a kabuki corrido - El Teatro Campesino

Sa n Jose Stage C o m pa ny i n pa r tn er s h ip w it h
E l T e at r o C a mpe s i no Pr e s e nt the W o r l d P r em ier e o f
ed Written and Direct
by Luis Valdez
a kabuki corrido
“Multicultural
touchstone”
—San Jose Mercury News
“We need memory plays
powerful as this one …
a quintessentially California
play, written by a master of the genre.”
as
—Los Angeles Times
WORLD PREMIERE
OPENS FEB 10, 2016
www.the stage.org
408.283.7142
2015-2016 WWW.THESTAGE.ORG
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
COMPANY STAFF
DEVELOPMENT
DENNIS MARTIN
RANDALL KING
Ron Muriera
President
Artistic Director
JASON ST. CLAIRE
Vice President
VINCE RIVERO
CATHLEEN KING
Executive Director
Secretary-Treasurer
ARTISTIC
RICHARD T. HILOVSKY
Kenneth Kelleher
Legal Counsel
Resident Director
Jerry Strangis
ALLISON F. RICH
Capital Campaign Chair
VINCENT EGIZI
DONNA HAMLIN
CATHLEEN KING
Randall King
CANDACE LAMBRECHT
PATRICIA MCDONALD
FOUNDERS
BOBBY PELLERIN
RANDALL KING
Casting Director
DAVID ARROW
KEVIN BLACKTON
C.J. Blankenship
Johnny moreno
GIULIO CESARE PERRONE
RICK SINGLETON
Will Springhorn Jr.
HALSEY VARADY
Associate Artists
PRODUCTION
BRIAN Miller
Production Manager
DAVID GOTLIEB
Master Electrician
Education
MICHAEL NAVARRA
Development Consultant
CLINTON WILLIAMS
Development Associate
MARKETING/PR
CECILIA CLARK
Media Marketing
STEPHANIE WHIGHAM
Graphic Designer
DAVE LEPORI
Photographer
ADMINISTRATION
KYRA HUBIS
Assistant to Executive Staff
TOR JOHNSON
Administrative Assistant
AUDIENCE SERVICES
ALANNA BARDELL
Box Office Manager
KEN ODOM
Box Office Associate
TOR JOHNSON
Box Office Associate
DANIEL KATZEN
Volunteer Coordinator
Actors’ Lab Director
SAN JOSE STAGE COMPANY
is a resident professional
theatre arts organization
dedicated to the presentation
and development of new
works, with a concentration on
American literature scripted by
contemporary playwrights, that
speak to the conditions, hopes
and fears of all mankind.
San Jose Stage Company
operates under the Bay Area
Theatre (BAT) Contract, a
collective bargaining agreement
with Actors’ Equity Association,
the Union of Professional Actors
and Stage Managers in the
United States.
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WWW.THESTAGE.ORG 2015-2016
San Jose Stage Company
is a member of Theatre
Communications Group (TCG),
the national organization for the
American theatre.
San Jose Stage Company is a
member of Theatre Bay Area
and Americans for the Arts, and
is a founding member of The Arts
Alliance, a coalition of mid-sized
arts organizations in San Jose.
San Jose Stage Company is
funded, in part, by a Cultural
Affairs grant from the City
of San Jose; by a grant from
Silicon Valley Creates and the
many individuals, businesses
and corporations whose
contributions make great
theatre possible.
490 South First Street
San Jose, California 95113
408.283.7142
408.283.7146 fax
WWW.THESTAGE.ORG
General Information
3
Letter from the Artistic Director 4
BOX OFFICE
www.thestage.org
408.283.7142
Memories of the Heart
5
Artist Profiles—Actors 8
Cast & Scene List
17
Creative Team Credits
18
About El Teatro Campesino
19
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE PAGERS, CELL PHONES,
CAMERAS, RECORDERS
Wednesday, 7:30pm
Tuesday – Friday,
Noon to 5pm
Thursday, 7:30pm
Friday, 8pm
Saturday, 8pm
Sunday, 2pm
On performance days, Box
Office opens 1 hour prior to
curtain.
SPECIAL DISCOUNTS
Available to groups of 10 or
more, students and seniors
over 65. Call the Box Office
for details.
Members may exchange
their tickets up to 24 hours in
advance of their scheduled
TICKET PRICES
performance. Exchanges are
made on a seat availability basis Center/ L-R Center/ L-R Side
and we cannot guarantee the
Opening Night: $65/60/55
same assigned seats.
Wed/Thurs Previews: $35/33/30
Friday Previews: $40/38/35
Friday Evenings: $54/50/45
Saturday Evenings: $60/56/50
Wednesday Evenings: $48/45/40
Thursday Evenings: $50/47/42
Matinees: $50/47/42
Please check to see that your
paging device, cell phone, or
watch alarm is turned off during
the performance. The use of
camera or recording equipment
in the theatre is strictly
forbidden.
PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH
Please do not step onto the
set or touch any props or set
pieces. Props and set pieces
are very fragile and placed in
exact positions.
2015-2016 WWW.THESTAGE.ORG
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Welcome to
the Valley of the Heart!
We’re thrilled that you’re a part of
this exciting time at San Jose Stage
Company – the World Premiere of Luis
Valdez’s Valley of the Heart, our
co-production with El Teatro Campesino.
Both companies have been working
toward this moment for the past year and
we couldn’t be more excited and proud.
Mr. Valdez has beautifully crafted this
regionally significant and still sadly
relevant tale. San Jose Stage Company
is honored to play a role in bringing
this story to life. The play reflects the
grim period of World War II, strongly
underscoring our current national and
global struggle to define ‘What does
it mean to be an American? Who is
afforded the comfort and shelter of our
freedoms? Where do the lines of public
safety and discrimination intersect?’
The World Premiere of Luis Valdez’s
Valley of the Heart in downtown
San Jose inaugurates a three-year
artistic partnership between El Teatro
Campesino and San Jose Stage
Company. A creative alliance made
possible through the generous support
of Alcario & Carmen Castellano, Applied
Materials, Robert J. Bettencourt, City of
San Jose, Distracted Globe Foundation,
Strangis Properties, Silicon Valley
Community Foundation, SVCreates and
the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Heartfelt thanks.
The Stage is proud to receive a $50,000
grant from The Wallace Alexander
Gerbode Foundation and The William and
Flora Hewlett Foundation to commission
a new work by Luis Valdez —Adios,
Mama Carlota – Empress of
Mexico—to premiere in the Spring of
2018. We are immensely appreciative
to receive a second award from these
foundations. The first was in 2010 for the
BUFFALO’ED commission with playwright
Jeannie Barroga and choreographer
Alleluis Panis.
We’re most fortunate to announce
another creative partnership with the
City Council of Dublin, Ireland, through
its Public Arts Programme. This alliance
will result in the co-commission and
collaboration of a new work, Mummers
Rising, by ascending Irish playwright,
Donal O’Kelly, in association with the
Irish Theatre Institute. Commemorating
the centennial celebration of Dublin’s
1916 Easter Rising, Mummers Rising
will weave both American and Irish
cultures into the fabric of O’Kelly’s tale
with relevance to the 21st century. The
show is scheduled to premiere in the
Fall of 2016 in Dublin and in the Spring
of 2017 at The Stage. (Donations of
Frequent Flyer Miles are welcome and
appreciated.)
The opportunity to collaborate creatively
with both of these incredibly talented
and gracious organizations and to share
these works with our community is a true
privilege. We look forward to the artistic
and theatrical journeys we’ll continue to
take together.
Thank you for being a part of The Stage!
Randall King,
Artistic Director
Valley of the Heart kicks off an inspiring
three-year partnership between San Jose Stage
Company and El Teatro Campesino
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WWW.THESTAGE.ORG 2015-2016
crops the Army ordered for the troops
overseas. With wartime shortages of
gas and motorized equipment, my Dad
plowed with mules. With a farm house,
truck, barn, sheds, animals and farm
equipment, plus braceros and later even
German prisoners of war to harvest our
crops, my family’s proud rancho insured
our domestic prosperity and stability.
MEMORIES OF THE HEART
Valley of the Heart is a memory play,
a look back at California’s rich past from
the perspective of a full life, well lived. I
was born in the same month in 1940 that
Hitler’s Panzer IV tanks roared into Paris.
No surprise then that World War II has
exerted a greater influence on my life
than the 60s, the Civil Rights Movement
and even “my war” in Vietnam. Once
that global cataclysm got underway in
the 40s, Hollywood quickly went to war,
making a patriotic killing with “Wake
Island,” and “Guadacanal Diary”—two
of the unforgettable war movies of my
childhood. With California on the West
Coast, the Pacific War was closer to
home. In more ways than one.
My earliest memories date back to those
years of World War II. Like Kodachrome
film clips, these brief recollections
capture flashes of a boisterous rural
childhood on our family farm. They all
occurred on “our rancho” not far from
Delano in the San Joaquin Valley. My
eldest sister, Lupe, was born on that
ranch December 6, 1942—almost a year
to the day after Pearl Harbor.
Over the next three years, I gradually
became aware that our family ranch
was linked to a world at war. Unlike his
brothers who were serving overseas,
my Dad—Francisco “Pancho” Valdez—
was serving the war effort by farming.
Under federal contract with the U.S.
government, he grew whatever row
Sadly, the ranch was not ours. As my
sardonic grandfather often said: no
hay mal viento que por algun bien no
venga—it is an ill wind that blows
nobody some good.
Before the war, our ranch had belonged
to a Japanese American farmer, who
diligently worked it, growing vegetables
with his wife and two teenage daughters; relying on hired hands only at
harvest time. My father had been one of
his regular ranch hands.
After Pearl Harbor, public fears, and
paranoia on the West Coast went
rampant, unleashing deep seated racist
hatred and insecurities about all nonwhites or people of color, particularly
“Mongolians.” So President Roosevelt
unleashed Executive Order 9066, and
the Japanese American farmer and his
family were forcibly removed from their
property. Under military guard, they ultimately went to one of ten concentration
camps the Feds erected from California
to Arkansas.
As one of the last employees of that
Issei farmer, my father was encouraged
by the Farm Security Administration to
take possession of the ranch and grow
row crops for the Army. I grew into
boyhood believing Dad owned the place.
Yet everything was on temporary loan
as long as the war lasted. Once it was
over, the dream of “Pancho’s rancho”
disintegrated. More gravely tragic still,
the Japanese American farmer and his
family never recouped their losses or
their property.
