"Heroes and Saints" by Cherrie Moraga is the story of struggle of a people on the fringes of society. Their story is both personal and political and their realities are frightening true.
Although a fictitious work, Moraga's drama is historically based. Dedicated to the memory of Cesar Chavez, the president and a long-time supporter of the United Farm Workers of America, the play is based on the plight of California farm workers.
Directed by Roberto Gutierrez Varea, visiting assistant professor of drama, the play centers exclusively on a small farmer population in the fictitious town of McGaughlin, California.
"Heroes and Saints" begins when the community gains local recognition from the media as a "cancer cluster" because of the many deaths of children there from cancer.
When their children are snatched away from them, the farmers begin to take preventative measures. The pesticides contaminate the very fabric of their lives -- their water, their health and their children.
The audience first meets Dolores (Veronica Garcia '96), the mother of the play's protagonist Cerezita (Maria Figueroa, a visiting student from the University of California at San Diego).
A single parent and the mother of two children, Dolores represents the sentiments of the townspeople. Reticent and apathetic, she blames herself for all the problems in her life.
Garcia performs the story of Dolores with unreserved zeal. Her quiet finesse and stage elan do not detract from the main theme of the drama or the actions of the story's protagonists.
Dolores faces her most challenging inner demons when she confronts her son Mario (Cesar Peralta '98) about his homosexuality and allows Cerezita, her crippled daughter, to leave the home.
She laments when she sees the helicopters dropping pesticides on the crops, saying "Why don't you just drop a bomb ... it will be faster that way."
Cerezita, the story's protagonist -- sans head or body -- represents the plight of the farmers. Usually upbeat despite her handicaps, Cerezita's name means "little cherry" in Spanish. She reminds the audience of the devastation caused by the pesticides.
Cerezita moves about in a special wheelchair crafted for her needs. At the beginning, Cerezita is a passive supporter of the farmers' revolt.
She says they crucify the children because "the world forgets about them" otherwise.
The story concentrates on her as she progresses from a silent, physically handicapped character to an outspoken leader who urges her neighbors and relatives to action. The play foreshadows Cerezita's martyrdom.
"I don't ever go out, ever," she says. "If people could see me, things would change."
Alluding to the play's title, Cerezita says, "It is all about heroes and saints. That's all we can have right now."
With the arrival of her new father, she begins a relationship with Father Juan (Orlando Castillo '96), who later helps her to find her own voice -- a voice which is able to articulate her own desires. She re-instills hope, allowing the people around her to regain their dignity.
"Heroes and Saints" is a stunning and very intricate story of people trying to survive against almost insurmountable odds. The supporting characters lead to the theme which it conveys.
Amparo (Patricia Herrera '96), struggles to fight the patrones (landowners) with all of her resources. She conveys a unique interpretation of the character.
Herrera, a seasoned performer, lends her outspoken voice, strong stage presence and stalwart attitude to construct the character of Amparo who is fed up with the system.
Marsha Blake '96 plays Yolanda, a mother haunted by the death of her child. Blake exudes the grief felt by the mother, by painfully stating, "A child is not supposed to die before its mother. It is not right."
This is a remarkable story brought to life by a talented group of students. Real and thought-provoking, the drama forces audience members to put themselves in the roles of the characters and to contemplate the play's effects long after it has ended.
