'Mojada' examines immigration, culture and American life

THREE BONE THEATRE

The cast of "Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles." The production at Three Bone Theatre is a retelling of the "Medea" by Euripides.

A play at the Three Bone Theatre addresses a contemporary topic through a classic drama.

“Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles,” is a retelling of the “Medea” by Euripides.

The play will continue until Aug. 24.

“It's been reset to take place in a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, said co-director Michelle Medina Villalon. “It takes place in Boyle Heights, and it tells the story of Medea through the lens of an immigrant family that has been in the United States for less than a year.

“We follow our protagonist, kind of at a moment of crisis … all of these tensions that have been building up during her year here, kind of adapting to the new culture, trying to fit in, but not really wanting to, for different people of the family trying to become a part of this new society that they've entered, but still not being fully integrated.”

“Mojada,” which opened Aug. 9, is published as part of The Greek Trilogy of Luis Alfaro. Based on Sophocles' Electra and Oedipus, and Euripides' Medea, Alfaro's Electricidad, Oedipus El Rey, and Mojada platform the concerns of the Chicano and wider Latino communities in Los Angeles and New York through ancient drama.

The production features members of the Latinx community, including the cast and both directors, something Medina Villalon said is rare.

“When Three Bone picked us to be a part of their season, I know that one of the things that they were looking for was just to create an opportunity for Latino artists to create live theater here in the Charlotte region,” she said. “It's not a very frequent opportunity that you see an entire Latino cast, much less in Latino cast and two Latino directors that's very rare in our area, and again, telling a story that is so essential for our community.”

With the presidential election less than three months away, a topic of conversation on both sides has been immigration, which continues to be misunderstood.

Every year, thousands of immigrants leave their home country in search of a better life. Many find jobs despite their immigration status.

Despite language barriers, immigrants fight to not only provide for their families but to adapt to American culture without losing sight of their own. It’s a situation the play touches on.

“My co-director Carlos [Alexis Cruz], in another interview, mentioned how migration is just part of human existence,” Medina Villalon said. “It is something that is always going to happen. It is not a political, it doesn't have to be a political issue. It's just how humans move. And I think that the telling of this story both speaks to the political side of it and gives people a deeper understanding of what it’s like to be a migrant coming into the United States, but it also just humanizes the process and allows people to see that these people are here.”

Medina Villalon said America is at a time in its history where the country needs to hear these stories, especially in places like Charlotte, which is drawing people from around the world.

“We are everywhere, and I speak that as a first generation Mexican American, we're everywhere, and we're definitely in Charlotte,” she said. “And these audiences that are coming to see this play, some of them are seeing their own stories reflected on stage, and some of them are seeing the stories of their neighbors, or the people that they walk past on the street, and a lot of them are seeing it for the first time.”

Auditions for the cast were held in June with rehearsals following.

On opening night, Medina Villalon said the play received a lot of supports, especially from people in the Latinx community. The theatre even has a table for folks to register to vote.

“It was a beautiful night of community,” she said. “I had a friend who came out to see the show, and she's a second generation American. She said, ‘You know, a third of the way in, I just felt like so represented that, like tears were welling up in my eyes, and I couldn't stop myself from crying.’”

Medina Villalon said the theatre plans to do another production called “Electricity” told through the lens of Latinos.

“It tells the story of Elektra, but through the lens of Hispanic gang culture, and so I know that that's going to be just as equally impactful and thrilling as ‘Mojada,’ if not more.”

For tickets to “Mojada,” visit www.threebonetheatre.com/mojada.

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