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Childsplay presents the true story of a Latino leader
Most kids know the local library as a friendly place. A sanctuary to open a book and escape into adventures set in imaginary lands with heroic characters.
However, for a child barely learning English, the library -- and schools -- can be scary places filled with words that are confusing and carry little meaning.
In Tomás and the Library Lady, playwright José Cruz González takes the scenes of a Spanish-speaking boy's fears and populates them with characters bad and good. The pivotal character is that of the Library Lady, who kindles and then ignites Tomás' passion for reading.
González, who lives in Cerritos in southern California, is an award-winning playwright and commuter artist in residence with Phoenix's Childsplay Theater since 1997. Prolific and versatile, he handles children and adult themes with equal ease.
Childsplay will present Tomas and the Library Lady throughout May. The show opens on May 6 at 11 a.m. (with an ASL interpreted show at 2 p.m.) at the Tempe Performing Arts Center, 132 E. Sixth St., Tempe. Additional performances are May 14, 20 and 28.
González based the script on author Pat Mora's popular book and his own extensive interviews and research. The play tells the true story of the late Chicano writer and educator Tomás Rivera, who began life as the son of migrant workers in Iowa and rose to be an author and the first Mexican American chancellor at the University of California.
"Tomás is different from most plays and special in so many ways," says González in a phone interview from his Cerritos home. "It's a great story, bilingual, uses video projected on screens to portray some characters, and I composed original music for it."
The proud playwright expresses his excitement over the phone by reading dialogue and playing snatches of music on his guitar.
A play about Spanish-speaking children learning English and the life-transforming power of education is especially relevant for Arizona, González adds, where the state Legislature struggles to find a solution to educating immigrant children.
Valley actor Marcos Najera (a Latino Perspectives columnist) portrays Tomás, and Heather Harper plays the Lady. Childsplay founder David Saar directs the production.
González teaches theater at California State University at Los Angeles.
Ticket prices for Tomás are $22 for adults, $18 for children, students and seniors. For show hours visit Childsplay's Web site at www.childsplayaz.org or call (480) 350-8119.