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5
MEMORIES OF THE HEART
Valley of the Heart is a memory
play, a look back at California’s rich past
from the perspective of a full life, well
lived. I was born in the same month in
1940 that Hitler’s Panzer IV tanks roared
into Paris. No surprise then that World
War II has exerted a greater influence on my life than the 60s, the Civil
Rights Movement and even “my war” in
Vietnam. Once that global cataclysm got
underway in the 40s, Hollywood quickly
went to war, making a patriotic killing
with “Wake Island,” and “Guadacanal
Diary”—two of the unforgettable war
movies of my childhood. With California
on the West Coast, the Pacific War was
closer to home. In more ways than one.
My earliest memories date back to those
years of World War II. Like Kodachrome
film clips, these brief recollections
capture flashes of a boisterous rural
childhood on our family farm. They all
occurred on “our rancho” not far from
Delano in the San Joaquin Valley. My
eldest sister, Lupe, was born on that
ranch December 6, 1942—almost a year
to the day after Pearl Harbor.
Over the next three years, I gradually
became aware that our family ranch
was linked to a world at war. Unlike his
brothers who were serving overseas,
my Dad—Francisco “Pancho” Valdez—
was serving the war effort by farming.
Under federal contract with the U.S.
government, he grew whatever row
crops the Army ordered for the troops
overseas. With wartime shortages of
gas and motorized equipment, my Dad
plowed with mules. With a farm house,
truck, barn, sheds, animals and farm
equipment, plus braceros and later even
German prisoners of war to harvest our
crops, my family’s proud rancho insured
our domestic prosperity and stability.
Sadly, the ranch was not ours. As my
sardonic grandfather often said: no
hay mal viento que por algun bien no
venga—it is an ill wind that blows
nobody some good.
Before the war, our ranch had belonged
to a Japanese American farmer, who
diligently worked it, growing vegetables
with his wife and two teenage daughters; relying on hired hands only at
harvest time. My father had been one of
his regular ranch hands.
After Pearl Harbor, public fears, and
paranoia on the West Coast went
rampant, unleashing deep seated racist
hatred and insecurities about all nonwhites or people of color, particularly
“Mongolians.” So President Roosevelt
unleashed Executive Order 9066, and
the Japanese American farmer and his
family were forcibly removed from their
property. Under military guard, they ultimately went to one of ten concentration
camps the Feds erected from California
to Arkansas.
As one of the last employees of that
Issei farmer, my father was encouraged
by the Farm Security Administration to
take possession of the ranch and grow
row crops for the Army. I grew into
boyhood believing Dad owned the place.
The entire Cornejo family had spent the war in
one of the federal concentration camps in the
desert. Eighteen months after their release, with
nowhere to go, they were struggling to survive
as migrants.
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WWW.THESTAGE.ORG 2015-2016
The grandchildren of Benjamin and Thelma
Cornejo came to the Teatro to see the play. I felt
the magic circle being drawn again.
Yet everything was on temporary loan
as long as the war lasted. Once it was
over, the dream of “Pancho’s rancho”
disintegrated. More gravely tragic still,
the Japanese American farmer and his
family never recouped their losses or
their property.
The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki in early August, 1945 spun
the clock in reverse for my family. With
no more war effort to feed, the US Army
contracts dried up. We lost the ranch.
The next eleven months were a slow
slide back to the Depression.
Like Mom and Dad had done in the 30s,
we hit the road. By summer 1946, my
family was back on the migrant path.
We returned to La Costa (The Coast),
as some Mexican migrant farm workers
used to call the Santa Clara Valley.
High up on a foothill in Cupertino was
an old empty farm house where we
came to roost. My big brother Frank
and I raced out to explore our environs
before sundown. From a promontory
point, overlooking the “Valley of the
Heart’s Delight,” we scanned the vista of
orchards undulating toward the east all
the way down to San José.
I was still perplexed about the Delano
farm. I asked my brother, who was 9
years old, “What happened? We used
to be rich, now we’re homeless!” Frank
demurred, insisting we had never
been rich, but he was just as hurt and
confused as I was. He knew about the
displaced Japanese farmer, but he didn’t
blame the US government for anything.
He seemed to be more angry at my father
for losing the ranch. It would take me
years to figure it out, but deep in the
morass of my childish fears and disappointments were feelings of guilt—about
the ranch. Even so, I knew we were more
than prune pickers.
Late in 1947, back in Earlimart, just
north of Delano on Highway 99, another
migrant family moved into town on our
street. That’s how I met Esteban, who
was my age.
From the looks of him, he was just a
Chicano kid like me; but I could tell he
was also Asian. At first glance, he looked
Filipino. Esteban confided a fascinating
revelation.
His mother Thelma Yamada was
Japanese American; his father Benjamin
Cornejo was Mexican American. The
entire Cornejo family had spent the
war in one of the federal concentration
camps in the desert. Eighteen months
after their release, with nowhere to
go, they were struggling to survive
as migrants.
