Teatro Americano Youth Pass the Torch

First Published in the Latinos Progresando Email Bulletin.

Immigration, gangs, family and school are some of the themes of Teatro Americano’s shows. Teatro Americano's latest plays are products developed for SALUD: Healing through the Arts endeavor with support from After School Matters, The Robert Wood Johnson and Benton Foundations, and  Local Initiatives Support Corporation. The project is done in collaboration with the National Museum of Mexican Art and its community radio station, WRTE 90.5 Radio Arte.

Using young people, Teatro aims to create plays that explore the intersection of health, immigration, and youth issues. Farragut Career Academy, hosted one of their latest performances called Fronteras Del Amor (Boarders of Love), a witty teatronovela that addresses everything from the American Dream to gangs and gym shoes. This show explores the lives of youth taqueria workers and portrays the issues in the Latino south side communities. Jilberto Popoca, a member of Teatro Americano's youth ensemble, played Cisco, a teenager who can not keep himself off the streets. Prior to the start of the show Jilberto, anxiously waiting, said, “I am very glad that I am here at Farragut because students from Farragut went to see our performance in Little Village”(referring to a previous performance at Little Village Lawndale High School) and went on to say how he loved their expressed charisma after the show by asking for the cast's autographs.

Jilberto believes that the energy given off by the students in the audience was so grand because they were able to watch something “so real.”

Many of the characters are built from realistic situations and are able to come alive on stage. Jilberto “felt like Cisco came very naturally” and this is a statement that rings true for many of the members of the cast. Another character, Marisol, a Latina immigrant who is trying to find a better way of life through education was, originally in 2008, being played by a young lady named Zulema Ortiz who is going through the same situation in real life.

These performances function as a way for the cast members to express their stories but to also make the show that much more authentic and reach out to others. Not only do these actors and actresses practice to perfect their show but have taken part in an educational program, SALUD Remix Residencies, this fall to teach 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students from Rosario Castellanos Elementary and Eli Whitney Elementary to collaboratively remix scenes from the centerpiece productions. This afterschool activity “gives these kids an opportunity to use acting as a way to express what they feel,” says Zulema, who currently teaches at Castellanos Elementary. The Residencies' aims are to provide high-quality arts education instruction as well as to promote self-esteem, social analysis, and dialogue. Before they start their class Zulema comments, “We ask them how their day is going and how they feel in general.” Zulema also remarked on one student's response and their achievement of receiving a good grade on their presentation because they felt comfortable enough to talk in front of the class.

Not only do the students gain from such an experience but the teachers do as well. Zulema states that “it really motivates me when the kids gain confidence and they realize that this is their chance for others to hear stories directed by them.” These two schools have been working diligently since September analyzing the SALUD plays and remixing them to involve their own personal and community narratives. This creation, at both sites, will be performed during the first week of December as an evening celebration of their work for families and community residents.

These “community conversations” will continue in the winter with a professional presentation of an urban sci-fi telenovela called Los Aires de Manana (The Air of Tomorrow). Latinos Progresando's Teatro Americano and ENLACE community conversation Initiative invites all to join throughout the 2009-2010 school year engagement to continue these “community conversations.”

Tags: teatro, teatronovelas, theater
Topics: Building Community, Community Health, Community Media, Education, Immigrants, Youth