On a Saturday night in mid-May, a group of bilingual actors was rehearsing in a small room behind the Reno Little Theater.
In one scene of the play, transgender couple Lucy and Alvin discussed moving to another city to start a family.
But moving means Lucy must give up her life as a singer and stop taking hormones in order to get pregnant.
Miriam Esparza plays Alvin.
"I've never played a male character even though I'm a lesbian and I'm a little bit masculine but I like it," she said in Spanish.
Esparza was raised in Mexico and is a member of the LGBTQ+ community. She sees herself reflected in some of the scenes that touch on sexuality and religion, she said.
“Many of the topics that are touched on in the play talk about religion, about being traditional and those are things that I come from my own family. So it's cool to be able to educate my people on those issues," Esparza said.
In nearly 2 hours of drama and comedy, “LGBTQIA+ LatinX” addresses homosexuality, transsexuality, homophobia, femicide and race.
Mario DelaRosa wrote the play in 2019, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was not until 2021 that it debuted to the public.
"This play is going to open their eyes to the Latino community,” DelaRosa said in Spanish. “We're going to show the bad and the good in the life of the Latino LGBT community. It's informative, it's educational and also at the same time it seeks to raise awareness of these issues."
The actors are mostly of Latino origin, ranging in age from 8 to 74 years old, said Annamaria Cavallone, the play's director. Some have been acting for almost a decade, and others are just starting out.
"Especially in an amateur theater, I like to give everyone a chance. I think the desire is worth more, the responsibility and the effort than the experience that someone may have," Cavallone said in Spanish.
The play touches on very important issues for the Hispanic community, said Elizabeth Martinez, the wardrobe and scenery manager.
"It is very important, especially in the Hispanic community. Because of religion more than anything else and many things that we were taught incorrectly. So it is very important that they come to see that all people, regardless of gender, are all equal," Martinez said in Spanish.
DelaRosa invites everyone to see the play which is performed in both English and Spanish.
"One of our goals is to bring our culture to Hispanics but also to the other community that doesn't speak Spanish. Come, if you only speak English and also to be understood if you only speak Spanish," DelaRosa said.
Teatro Brown and Latino Arte and Culture's LGBTQIA+ LatinX production will be presented June 8, 9 and 10 at the Reno Little Theater. Tickets can be purchased online at latinoarte.org