Esteban’s family lived across the
street from my house in a cardboard
shack. In some respects, they were
both poorer and richer than my family
was at the time. For one thing, Thelma
was an amazing cook, even on a wood
stove. One night she cooked Mexican;
another night it was Japanese. I never
knew what to expect. Her wonderful
homemade Japanese meals convinced
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7
SCOTT KEIJI TAKEDA
CHRISTINA CHU
Calvin Sakamoto
Hana Yamaguchi
Scott is making his San Jose Stage
Company debut. Regional credits
include: MYSTERIOUS SKIN (East West
Players), CHING CHONG CHINAMAN
(Artists at Play), ZULU TIME (Hudson
Backstage), LADY WINDERMERE’S
FAN (Chalk Rep), and ORDINARY DAYS
(Yes, and Prod.). Film credits include:
CARDINAL X, CARRIE PILBY, S&M SALLY,
EAT WITH ME, and Disney’s ALEXANDER
AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO
GOOD, VERY BAD DAY. He has a B.A. in
Theatre Arts from Pepperdine University.
As a Yonsei with grandparents interned
in Poston and Rohwer, Scott is evergrateful for the opportunity to share this
important story with you.
Christina is making her San Jose Stage
Company debut. Her regional credits
include: VALLEY OF THE HEART (Hana)
in the workshop performances at El
Teatro Campesino; M BUTTERFLY at City
Lights Theatre Company (Comrade Chin,
Shufang and Suzuki) and DAYLIGHTING
at Shotgun Players (Tessa). She is a
graduate of UCLA and has studied at ACT
Summer Congress and Studio ACT.
www.ChristinaChuArtist.com
ROSA MARIA ESCALANTE
Paula Montaño
Rosa Maria is making her San Jose
Stage Company debut. She is reprising
the role of Paula Montaño from the
workshop productions of VALLEY OF
THE HEART at El Teatro Campesino, in
San Juan Bautista. As a veterana and
maestra of El Teatro Campesino, she
joined the company as a student of
founder Luis Valdez while she attended
the University of California, Berkeley.
Regional credits include the California
Premiere of Victor Villaseñor’s RAIN OF
GOLD, directed by Lorenzo Aragon at
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The Western Stage (Doña Margarita),
and the California Premiere of the New
Mexican curandera, Rodolfo Anaya’s
BLESS ME ULTIMA (Ultima), directed by
Elisa Alvarado at Teatro Visión. Rosa is
gratified to experience how the play has
once again united the Mexican American
and Japanese American communities.
GUSTAVO MELLADO
Cayetano Montaño
MELANIE ARII MAH
Thelma “Teruko” Yamaguchi
Melanie is appearing at San Jose
Stage Company for the first time. She
starred in the workshop production of
VALLEY OF THE HEART (Teruko “Thelma”
Yamaguchi) at El Teatro Campesino in
San Juan Bautista. Her Off-Broadway
credits include 4,000 MILES at the
Lincoln Center Theater (Amanda).
National and London credits include
MEASURE FOR MEASURE (Angelo),
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE (Jessica),
TITUS ANDRONICUS (Tamora), and
THE TEMPEST (Ariel) at ADK Shakes,
NY, and The London Academy of Music
and Dramatic Art: HAMLET: THE FIRST
QUARTO (Ofelia), THE WAY OF THE
WORLD (Madame Marwood), and
THE THIRD PART OF HENRY VI (King
Henry VI). Boston University Theatre
productions include THE UNDERPANTS
(Gertrude), THE ORESTEIA (Athena),
and BUG (R.C.). Melanie has a BFA from
Boston University.
Gustavo is delighted to be reprising
the role of Cayetano Montaño, which
he originated in the workshop productions of VALLEY OF THE HEART at
El Teatro Campesino in San Juan
Bautista. Other El Teatro Campesino
credits include LA PASTORELA (Luzbel)
and LA VIRGEN DE TEPEYAC (Bishop). A
resident of Chicago, Gustavo has worked
with theatres throughout the Midwest.
Some favorite roles, including Cayetano
Montaño, are Cesar Chavez in LET
THE EAGLE FLY at The Western Stage
in Salinas and The General in Opera
Cultura’s LA LLORONA.
Randall Nakano
Ichiro Yamaguchi
Randall is making his San Jose Stage
Company debut. His recent credits
include HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF
BITTER AND SWEET (Old Henry ) at
C.A.T.S./Nevada Theater (Nominated for
Lead Male, 2015 Elly Award, Sacramento
Area Regional Theatre Alliance); THE
CRAZED (Prof. Yang) at CentralWorks/
Berkeley (Nominated for Featured Actor,
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2014 San Francisco Bay Area Theatre
Critics Circle Award); the World Premiere
of THE RIVER (Sydell) at Campo Santo
and RIGHTS OF PASSAGE (Nyoman/Joe)
at New Conservatory Theatre Center.
Randall’s Bay Area credits include work
at TheatreWorks, Aurora Theatre, The
Magic Theatre, Theatre of Yugen, Thick
Description, Asian American Theatre
Company and Bay Area Playwright’s
Festival.
Lee-Ron
Kurogo
Andres Ortiz
Ernesto “Tito” Montaño
Andres is making his San Jose Stage
Company debut. Born in Pomona,
California and raised in San Antonio,
Texas, Andres has been performing for
14 years. He’s performed in professional
theater productions throughout North
and South Texas. Local credits include:
CORRIDOS and TORTILLA CURTAIN at
The Western Stage, LA LLORONA at
Opera Cultura, and LA PASTORELA and
the workshop productions of VALLEY
OF THE HEART at El Teatro Campesino.
