A FIRST AMENDMENT PUBLICATION Woodland Hills, California
Volume 136 - Issue 5
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
One copy free, each additional copy $1.00
Review: 'El Nogalar' shines on stage
BY PAMELA KALIDASAN
Features Editor
F
or some people, home is where the heart is. But not having a place to belong is a struggle that leaves those without that sanctuary feeling lost. “El Nogalar” (The Pecan Orchard) written by playwright Tanya Saracho and directed by Christian Barillas, is a contemporary bilingual (English and Spanish) adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s “The Cherry Orchard,” where the story is set in Northern Mexico and focuses on the significance of having a home while dealing with repercussions of the drug war. And throughout the story, some characters feel out of place without a home. In a dramatic monologue, Guillermo Lopez or ‘Memo’ (Alejandro Balderas) expresses how he always found his place near the pecan trees, and explains that he feels sentimental toward them because they remind him of his first love, Matie (Yvonne Caro-Caro). For Matie, though, the land is a reminder of the women who have previously owned the property and of her unresolved trauma, where Pedro (Jhon Cartolin Leon) brought her son’s
Photo by Nancy Corona (Right to left) Yvonne Caro-Caro who plays Matie and Stella Ramirez who plays Valeria appear in "El Nogalar," by Tanya Saracho, directed by Christian Barillas, during dress rehearsals at Dow Arena Theatre at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 22, 2022.
body home after he drowned by the river. But what truly made this play unique is how the story involves the grittier and usually unspoken parts of life. Anita (Loida Navas), who is the youngest daughter of Matie, speaks eloquently about her mother’s issues with debt, gambling and mental health, and how her mother had given everything, including Anita’s tuition money, just to come back to Mexico to repeat that chaotic process. With Matie being financially irresponsible and stuck in a vicious toxic cycle, the land was bound to belong to someone else who would be able to take care of it. Other actors who have done
well include Amy Solano, who pecan tree branches playing an plays Durina, and Stella Ramirez essential motif for the story. who plays Matie’s older daughter There were some moments Valeria. Both characters helped where it was difficult to keep catalyze the story and shifted the track of what was happening, but narrative. the drama, twists and nuance are The character Chato (Danni mind-boggling in a good way. Rabbani), a Mexican cartel This is a must-watch play, member that Memo negotiated and people should attend this with in keeping the land, added production to see how the rest of an essence of mystery whenever the story unfolds. he was silently watching “El Nogalar” will have everything unfold from atop the upcoming shows on Friday, hill. April 1, Saturday, April 2 at 8 The set design is detailed to p.m., and on Sunday, April 3 at 2 fit the environment, featuring p.m., in the Dow Arena Theater. walls with grooves and curves to represent the mountains where Chato talks to Memo from. The rooms were also decorated with traditional clay pots. The lighting also added a nice touch, with shadows casted by the pkalidasan.roundupnews@gmail.com
Photo by Nancy Corona Amy Solano as Valeria acts in dress rehearsal for "El Nogalar" at the Dow Arena Theatre at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif., on March 22, 2022.
Academic Senate discusses enrollment JAYNA KUKLIN Copy Editor/Reporter
D
iscussions on whether or not Pierce College is ready for a complete return to in-person classes arose during the Academic Senate meeting on Monday via Zoom. Academic Senate president Barbara Anderson stated that
California’s state of emergency has been extended under compliance of AB 361. “It’s in the belief in the District that the Academic Senate will continue to meet remotely,” Anderson said. COVID-19 cases are going down in the state of California, but Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) members are not quite ready to go back to 100% in-person. Some professors liked the
idea of keeping meetings online until the state of emergency is lifted. “I would be in favor of continuing to meet remotely, at least until the rest of the semester so that my colleagues and I don’t have to change the modalities of how we’ve been doing our work,” said Jennifer Moses, a psychology professor. Anthropology professor Brian Pierson also said he would prefer to stay online because of
his health. “I’m immunocompromised, and up until just very recently, I finally got the monoclonal antibodies vaccine,” Pierson said. “Prior to that, I wouldn’t have been able to come on.” The extension of the state of emergency is not the only problem Pierce continues to face. Enrollment numbers are still dwindling as Interim President Ara Aguiar said that Pierce is
Topanga Vintage Market returns [see PHOTO ESSAY on pg. 4]
down by approximately 4,300 students. “Our enrollment is also at 29% pre-pandemic and 30% of last year,” Aguiar said. Aguiar said that Pierce has been adding more classes, though the number is not as high as before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. She also said to not look at the percentages, but rather the numbers. Aguiar also stated that Pierce’s class average is not
being taken into consideration when counting numbers of enrollment and headcount versus the other eight colleges in the District. The next Academic Senate meeting will be April 11, at 2:15 p.m., likely on Zoom.
jkuklin.roundupnews@gmail.com
Opinions..............................2 News.....................................3 Photo Essay..........................4 Features................................5 Sports....................................6