'Stand and Deliver': Risks and rewards abound at Theatre Guild expands its repetoire

by Lee B. Roberts

Monday, April 23, 2007 5:43 PM CDT

Journal Times

Jaime Escalante's teaching methods were considered unusual, but they brought amazing results from his students, a group of mostly Hispanic teens at an inner city high school in Los Angeles.

Escalante, the real-life educator who inspired the 1988 film "Stand and Deliver" not only taught those students advanced calculus, but how to take pride in themselves and achieve their goals.

Carolina Soza's teaching methods may also be considered a little unorthodox, but they are inspiring students here in Racine to do their best, as they work to bring Escalante's story to the stage in the Racine Theatre Guild's version of "Stand and Deliver" which opens tomorrow.

Soza, a Milwaukee-based actor and director with a background rich in social action theater, is directing the RTG production, which features a cast of 15, mostly teenagers. Her role here seems to be a perfect fit. Achieving success against all odds - as Escalante's students did - is something Soza is very familiar with.

Climbing out

As a child growing up in Chile, Soza and her siblings were abandoned by their parents and left to fend for themselves. With the help of neighbors they managed to survive what was an incredibly violent time in Chile, under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

It was theater, and politics, that eventually carried Soza out of that environment, in which classmates of hers were killed.

"When the dictatorship ended and the people from exile came, they opened up a wonderful theater school, where they taught a European circus sort of theater," she said.

Soza managed to get a scholarship to the school. The rest of the kids there - most of whom came from wealthy families - would share their food with her and were surprisingly accepting of the poor kid.

"That experience helped me to overcome my own prejudices," she said. "I grew a lot. Theater was very therapeutic for me. It opens your mind."

Eventually, Soza married an American who was living in Chile. They lived in Mexico for a while before coming to the United States eight years ago.

Since then, she has been involved in a variety of theater projects in the Midwest, including those with Latino Arts Inc., the Milwaukee Public Theater, The Walker's Point Center for the Arts and the Chicago Children's Museum.

She has done a lot of work in the area of theater of the oppressed - a forum for discussion of issues - and her latest endeavor is with "Teatro Maquis," a bilingual theater of the oppressed company. When she isn't working or being mother to her two sons, Soza plays soccer and practices Buddhism.

Playing and working

The director has brought all of that and more with her to the Theatre Guild where she has not only spent time rehearsing, but playing games and doing non-traditional exercises with the cast of "Stand and Deliver."

"One day I asked them to make a hate machine, and another time I told them to imagine they'd written a book about something and then had others interview them."

Such "play" helps to build community among the actors, she said.

"It is important that they feel like they are a part of this community, and being able to laugh together and just be silly helps to prepare them for anything that might happen on stage."

It is all part of the process of theater, she said.

"I care more about the process than the end result," said Soza. "Through that process, the cast discovers more of themselves and they learn to work with others who are different from themselves."

For Andres Navarro, an eighth grader at Jerstad-Agerholm Middle School who plays the role of Pancho, the experience has been like being part of "a big family."

"It is really neat," Navarro said. "Everyone is friends with each other and Carolina is awesome. She shows so much dedication to this and she makes sure you are having some fun while you are working."

Ricardo Morales, who plays the role of Escalante, said it has been a really great experience for him, too. After 25 years in front of the classroom in real life, Morales said he wanted to be a part of this show to help spread its positive message. He said the lessons about prejudice and not giving up are ideas that are important for an

ethnically diverse community like Racine to hear. Fitting rehearsals and memorization time in with his job teaching second graders at Dr. Jones Elementary School has been hectic, but worth the effort, he said.

"I have my script with me all the time, so that I can read lines whenever I have some down time," Morales said. "I want to do Mr. Escalante proud, by doing the best I can."

Yesterday and today

The play's message is one that is timeless, said Soza.

"People today are dealing with some of the same issues they had back at Garfield (the L.A. school) and they can relate to this," she said.

Mike Pirtle, an RTG veteran whose entire family is involved in the show in one capacity or another, said that the lesson that "Stand and Deliver" teaches is an important one for any community.

"It shows us that we can't judge someone because of their color, race or religion," said Pirtle, who plays the role of the school's principal. "You really need to look inside each individual."

"Kids also need to hear the message that they can get out of life what they put into it," said Stephanie Thompkinson, a veterinary technician at Belle City Veterinary Hospital who plays the role of Esclante's enemy at the school. "And, that there always people out there who are willing to help you."

Soza said she feels the process of this production has also been a positive experience for the Racine Theatre Guild, which has stepped outside its typical repertoire, as well as its usual cast list, with this play.

"I know they are taking a big risk in doing this show and I really appreciate their support."

"Stand and Deliver" is probably the most ethnically diverse show the Guild has ever had on its stage and it is likely to bring people to the audience that have never been to a Theatre Guild production before, she said.

"It isn't just the people involved in the production that can benefit from this, it is the whole community," she said.

Other cast members in "Stand and Deliver" are Jacob Aukland, Luis Saavedra, Laura Chartrand, Elizabeth Modrow, Madeline Hutchinson, Jose Martinez, Mitchell Muniz, Kevin Dusenberry, Marina Carranza, Katy Pirtle, Jonathan Martinez and Kristina Delgado.

Soza's work with the Theatre Guild is made possible by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board, with funds from the State of Wisconsin. SC Johnson is the major sponsor of the workshops and performances for schools that are part of this production.

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