Andres works for the Arts Council
Santa Cruz County where he teaches
after-school drama classes to students
in Watsonville. Andres earned his BFA
in acting from Southern Methodist
University in Dallas. Andres is very proud
to be a part of this historic production
and would like to thank his family for
their tremendous love and support.
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Lee-Ron is making his San Jose Stage
Company debut. He recently played
a Kurogo in M. BUTTERFLY at City
Lights Theater Company. Other credits
include Romeo in ROMEO AND JULES
at Left Coast Theatre Co. and George in
GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES at South
Bay Musical Theatre. He’s also appeared
in various roles in Playwrights’ Center of
San Francisco’s 24-Hour Play Festivals
and TheatreWorks’ Young Playwrights
Project. Lee-Ron trained at Stella
Adler Studio of Acting in New York and
American Conservatory Theater in San
Francisco. www.lee-ron.com
CHRISTY SANDOVAL
Maruca Montaño
Christy is making her San Jose Stage
Company debut. She’s been a company
member of El Teatro Campesino since
2005. Her El Teatro Campesino credits
include: Satanás and Cuchara in the
biannual LA PASTORELA, Criada in
LA VIRGEN DEL TEPEYAC, Bertha in
ZOOT SUIT, La Muerte in LA CARPA DE
LOS RASQUACHIS and Little Buddy in
Kinan Valdez’s SAM BURGUESA AND
THE PIXIE CHICKS. She played Maruca
in Luis Valdez’s workshop production of VALLEY OF THE HEART in San
Juan Bautista. Staged reading credits
include: Octavio Solis’ MOTHER ROAD
and Baktun 12’s IYA: THE ESSELEN
REMEMBER. Christy is also El Teatro
Campesino’s resident choreographer,
having most recently choreographed the
company’s co-production with Center
Theatre Group of the outdoor puppet
pageant spectacle, POPOL VUH: HEART
IN HEAVEN in Los Angeles.
RYAN TAKEMIYA
Joe “Yoshi” Yamaguchi
Ryan is making his San Jose Stage
Company debut. As a newcomer to the
theatrical stage, Ryan is proud to be a
part of a production that keeps an important piece of history alive, is relevant in
today’s political climate, and is so close
to his own family history.
Rafael (TJ) Toribio
Kurogo
Rafael is making his San Jose Stage
Company debut. He’s appeared in
productions at The Western Stage since
2009 including Bye Bye Birdie, Sunsets
and Margaritas, The Music Man, West
Side Story and many others and has
danced with Tonatiuh and Sabor Mexico
baile folklorico dance companies. TJ
is currently working with El Teatro
Campesino, San Jose Stage Company,
The Western Stage, Los Altos Stage
Company, and Pac Rep Theatre.
He’s studied Theatre at Monterey
Peninsula College, Hartnell College,
San Diego State University, and most
recently received a Bachelors Degree
in Theatre Arts from San José State
University, receiving honors as Class
of 2015’s “Excellence in Acting.” TJ
is working towards an MFA in Scenic
Design.
Lakin Valdez
Benjamin Montaño
Lakin is making his debut at San Jose
Stage Company with VALLEY OF THE
HEART. Born and raised in the extended
family of El Teatro Campesino, he
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11
as the company’s associate artistic
director from 2000 to 2005. Lakin has
written, directed, and performed in
countless productions nationally,
culminating in work that reflects the rich
history and vibrant culture of the U.S.
Latino/Chicano community. He is the
recipient of two National Performance
Network Creation Fund Awards and
a National Endowment for the Arts
Access to Excellence Award, among
others. Lakin most recently performed
in MOTHER ROAD (Goodman Theatre),
BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY
(American Conservatory Theatre),
SWIFT AS DESIRE (FWD Theatre
Project), OEDIPUS EL REY (San Diego
Rep), EL HENRY (La Jolla Playhouse),
THE RIVER (Campo Santo), ANTIGONE
(San Jose Repertory Theatre), and
LYDIA (Marin Theatre Company). He has
also performed with The Public Theatre,
American Blues Theater, Chicago
Dramatists, L.A. Theatre Works and El
Teatro Campesino.
ACTORS’ EQUITY
ASSOCIATIOn
Founded in 1913, AEA is the labor
union that represents more than 48,000
Actors and Stage Managers in the
United States. Equity seeks to advance,
promote and foster the art of live theatre
as an essential component of our
society. Equity negotiates wages and
working conditions and provides a wide
range of benefits, including health and
pension plans, for its members. Actors’
Equity is a member of the AFL-CIO and
is affiliated with FIA, an international
organization of performing arts unions.
