My name is Johamy Morales and I am a third-year graduate student in the Theatre Department at The Ohio State University. As part of our training we are required to write, direct, and perform a newly devised solo piece at the end of our third year. Right from the beginning I knew that I wanted to write a piece about the beauty and complexity of the Mexican culture in the United States. I am from San Diego, Calif. and my parents are from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. When I visit my family in Mexico, I am not considered fully Mexican and here in the United States I am not considered fully an American. So the question is, “Who am I?” Am I Mexican or am I an American? These are the questions that I wanted to explore throughout my solo piece.
As I began my research a year ago I came across a book called It’s All in the Frijoles by Yolanda Nava. It’s a wonderful book about the Latin@ experience that is expressed through poems, songs, stories, and dichos (popular sayings). This book inspired me to research the true meaning of “beans” and the importance it has on the Mexican culture. In May, I premiered my bilingual solo piece called Frijoles and it was successful in many ways. Frijoles tells the story of the voyage of a young woman named Maria that is in search of her identity. As a Mexican-American woman she explores her internal struggle through memories and discovers the true meaning of beans. Having the opportunity to explore my artistry and create a newly devised work taught me how privileged I am to be the communication bridge between my Mexican heritage and the American culture. Frijoles is a celebration of that bridge, my identity, and the beauty of diversity that I am privileged to share.
As the first generation in my family to go to graduate school I have been faced with many challenges. At many times I felt alone and became homesick, but the graduate program made sure that I didn’t have much time to dwell on it. The acting graduate program schedule looks like this: Monday through Friday with classes and teaching from 8:30 a.m. to 5:18 p.m. Then in the evenings we have rehearsals for shows from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and, of course, once we get home, we have homework. Our classes consist of acting, movement, voice, directing, devising, video, and research methods. We are trained for three years to become masters of our craft, unique individual artists, and educators. It’s amazing to look back now and realize how much I have learned from different methodologies and the faculty at Ohio State. Today as I approach graduation I know that this is only the beginning of my career, but I can say without a doubt that the Theatre Department has prepared me as a strong and unique artist. For those who might be interested in this career or any other career my advice is sueña and dream big because that’s extremely powerful and no one can ever take that away from you. Sí se pudo (Yes, we did it)! |
