I grew up being referred to as marimacha earlier than I hit puberty as a result of I used to be a tomboy at coronary heart. I cherished carrying pants, sneakers, t-shirts and hated clothes and costume footwear. I felt snug skateboarding, enjoying soccer, and climbing bushes. I might hear the whispers of my relations calling me marimacha and hinting at what my life was to be if I didn’t change. See, there are specific social norms that Hispanic and Latine ladies would possibly oblige by, reminiscent of getting married to a person and having kids with him. By these Hispanic and Latine norms, liking what boys appreciated categorized you as a attainable marimacha, that means lesbian. Thirty years in the past, popping out in Latine households was not acceptable, so relations weren’t okay with me performing like a boy despite the fact that I’m straight. Fortunately, we have now progressed enormously for the reason that late eighties and early nineties—but popping out, particularly to Hispanic and Latine households, continues to be a battle.
The brief movie “Marimacha” by Darrel Alejandro Holnes was one of many short-form comedy items showcased as a part of the Latinx Theatre Commons (LTC) 2022 Comedy Carnaval in Denver, Colorado. As a couple of hundred Latine artists gathered at Su Teatro’s theatre to see the final number of items from the Carnaval—after two days of continuous readings, monologues, performances, and stand-up comedy—“Marimacha” opened the morning slot. Directed by Cami Cruz Thomas, “Marimacha” mixed situational and observational comedy. It drew from household relationships as nicely the characters’ on a regular basis lives and Latine societal norms. But what makes this story distinctive is the way it represents Latine Blackness and queerness: a uncommon intersectional focus in Latine theatre, and even rarer in theatre extra broadly. Through laughter and recognition of Blackness and queerness within the movie, audiences see how these two identities intersect underneath the umbrella of Latinidad.
I giggled each time Linda spoke as a result of she represents the standard Latine mother.
“Marimacha” opens on a mechanic (Bryan Edison) fixing a automobile. Inside the automobile, an Afro-Panamanian household of three is on their solution to a marriage. Of course, the primary phrases out of Linda’s (Florinda Bryant) mouth had been asking why her daughter, Paola (Hannah De Oliveira), isn’t bringing a male date and questioning who on the wedding ceremony she might hook her up with. Solution—a 3rd cousin!
Bryant and Jose Febus’ performances as Paola’s dad and mom are key to comedy of the movie, particularly at first. It is within the supply of their traces and the appears on their faces whereas they share on a regular basis Latine societal conventions like not wanting to speak about ladies’s our bodies however speaking about them anyway. If you grew up in a Latine family, you completely acknowledged Linda’s fixed nagging. I giggled each time Linda spoke as a result of she represents the standard Latine mother, all the time making an attempt to hook her daughter up with a person, hoping she is going to get married quickly and have youngsters.
But Linda is in for a shock, as Paola has completely different plans. As the dialogue goes forwards and backwards, Linda and Alfredo ask Paola to discover a image of such-and-such on Facebook, and a sexually specific image from Paola’s ex-girlfriend pops up on her cellphone. This outs her to her dad and mom. The viewers then sees how every of those dad and mom takes the information, whether or not they settle for it or not.