Los Actores
¡BOCÓN! by Lisa Loomer
Produced by Los Actores, El Paso’s Spanish Language and Bilingual Theater Company with the support of Eden Enterprises Presented by special arrangement with The Dramatic Publishing Company of Woodstock, Illinois
Directed by Joanne Lopez-Padilla Producer David Mills Assistant to the Director Itzel Hernandez Stage Manager Mary Helen Mariscal-Cholka Light and sound operator Ricardo Villalva Sound recording Dee Woo Costumes Cast and Crew ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS El Paso Public Libraries,Rodolfo Hernández, KTEP, El Paso Community College, El Paso Playhouse El Paso Times, El Paso Scene, La Fe Culture and Technology Center, Café Mayapan, La Mujer Obrera, Eden Enterprises, Eurydice Saucedo, and Verónica Frescas.
¡BOCÓN! Time: Anytime there is war, and refugees. Place: A judge’s chambers acrossthe U.S.border; a villagein CentralAmerica; and a forest in between.
CAST OF CHARACTERS Miguel. . .”Bocón” (Big Mouth), the young storyteller . . . . . . .. . . . . . . ISAIAS GUTIERREZ Border Guard/Judge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . ... .LOUIS FOIX III Ana (Miguel’s mother)/Viejita 1. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . LIZBETH SANCHEZ-PIÑEDA Luis (Miguel’s father)/Voice Keeper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .OSCAR ARIEL ARRIAGA Cecilia(Miguel’s aunt)/La Llorona . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MARTA FOIX Rosita (her daughter)/Voice Picker/Viejita 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ADRIANA ORPINETA Kiki/Duende . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . DEE WOO Other roles played by the ensemble including two guard dogs and a calavera. CEIBA Guitar, Flute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JENA CAMP Percussion, various. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ROSAURA MATEO MONTEJO
ABOUT LOS ACTORES
Founded in 2000 to fill the need for Spanish language and bilingual theater in the El Paso region, Los Actores has staged 37 plays including Mexican classics (El Color de nuestra piel and Los Desarraigados), classical Spanish plays (entremeses by Cervantes and others), modern Spanish classics (Bodas de Sangre), Chicano classics by Luis Valdez, translations of English language comedies (La Tia de Carlos), and modern American comedies such as El Grande de Coca-Cola and Confessions of Women from East L.A. Los Actores has also premiered works such as Allan Jay Friedman’s Pinocho y Munet, Amsterdam Bulevar, and Carlos Morton’s Paso del Norte. Without a home theater, Los Actores has performed at venues including the El Paso Playhouse, Socorro Mission, EPCC Forum Theater, and various local high schools. Most recently, Los Actores has staged Soldadera and Bocón! for the Jewel Box Series at the Philanthropy Theatre and Los desarraigados and El color de nuestra piel at the Chamizal National Memorial. PRODUCTION CREDITS Joanne Lopez-Padilla (Director)— Joanne is proud to havebeen born in El Paso and raisedon both sides of the border. She began performing when attending San Elizario High School and continued while attending EPCC. She has worked with Los Actores, Shakespeare-OnThe-Rocks and Kids-N-Co. as a ticket taker, sound/light technician, stage manager, actor and director For Los Actores, she directed “Confessions of Women from East L.A.” at the Chamizal. Joanne believes that when you love theater, every job is important.
