The University of Texas at El Paso’s Department of Theatre and Dance has brought Erika Sánchez’s best-selling novel “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” to the Wise Family Theatre.
The play follows Julia Reyes, a Mexican American teenager living in Chicago who is struggling to navigate her family’s expectations and her own dreams of becoming a writer after the sudden death of her sister, Olga.
Adapted for the stage by Isaac Gómez, the production focuses on cultural identity, generational pressure and mental health all while navigating grief. Director Adriana Dominguez, who is also an associate professor of theatre, says these themes and their relevance to the community drew her to the play.
“We [The selection committee of the Department of Theater and Dance] thought that a play about a young person’s experience was really pertinent to our community, and especially because she is the daughter of immigrants, and she’s navigating a lot, we thought, what better place to do a play like this than UTEP,” Dominguez said.
Dominguez said she hopes the audience will leave inspired if they see themselves reflected onstage.
“I want people to leave empowered; we see this strength of this young person who is determined to make her dreams come true,” Dominguez said. “Even if our dreams can seem far-fetched, having those is important, and we have to keep reaching for them.”
There were technical challenges Dominguez, the cast and crew had to overcome. The play changes locations over 30 times, actors had to move set pieces and do quick changes while on stage and Vasco Castro, who plays Julia, is on stage throughout the entire performance.
One of the biggest challenges for Dominguez was exploring the heavy themes while still handling them with care and sensitivity.
“If people have read the book, they know it has a very extreme struggle with mental health, and there are some very sensitive moments in the play,” Dominguez said. “My goal is never to re-traumatize anyone, so we stylized some of these moments. The audience knows what happened, but I’m not actually having those things happen in front of people.”
For senior Maximo Chong, who plays Mr. Ingman, it has been both a creative and personal milestone.
“The entire cast has all been super cool, and I appreciate all their help, especially navigating something new… It hasn’t felt like a job,” Chong said. “I’ve never come in and felt like I needed to be here just because I needed to be here. It’s always been, ‘I’m looking forward to this.”
For sophomore Zena Madrid who portrays Olga, this is her first time acting in a major role.
“It made me so happy that I could come into this space and not feel judged and not feel overworked and feel good about the work that I’m doing because of everyone around me,” Madrid said.
Chong said that to develop his performance he had to do more than just practice and memorize lines; he had to learn to trust himself on stage.
“At the beginning it was a lot of me just trying to memorize my lines, and it didn’t come off natural,” Chong said. “It became more of ‘Okay, let my body do the work.’ It’s a lot of just being aware and being there in the moment.
Taking on the role of Olga helps Madrid set boundaries between school, performance and her personal life.
“I work in this building, and I go to class in this building, and I eat in this building, and then I go to rehearsals in this building. It’s very difficult to get home and decompress, but it’s forced me to take time to relax for tomorrow.”
Both Madrid and Chong said the long hours of rehearsing and the emotional work they had to put in for their roles has given the cast a better appreciation for what it takes to bring a story to life.
As many of the students working on the production juggle classes, jobs and rehearsals, Dominguez hopes the audience can appreciate the student’s dedication.
“Everyone who’s working on this production is doing so much of the work after hours,” Dominguez said. “Many of them work, some of them work full time, and then they’re going to school…then they’re coming into rehearsal after that. It is an incredible commitment that people are taking on in order to tell this story.”
The Region 6 Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) recognized the commitment from the cast and crew through seven recognitions.
Marina Estrada, Selena Garcia and Valerie Guzman were awarded for Excellence in Stage Management. Bass Alarcon for Excellence in Sound Design. The artistic and production team for Excellence in Collaboration, Adaptiveness and Support. Samantha Michelle Nava and the Audience Development team for Excellence in Lobby Display, Audience Development and Outreach. Aleyana Flores for Excellence in Under Studying. Maya Godina and Castro were both recognized as an Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Nominees.
“I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” invites the community to reflect on their own relationships with identity and belonging, especially in the Mexican American community. The biggest takeaway Dominguez wants the audience to get is that it is okay to ask for help when one is struggling.
Ximena Cordero is the web and copy editor for The Prospector and may be reached at [email protected]
