By: Daisy Magana
Story telling is not only an act, but an art. Tony Meneses, playwright of Las Hermanas Padilla, with his ten year experience in theatre can attest to the special magic that unfolds in the art of storytelling. At 27 years of age, he is already a young writer to be on the lookout for. His most recent work Las Hermanas Padilla will be running from March to April 1st at the DCA Storefront Theatre located 66 E. Randolph St. It is a play about ten sisters-in-law who find comfort and solace with each other as their husbands are at war. It is an unexpected sisterhood that is formed as each embarks on her own personal journey to find the true meaning of family.
What inspired a young man to create such a telling tale? Upon witnessing the dynamics among his mother and aunts during Meneses’ visits to Guadalajara in between finishing his education at the University of Iowa, he quickly understood that blood is not the only thing that creates links and connections between individuals. What better way to capture the intricacies of human interaction than to use his passion for writing and create a story containing the feeling of community. Writing has always been an interest of Meneses, so he decided to attend college to pursue his dream of professional development within the arts.
The notion of “pseudo families” is such an invigorating concept to Meneses. Much of his work stems from that along with the values of hope, family, and love which he still believes are critical to champion for. Las Hermanas Padilla captures all those values and presents its audience with an uplifting, honest, and heartfelt story as described by Nilsa Reyna, one of the ten actresses, who plays Blanca. Blanca, the outsider of the group, uses isolation to cope during the difficult times. “We forget in life when we are going through difficult situations…that a lot of people have gone through it,” says Reyna “sometimes we isolate ourselves, and we forget that there are others that can help and [be] supportive. Family doesn’t only mean family blood relatives—family can be anything.”
Family is an evolving term for Meneses. H embraced the freedom and independence when attending University of Iowa and created pseudo families. The things you can create with those around you is what inspires the communal messages in his works. “I love the families I’ve been able to create outside my actual blood as well,” says Meneses. Despite Las Hermanas Padilla containing a deep and powerful message about hope in times of tribulation, humor plays an important part in the play. “Humor is invaluable…I can’t imagine any kind of day without humor. it’s something I try to incorporate in my writing as well,” says Menesis “finding humor from a place of pain—it’s a way to survive—the soul breathes with laughter.”
There is an element of sentiment to what Meneses writes. Las Hermanas Padilla mirrors the reality of life in that difficult situations do arise and people don’t necessarily deal with it in the best or healthiest option as described by Reyna. Be on the lookout for his next work: “Niagara Goes Dry” which will debut in New York as part of his work for the Youngblood writing guild. For more tickets, please call 1-312-742-TIXS (8497)