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LUIS VALDEZ
Playwright/Director
Luis is regarded as one of the most
important and influential American
playwrights living today. His internationally renowned, and Obie award-winning
theater company, El Teatro Campesino
(The Farm Workers’ Theater) was
founded by Luis in 1965 - in the heat
of the United Farm Workers (UFW)
struggle and the Great Delano Grape
Strike in California’s Central Valley. His
involvement with Cesar Chavez, the
UFW, and the early Chicano Movement
left an indelible mark that remains
embodied in all his work even after he
left the UFW in 1967: his early actos
LAS DOS CARAS DEL PATRONCITO
and QUINTA TEMPORADA, (short plays
written to encourage campesinos to
leave the fields and join the UFW), his
mitos (mythic plays) BERNABE and
LA CARPA DE LOS RASQUACHIS that
gave Chicanos their own contemporary
mythology, his examinations of Chicano
urban life in I DON’T HAVE TO SHOW
YOU NO STINKIN’ BADGES, his Chicano
re-visioning of classic Mexican folktales
CORRIDOS, his exploration of his
Indigenous Yaqui roots in MUMMIFIED
DEER, and - of course - the play that
re-exams the “Sleepy Lagoon Trial of
1942” and the “Zoot Suit Riots of 1943,”
two of the darkest moments in LA urban
history – ZOOT SUIT - considered a
masterpiece of the American Theater
as well as the first Chicano play on
Broadway and the first Chicano major
feature film. In 2014, Luis’ workshop
production of VALLEY OF THE HEART
was presented on the stage of El Teatro
Campesino in rural San Juan Bautista,
California.
Luis’ numerous feature film and television credits include, among others,
the box office hit film LA BAMBA,
starring Lou Diamond Phillips, CISCO
KID, starring Jimmy Smits and Cheech
Marin, and CORRIDOS: TALES OF
PASSION AND REVOLUTION, starring
Linda Ronstadt. Luis has never strayed
far from his own farm worker roots.
His company, El Teatro Campesino is
located 60 miles south of San Jose
in the rural community of San Juan
Bautista, CA. This theater, tucked
away in San Benito County, is the
most important and longest running
Chicano Theater in the United States.
Luis’ hard work and long creative
career have won him countless awards
including numerous LA Drama Critic
Awards, Dramalogue Awards, Bay
Area Critics Awards, the prestigious
George Peabody Award for excellence
in television, the Presidential Medal of
the Arts, the Governor’s Award from the
California Arts Council, and Mexico’s
prestigious Aguila Azteca Award given
to individuals whose work promotes
cultural excellence and exchange
between US and Mexico. Mr. Valdez has
written numerous plays and authored
numerous articles and books.
His latest anthology MUMMIFIED
DEER AND OTHER PLAYS was recently
published by Arte Publico Press. As
an educator, he has taught at the
University of California, Berkeley, UC
Santa Cruz, Fresno State University and
was one of the founding professors of
CSU Monterey Bay. He is the recipient
of honorary doctorates from, among
others, the University of Rhode Island,
the University of South Florida, Cal Arts,
the University of Santa Clara and his
alma mater, San Jose State University.
Mr. Valdez was inducted into the College
of Fellows of the American Theatre at
the Kennedy Center for the Performing
Arts in Washington D.C. In 2007, he
was awarded a Rockefeller fellowship
as one of the fifty US Artists honored
across the United States.
Marilyn Abad-Cardinalli
Assistant Director
Marilyn has a forty-year career in
directing, writing and producing theatre
and television. A Professor Emeritus
of Theatre Arts of Gavilan College, she
directed and produced over 100 plays,
was the executive producer of GavTV
Educational Channel, and founded
the Summer Theatre Arts Repertory,
“STAR,” program that introduces
theatre and performing arts to youth.
This program is celebrating its 30th
anniversary this year. Marilyn serves
on the board of directors for El Teatro
Campesino and is the founding president
of the Millennium Charter High School
Board of Governors, focusing on Arts &
Digital Technology in Salinas.
Joe Cardinalli
Scenic Designer
Joe is the resident set designer for El
Teatro Campesino where his designs
include I DON’T HAVE TO SHOW YOU
NO STINKIN’ BADGES, FIN DEL MUNDO,
SIMPLY MARIA and the ZOOT SUIT
National Tour. He designs for theatre,
video and film productions, Christmas
displays, parade floats, video arcades
and homes. He is the artistic and
executive director of the World Theater
at California State University Monterey
Bay and is the founding designer and
director of San Jose’s Christmas in
the Park and the Holiday Parade. Joe
currently serves on the boards of El
Teatro Campesino, All Arts Connect
Foundation and Festa Italia, and
received his Master’s Degree in Theatre
Arts from San Jose State University.
MARGARET KAYES* Stage Manager
Maggie returns to San Jose Stage
Company having recently stagemanaged for THE 39 STEPS, RFK and
award-winning THE ADDAMS FAMILY. Her other credits include SWEENEY
TODD and ONE MAN TWO GUVNORS
at Lyric Stage Company of Boston;
TWELFTH NIGHT, CORIOLANUS
and OTHELLO at Commonwealth
Shakespeare Company; THE SECRET
GARDEN, THE UNBLEACHED
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AMERICAN, SOMETHING’S AFOOT,
MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET, THE
MARVELOUS WONDERETTES, THESE
SHINING LIVES, THOROUGHLY MODERN
MILLIE, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE and
THE FULL MONTY at Stoneham Theatre;
L’ INCORONAZIONE DI POPPEA,
THE TURN OF THE SCREW at New
England Conservatory; LA GRANDE
DUCHESSE DE GÉROLSTEIN, TANCREDI,
THE BARTERED BRIDE, THE NOSE
and DER FREISCHÜTZ at Opera
Boston. Thank you to all the family for
their love and support.
