EXPRESIONES at Arte Americas in Fresno is a creative non-profit organization (501 c in process) whose main goal is to help the community of Fresno grow and develop as human beings by making them aware and broaden the appreciation for Latin American culture by means of theater and cinema within a local grasp.
The organization began with the combined mindset of a group of people who desired to produce Spanish plays for the local community of Fresno. They wanted a creative way to help preserve the rich culture from different areas of the Latin American world. Something that helps achieve that goal is the fact that everyone involved comes from different backgrounds, and they all possess a deep-seeded passion for Spanish theater that helps them contribute their extensive experience.
“We want to have the community be aware of different authors’ points of view. Many Latin American cultures have similarities, but they are still very different,” said Ecuador native, Cesar Culqui who is president of the board of directors for EXPRESIONES.
Although most plays that have previously been presented in Fresno have been by Mexican playwrights, EXPRESIONES tries to include original plays written by authors from other countries like Argentina and Chile.
As artistic director, Maria Mora, describes the struggles the non-profit organization has encountered. What promotes the optimism is having so many people involved and so many forms of media support their efforts.
“It’s sometimes difficult to bring people in and get them used to Spanish theater. We’ve dedicated time and effort to focus on getting the community involved and assist in appreciating the Spanish theater,” said Mora, who has an extensive 12-year-background in the field, having studied at a dramatic arts academy in Mexico City at 17 years old.
“Maria has been a crucial help to the organization, she’s been working in the field for a long time, and she comes from a theater family,” said Culqui.
Previous experience is vital to help this organization succeed, as Public Relations Director for EXPRESIONES, Erika Ibarra has seen.
“There is a positive impact, with my 14-year experience in mass communications I’m able to maintain good relationships with different media outlets making it easier for our message to travel and invite the community,” said Ibarra.
People involved with EXPRESIONES are in agreement, the biggest satisfaction comes from the fact that all work is voluntary and they are all able to share it with their families.
Teaching their own children – Ibarra’s son even having a cameo in a previous production – is a big step in preserving the Latin American culture at a local level.
Helping in reaching that goal, is a collaboration project of theirs with Arte Americas called Cine Club, which meets on the fourth Saturday of every month to watch, discuss, and critique Spanish films from an artistic point of view in the style of a book club.
“We need to inform the community and let them know that there is Spanish cinema,” said Culqui, who hopes that as time goes by, Cine Club will gain enough traction in developing interest and knowledge within a vast audience to eventually be able to organize an annual film festival in the Fresno area.
Although EXPRESIONES is ideal for locals interested in theater arts, performances are open to the public, targeted mainly towards the older crowd as some of the plays have some artistically explicit content. Cine Club, on the other hand, is open to anyone who has an interest in enriching their familiarity with Spanish cinema.
“We want to leave our footprints in our community, trying to implement permanently the habit and appreciation for Spanish theater and cinema,” said Mora.
