Esperanza Rising

After every single run of a performance, the cast and crew assembles to clean out the dressing rooms and to "strike" the set. At Emerson, the strike is done on the Sunday after the last performance. Since our last performance of Esperanza Rising was on Saturday the cast and crew got the rest of the day off to relax before the strike. Everyone came in early Sunday morning and began unscrewing, breaking down, and putting everything back to the way they found it when they first loaded into the space.

There are 38 names on the Esperanza Rising contact sheet, and this excludes the extensive cast, crew, and Majestic staff.

The number of hands that touch this production are countless. From those who work on the set in the scene shop, to those who help load it in, those who arrange flowers into pots, and those who adjust the electrics, every single person is essential to making the production what it is when you see it as an audience member.

Yesterday we had a wonderfully rich talkback on the topic of Immigration which branched out, touching on the social -isms and what we can do to educate our community on these topics.

With us yesterday was Costume Designer Rafael Jaen, Music Director and Mariachi Héctor Martínez Morales, and a teacher at the Hernandez School in Roxbury Rosalba Solis. Each guest speaker was invaluable to this talkback and we cannot thank them enough for attending and sharing their stories and perspectives on the topic of immigration and the social -isms.

With Rafael originally from Venezuela, and Héctor and Rosalba from Mexico, the range of immigratory experiences contributed greatly to our conversation about the processes of traveling and living in the United States.

Rafael spoke of his experience obtaining an artists visa and attending college in the U.S. on a scholarship. The discrimination he faced not only came from U.S. citizens but from those of a seemingly similar decent, he was ridiculed for his aspirations and hard work. He faced assumptions that he had come from an "oil family" of wealth, when in fact he had worked very hard as a student with four jobs at once to continue what he had set out to do.

Héctor shared with us his "American Dream," a phrase he had to consider deeply when interviewed not long ago. Héctor, who is also an educator, is a musician and works toward establishing himself as a composer, musical director, musician, etc. He spoke of his luck with living right on the border and in Arizona, making his transition less difficult than others but not lacking in the indecencies of discrimination and stereotypes tacked on him.

Rosalba shared with us her background as a classical musician and how she had hopes to attend Berklee College of Music. Before she could begin her studies, she had to learn English, adding another step to the already very daunting process of obtaining a degree. As a current teacher at the Hernandez School, she inspires her students, encourages them, keeps their spirits up, and strengthens them for the future.

She shared with us a story about traveling with her family on vacation. This is a summary of her story. Please excuse any misinterpreted facts, this is my recollection of her story:
 
Her husband and children were traveling on vacation to Mexico when their vehicle had broken down. They left the vehicle and on the way back, picked it up with a U-haul to tow it back. While driving along the border states, Rosalba was napping in the back when they're vehicle was surrounded by border patrol. They had been stereotyped. The patrol guards pointed guns at her family. Her children, who were born in the U.S., were taken. When they had opened the van they found Rosalba sleeping and nothing else (no illegal substances or equivalent as they perhaps had expected). She immediately showed them their papers and demanded that they return her children. Even after the situation was resolved, she still did not recieve an apology. Her children have been traumatized by this incident. They no longer travel by car, only by plane.  

All agreed that immigration is still a major issue that needs to be resolved. In Rosalba's words, we're all immigrants. No one is "from" America. Even "Native Americans" have been robbed of their ownership.

We want to thank those who participated in the conversation yesterday and will that the discussion can continue with hopes to do good. We're proud that theater can be a median to share these ideas and stir these conversations. After all, Esperanza Rising represents the hope we need to prevail. (*wink*)

Yesterday we had a lovely talkback with writer Pam Muñoz Ryan and director Roxanne Schroeder-Arce. An audience member asked a question about what it was like having a mixed race cast and what sort of influence that had on the production or if the demands of the script had any effect on the casting.
Roxanne responded by first explaining the show was cast in May, before the summer break, and before the cast members left for the summer, she asked each actor to dig into his or her past to find out more about their family history. Is there anyone who has been transplanted? This idea of being transplanted is a major theme in the play and story of Esperanza Rising so it was important for the actors to know where they came from in order to tell this story. We all play a role in our own stories and these stories help us communicate the Esperanza Rising to our audiences.

Going along with these themes of uprooting, rebirth, and growth we wanted to reach out to the Emerson community by interviewing those who have a history with immigration and being transplanted.

Here is what we found:

Who doesn't love New York Pizza, otherwise known as NYP to the Emerson Community?
AND it just happens to be right across from the Cutler Majestic Theatre, what luck!

While Cheyenne and I were on our amazing prop tour with Michele, she told us how they were in need of several large tomato cans for the show.

One day, Michele marched into NYP thinking they've got to have some cans to give away. And so she asked them if they had any industrial sized tomato cans that they'd be willing to give away.

The NYP employee looked at her and asked, "You want them full...or empty?"

"Empty! Of course," Michele responded.

"Well, in that case..." The NYP employee then proceeded to give her all of the empty industrial sized tomato cans they had...for FREE!

Wasn't that nice of them? Michele then took the cans home, cleaned them out, decorated them with a specific logo and prepared them for planting. Here is what they look like in the production.


Photos by: Kirk J. Miller

Last night was the final dress rehearsal for Esperanza Rising. The production is BEAUTIFUL. 

Sound designer, Brendan Doyle, was inspired by the following quote by Nicomachus of Gerasa on Harmonics and the foundation of the Western Musical Tradition. He writes here on what he called a celestial symphony:

Yesterday we made the move into the Lower Lobby of the Cutler Majestic Theatre and for the very first time the very large, very lovely dramaturgy boards will live in the lower lobby throughout the entire run of the performance.

Last night at rehearsal, Props Master Michele Teevan gave Cheyenne and I a tour backstage and downstairs in the trap door room. We are still shocked at the number of props that are in this production of Esperanza Rising. Michelle walked us through each prop, where it came from, how they made it, and how many there were of each prop.

As a part of the Emerson Stage season, which consists of two musicals, a T.Y.A. production, straight plays, one new work (NewFest), and X-Dance, Esperanza Rising fits right in as this year's Theatre for Young Audiences production.

The story of Esperanza Ortega, a wealthy ranch-owner's daughter in Aguascalientes, Mexico, comes from the true life journey of Pam Muñoz Ryan's grandmother (named: Esperanza Ortega) who's own story is nearly identical to that of Esperanza's. 

Last night, the cast saw the early stages of the set inside the Cutler Majestic Theatre. They were ecstatic, jumping up and down like children at the sight of each new piece. It goes to show that all of us holds onto the little kid we once were and sometimes, on occasion, (and some more than others) we let it out for others to see.

A conflict in the story Esperanza Rising comes when Esperanza, Hortensia, and Miguel cross the U.S./Mexican border. The difficulties that they face and the fear that they encounter is unlike any other.

Esperanza Ortega, the main character in the play, was born and raised in the beautiful Aguascalientes, Mexico. Aguascalientes, literally meaning hot waters, is lush with greenery and known for its ideal climate for agriculture. Esperanza grew up in "El Rancho Linda Flor" (a fictional ranch in the story) on a vineyard, which her family and the workers cultivated.


Esperanza was then uprooted to Arvin, California (U.S.); a dry, flat area north of L.A., where she inhabited a work camp in a very small cabin with several other people.

The time period in which the play is based and the locations in which the story takes place, play a major role in the atmosphere of the production.

Esperanza Rising is set during the U.S. Great Depression of 1929. The time in which Esperanza, Hortensia, and Miguel migrate to California happens to be in the year when the Stock Market crashed, affecting the poverty and unemployment in the country.

Imagine that scene; going from a life of riches and vibrancy to a world where the economy has suffered a drastic decline and is in the midst of a time-changing depression.

In designing the scenic elements of the production, these contrasts of wealth and poverty, green vineyards and dry fields, needed to be represented in a way that could evoke, for the audience, what Esperanza must have felt while crossing the boarder and adjusting to her change in class status.

The inspiration for the set of Esperanza Rising came from the influence ancient Aztec civilization and artist Diego Rivera. Scenic Designer, Crystal Tiala, used the Aztec symbolism of the sun to render a similar sun and moon in Esperanza Rising. The pictures below are models of Crystal's scenic designs.

Last year, Emerson Stage's T.Y.A. Production of The Hundred Dresses called for 100 pictures of dresses which were drawn and decorated by several designers.resource in designing the costumes for the characters. 

In the story, the symbol of the rose is extremely present throughout. It represents uprooting, growth, and rebirth. Most notably, the red rose has been known as a "source of immeasurable inspiration for many throughout the ages." (Types of Flowers)

On Friday, October 9, 2009 the cast and crew of Esperanza Rising traveled to a Mexican and Salvadorian restaurant in Somerville called La Hacienda for live Mariachi music, food, and for a cultural experience that they could apply to their rehearsal process.

Now in our second week of rehearsals, the cast has been learning the songs and culture of Mariachi music.
Among our very talented production team of directors, designers, and managers, is accomplished composer and musical director, Héctor Martínez Morales.
To learn more about Héctor, please visit his website where you will find his work, biography, clips, and where he will be after Esperanza Rising.

First and foremost, thank you for visiting our blog for Esperanza Rising!

My name is Justine, although I am often referred to as Teeny so I apologize if that causes any confusion. As the Dramaturgs on Esperanza Rising, Cheyenne and I hope this blog will not only benefit the production members and actors, but also the audiences who are eager to know more about our process.

Here you will find information organized into packets that we and the design team felt was pertinent to the play. We will also keep you updated on the latest news, host open conversations, and provide a commonplace for everyone to share their thoughts and ideas relating to the production. The possibilities are endless which is what makes this so exciting!

Welcome to the blog for Esperanza Rising, our Theatre for Young Audiences offering for the fall of 2009. Check back often for updates!