David Murakami
Projections Designer
David last designed projections for The
Stage’s season opener, RFK. As a film
director, writer, and projection designer,
David integrates emerging technologies
with traditional performance on stage.
His past designs include DEAD MAN
WALKING, PETER PAN, and TROUBLE
IN TAHITI, along with the American
premieres of ANYA 17, HEART OF
DARKNESS, and the workshop production of Luis Valdez’s VALLEY OF THE
HEART. David is currently directing his
sixth feature-length film MORNINGSTAR,
designing the projections for Terence
Blanchard’s CHAMPION with Opera
Parallèle, and designing the world
premiere of Jake Heggie’s opera OUT OF
DARKNESS in Seattle. www.davidmurakami.com
Michael Palumbo
Lighting Designer
Michael returns to San Jose Stage
Company, where he has created
many designs, including scenic and
light designs for IT’S A WONDERFUL
LIFE, RACE and THE TURN OF THE
SCREW; light designs for THE ADDAMS
FAMILY, BONNIE & CLYDE, AN ILIAD,
THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF
CHAD DIETY, the Regional Premiere
of REEFER MADNESS: THE MUSICAL,
RED, RECKLESS, BURIED CHILD, ON
THE WATERFRONT, THE PILLOWMAN,
THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK, the
World Premiere of LIL’ DARLIN’,
INCORRUPTIBLE and ANTON IN SHOW
BUSINESS; and scenic designs for
the World Premiere of BUFFALO’ED,
CABARET, and THE SEAFARER. He has
also designed lighting and/or scenery
for TheatreWorks, Marin Theatre
Company, Opera San Jose, San Jose
Repertory Theatre, Sacramento Opera,
Aurora Theatre Company, Magic
Theatre, Diablo Theatre Company,
Broadway by the Bay, Shotgun Players,
Berkeley Playhouse, Pacific Repertory
Theatre, TheatreFirst, Inferno Theatre,
Teatro Vision, Palo Alto Players, Solano
College Theatre/Harbor Theatre, City
Lights Theatre Company of San Jose
and Bus Barn Stage Company.
Lupe Valdez
Costume Designer
Lupe has designed costumes for El
Teatro Campesino since 2010, after
assisting designers for a number of
years. She designed the workshop
production of VALLEY OF THE HEART,
written and directed by Luis Valdez
at El Teatro Campesino in San Juan
Bautista (2014-14) and SIMPLY MARIA
and FOOD FOR THE DEAD by Josefina
López. Other productions include: SAM
BURGUESA AND THE PIXIE CHICKS,
written and directed by Kinan Valdez;
CORRIDOS REMIX, a blend of traditional and narco corrido ballads by
Kinan and Luis Valdez; LA VIRGEN DE
TEPEYAC and LA PASTORELA by Luis
Valdez; ORATORIO: CANCIÓN DE SAN
JUAN, written and performed by Daniel
Valdez, and directed by his brother,
Luis. Lupe Trujillo Valdez joined El
Teatro Campesino in 1968 as a young
Chicana activist after graduating from
Fresno State University. She originated the role of Miss Jimenez in LOS
VENDIDOS in 1968, and played Lupe in
El Teatro Campesino’s production of THE
SHRUKEN HEAD OF PANCHO VILLA in
1969. She married Luis Valdez in 1969
and is the proud mother of their three
sons, Anahuac, Kinan, and Lakin.
Thank You
to our Sponsors for helping bring
WORLD PREMIERE
a kabuki corrido
to life in San Jose...
Abrazos!
California Latino Caucus • The Fujii & Esparza Family
Hispanics In Philanthropy • Michael & Judith Hurley
Kurt Kurasaki • The George Masunaga Family
Watsonville-Santa Cruz JACL • Jack & Isaias Ybarra
Masaru Hashimoto
Special Thanks
Patty Abad Scott • Elaine Abad • Milao Arellano
California State Monterey Bay, World Theater • Cesar Flores
Roy & PJ Hirabayashi • Tudy Johnson • Bill Manbo Jr. • David Martinez
Milagro Marketing • Arturo Martinez • Eric Muller • Ron Pratt
San Jose Taiko • Tom Trafton2015-2016 WWW.THESTAGE.ORG
15
San Jose Stage company
in partnership with
EL TEATRO CAMPESINO
present
WORLD PREMIERE
a kabuki corrido
By Luis Valdez
Directed by Luis Valdez
with
Lakin Valdez*Melanie Mah*
Randall Nakano* Gustavo Mellado*Rosa Maria Escalante
Christina ChuRyan Takemiya
Anthony Chan
Christy SandovalAndres Ortiz
Rafael (TJ) ToribioLee-ron
Assistant Director
Scenic Design
Costume Design
Marilyn-Abad CardinalliJoe CaRdinalliLupe Valdez
Lighting Design
Projections Design
Original Sound Design
Stage Manager
Michael Palumbo†David MurakamiJoe CedilloMargaret kayes*
Original Music
Roy & P.J. Hirabayashi
Noe Montoya
* THESE ACTORS/STAGE MANAGERS APPEAR THROUGH COURTESY OF ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION,
THE UNION OF PROFESSIONAL ACTORS AND STAGE MANAGERS.
