By Sara Berry
Torp Theater housed a celebration of all things Latina last Wednesday, as the Ruth Boyea Women’s Center, along with the Latin American, Latino and Caribbean Center at CCSU and the Office of Diversity & Equity sponsored Yo Soy Latina!, a play performed by Latino Flavored Productions.
Written by Linda Nieves-Powell and starring Nadya Encarnacion, Nicolle Guerra and Jenny Saldana, Yo Soy Latina! was an enjoyable portrayal of the trials and tribulations of young Latina women coming of age in the US.
The set was simple, but the story was not. The stage, set simply with three chairs, initially struck me as underwhelming. But it quickly became apparent that the props were so sparse to keep the audience’s attention on the story and the message.
The plot was multi-layered, with the larger story being that of Linda, a struggling Latina writer who wanted to fit in. She began with a manuscript stuffed in the back of a drawer and ended up with the stories of Latina women throughout the country and around the world. She had given a friend a copy of the manuscript for an audition, not thinking that it would go any further. But her story was a hit, and drew attention from near and far.
The plot then begins to thicken as we meet six of the women who sent Linda their stories. The three actresses change characters to tell their stories. Through funny stories and sad stories, the audience learns that the commonly held stereotypes of Latina women do not always hold true, and that Latina women are as unique and different as the countries they have originated from. We see the stars of each story overcome their own unique issues and find themselves in the process. They all learn to embrace their culture as part of their identity and take pride in their heritage.
Yo Soy Latina! may have dealt specifically with the issues faced by Latina women, but any woman struggling to balance family heritage, current culture and her own identity will be able to relate, whether Latina, European, Middle Eastern or Asian. It was an enjoyable, thought provoking event that had the audience laughing from beginning to end.
