A Mexican Trilogy: Charity by Evelina Fernandez

Director: Debra Gallegos
Assistant Director: Beki Pineda
Stage Manager: Megan Davis

Faith, Hope, and Charity comprise Evelina Fernandez’s series, A Mexican Trilogy. The Trilogy traces the immigration saga of a Mexican Family across generations.  The plays depict aspects of tradition, religion, labor issues, war, and the clash between immigrants and their first and second-generation American offspring.

Charity, the final play in the series, takes up this American family story as the world mourns the death of Pope John Paul II. The centenarian matriarch of the family is visited by spirits of her past including her husband and her great-grandson slain in Iraq. A young, distant relative from Mexico suddenly arrives full of idealism about the opportunities he will find in the United States. Although she has seen her share of tragedy, Esperanza continues to hold the family together with her wit and authenticity.

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Esperanza’s family is filled with colorful and lively characters who love and care for her. Gina, her granddaughter, and her husband, Rudy, experienced the aftermath of the VietNam War for many in their family and became anti-war activists, only to see their only son killed in yet another war. The youngest generation of the Morales family, especially Valentina, her great-granddaughter, have a special bond with Esperanza which helps the family find the courage to take the next steps in their journey.

While Charity is the culmination of A Mexican Trilogy, it stands beautifully as a story on its own as it explores the universal need to belong that we all share–to family, to culture, to country.

Cast:
Yolanda Ortega as Esperanza
Magally Luna as Gina
Phil Luna as Rudy
Adriana Gonzales as Valentina
Kinari Rima as Juan Francisco
Cipriano Ortega as Emiliano
Fabian Vasquez as Silvestre
David Carrasco as Bobby
Jordan Hull as Betty
Elliot Murphy as Johnny