Latino Theater in Kern County
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Copyright 2018 ESTRELLA AMARO-JEPPESEN ALL RIGHTS RESERVED LATINX THEATER IN KERN COUNTY BY ESTRELLA AMARO-JEPPESEN B.A., University of California, Riverside, 2013 THESIS Submitted as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Spanish in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures California State University Bakersfield, 2018 Bakersfield, California Defense Committee: Maryann Parada, Chair and Advisor Dustin Knepp Lena Taub Robles LATINX THEATER IN KERN COUNTY BY ESTRELLA AMARO-JEPPESEN This thesis or project has been accepted on behalf of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures by their supervisory com 'ttee: Dustin Knepp ~ Le:i(a Tatro~~ Robles This is dedicated with much love and gratefulness to my family who believed in me and encouraged my nerdiness over language and theater. Thanks to your support, I found a way to merge the things I most enjoy. Special thanks to my Mami for proofreading my papers even when they were on obscure topics, to Ezzy for waiting while I finished homework before we could play, and to Brian for being patient with me even if I had to work on holidays and always having a hug or a cup of coffee ready (and for watching Lethal Weapon or Wayne’s World with me when I just needed a break). Los adoro. ACKNOWLEDGMENT First and foremost, I would like to thank the countless theaters, actors, crew and management of the theater community of Kern County for opening up to me the doors to your theaters and your experiences. Without you, this project could never exist. I would like to thank Dr. Maryann Parada, my faculty advisor, who knew when to push me, when to comfort, when to teach, and when to be a friend. Thanks to you, I learned how to be a better student, how to conduct research that motivates me, and the sort of instructor I aim to be. To Dr. Lena Taub Robles, thanks for generously sharing your knowledge of professional scholarship and teaching practices in language, and for hosting such fun language tables, the relaxing time of my week. To Dr. Dustin Knepp, thanks for teaching me to always question what I actually know and really consider the best way to learn more, for showing me that I was interested in ethnography when I had never even heard the term, and for demonstrating how an adept leader empowers others. Special thanks to the Graduate Center for the Collaborative Initiative which funded this project, to Martha Manriquez and Dr. Vandana Kohli for their support. To Milissa Ackerly and Gladys Gillam for their guidance and for always being willing to listen. To Dr. Isabel Sumaya for helping me through the IRB submission process, which was one of the most difficult things I have ever done. To the Modern Languages and Literatures Faculty and Staff: Dr. Anthony Nuño, Dr. José Reyna, Dr. Teresa Fernández Ulloa, and Yuri Sakamaki, for all the encouragement and support. NOTE ON TERMINOLOGY This thesis deals with issues pertaining to ethno-cultural identities. I recognize that terms used to denote ethno-cultural groups are often evolving and that, consequently, some terms are contested if they no longer fit the needs of a community and some terms fall out of use. I will use the term “Latinx” as an inclusive label for individuals of Latin American background. This is not meant to exclude those who identify with other terms or are of Spanish descent, nor to erase labels which were used at different historical times. I will only deviate from this when quoting other material or when emulating other studies. Additionally, I use the American spelling of “theater” to follow academic conventions. However, there are many theaters, theater groups, and theater scholars which use the British “theatre” in their names and writings. I will only use this spelling when referring to a proper name or citing these materials directly. LATINX THEATER IN KERN COUNTY 8 TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures .......................................................................................................................... 10 List of Tables ............................................................................................................................ 11 List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................ 12 Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................. 14 1.1. Coming Back to Theater ......................................................................................... 14 1.2. Positionality ........................................................................................................... 14 1.3. Project Description ................................................................................................. 16 1.4. Organization of Thesis ............................................................................................ 17 Chapter 2: Theoretical Frameworks and History of Latinx Theater in Kern County................... 18 2.1. Representation and Ethnomethodology ................................................................... 18 2.1.1. Ethnic Representation .............................................................................. 18 2.1.2. Ethnomethodology and Ethnography ....................................................... 21 2.1.3. Social Justice ........................................................................................... 22 2.1.4. Guiding Texts........................................................................................... 23 2.2. Kern County, the Chicano Movement, and a Local Theater History ........................ 24 2.2.1. Kern County ............................................................................................ 24 2.2.2. The Chicano Movement ........................................................................... 25 2.2.2.1. 1965. ......................................................................................... 25 2.2.2.2. El Teatro Campesino. ................................................................. 26 2.2.2.3. A Symbolic Group. .................................................................... 27 2.2.3. History of Bakersfield Theater after El Teatro Campesino ........................ 32 2.2.3.1. 1960s (after 1965)...................................................................... 32 2.2.3.2. 1970s. ........................................................................................ 32 2.2.3.3. 1980s. ........................................................................................ 34 2.2.3.4. 1990s. ........................................................................................ 35 2.2.3.5. 2000s. ........................................................................................ 36 2.2.3.6. 2010s. ........................................................................................ 37 2.3. Conclusions ............................................................................................................ 37 Chapter 3: Internal Perspectives ................................................................................................ 39 3.1. Actor Interview Methodology ................................................................................. 39 3.2. Actor Interview Findings ........................................................................................ 42 Chapter 4: External Perspectives ............................................................................................... 52 LATINX THEATER IN KERN COUNTY 9 4.1. Linguistic Landscape Methodology ........................................................................ 53 4.2. Linguistic Landscape Findings ............................................................................... 55 4.3. Representation Study Methodology ........................................................................ 56 4.4. Representation Findings ......................................................................................... 60 4.5. Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 64 Chapter 5: Findings and Suggestions ........................................................................................ 65 5.1. Findings ................................................................................................................. 65 5.2. Suggestions ............................................................................................................ 66 5.3. Next Steps .............................................................................................................. 69 5.4. Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 70 Appendix A: Sample Interview Questions for Theater Actors in Kern ....................................... 72 Appendix B: AAPAC Ethnicity Categories ............................................................................... 74 Appendix C: 2017 Casting in KC Community Theaters .......................................................... 75 Index ........................................................................................................................................ 78 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................. 81 Vita ..........................................................................................................................................