Kristen Altoro-Nevins, actress and theater administrator, is leading the effort to establish Siempre Aqui, a new Latine production company. (courtesy of Kristen Altoro-Nevins)
How a Black Box performance paved the way for a new Latine production company in KC
With the country reeling from the violence and inhumanity suffered by immigrants and nonimmigrants, mostly Hispanic, during this last year, the chance to show pride in Latine peoples’ legacy and to educate general audiences about their history and accomplishments has taken on new urgency.
In January/February, Kansas City vocalist, director and actor Francisco Pancho Javier jump-started a whole new venture in this direction with his performance of Latin History for Morons, at The Black Box. The production, a reenactment of the Broadway show written and performed by John Leguizamo in 2018, was designed as a fundraiser and platform for Siempre Aqui, a new Latine production company led by Bronx-born Puerto Rican actress and theater administrator Kristen Altoro-Nevins.
The play’s origin was anger at the absence of Latine people in American history books; reportedly, Leguizamo was inspired to write it by one of his son’s school assignments.
Javier jumped at the opportunity to reactivate Leguizamo’s passion in Kansas City, posting, “If you are a family member or a friend of mine, a parent or someone’s son/daughter, an immigrant or citizen or simply just a human being, please join my class.” In the simplest terms he called the play “a love letter to both my ancestors and to my son,” matching Leguizamo’s motivation.
Among those who helped to bring Latin History for Morons to the Kansas City stage were performers Vanessa Davis, director/producer, and Ezra Martinez-Haskins, stage manager. Live music was provided by Juan-Carlos Chaurand, whom many know from the band Making Movies.
The production also included curtain speeches by Altoro-Nevins announcing Siempre Aqui, an idea she’s been working on for years. Its tagline: Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow. Because we’re here, we’ve always been here and we will continue to be here.
Altoro-Nevins has been part of the Kansas City theater community since she was 19. She’s delivered memorable musical performances in Rent and Who Run the World. She has extensive administrative and nonprofit experience and had the name and logo for Siempre Aqui ready.
It’s building time right now for the new company. A foundation and 501(c)(3 ) status are in the works and fundraising is underway. Siempre Aqui has a Facebook and Instagram presence and a website is in development.
Siempre Aqui will make space for Latine performers to be their “genuine selves.” No more “racially ambiguous” roles or Latine roles given over to non-Latine actors, says Altoro-Nevins. That “sends the message that we’re replaceable, that our identities are flexible, that we don’t need to be present to be represented.” She added, “Many spaces haven’t done the work to reach us, invite us in, or make us feel like we belong there in the first place. Now that I’m raising two Latine babies, it hits even deeper.”
This is a conversation Latine artists are having all over the city.
The vision crafted by Javier, Altoro-Nevins and Davis for Siempre Aqui is to enrich Kansas City with Latine culture and creativity, while extending real opportunity and sustenance to the Latine arts community. “My goal is absolutely to pay everyone involved in any production,” Altoro-Nevins said. “I’m currently in talks with a local Latine playwright who has given me the green light to use one of their pieces as our inaugural production.”
DRAMATIC, COMEDIC, MUSICAL
Latin History for Morons was the perfect vehicle at the perfect time to jump-start the company. And Javier was the perfect conduit.
Javier has frequently used the stage to educate as well as entertain. He’s appeared in the Coterie’s A Wrinkle in Time, Red Badge Variations, Cinderella, Tomas and the Library Lady, and Schoolhouse Rock Live! He was also a participant in the theater’s Dramatic Health Education Project: HIV/STDs tour. With his oversized personality and infectious enthusiasm, he relates easily to kids and loves helping them find their own artistic passion.
He’s dramatic, he’s comedic, he’s musical. He starred in Kiss Me Kate at Music Theatre Heritage and Bare: A Pop Opera at the Unicorn. He’s crooned at Quality Hill Playhouse and performed with the Kansas City Symphony for their “America: From Rag to Rock” Pops series. He also is a regular with Rock & Roll Sundays at Unity Church in Overland Park.
That kind of comprehensive versatility is exactly what Siempre Aqui desires to promote — stories and profiles that run the gamut, told by those who have actually experienced them and can portray them best.
Enough with assimilation “just to belong,” says Altoro-Nevins, “when so many if not all of us are descended from some of the most resilient, innovative, and powerful civilizations in the history of the world. It’s not just frustrating, it’s harmful.”
