True stories of immigrants brought to life on stage in new opera production

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- For the past ten years, Hector Armienta has been talking to immigrants and farmworkers and collecting their stories.

Those recollections now make up a new production of arias called Cuentos, which means stories in Spanish.

"We decided to give life to the authentic stories of farmworkers and immigrants. It focuses on their stories of how they came here, what they endured. What their challenges were, what their successes were," said Armiento, artistic director of Opera Cultura.

As raids and increased immigration enforcement grab headlines, For Armienta, the words of immigrants are more relevant than ever as raids and increased immigration enforcement grabs headlines.

The songs tell of the dangerous journey to cross the border, of leaving family behind and of working long hours in search of the American dream.

They also illustrate the challenges farmworkers faced during the pandemic when their work was valued as essential workers. Now the same people are targets for deportation.

"During pandemic, the buzz work was essential workers, but in today's America, we are seeing that these essential workers mean nothing," said Rodrigo Garcia, stage director of Teatro Alebrijes.

Rosa Aranda sings the mezzo-soprano role in the song cycle. As the daughter of immigrants, she feels a special connection to the songs.

"I think it's very powerful to tell these stories because it humanizes families that are suffering the tragedies of ICE. It gives a face to these people and treats them with respect and human dignity," said Aranda.

The song cycle is a joint production with Teatro Alebrijes, which brought in community members to personify the stories.

"We have seen so much pain, especially when you see the raw footage of events happening and I think being able to express it through art gives you a way to come to terms with it and see the resilience with the pain and the beauty. It is cathartic, therapeutic," said Yatzil Ruiz, who acts in several roles in the production.

Cuentos will be staged for one day only, on June 28, in part because of budget cuts.

Armienta said after President Donald Trump took office, the National Endowment of the Arts withdrew a funding grant it had already promised months earlier. That cut 20% of the budget for Cuentos.

"We are definitely making a political statement by being on stage," said Garcia. "We are showing that we are here to pursue a better life for our families. And there is a lot to celebrate in the resilience as a collective that we have built."

Cuentos will be presented Sunday at the Mexican Heritage Plaza theater in San Jose.