7:30 pm—Thursday-Saturday
2 pm—Sunday
An epic poem by Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzales famously associated with the Chicano movement of the 1960s, Yo Soy Joaquín! is presented by Patricio Tlacaelel Trujillo y Fuentes in the form of a play. Joaquín speaks of the struggles the Chicano people have faced in trying to achieve economic justice and equal rights in the U.S., as well as in establishing their own identity.
$18 w/ $3 discount for students, seniors, & NHCC members; $10 Thursday shows only
First published in 1967, the work is often referenced by writers, researchers, and historians as a pinnacle in the evolution of Chicano culture and literature, and has been described as “the forerunner of the Chicano cultural renaissance.” It is often used in the classroom in teaching Chicano history, as Gonzales captures the history of “La Raza Cósmica” (the late Mexican philosopher José Vasconcelos’ “cosmic,” or new, race) from the Aztec empire through contemporary Chicano culture.
For Trujillo y Fuentes, who grew up in the 1960s in Pueblo, Colorado, and has known the poem since he was nine years old, Yo Soy Joaquín! is his blood, his heartbeat, and his way of life. He remembers the Brown Berets marching in parades, the dismissal from school on September 16th so that students could take place in the many public festivities celebrating Mexican independence, and the pride he felt in seeing folkloric dancers, mariachis, and boxing matches in the parks. Yo Soy Joaquín! reflects his upbringing. He still cherishes its words, and hopes that audiences will enjoy the theatrical revival of this great poem.