Latino stereotypes explored on stage

The Ultimate Pendejada was performed as a Stage Center Studio Series production on Nov. 14 and 16 during activity hours and at 7:30 p.m.

The play was written by Ysidro R. Macia and was publicized as a play which explores the stereotypes of Hispanics and how they fit into our society. This was NEIU alumnus Michael Villarreal's first time directing a Studio Show.

The plot centers around an ambitious, upwardly-mobile and assimilations Latino couple named Robert Gomes, played by Hector Vazquez, and his wife Mary, played by Linnea Carrera.

From the start, there is the main characters' struggle to distance themselves from their Mexican ancestry. Their life is turned upside down when they encounter a militant Chicana student on campus named Cuahtemoc "Porfirio" Diaz / Angela, played by Jessica Cardenas.

Director Michael Villarreal said, "I've gone through a lot of this myself. Trying to learn your own culture but also trying to maintain your own identity." He believes this is something everyone goes through at some level, regardless if it's a Chicano play. "It's universal," he continued.

Set at the height of the radical Chicano movement, the play captures the slang, mannerisms, accent and style of Chicanos in the late 60s and early 70s. The first couple to be invited into the Gomes household is two conventional, and racist, Anglo college students named Jack and Jill, played by Jamie Kolacki and Miranda Harold.

The militant Chicano activist, Cuahtemoc "Porfirio" Diaz, invites the Gomeses to a meeting, and the experience initiates a process of self-transformation for the couple. They travel to Mexico in hopes of reaffirming their newfound Chicano identity. This time, however, it's a Chicano couple named Emiliano Villa, played by Nelson Rojas, and Flor Hermosa played Amy Stepanek, who visits the Gomes household.

Their visit leaves the Gomees disheartened and confused, having asked the two activists what they are going to do for the movement. Both Emiliano and Flor argue that the best tactic is to simply "join" the dominant society and learn how to better exploit the system. For them, fighting for Chicano liberation is a part-time endeavor reserved until after graduation.

Towards the end of the play, the Gomeses encounter a Mexican prostitute in a barrio who says that the revolution, the Chicano movement, is already inside oneself and that it is anywhere Chicanos go. After an exhausting journey of self-discovery, the Gomes feel reassured about their future.

Villarreal said the show has had a really good response and thinks each semester should have something that is representative of the NEIU community. Villarreal works with Salsation Theater Company, which is primarily Latino-based. In December, he will be writing and performing in its Monologue Series.