The Mexican Christmas play, El Ermitaño, returns to Santa Maria on Dec. 12 and 13. The hour-long show, hosted by the Pacific Conservatory Theatre (PCPA), is performed in Spanish and filled with music, comedy, and tradition.
PCPA is partnering with actors from Tierra Blanca Arts Center, a nonprofit dedicated to offering multicultural art programs to low-income families in the LA area. The group travels throughout California to perform plays.
Penned by Miguel Sabido, El Ermitaño explores themes of good and evil, morals, and faith. It’s a pastorela, a biblical genre in Mexican theater about the shepherds on their way to see baby Jesus.
“El Ermitaño charmingly delivers all the essential elements of a pastorela: the angel, the devil, the eternal battle between good and evil, and the human condition that connects us all,” according to PCPA.
Buy tickets for the G-rated pastorela online at pcpa.org. Adult entry costs $20, and tickets for kids ages 5 to 12 cost $10. On Dec. 12 the curtains open at 7:30 p.m., and on Dec. 13, the showtimes are at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. The Severson Theatre is located at 800 S. College Drive in Santa Maria. Call the box office with questions at (805) 922-8313.
This article appears in Dec 4 – Dec 11, 2025.