October 2023 | Vol. 20 Iss. 10
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HILLCREST HIGH ALUMNA BREAKS BARRIERS IN NEW YORK’S LATINA-BASED SHOW By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com
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n an intimate theatre a few blocks from Times Square, 2009 Hillcrest High graduate Ash Patlan stepped onto stage in the world premiere of “Mi Abuela, Queen of Nightmares.” After the Sept. 8 opening night, Patlan reflected upon the importance of her own heritage and the significance that the show was coinciding with National Hispanic Heritage Month. “This was really important for me,” she said. “It was the first time in my whole life where I was cast in a show of my own ethnicity. The gravity of it sat with me. It was very poignant and special to me.” Written by Salvadoran-American playwright Christine Stoddard, “Mi Abuela, Queen of Nightmares” is directed by Mexican director Fiamma Piacentini. It is playing at The Tank theatre in New York City. Patlan portrayed the roles of Salvadoran Ancestor, Jaguar, Owl, and Cactus in the story where a young Salvadoran-American woman navigates trauma and family mythology through magic and folklore as she comes of age in Phoenix. The play explores mother-daughter relationships, mixed race identity, being the child of an immigrant, growing up without a father, and using fantasy as a coping mechanism. “It’s a story about a young girl who is trying to find out more about the story of her grandmother, like who this woman was and why is this woman so important in my life? Why is her mom so hung up on the memory of this woman?” Patlan said. “It’s a coming-of-age tale for
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Canvas of inspiration
this young girl who is really trying to find out why things have turned out in her life and why she has the relationship that she does with her mother. It’s very much trying to find where you belong and why things happen in our lives.” Using the “mysticism of cactuses, jaguars and owls to tell the stories of her abuela,” Patlan helped “bring out these stories of her childhood, the stories her mother would tell her about her grandmother.” Much of the Patlan’s part is communicated through actions. “Most of my part is movement-based and it’s just so beautiful. This play has not only a way of telling a beautiful story through spoken word, but also through movement that are bringing this to life for her,” she said. Patlan also plays an ancestor. “There’s a lot of cleansing that happens, so we can tell this story and rid it of bad spirits. We’re tying it back to that Salvadorian essence of tying the whole story to that culture and that’s the beauty of it,” she said. Patlan was born in California to Mexican immigrants and in ways, can relate to the character, Maya. “I come from two different cultures. I was born in this culture, but my parents are from that culture so it’s trying to find your own place. Where do I fit in? This was the first time where I got to be part of what I actually am. It’s very beautiful,” she said. It’s also a long time coming since she attended Union Continued page 13
Hillcrest High alumnae Ash Patlan, seen here in pink, and Adriana Ascencio, are performing in “Mi Abuela, Queen of Nightmares” in New York City. (Photo courtesy of Jen Leno)
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