McNeill Scholar Vianney Aguilar credits a Selena Quintanilla sweatshirt, encouragement from her mother and a “stroke of luck” with helping her secure the lead role in the Su Teatro production- Papi, Me and Cesar Chavez.
Vianney is a Theater major and was feeling slightly discouraged after not receiving callbacks for theater productions in Boulder. Her mother encouraged her to explore opportunities outside of the Boulder community and to look specifically at Su Teatro. Vianney and her mother were introduced to the Su Teatro space while attending the First Friday artwalk.
Su Teatro is a cultural and performing arts center located in Denver’s Art District. Su Teatro was developed by CU Denver students in the 1970s and the company recently celebrated 50 years of operation. Su Teatro is a community-driven organization that continues to center and celebrate Chicano stories.
Vianney took her mother’s advice and looked into audition opportunities. She shared “I logged onto Facebook and saw that they were holding auditions the following week!” Vianney contacted Su Teatro, submitted a resume and was invited to audition.
"The audition was in January, so it was still cold. I wore a Selena sweatshirt my roommate gave to me for my birthday”. Vianney’s stylistic choice ended up becoming an important part of her audition experience. She recalled, “I performed my monologue and a song. The director said he noticed I was wearing a Selena sweatshirt and he asked me if I knew any Selena songs. I told him that I did and he asked me to sing one, on the spot”. Not long after her audition, Vianney was invited for callbacks and learned she landed the lead role.
In addition to gaining professional theater experience, Vianney gained a theatrical community. She shared that her work with Su Teatro was the first time she saw herself and identity reflected in the theater space. