{ In the NEWS }
CSUCI NEWS
by KIM LAMB GREGORY
Students write production with guidance from professional playwright
Plaque honoring civil rights icon Dolores Huerta placed on campus She did not get the same recognition as civil rights leader César Chávez, but fellow activist Dolores Huerta was Chávez’s right hand as he fought for farmworkers’ rights in the 1960s. In honor of Huerta’s 90th birthday in April of 2020, the CSU Board of Trustees passed a resolution declaring that each of the 23 campuses would honor Huerta with an appropriate plaque, bench or some other permanent gesture. CSUCI campus members dedicated a plaque to Huerta near a well-traveled sidewalk in front of the John Spoor Broome Library. Students were able to see it for the first time when they returned to campus in Fall of 2021. The plaque reads: “Honoring Dolores Huerta, whose fearless activism has contributed to a more just society rooted in the values of equity, social justice and inclusivity.”
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With the help of a professional playwright, the cast and crew of the Performing Arts Fall production researched and wrote their own collection of vignettes about the history of what is now the campus of CSUCI and titled it: “Camarillo Tales: Echoes in the Hills.” “It’s inspired by the history, the lore of the land, the Chumash, the state hospital, the people and the campus,” said Theater Lecturer Laura Covault. Under the direction of Covault and Performing Arts Lecturer Hugo Carbajal, the students were mentored by award-winning playwright/poet Marisela Treviño Orta. “I would Zoom in for Thursday evening classes and give mini-lectures about dramatic structure and theory,” Orta said. “Then I would give them writing exercises grounded with a theme.” “Camarillo Tales” ran for six shows from Nov. 4 through Nov. 13 — the first show to be performed on the outdoor stage across from Malibu Hall.