† MEMBER OF UNITED SCENIC ARTISTS
San Jose Stage Company
Randall King, Co-Founder & Artistic Director | Cathleen King, Executive Director.
El Teatro Campesino
Luis Valdez, Founding Artistic Director | Kinan Valdez, Producing Artistic Director |
Phil Esparza, Executive Producer.
Workshop Productions of VALLEY OF THE HEART developed at El Teatro Campesino and
California State University, Monterey Bay, 2013-2014.
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WWW.THESTAGE.ORG 2015-2016
C AST
in order of appearance
Benjamin Montaño Kurogo RAFAEL (TJ) TORIBIO
Kurogo
Lee-Ron
Hana Yamaguchi
Paula Montaño
LAKIN VALDEZ* CHRISTINA CHU
ROSA MARIA ESCALANTE Ichiro Yamaguchi
RANDALL NAKANO*
Maruca Montaño
CHRISTY SANDOVAL Cayetano Montaño GUSTAVO MELLADO* Ernesto “Tito” Montaño ANDRES ORTIZ Joe “Yoshi” Yamaguchi
RYAN TAKEMIYA
Thelma “Teruko” Yamaguchi Calvin Sakamoto
MELANIE ARII MAH*
SCOTT KEIJI TAKEDA
*MEMBER OF ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION
Act I
Silicon Valley, 2001
Winter of 1941 – Santa Clara Valley
INTERMISSION – 15 minutes
ACT II
May 1942 – Fall of 1945
Heart Mountain, Wyoming
and Cupertino, California
to Silicon Valley, 2001
2015-2016 WWW.THESTAGE.ORG
17
C REATI V E TEAM
DirectorLuis Valdez
Assistant DirectorMarilyn Abad-Cardinalli
Scenic Design Joe Cardinalli
Costume Design Lupe Valdez
Lighting Design Michael Palumbo†
Projections Design David Murakami
Original Sound Design Joe Cedillo
Musicians
Roy & P.J. Hirabayashi
Noe Montoya
Stage Manager Margaret Kayes*
Production Assistant Aurora Olmos
Production Assistant Lauren Howry
Master Electrician David Gotlieb
Technical Director/Rafael (TJ) Toribio
Master Carpenter
Fight CaptainLakin Valdez
Props Master Rafael (TJ) Toribio
Sound & Projections Assistant Dante Carballo
Special Projects Gino Abad
Tom Trafton
Costume Assistants Cristal Gonzales
Virginia Haro
P.J. Hirobayashi
Marketing & David Ocampo
Social Media Consultant
*MEMBER OF ACTORS’ EQUITY ASSOCIATION
† MEMBER OF UNITED SCENIC ARTISTS
HOUSE MANAGEMENT
Margaret Akdeniz
Anna Belaya
Eleanor
Vade Bon Coeur
Susan Buchs
David Carlos
Frances DeLeon
Pamela DeMartini
Art Diaz
Irma Diaz
Pamela Dougherty
18
Barbara Elsea
Linda Guyer
Lynnea Hagen
Christine
Calloway-Holt
Kyra Hubis
Margaret Husband
Garry Johnson
Daniel Katzen
Karie Lew
Howard Lyons
WWW.THESTAGE.ORG 2015-2016
Helen Maynard
Alex McKale
Peter Miskin
Ann Musinski
Ken Odom
Liana Putrino
Victor Rodriguez
Mary Russell
Linda Russo
Anne-Marie
Schwartz
Melinda Sheehan
Mabel Shiramizu
Joan Smith
Sharon Smith
Nettie Wijsman
Rebecca Woiteshek
Gayle Yankee
Wayne Yankee
Diana Yuryeva
Valerie Zborowski
Mission
“To Make Teatro a Creator of
Vibrant Community”
Founded in 1965 by American playwright Luis Valdez as a means of
organizing the nation’s agricultural workers through art and culture, El
Teatro Campesino – literally “the Farm Workers’ theater” – has been at
the forefront of using theater as an artistic generator of social change
for nearly five decades. ETC’s seminal work has impacted and influenced
several artists and cultural institutions in developing an acting technique,
aesthetic, and narrative of Latinos’ pursuit of social justice in the United
States and internationally. From flat bed trucks to the Broadway stage, this
multigenerational company has worked to empower Chicano/Latino artists
and communities from its home in San Juan Bautista, California since 1971.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Luis Valdez
company staff
Luis Valdez
Eric Gutierrez
Kinan Valdez
Chas Croslin
Founding Artistic Director
Lupe Valdez
Phil Esparza
Producing Artistic Director
Marilyn
Abad-Cardinalli
Phil Esparza
Joe Cardinalli
Louisa Casarez
Anahuac Valdez
Jose Delgado
Executive Producer
Ruben Gonzalez
Artist-in-Residence
Alfredo Avila
Artist Manager
Christy Sandoval
Cristal Gonzalez
Emiliano Valdez
Richard F. Vasquez
Artist-in-Residence
Business Manager
Education Program Manager
Kinan Valdez
Teaching Artist
Education Director
Artist Manager
Emily Molinar Morales
Artist Manager
Katrina Valdez
Teaching Artist
705 Fourth Street
San Juan Bautista, CA 95045
831.623.2444
www.elteatrocampesino.com
2015-2016 WWW.THESTAGE.ORG
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