Pilar and Aurora Cayero: “No one is born being a bad person, they become so because of the circumstances”

Mixing drama and comedy, the Cayero sisters play several characters and change between educator and student roles.
Mixing drama and comedy, the Cayero sisters play several characters and change between educator and student roles.
Interviews
(08/04/2019)

"We learned more things about this profession during this hour than in the whole trimester of the bachelorʼs degree" was the summary of a student of Social Education on the experience of having seen the play Darrere la porta, a written, directed and played play by Pilar and Aurora Cayero, two social educators that found the best way to explain the greatness and the misery of their work at juvenile centers -in the theatre. They mix drama and comedy, playing several characters and changing between educator and student roles.

The Faculty of Education scheduled the play on the World Theatre Day and invited all students to watch it. The room was completely full of students and the play proved to be successful. When it ended, both sisters started an open turn-taking and answered the audienceʼs questions and doubts. Then, they told us their reasons to start this creative project. 
 

Mixing drama and comedy, the Cayero sisters play several characters and change between educator and student roles.
Mixing drama and comedy, the Cayero sisters play several characters and change between educator and student roles.
Interviews
08/04/2019

"We learned more things about this profession during this hour than in the whole trimester of the bachelorʼs degree" was the summary of a student of Social Education on the experience of having seen the play Darrere la porta, a written, directed and played play by Pilar and Aurora Cayero, two social educators that found the best way to explain the greatness and the misery of their work at juvenile centers -in the theatre. They mix drama and comedy, playing several characters and changing between educator and student roles.

The Faculty of Education scheduled the play on the World Theatre Day and invited all students to watch it. The room was completely full of students and the play proved to be successful. When it ended, both sisters started an open turn-taking and answered the audienceʼs questions and doubts. Then, they told us their reasons to start this creative project. 
 

When did you decide to jump on stage and show your experience as educators?

Aurora Cayero: I thought about it when moving into a new home. While preparing the boxes, I found a notebook with notes I had written when I started working in Justice. I love to write -actually, this is the second play I write- and when I started working in Justice, I always got home so socked with what I had seen at work that I needed to write sentences such as “My mother has fourteen dogs and she loves them more than us”, or “I did not kill my mother, my stepfather did”, a case of a boy who was accused of double homicide because when the police got there they found two corpses, although the boy had always said he did not kill the mother, the stepfather did. Finding these notes was the base. I told my sister we had powerful material and that we could do something.


And Pilar joined you?

Pilar Cayero: I had not worked as an actress in such a professional level, Aurora had worked in television, but I have music studies and I was easily convinced to join.


What is the last aim of the play?

AC: We have a dual aim: mainly, to give a voice to these boys and girls who are there and society makes invisible, but we also want to show this profession many people ignore. People do not know about these centers and therefore they do not understand what our job is about.


You combine extreme cruel scenes with funny episodes. Is the daily life in the centers like this?

AC: Yes. We wanted this play to be a loyal reflection of the situation the youngsters and the educators face every day in these centers. All stories are real, they have happened. He took some experiences we have lived in person and others we have heard from colleagues.

PC: The play shows the reality is diverse and there are really human educators, although there are others who are selfish or tired of the situation. And the same happens with these kids. There is a wide range: some have been criminals all their life, and others, for instance, will be able to graduate from high school thanks to these centers.


As a spectator, the play helped me break some stereotypes. I must confess the students made me feel more empathy than the educators.

PC: Really?


Yes. I bought their story.

PC: If society was different and these kids had been born in another environment, with other values, they would not be there. We believe no one is born being a bad person, they become so because of the circumstances.  


What is the secret to avoid judging someone who has committed a homicide or rape?

AC: Understanding these kids are already judged. We do not have to judge them or make them pay for the crimes. Otherwise we would be judges or police officers. We do not look at their records, we just try to make the best so that their time in the center is not difficult.


What advice would you share with the students of Social Education?
AC: To have common sense. And to decide what kind of educator they want to be, to lower their expectations and stop thinking they will change the life of these kids.

PC: I would also tell them not to get stressed, and if they feel like stopping and breathing some air, do so. For many years, I have worked during six months a year, and the rest of the year I travelled around. It is a way to recharge batteries.


It is a bit demoralizing.

PC: No. Itʼs realistic. When I go to work I hope for everyone to be ok. These people are there for a while, and it is hard to change the life of these kids if the families or the neighbourhoods they go to do not undergo a real task to modify the reality they live in when leaving the center.

AC: If the students of Social Education do not drop out the studies after watching the play, we will have great colleagues.


Apart from how hard this work is and your artistic talent, you still work as Social Educators.

PC: It is vocational… These kids, when I come with the guitar and sing something to them -because music really works when you want to set positive dynamics with a group- they also say “You being our educator is so cool but what are you doing here? Join Operación Triunfo!”.

AC: In my case, they make fun of it: “you must not be a great actress, since you are here with us”.