Introduction.
Carlos-Manuel
After a couple of years of teaching U.S. Latino and Chicano
theater, searching for contemporary plays, and exchanging copies of
original works with Chicana/o and Latina/o playwrights and colleagues, I
decided it was time to create a collection of plays that would express
the views of the contemporary Chicana/o-Latina/o community.
For several years many college professors, including myself, have
made good use of Dr. Jorge Huerta's Chicano play anthology,
Necessary Theatre. But the anthology, which is indisputably excellent,
is a collection of older plays that express and dramatize situations
from the past. After using this anthology for several years in my
classes, I realized students yearned for more current material. I
decided it was time to create an anthology of original, contemporary
works, plays would appeal to a younger audience.
The search for original works was easy, and the response was
overwhelming; however, the selection process was arduous. My criteria
were fairly straightforward: the plays were to be previously unpublished
(although by press time, one of them would be), and they needed to
express both the Chicana/o and the Latina/o experiences. With that in
mind, I decided to include plays that were not only rich in symbolism
and content but that were also captivating, challenging, fun to read,
and varied in subject matter. My ultimate goal was to provide an
overview of what it means to be Chicana/Chicano or Latina/Latino or both
in the United States of America.
At the end of my search, four plays were chosen, each because of
its unique approach and because each playwright had a distinctive voice
for expressing important matters, thus giving different views on similar
subjects.
Barrio Hollywood, written by Elaine Romero, uses boxing as a theme
to create the characters' stories. But while boxing is a theme, it
never becomes the central to the story. Reflecting magical realism,
Barrio Hollywood uses distinct cultural symbolism to explore interracial dating and family loyalty. A well-placed plot twist leaves the reader
trying to come to her or his own conclusions.
Silviana Wood's "Yo, Casimiro Flores" is rich with
symbolic, allegorical, and cultural meaning from its title to the
characters' names, activities, and situations. This trilingual
(Spanish, English, and Yaqui*) play mixes rituals, languages, and
cultural traditions to craft an intellectual and historical dramatic
work that sheds light on what being an immigrant, as well as a Chicano,
means in today's society.
We Lost It at the Movies (With a Special Appearance by Rock Hudson)
by Guillermo Reyes offers us the story of a Chilean mother and her son
as they struggle to make it in the land of the free. Reyes presents an
immigrant story that is colored by the mother's idealization of a
Hollywood movie star, revealing the characters' dreams and the
willpower it takes to make those dreams come true. Funny and dramatic,
We Lost It at the Movies is not only moving, but it is also an
examination of the characters' motives.
Last we have Vaqueeros, an ethnodrama based on interviews. The play
inspires audience members to recognize people in their own lives who
resemble the characters on stage. Vaqueeros is an important work because
it exposes a taboo seldom explored in Chicana/o-Latina/o works: hidden
sexual practices among Chicano/Latino men and their fear of being
discovered. The play speaks about the consequences of such practices and
the responsibilities that come with such behavior. It explores
homophobia, infidelity, betrayal, and HIV/AIDS, among other issues.
The plays presented in this anthology were written by two women and
two men. Three of the playwrights are from Arizona; the fourth is from
California, but his play is about people from Arizona. Despite this
coincidence, the plays reflect common themes with regard to Chicana/o
and Latina/o experience: the border, immigration, sexuality, and culture
clashes.
The playwrights' views on the Chicana/o and Latina/o
experience differ from one play to the next, as well as from one
experience to another. Yet, the four plays are connected in more than
one way. I hope you will enjoy reading these plays as much as I have
enjoyed putting them together and that the experience will enhance your
knowledge about our raza, our familia, and our lives.
Carlos-Manuel
C/S
* The Yaqui prayers and other words included in the dialog were
transcribed from spoken language and were intended to assist the actors
with pronunciation of their lines. The publisher and playwright make no
claim to be reproducing the words as they would be written using Yaqui
orthography.
