Thursday, February 21, 2013
The students' sacrifice.
In the play, Stand and Deliver, we see the sacrifice of Jaime Escalante's students who took extra time out of their already busy schedule to prepare for the AP Calculus Exam. Just like those students, the cast and crew of the show are sacrificing their time and energy on top of their already busy college schedules in order to help make this show as spectacular as possible. The rehearsal schedule for the show has been rigorous but students are expected to stay on top of their coursework. I am so impressed by the commitment the students are making to the show - many of whom have never been in a play before and may not have known what they were signing themselves up for. In addition to memorizing their lines, the cast has also had to learn choreography for a number of dance routines in the show. Please come support the cast and celebrate the hard work they have put into the show!!
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Do the math.
This play is about math - but not just in subject, in theme as well. Of course, more obviously the play is about math because it is about Jaime Escalante teaching his students Advanced Calculus. But it is also about the math and numbers of the students' lives in the play. It is about the number of years of hard work and hard labor their parents did so that their kids could have opportunities that they themselves did not have. It is about the number of students who will never graduate from a school like Garfield High School. It is about the number of hours the students will have to work in order to succeed in their challenging math class - on top of the hours that they devote to activities like working in their parents' restaurant. Escalante wants his students to understand his math - and the students want him to understand theirs. Escalante wants the students to respect him and they want him to respect them. Throughout the course of the play, as I am sure was the case in the real life story the play is inspired by, Escalante and the students learn to respect and trust each other. By showing the students that he trusts them enough to do better they become more inclined to do better - better for him but more importantly better for themselves. Come see how the numbers play out in this exciting production at Pomona College.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Garfield High School
Garfield
High School
Jaime Escalante arrived to teach computer science
at Garfield High School in 1974. There was only one problem. The school had no computers. The equipment had been stolen and there was no money to replace it. Though the school was surrounded by a tall chain link fence to keep students from ditching classes, it had become the local gathering place for neighborhood teenagers, some in gangs, most just just wanting a place to meet and hang out. Past and current students loitered on the lawns, dropouts and kids without jobs flirting, talking, and distracting students from classes. Most students and their teachers saw their classes as
a temporary place to spend time between part time jobs. Many of the teachers had second jobs and spent their time at school promoting their other interests. Nobody arrived early and nobody stayed late.
Jaime Escalante arrived to teach computer science
at Garfield High School in 1974. There was only one problem. The school had no computers. The equipment had been stolen and there was no money to replace it. Though the school was surrounded by a tall chain link fence to keep students from ditching classes, it had become the local gathering place for neighborhood teenagers, some in gangs, most just just wanting a place to meet and hang out. Past and current students loitered on the lawns, dropouts and kids without jobs flirting, talking, and distracting students from classes. Most students and their teachers saw their classes as
a temporary place to spend time between part time jobs. Many of the teachers had second jobs and spent their time at school promoting their other interests. Nobody arrived early and nobody stayed late.
Turning
Garfield Around
Hard work and discipline were Escalante’s heart and soul. When Garfield asked him to teach math instead of computer science he agreed. While a tough new school principal cleared out the school yard and instituted rules, Escalante put in place
a set of rules for the students in his classes. The students were lively and accustomed to fooling around in class,skipping homework, and arriving to class late. Escalante had zero tolerance for tardiness, absences, and would banish a student from class if he caught them marking up their textbooks. Missing even one homework assignment was a serious infraction.
Determination +
Discipline +
Hard Work=
The Way to Success
Garfield students came from poor families and few of their parents had graduated or even attended high school. The emphasis for their children was work to help support the family. School was not a priority for many Garfield students and they often worked long hours and arrived at school tired from no sleep.
For someone like Jaime Escalante however, this was no excuse. He had worked hard—twice—for his education and he did not allow his students to use work as an excuse to avoid homework.
