Saul: I don't say it with sadness. It just occurred to me that every photo will always be the same...

The story of Written and sealed has in Saul his cardinal character; in him the central conflict of the drama will be developed. But around him will be concentrated other characters who, from different experiences and visions, help to fulfill the transformation of Saul and themselves.

Saul is marked by the recent death of Luis, a close friend with whom he had a teacher-student relationship and who was part of his "chosen family". He is of Jewish origin, but his attitude is one of disbelief and uncertainty. His verb and psychology feed on an irony and a caustic humour, which will make him behave in a hard and often clumsy way. His trip to Albuquerque, to escape the pain caused by Luis' physical disappearance, will confront him with his fears and ignorance. The encounter with his old friend Miguel, now a Catholic priest, will unleash within him the conflict of his life, the dilemma of disbelief-faith.

_{Image of the poster of the recent assembly of the work Source}

Luis returns and joins everyone's life through the vigour of affection and longing. With his vitality and freshness, he will stimulate the behaviour and relationships of the group. He will be the main catalyst of the changes that take place. His art, photography, will encourage reflection on the meaning of life and death, on the purpose of art itself.

In the company of Miguel and under his unconfessed guidance, Saul will assume his journey as a retreat and a search. He will recognize the need for his sacrifice and death in order to be born to his new life. Just as God revealed Himself to Saul, an unbeliever and persecutor, and thus became Paul, so Saul, in this confrontation with memory, friendship and living with the mystery of the place, will be revealed to him the sense of faith, of God, in finding himself. Saul will redeem the meaning of the Jewish covenant of faith in friendship and life: "Written and sealed. He will be reconciled with joy and community, and will undertake the return journey as the mythical hero.

Transcendence through art

_{Photo of the most recent assembly of the work Source}

At the end of the last scene is the possible grand conclusion of this work: the reason of art. In this scene, in the parliament in which Saul declares his admiration for the energy of the place, he exclaims: "Everything here looks eternal. It is eternal", and highlights the divine workmanship of such a natural work. There we read:

Luis: (...) Do you know what my eternal life could be? To be a character. Not a person who dies but a character like those of the theater. I would like to be a character, who will always live because it has been told.
Miguel: Luis is a character. I'd like to be me anyway.
Saul: You already are. Lucky for all of us who become characters.

Luis and Miguel, characters from the play Written and sealed, want to be characters to become eternal, and they already are. Their existence is that of characters created for durability in an artistic work. They have passed from the passing life to the one that passes time: they are there forever, by the hand of that little demiurge who is the artist.

In a self-reflective game, the theatre looks at itself and reveals its artistic face. It is conceived and advocated as a form of transcendence of life, a way of being made for permanence, just like photography.

Here the autobiographical character of the work reaches its highest expression. Isaac Chocrón, creator of this work, assumes the voice of Saúl to recognize himself in his art and in his own creation. Life affected by the pain of a friend's death, death itself, even the hard work of a teacher and writer, is transcended in theatre. Isaac-Saul also wants to be a character, and he already is.

Bibliographic reference

Chocrón, Isaac (1993). Written and sealed. Venezuela: Ex Libris.

Written by @josemalavem