FELIPÍLLO

by Tyler Rocío Ecoña

(FULL LENGTH - 60 MIN) In Peru, the nickname "Felipillo" is given to public figures who are considered national traitors (think "Benedict Arnold"). In this play, an investigation ensues. Based on the true history of a Native servant who translated for Spanish conquistadors during the invasion of the Inca Empire, we follow Felipillo and a chorus of historians examining his legacy through a time-bending...

(FULL LENGTH - 60 MIN) In Peru, the nickname "Felipillo" is given to public figures who are considered national traitors (think "Benedict Arnold"). In this play, an investigation ensues. Based on the true history of a Native servant who translated for Spanish conquistadors during the invasion of the Inca Empire, we follow Felipillo and a chorus of historians examining his legacy through a time-bending reconstruction of his life. The mainstream story still circulated in Peru frames Felipillo as a traitor to his country. But exactly how much was lost in translation? Who determines what goes down in history, and is it possible to re-write?

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FELIPÍLLO

Recommended by

  • Shaun Leisher: FELIPÍLLO by Tyler Rocío Ecoña
    “

    This is definitely not a part of Incan history that I learned about in school. This play feels so well-researched considering that so little is actually known about the historic figure that has come to be known as Felipillo. Who did Felipillo actually betray. His people or those that conquered them? This play asks these questions in such a unique way where time and reality is constantly being played with. This is a play that forces the audience to consider who gets to decide whose history is worth remembering.

    This is definitely not a part of Incan history that I learned about in school. This play feels so well-researched considering that so little is actually known about the historic figure that has come to be known as Felipillo. Who did Felipillo actually betray. His people or those that conquered them? This play asks these questions in such a unique way where time and reality is constantly being played with. This is a play that forces the audience to consider who gets to decide whose history is worth remembering.

    ”
  • Pravin Wilkins: FELIPÍLLO by Tyler Rocío Ecoña
    “

    A profound decolonial imagining of historical events, this play is thoroughly engaging both emotionally & intellectually. Framed by an often-hilarious & acerbically satirical debate between historians, "Felipillo" transcends revisionism and becomes something deeper: an investigation, a live demonstration of the imperfectness of "history" itself. Perhaps most powerfully, Ecoña tenderly humanizes a person whose very name has become an insult. Leaves you wondering: who told me the history I "know"?

    A profound decolonial imagining of historical events, this play is thoroughly engaging both emotionally & intellectually. Framed by an often-hilarious & acerbically satirical debate between historians, "Felipillo" transcends revisionism and becomes something deeper: an investigation, a live demonstration of the imperfectness of "history" itself. Perhaps most powerfully, Ecoña tenderly humanizes a person whose very name has become an insult. Leaves you wondering: who told me the history I "know"?

    ”

Development History

  • Reading, Beacon Theatre Productions, 2025
  • Reading, The University of the Arts, 2023

Awards

  • Beacon Theater Award
    Beacon Theater Productions
    Winner
    2025