El Paso’s Spanish Language and Bilingual Theater Company
DIRECTOR’S NOTE Bocón has a very special place in my heart. I was privileged to participate in the role of Ana fifteen years ago, under the direction of Hector Serrano. The story of Miguel is the story of many immigrant children who leave their countries due to violence, poverty and lack of opportunities. But it is also the story of a rich culture, a strong and loving family, and the importance of fighting in order to find your voice. Because without a voice, you disappear. We must lend our voice to those who continue to be silenced. We must tell their stories. -Joanne Lopez-Padilla
Who’s Who in the Cast Isaias Gutierrez (Bocón)— is a senior at San Elizario High School where he has been very active in the theater program. Roles include: Kiki, chorus, villager, red dog (Bocón); Armadillo, Ventriloquist, box with legs (Alicia in Wonder Tierra); Pisoni and Man in the Dark (Ajax in Iraq); Roger (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time); and Steve (Don’t Fear the Reaper). Isaias also plays baritone and alto sax in the school band and piano at his church. louis foix iii (Border Guard/Judge) Born and raised in El Paso, Louis Foix III is a retired science teacher. Other than participating in theater while in high school as a Thespian, he performed in the historical musical, “Viva Mexico!” from 1998 to 2014 as an actor, choir member, and assistant director. Louis also served as a board member for Mexico Vive Showcase, Inc. As a member of Viva Mexico Theater Ensemble, he was an extra and actor in Rupert Reyes’ plays that were produced and directed by Malena Cano. Louis has also, on occasion, been a member of Coro Arpegio for Mrs. Cano during some of her concerts. Louis was recently an actor in Miguel de Cervantes’s El Juez de los Divorcios and Celestino Gorostiza’s El Color De Nuestra Piel, both directed by Hector Serrano. lizbeth sanchez pineda (Ana/Viejita 1) is a proud native of Ciudad Juárez, México. She’s delighted to be performing for the first time with Los Actores. In Ciudad Juárez, she’s been a jazz dance teacher for Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez and Tecnológico de Monterrey Campus Ciudad Juárez. She has been a guest choreographer at El Paso High School, Coronado High School and this next October at Socorro High School. She has performed in many musical theatre productions with the UTEP Dinner Theatre since 2001. Her favorite roles were Anita in ‘West Side Story’ and Diana Morales in ‘A Chorus Line’. Her latest performances were with the UTEP Department of Theatre in ‘Just Like Us’ and ‘Stand and Deliver’ at the El Paso Playhouse. She dedicates this show to her amazing husband and to her ‘corazoncitos’ Ana and Mateo. oscar a. arriaga (Luis/Voice Keeper) El Color de Nuestra Piel (2019) – Jorge, Bernabé (2017 and 2018) ,Rio Grande Festival (2018) – Don Juan de Oñate, Viva El Paso 1998-2005, Shakespeare on the Rocks Festival A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2018) – Peter Quince, The Comedy of Errors (2018) – Dromio of Syracuse, Macbeth (2018) – Second Witch, Antony and Cleopatra (2017) – Scarus, Much Ado About Nothing (2017) – Don Pedro King Richard III (2017) – Henry, Earl of Richmond (King Henry VII), Othello (2016) – Brabanzio, Much Ado About Nothing (2016) – Dogberry, Much Ado About Nothing (2015) – Leonato
Who’s Who in the Cast maria r. foix (Cecilia/La Llorona) was born and raised in El Paso. Martha participated in musicals and competitions before graduating from Eastwood High School. In the process of attaining her teaching degree from UTEP, and also took music classes. She has served as teacher and co-director for A World for Children Daycare and taught kindergarten at Our Lady of Mount Carmel School and at Lorenzo Loya Primary. Martha produced and directed school talent shows, Christmas plays, and helped direct music for church masses. She’s participated in the historical musical “Viva Mexico!” from 1997 to 2014 as an actress, soloist, choir member, and assistant director, and was also a part of Malena Cano’s Coro Arpegio during her concerts. Martha served as board member and secretary for Viva Mexico Showcase, Inc. As a part of Viva Mexico Theater Ensemble, Martha was an extra and an actress in some of Mr. Rupert Reyes’ plays that were directed by Mrs. Cano. She is currently in the process of opening up her own business, A World for Children Pre-K and Daycare. adrina orpinela(Rosita/Voice Picker/Viejita2) After traveling around the United States and living in New York City for seven years, Adriana, an El Paso native, is happy to be back home among family and friends. Returning to the stage after a 10-year hiatus, Adriana is excited to be a part of the Bocón! cast. This being her third Los Actores production, she is happy to regain a place with the company and participate in its local community. dee woo (Kiki/Duende) was born a binary male in 1955 but found herself early on as a child, only no one listened. Except for her distant aunt, Isabel, but the family called her Yaya. Aunt Yaya helped Dee find her voice but learn to hide it because in the 1960s, being transgender, gay, lesbian and just being different would be dealt with harshly. In 1969, Dee won an album from an AM radio station and when she went to pick up her award, she asked how someone could work there. She was given $1.50 and told to go and buy a bag of burgers from across the street, and once done, was given tasks that eventually won her a job at the old KINT 1590. Dee has been in broadcasting and in journalism for 50 years, and recently celebrated 20 years at UTEP as the KTEP operations director. Dee also retired from the El Paso Playhouse board this year to concentrate on other community projects, like this one, Bocon. She hopes you will enjoy the play. mary helen mariscal-cholka (Stage Manger) has stage managed for several Los Actores productions including Los cuervos están de luto, La tía de Carlos, and Bodas de sangre at the El Paso Playhouse and Zapateados! at the Abraham Chavez Theater. She stage managed many El Paso Playhouse productions from 2000-2008 and Charley’s Aunt in 2016. As an actor, she participated in Death Before Dessert productions by the El Paso-based murder mystery dinner theater company and with the Gilbert and Sullivan Society. Mary Helen has been happily married for 36 years and has two children. She currently teaches 6th grade science at Slider Middle School where she has been a teacher for 29 years.