An interview with actress Sofia May-Cuxim

With Guapa rehearsals well underway, our marketing assistant Stefanus Gunawan took the opportunity to chat with some of the actors. In this interview, he visits with Sofia May-Cuxim, who plays Roly, the mother to a  family in a small bordertown in Texas. 

Being a veteran in the theatre world and with Milagro, how have you been able to utilize your experience, knowledge, and wisdom to guide the young cast of Guapa?
I leave the guidance to the director. It is my opinion that while I might be more experienced on stage than my peers, we all have to come up with proposals about how to approach a scene and experiment equally, and Olga is the one with the most knowledge and wisdom to guide us. I try to respect the blossoming talent that this cast has. The four young ones are really focused and possess discipline with great acting skills. It is a fantastic ensemble!  At this stage of rehearsals we are all playing with possibilities for our scenes, and none of the five actors is upstaging any other.

How has performing the mother of Guapa been like for you?  Could you elaborate a little bit about your character?
As a childless Mexican woman, finding myself all of a sudden in charge of four young, fiery, ebullient young adults tugs in lots of different directions. The play has scenes of joy, outrage, confusion, anguish, and a whole array of mixed emotions that make it very rich and intense. I visualize Roly like a strong, no-nonsense matriarch who pulls the reins at four eager and jolting colts. Roly is trying her best to guide them so they have an easier track and rise and reach a brilliant destiny, and wants to give them advice so they do not make her same mistakes.

In your opinion, what are some of the topics and questions that Guapa highlights?
Guapa is a burst of positively influencing manifestations: follow your dreams, try your hardest, education will be your salvation, support each other, always move forward, honor your family.  Yet it also deals with the generalization, racism and prejudice under which we Spanish-speakers/Latinos/Hispanics — and now goes the unspeakable — "Mexicans"/Beaners/Taco-breath/Spics have always been scrutinized and reduced to.  Will the audiences reflect about how a young Chicano/Mexican-American/Hispanic-American thinks and aches for the possession of equality, identity, fair treatment, economic sufficiency?  Will they now view the quiet student in PCC as a potential genius, Ph.D, or possible President?  Can we change their negative perspective?

To your audience, what would you like to say to them as they watch this amazing story of triumph?
Learn in all its modes: Study hard, read, mingle with all cultures, travel, play, try out something new. We are mostly all born with the same equipment. It’s our choice to perfect it or reduce it to boring cells.