He worked to convince students that not only could they learn the Math he was teaching them, but they could excel at it and it could be the key to their future. He convinced the administration to let him teach Calculus and to prepare the students for the Advanced Placement Exam.
Hard work and discipline were Escalante’s heart and soul. When Garfield asked him to teach math instead of computer science he agreed. While a tough new school principal cleared out the school yard and instituted rules, Escalante put in place
a set of rules for the students in his classes. The students were lively and accustomed to fooling around in class,skipping homework, and arriving to class late. Escalante had zero tolerance for tardiness, absences, and would banish a student from class if he caught them marking up their textbooks. Missing even one homework assignment was a serious infraction.
Determination +
Discipline +
Hard Work=
The Way to Success
Garfield students came from poor families and few of their parents had graduated or even attended high school. The emphasis for their children was work to help support the family. School was not a priority for many Garfield students and they often worked long hours and arrived at school tired from no sleep.
For someone like Jaime Escalante however, this was no excuse. He had worked hard—twice—for his education and he did not allow his students to use work as an excuse to avoid homework.
He worked to convince students that not only could they learn the Math he was teaching them, but they could excel at it and it could be the key to their future. He convinced the administration to let him teach Calculus and to prepare the students for the Advanced Placement Exam.
In fact, the school was so bad that the Downtown
administrators of the Los Angeles Unified School
District were discussing taking away Garfield’s
accreditation and closing the school.
Who was
Jaime Escalante?
Escalante was an immigrant from Bolivia. He was an experienced teacher there who had to start all over
with his education when he came to America. He spent years working as a janitor and a busboy to support his family while he learned English and then worked on earning his undergraduate degree and his teaching credential. Hard work was something he was used to: in Bolivia he had worked three teaching jobs at the same time, teaching days, nights, and often on weekends.
Jaime Escalante?
Escalante was an immigrant from Bolivia. He was an experienced teacher there who had to start all over
with his education when he came to America. He spent years working as a janitor and a busboy to support his family while he learned English and then worked on earning his undergraduate degree and his teaching credential. Hard work was something he was used to: in Bolivia he had worked three teaching jobs at the same time, teaching days, nights, and often on weekends.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Saturday, February 9, 2013
About the Blog
Who I am: My name is Katherine Nigh and I am assisting on the production of Stand and Deliver at Pomona College. I am helping the director, the fabulous Alma Martinez, with character development - working with the actors on monologues and scene work. I have an Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship and am currently a Professor at Whittier College in Whittier, CA.
How I got involved: I have had the pleasure of knowing Alma Maritnez over the span of many years. Alma and I worked together as part of a group focusing on performance and trauma in Buenos Aires, Argentina convening with the Hemispheric Institute of New York University. We have run into each other over the years and have been bonded by my work with El Teatro Campesino with whom Alma has worked since its beginning years. In 2010 I flew to Mexico City to see the production of Zoot Suit for which Alma served as the U.S./Mexico Project Coordinator and Dramaturg and where she organized an international conference for the National University of Mexico. This was an incredible production!!! Recently I invited Alma to give a presentation at Whittier College about her work with Zoot Suit - the students fell in love with her!!! She asked me to help out with this production and I said, "Claro que si!!!!"
Why write the blog?: For me the most exciting part of doing a performance isn't what happens on opening night or the rest of the shows but it is the hard work and growth that takes place during the rehearsal process. Particularly when working with young, bright and talented young people as we are in this production it is a great opportunity to show all the blood, sweat and tears (aka sacrifice) these young students are giving to be involved in this production. I also believe that as we continue to struggle in the United States with issues of education, access, funding for education and an unfair difference between what young people have access to in terms of education, culture, opportunities based on where they live and the incomes of their family - this show and its themes are ever important. This will be more than just a fun show to watch (which it will be) but there is an important message in the play that we all need to be paying attention to. We hope that you enjoy reading the blog and of course that it will inspire you to come see the show!!!
