Courtesy photo.
CAMARILLO — A mariachi-style musical about the Mexican guest worker bracero program of the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s will be staged at CSU Channel Islands’ Malibu Hall on Thursday, Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m.
“Los Braceros Buena Vista” follows a young man who travels from Mexico to the United States in the 1950s, at the height of the bracero program, which was established by executive order in 1942 and lasted until 1964. The federal program allowed seasonal laborers from Mexico to come to the U.S. to work in agriculture or with the railroads.
Animo Theatre Company Director Miguel Orozco had been directing “El Bracero” by Rosalinda Verde through his nonprofit community theater, and was inspired to write and direct his own version of the show centered on the Buena Vista Bracero camp in Oxnard. It was the largest in the nation, and at its peak, housed about 5,000 workers. Orozco’s aim was to reflect the braceros’ journey, including the struggles they faced.
“They had traumatic experiences in crossing into the country and being inspected physically, for one thing,” Orozco said. “They sprayed them with DDT to de-louse them, which was dangerous and it took away a lot of their dignity. They were promised a lot of things they didn’t get when they arrived. They had to pay for certain things like housing and food and they were paid very low wages.”
Orozco brings the story to life with a two-act “mariachi opera,” which blends mariachi music, ballet folklorico and opera-style vignettes.
“Miguel basically came in as an artist working with CSUCI on a story even more focused on the local CSUCI community rather than the general experience of a bracero,” said Associate Professor of Performing Arts/Theatre Catherine Burriss. “He’s worked CSUCI into the plot, but I don’t want to spoil it. But it makes me cry every time.”
Burriss is one of the CSUCI faculty members working with Orozco. Professor of Chicana/o Studies José Alamillo and Professor of History Frank Barajas are also working with Orozco.
Alamillo’s students provided the deep historical research on the Buena Vista camp for the musical.
“They found that braceros preferred to work for Buena Vista Camp because of its close proximity to a large Mexican community in Oxnard,” Alamillo said. “For a brief moment, at least, they could feel more closer to home by going to Mexican markets, restaurants, Mexican films at local theater, and attend Catholic Church services in Spanish.”
Alamillo’s students researched how braceros at Buena Vista confronted and overcame racial, class, cultural and language barriers to gain some economic stability and build social networks that allowed many to return permanently with their families in Ventura County.
Other student contributions to the show are from Performing Arts major Valeria Franco, who will be dancing in the show, and Communication major Allison Mason, who is doing her capstone project on the show, helping to create a wider platform for the show and the theater company.
“Although my time with Animo theatre company has been short, I have learned so much about the history behind ‘Los Braceros,” Mason said. “It is a part of history that I was never taught in schools. I can honestly say I had no idea they were a part of our history until I started working with Animo. Giving them a platform to share their history and culture has been my biggest take away.”
The show is also part of Ventura County’s 150th anniversary celebration. It opened in Fillmore on Nov. 10 and after the performance at CSUCI, the show will be part of a two-day celebration at Oxnard College on Dec. 1 and 2.
The CSUCI show is free to the public and tickets may be obtained by visiting https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/6140254, but the tickets are going fast.
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY CHANNEL ISLANDS — California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI) is Ventura County’s only public university and opened in 2002 as the 23rd campus in the CSU system serving the regions of Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles counties, as well as the entire state. CSUCI is located between Camarillo and the Oxnard Plain, midway between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles and 25 miles north from Malibu.
The campus is nestled against the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains and is a 10-minute drive from the Pacific Ocean. With more than 5,600 students, 24,500 alumni, and 1,000 employees, CSUCI is poised to grow in size and distinction, while maintaining one of the most student-focused learning environments in public higher education with more than 90 academic degrees, teaching credentials, certificates, and professional and community programs.
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