Santa Maria High School Chicano/Latino Studies students recently made a powerful connection with the Tony-award winning musical In the Heights at a recent PCPA performance in Santa Maria.
The musical, which takes place in the largely Dominican-American neighborhood of Washington Heights in New York City, is filled with Latino dreamers, nervously eyeing their futures from a city block on the cusp of change.
“It’s one of the first plays I have seen that I could relate to,” Sofia Altamirano, a 12th-grader, said in a press release. “Students are shown struggling to pay for college, something that many Latinos are currently dealing with.”
Senior Luz Soriano agreed, adding that “a large part of the community can understand the hardships the characters went through, and seeing the play could help someone feel less alone.”
Senior Aurelia Sanchez found the performance a “motivating experience for the future.”
“No matter where you came from, you can accomplish something better,” Aurelia said in the press release. “There is always a way to find the right path for your future.”
Chicano/Latino Studies teacher Ricardo Valencia said his 30 students were grateful for the opportunity to see the show.
“Great theater shouldn’t only be accessible to those who can afford it,” Valencia said.
This article appears in Sep 15-22, 2016.
