SAN ANTONIO — Ever since its first show in 2016, Teatro Audaz has focused on the homegrown—homegrown talent, homegrown perspectives, homegrown stories.
This month brings one of the San Antonio theater group’s biggest-ever efforts, this one spotlighting homegrown music. Touted by Teatro Audaz Executive and Artistic Director Laura Garza as a perfect early kickoff to Fiesta 2022, “Mariachi Girl” is a bilingual family-centered production that will feature more than an uplifting tale for audiences.
“The mariachi group that we have with us, Mariachi Azteca de América, is outstanding,” said Garza, also one of the nonprofit theater group’s cofounders. “They’re just amazing at what they do, and speak to the heart of what San Antonio is all about.”
“Mariachi Girl” is the first musical production taken on by Garza and her staff, and every performance will sing with vibrant life thanks to live music from one of the Alamo City’s pre-eminent mariachi companies.
As the title suggests, it’s also a way for Mariachi Azteca de América to put its own stamp on the show. Running about 90 minutes and created by a playwright who grew up not far from San Antonio, it tells the story of 10-year-old Carmencita, whose desire to play professionally is met with resistance by her father. According to him, only men should suit up in the familiar decorative garb of a mariachi player.
As Garza puts it, “Mariachi Girl” is both a cultural story told through a modern lens, and also one of timely themes as the community continues to pick itself up from a devastating pandemic.
“I think, coming back from COVID, what it really taught us is that family is so important to us. Especially in the Latino community, that bond is so strong,” she said. “And we really wanted to come back to what is so important; for us, it’s that familia es todo. Family is everything.”
Preparations for “Mariachi Girl” started when the opportunity arrived for Teatro Audaz to put on a show on the Public Theater’s main stage, as part of the two groups’ ongoing collaboration.
As luck would have it, JoJanie Moreno, a staff member who anchors the theater group’s educational arm, was familiar with the show. She previously directed it for Magik Theater before the pandemic, and was enlisted to do the same this time around for Teatro Audaz.
“(With) Fiesta coming back, (we thought) this was the right type of show to do, to show our community and our culture. We're still thriving, we're still here,” said Moreno, adding the show's regional touches resonated with the crew. "What better way (to show that than) through a mariachi musical?”
The feature of live mariachi music is in line with their mission, and also right there in the group’s name, which translates directly to “bold theater.” Inclusivity is one of Teatro Audaz’s primary tenets, and the group is leaning into it by hosting an ASL-interpreted performance on March 12.
Authenticity is just as important, which is why it wasn’t merely a smart idea to Moreno and Garza to find Latinx actors; it was essential.
“You’re not only seeing a Latin performer on stage, but you’re seeing a Latin performer in a story that is relevant to them,” Moreno said.
That also harkens back to where the story of Teatro Audaz begins. Herself a San Antonio native, Garza said she and other local Latina women were disheartened by the lack of Latino opportunities onstage.
So they took it upon themselves to create them.
“We do it from the ground up,” she said. “Our board, all of our production team, our actors—everything is all about that representation and showcasing the talents of those artists that we feel are the most underserved in the community.”
Six years later, Garza says she sees more conversations about diversity and inclusivity than she did before as opening night for “Mariachi Girl” approaches. She and her team know a thing or two about knocking down barriers, which also connects them to Carmencita’s story.
But they also aren’t slowing down anytime soon. Another south Texas tale will hit the Teatro Audaz stage later this year with “The Mesquite Tree” before the season wraps up in September with a production of the comedy “Bad Hombres/Good Wives.”
“It’s something we're going to continue to do. It’s what we're about, 365 days a year,” Garza said. “Not just one show here, one show there; it's something that we do all the time.”
“Mariachi Girl” opens Friday and runs through March 13. Performances are scheduled for Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at the Public Theatre of San Antonio’s Russell Hill Rogers Auditorium (800 West Ashby Place).
Tickets cost $25, with some available discounts, and COVID-19 protocols are in place. Those include the enforcement of masks when not eating or drinking, and a 50% attendance cap.
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