To the Band of Brothers: February 5, 2021

Good morning!

Even in the midst of the pandemic, where we have been limited in what we can do, we have found the way of making things happen. No question the circumstances have forced us to be creative. One of the things we have missed has been the theater. You may have noticed, no musicals, no concerts, no art shows. Not a good thing, but this week new life was breathed into the Roca Theater.

Last Tuesday and today, there will be a one-act play titled “Waiting for Ringo” performed in front of a very, very limited audience. Where we have become more creative is in having the production filmed and premiering on our YouTube channel. The Belen thespians have been working very hard on it, practicing several nights a week and weekends to get things ready for when the lights come up and the cameras roll. Tune in tonight at 7:30 p.m. to watch the show. You won’t be disappointed.

Our theater program has come a long way. There has always been a focus on the arts in Jesuit education, but Belen’s rise to the heights we have reached has taken some time. We have to commend those brave pioneers who jump-started the process here. I remember my first big break on the small Belen stage. Mrs. Beatriz Jiménez was directing a piece in Spanish called “El Gallinero.” The story was about a small group of “campesinos'' who are in the audience of a theater watching a play. Their cheap seats are far away and they can hardly see what’s going on. I was given the role of an elderly grandmother who is sitting with her husband.

In order to prepare for the role, I spent a week with my grandmother trying to get into character. I studied her every move, walked a mile in her slippers, drank her prune juice, visited her peluquera (hairdresser), and yelled at my grandfather when I couldn’t find him. I remember sifting through her closet looking for something that I could use as a costume. I asked her to let me borrow her bata de casa (housedress) along with a wicker hat she would wear on family trips to Miami Beach, and her reading glasses. 

What terrified me about the play was memorizing all my lines. To add insult to injury, they were all in Spanish. Mrs. Jiménez told me at the first rehearsal that one of the props I was going to be using was a program I would occasionally look through. Perfect! I would hide my lines in the little booklet and read them just before having to say them. I figured the audience would think I was just going over the program when, in fact, I was reading my lines. The plan worked and I received a standing ovation. The crowds loved my character and told me I brought tears to their eyes because I reminded them of their grandmother.

I think that night a star was born. Unfortunately, it was a shooting star because I never graced the stage again until my senior skit. Even then, my role was small and I just didn’t feel it anymore. My acting career was over. My walk of fame was down a short plank. So, today, when I sit in the theater and watch our guys perform a piece much more complicated and challenging than mine, so many years later, I will cheer them on, one actor to another. The End.

Auspice Maria