cornerstone (theater co) institute: Community Reading in Arvin

Sunday, June 3 we had a community reading for our Institute play in Arvin. This was essentially the third draft of FLOR, by Will MacAdams. In May we did 3 small readings of an earlier draft.

On Friday, June 1, we had an in-house reading of this draft at Cornerstone. The draft we read together on Friday did not include the parts of the script intended to be in Spanish. Many people had to leave before we finished reading, but when we finished Laurie, Sigrid, Julie Marie Myatt, Angie, Mark and I spent some time talking about the script.

Meanwhile our translator in Arvin was working furiously to get Spanish into the script as Will has intended. We got the script for Sunday early that morning and Angie started making copies on Cornerstone’s resistant copy machine and a little after 10am we piled into the Big White Van and drove the two hours to Arvin. Here’s who went: Mark Valdez, Will MacAdams, Jeanette Godoy (I-9 student), Bill Honigstein, Nephelie Andonyadis, Angie Kamel and me. (Nephelie met us in Arvin.) Rick, the facilities guy at Veterans Hall, met us there and let us into the space where we set up quickly. The room is so big we decided to sit in a circle on the stage where people’s voice might be more easily heard. We had RSVPs for about 30 people. 22 people actually made it. Many were more than 20 minutes late, but it all worked out. Here’s who joined us: The Dustbowl folks, essentially monolingual English speakers-- Don & Carol Burkett, Larry Hallum, WC Stampes, Jim & Ruth Young; The currently-living-in Arvin monolingual Spanish Speakers—Mr & Mrs. Martinez (parents of Mónica), Mr. & Mrs. Garcia (parents of Gabriel), Paula & Gabby Fernandez (mother & sister of Paola); plus Javier Arreola (translator), Mónica, Paola, Sam & Maria Mercado, Luz Peña, Clara Bruno and her little sister Susie, city council member Toni Picardo, and Stanley Clark who is a professor at CSUB. Two or three people told me before beginning that they had to leave early but no one did.

We did introductions around the room at the beginning. (Of course many people joined us post-introductions.) Will made some opening remarks, mostly thanking folks for their participation and acknowledging that they are the experts on the south Kern communities and their generous sharing of stories is at the heart of Will’s work as playwright. Mark handed out parts around the circle—most folks were willing to read—even those who we’d been advised would not want to read. This version of the script includes stage directions in English and Spanish, some scenes that include both languages and others that are in one or the other with no included translation. We opted to read the stage directions in Spanish – Javier did this for us—and ask the English-speakers to follow along with directions written in English. Most of our participants were bilingual and they seemed to do well with the bilingual script. Some were very enthusiastic about how language was treated in the script. The monolingual English speakers felt shut out and in the dark regarding the scenes in Spanish and the quantity of Spanish. Larry spoke loudly and forcefully about how Dustbowl folks would not come see the play if it stays as written regarding proportions of language. The monolingual Spanish speakers shared no comments. Toni Picardo said that a large majority of Arvin residents are Spanish-only speakers. (Though Will has heard other statistics.) There was discussion about language and ideas for how to include simultaneous translation including super-titles and the headsets used in city and organizational meetings for translation.

Immediately following the reading though, Will took advantage of the very unusual circumstance of having this unique mix of Arvinites in the room and asked that we each take a few minutes to speak with someone we don’t know in the room and share something we remember from the script. Many people just shared something they remember or think as related to the content of the script rather than specifically something in the script. (At least, that’s what happened in my group with Jim Young, Guadalupe Martinez and Mr. Garcia—as translated by Javier.)

Will asked a couple other questions about the script, like what characters were strongest and what do they think happens at the end of the play. Afterward we took a group picture and then many people had smaller conversations as folks were cleaning up and leaving. I spoke with Toni Picardo who expressed disappointment that other council members did not attend, and that she was glad to have come to this even though she had to rush over from a fundraiser right beforehand. Sam & Maria also arrived late due to other events attended earlier. Mark had a conversation with WC. Will walked out with Jim, Ruth and Larry.

Clara interviewed Will for a SouthKernSol.org article about the reading.

Afterward the Cornerstone folks had lunch together at the Thai restaurant in Arvin.

And dessert at the ice cream place next door to little ceasar's.

Upon arrival in town you will understand that Little Ceasar's pizza place is kind of a landmark. Also the ice cream place has some unique things on the menu-- 1 is some kind of weird item where the top is cut off of a tostitos (or similar) snack bag and some goop is put on top of the chips in that bag-as-serving-bowl. It's hard to say what the goop is other than red and maybe jiggly, like it could be seafood (shrimp? squid?) or it could be gummy worms, or it could be, maybe onion slices slick with salsa. We did not eat this but someone else there ordered it and it didn't make any more sense in person than it did in the photographic illustration on the menu board.

2 is the most amazing selection of what seem to be homemade paletas (popsicles). We had a coconut one and a lime one. They are generous portions and extremely flavorful and delicious.