How I got involved: I have had the pleasure of knowing Alma Maritnez over the span of many years. Alma and I worked together as part of a group focusing on performance and trauma in Buenos Aires, Argentina convening with the Hemispheric Institute of New York University. We have run into each other over the years and have been bonded by my work with El Teatro Campesino with whom Alma has worked since its beginning years. In 2010 I flew to Mexico City to see the production of Zoot Suit for which Alma served as the U.S./Mexico Project Coordinator and Dramaturg and where she organized an international conference for the National University of Mexico. This was an incredible production!!! Recently I invited Alma to give a presentation at Whittier College about her work with Zoot Suit - the students fell in love with her!!! She asked me to help out with this production and I said, "Claro que si!!!!"
Why write the blog?: For me the most exciting part of doing a performance isn't what happens on opening night or the rest of the shows but it is the hard work and growth that takes place during the rehearsal process. Particularly when working with young, bright and talented young people as we are in this production it is a great opportunity to show all the blood, sweat and tears (aka sacrifice) these young students are giving to be involved in this production. I also believe that as we continue to struggle in the United States with issues of education, access, funding for education and an unfair difference between what young people have access to in terms of education, culture, opportunities based on where they live and the incomes of their family - this show and its themes are ever important. This will be more than just a fun show to watch (which it will be) but there is an important message in the play that we all need to be paying attention to. We hope that you enjoy reading the blog and of course that it will inspire you to come see the show!!!
About the Director: Alma Martinez
Alma’s work spans film, TV and stage where she has appeared on Broadway, Off Broadway in regional theaters across the country and on European and Mexican stages. She has premiered the work of playwrights Luis Valdez, JoAnne Akalaitis, Luis Alfaro, Lisa Loomer, Cherrie Moraga, Arturo Giron, Milcha Sanchez-Scott, Rick Najera and was a guest artist at the Sundance Institute Theatre Lab. A long time collaborator with Valdez, she appeared in Zoot Suit (stage and the film); La Carpa de los Rasquachi, Fin del Mundo; I Don’t Have to Show you No Stinkin’ Badges; Corridos; Corridos: Tales of Passion & Revolution – 1987 Peabody Award; Mummified Deer for which she received a Beverly Garland nomination for best actor, and; the National Theater Company of Mexico’s production of Zoot Suit which won the 2011 Best (Mexican) Musical of the Year.
Film credits include For Greater Glory, Strike One, Zoot Suit, Under Fire, Born in East LA, Barbarosa, Crossing Over, Dollie Dearest, Trial by Terror, Jacaranda, Ballad of a Soldier, the award winning documentaries Maria's Story, 500 Nations and the Academy Award winning documentary the Panama Connection. On TV she appeared in The Unit, Nash Bridges, General Hospital, the landmark PBS Latino drama Seguin as well as the TV films The Boys, Dress Gray, Tough Love, In a Child’s Name and Quiet Killer. She was one of the first Latinas to play a police watch commander (Sgt. Cruz) for 15 episodes on the TV drama Adam 12 (1990).
Alma holds a Ph.D. in Drama from Stanford University, an MFA
in Acting from the University of Southern California and a BA in Drama from
Whittier College. She attended the prestigious Centro Universitario de Teatro
(CUT) at the National University of Mexico, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and
has studied with Master teachers Lee Strasberg, Jerzi Grotowski, Arianna Mnouckine,
Patsy Rodenberg and Augusto Boal.
For more information on Alma and her work visit www.almamartinez.com
To contact Alma email Alma@almamartinez.com
Friday, February 8, 2013
Show Information
Stand and Deliver, at Pomona College, directed by Alma Martinez. Adapted for the stage by Robert Bella, based on the screenplay by Ramon Menendez and Tom Musca. Thursday March 7-Saturday March 10th. Thurs through Sat at 8pm and Sat & Sun at 2pm.
For tickets and information please contact the Seaver Theatre Box Office (909) 607-4375.
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