Crossing the Cultural Landscape June 13, 2012 Robert Longoria
This June, local writer-director Pedro Garcia wrapped a run of his latest play production: “Yerma”. Federico Garcia Lora’s play “tells the story of a childless woman living in rural Spain. Her desperate desire for motherhood becomes an obsession that eventually drives her to commit a horrific crime.” Chances are, if you’re a Rio Grande Valley local, you have at least heard of his productions at the Pharr Literacy Project—among them “The Life and Times of Juanito Gonzalez”, “A Pharr Tale”, “Bless Me Ultima”, “Tales of the Hidalgo Pumphouse”, and “A Bird Brains Christmas”, among dozens of others. If you are unfamiliar with Garcia’s work, he has been directing local productions that have unified and captivated both English and Spanish-speaking audiences—the Winter Texans and the predominant Hispanic population of the Rio Grande Valley. Garcia is fearless, diving into the multi-faceted genres of bilingual storytelling, wielding a diverse cast (often more than twenty actors) from the community setting. Some of which, often are participating for the first time on stage, with no prior stage experience; others that have become familiar, trusted figures within his more recent work. He awaits as the audience buzzes with excitement, crowds forming a cohesive audience; as the lights dim, the music score comes into play and the night of magic begins But of course, Garcia is familiar with the transformative power of theatre, having directed over 54 plays in a career spanning over two decades. He’s become known for his genre-crossing plays that span across the Rio Grande herself, telling her own story as well as that of her people. Whether it is the supernatural cuentos of los cucuys, the powerful drama of a Rodolfo Anaya play, or a reuniting of older Conjunto legends such as Cha Cha Jimenez or Wally “The Short-Legged Texan” Gonzalez—each performance brings with it an uncanny feeling of heritage and mystique.
Though he’s known for his directing, Garcia has also been featured in several bit parts, seeded throughout the years in such movies as “Mad Love” and more recently “Fast Five”. There is something lingering behind his eyes, desperation to get his other passion out into the world: “The Last Thanksgiving”. In development for several years, Garcia has long had this particular project dormant. He discusses the film’s genesis: “The Last Thanksgiving” started as a short story that my friend, Alejandro Garza wrote. He shared with me a great story about a man and a boy and the journey that they [embark on] together, each becoming better for it.” While Garza passed away, he bestowed the story onto Garcia, who took the story as his own, captivating the interest of veteran actor Pepe Serna, whose most-recognized role was in Brian de Palma’s “Scarface” with Al Pacino.
The story takes place in Donna, Texas where a boy, Antonio, and a mysterious old man, Trujillo (Serna) converge on a ancient watch thought lost in a fire long ago, that changes their lives forever. Forming a friendship over the course of the film, it’s a story of two people that learn forgiveness and letting go of the past. Though he has had imaginative success as a writer-director for local play productions, Garcia has had in an uphill battle to get his film made. Garcia, has remained committed to the project, going through several revisions and funding difficulties. “[Alejandro] shared with me a great story…I’m going to try and step back [from theatre] and get funding through a co-producer.” ··· Pedro Garcia’s own journey began after serving a three-year tour with the United States Marine Corp., pursuing a graduation certificate from the Columbia School of Broadcasting, and moving to Albuquerque New Mexico, where found himself as radio DJ by day and an actor by night from 1987 through 1992 with “La Compania de Teatro de Albuquerque”. Eventually in 1997, Pedro found himself back in the Valley and has since remained a resident. Housed at the McAllen Creative Incubator for a few years, Garcia was recruited in 2009 by Elva Michal, co-founder of the Pharr Literacy Project (PLP) to direct a production celebrating Pharr’s commemorative centennial. Michal recalls, “I met Pedro, after we realized [Pharr Literacy] needed to expand, and he started working with us on [Pharr’s] centennial. Pedro did such a phenomenal job, the play was well-received by the community, and we asked if he could become our artistic director.” In finding an author for the Pharr production, Garcia enlisted local playwright Tiffany Anderson. who eventually penned “A Pharr Tale“. “The Pharr Literacy Project was creating community theatre, it was fulltime job. I learned about [the project], went through the Pan-Am Library, the Pumphouse, and basically tried to capture the history of the Valley…Pharr’s history,” she said. Throughout the process of constructing the working script, Anderson studied the actors during rehearsals, met with them, and in turn was influenced by their personalities and portrayals. “I wrote the script in 3 stages, turned that script in, and it went through several revisions.” On Garcia: “I thought he had a very lively energy, I was really excited about the community theatre, taking it in after a few rehearsals. We’re such a great mix, I think with independent theater, it might get bland without the local flavor. With it, there’s more freedom to choose and display local cultural flavor. I think we’re living in a very interesting time for our region, its coming in its own that people won’t deny when looking back in this time period,” Anderson said.
Photo by Jose L. Rodriguez
Since “A Pharr Tale”, Garcia has become synonymous with the Pharr Literacy Project, serving as its Artistic Director and bringing a wide-variety of productions that have catered to the various South Texas communities. “As a result [of the play], there is much more awareness of the Literacy Project, we’ve gotten a lot of publicity, and it has really put us on the map. As a matter of fact, we’re currently getting a cultural arts district approved, that was brought by the theater,” Michal says. The Pharr Literacy Project began in 2003 and serves to “enhance the quality of family life, build individual potential, bring divergent cultures together, improve the economic health of our community and bring about the systemic change through education and through an established program of cultural arts.” What differentiates the Pharr Literacy Theatre, is that the productions offer local playwrights the opportunity to showcase their own work. Anderson’s “A Pharr Tale” provided the template for other local writers to follow in her footsteps. Among those are Archer Crosley and Lucio G. Rivera, who wrote “Pat & Lyndon” and “Tales of the Hidalgo Pumphouse” respectively. Ironically, as other production companies have begun to spring up in South Texas in recent years, Garcia’s Teatro Nuestra Cultura, through the Pharr Community Theater, remains one of the few theater companies that have dealt directly with cultural issues pertaining to local folklore, geography, and aesthetic of South Texas since its inception. ··· Despite anticipation of starting “The Last Thanksgiving”, Garcia is grateful for his time with theatre, “I like to see the audience and the community become inspired.” His focus remains on active projects which include auditioning for local and global media productions, running the Pharr Theater, and searching for a co-producer for his film. Reflecting on his own aspirations for community theater in the future of the Rio Grande Valley, “From Roma to Brownsville, you have lots of colonias with no libraries and where a lot of the juvenile areas are. I believe those areas are under-served.” Inspired by actor Paul Newman’s “Newman’s Own”, a company that has donated millions of dollars towards charity, Garcia has similar aspirations to provide relief to lowincome areas, “I want to work with those colonias to help serve and rehabilitate juvenile delinquents through the arts. It’s a worthy plan. There’s more potential in the Valley where there can be less crime and less corruption.” Garcia is more than a director—he’s a beacon for local artists, both amateur and professional, an optimistic visionary whose aspirations exceed his own viewpoint in the cultural spectrum of the Rio Grande Valley. “I’m ready for my best work to come.”