Prodigal Clown – A Symbolic Story of Their Lives

On June 16, 2012, street youth joined professional entertainers to present a symbolic story of their lives and honor a fallen hero. Professional clown Italo Castro dedicated himself to mentoring street youth and became a father figure to many, even opening his home to them. Tragically, he drowned in 2011. In light of his death, a group of Italo’s friends vowed to continue his dream and began meeting weekly to train and prepare for a theatrical event.

After five months of rehearsals and many setbacks, the cast presented their story on the grand stage of Teatro Abril in Guatemala City to an audience of several hundred people. Athentikos documented the rehearsals and the theatrical event for the upcoming documentary, *Becoming Fools*, which will be released later this year.

Here is a short scene from the theatrical event, featuring professional clown, Alfonso Ralda performing alongside José “Toñito” Tumax, a youth rescued from the streets. Stay tuned for more scenes from the theatrical event and the premiere of the documentary, “Becoming Fools”.