"I like to tell stories. I tell them inside my head. I am going to tell you a story about a girl who didn’t want to belong."
~Esperanza

We invite you to our family gathering

November 14-8pm

November 15- 2pm, 8pm

November 16- 2pm

The House on Mango Street is an incredible coming of age novella by Sandra Cisneros that was adapted by Amy Ludwig for the stage.

I have a cast of 24 students ready to bring this piece to life on the stage, and even more ready to work back stage and behind the scenes to bring this piece to life. Even more important than that is the 600 students, and their 600 families that I believe would benefit from experiencing this piece of theatre. A part of education that we too often ignore is the community necessary for learning. It takes a village to raise a child. I want to provide an experience that brings together our whole school's family community. 

I have grand visions for this production. With the generosity of Elena Etcheverry of Charity Wings Arts Center, we have secured an industrial warehouse to put up our show. We need funds to transform this warehouse into the world of Mango Street. I am not just thinking of a piece of theatre on a stage. I am thinking of these things--

Chicano food trucks outside per each performance
Mariachi bands
Ballet folklorico
Professional stage lighting
Professional Designers to come work with students
Full costumes
Profesisonal sound board and mixer
Speakers for sound
Props and set pieces

The things that are the most stressful right now when it comes to money are the following:

To hire a professional designer, we will need $500
To rent all the lighting equipment that we need to truly transform this industrial warehouse into the world of Mango Street, we will need $1500
The last $500 is for all the loose ends--I'm hoping to scavenge out costumes and props. I predict that this last $500 will be used on lumber and supplies to build the bulk of the set.

My goal with this production is not just to put on a piece of theatre. I want to connect our entire community with this shared experience. This will be our third annual production at High Tech High North County, in our very young theatre department, at a school that doesn't have a theatre. The first production was The Putnam County Spelling Bee. The second production was A Midsummer Night's Dream. I believe The House on Mango Street has already attracted a group of stuents who too often believe that theatre is "not for me". I want to prove that theatre is for everyone, and that everyone, including the audience members, have a part in this cultural, experiential exchange.

Back Up Plan