One-woman show set for tonight at TLU

(Seguin) — Stories of family, faith, healing and culture take center stage tonight as actress and playwright Patricia Zamora brings her one-woman show, Curanderas & Chocolate: Cuentos of a Latina Life, to Seguin.

The free performance, presented by Teatro De Artes De Juan Seguin in partnership with the Texas Lutheran University Center for Mexican American Studies, will be held today at 7:30 p.m. at the Wupperman Little Theatre located in TLU’s Schuech Fine Arts Building.

Zamora says the production explores the themes of faith and healing while drawing from her own experiences and stories passed down through her family.

She says all in all, Curanderas & Chocolate will feature 10 colorful characters and stories — stories of love, loss and hope.

“I feel we really have to keep our stories alive. We really have to fight to keep our stories alive and hold on to our culture,” said Zamora. “I think that watching a show like this will encourage us to ask our mother or grandmother or tíos questions and have those times with them and record some of their stories, their recipes and all of those things that are so important.”

Zamora, who has worked professionally as an actress in San Antonio and throughout Texas since 2015, says the show itself was years in the making. In fact, she says she never initially set out to create a one-woman production.

“I just started writing because I had spent about 10 years raising my kids. I studied theater and had been very involved in theater before I became a mother and started moving up professionally. It was like a beacon. It just started coming out of me in the way of writing,” said Zamora. “I wrote all of these different stories in isolation, and my acting teacher said, ‘Patricia, you have a one-woman show. You just need to put all these things together.’”

The show debuted in 2019 and was performed in various cultural arts centers in San Antonio and was performed online during the COVID pandemic.

Zamora says resurrecting the script after six years has been both exciting and emotional.

“I hadn’t visited the show in six years, and when I revisited the script to get ready for this performance, it was really emotional for me. There were moments where I would get nostalgic and teary-eyed because almost every single one of the monologues is based on a real experience or a story that I’ve been told by my mother,” said Zamora. “It was very, very moving for me to get back to the script and share these stories.”

Although the production celebrates Latina life and culture, Zamora says the performance is for everyone. Plus, she says the performance is primarily in English.

“The main through line and theme of the show is faith and healing, and it doesn’t matter who you are, what walk of life you’re in or what demographic you are. Faith and healing are important for all of us,” Zamora said. “That’s really the through line and general message of the show, and so it’s for everybody.”

Today’s production serves as the kickoff to Teatro’s Hispanic Heritage Month programming schedule.

Zamora says she hopes the show launches another season of cultural arts and storytelling in the Seguin community.

“What they’re doing and providing — the arts to the Seguin area and the surrounding communities — is really important and it’s really special, and it’s not easy. They need support from patrons,” said Zamora. “Whether you’ve supported them in the past or plan to in the future, this is a great time to jump right in. The tickets are not very expensive, the show is about an hour and there’s a talkback afterwards, so it’s a light commitment for a big return on investment.”

Curanderas & Chocolate: Cuentos of a Latina Life begins at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, at TLU’s Wupperman Little Theatre. The theatre is located at 517 Prexy Drive.

Tickets are available for a $10 donation and must be purchased online. Seating is limited. Due to some profanity, the performance is recommended for ages 13 and older.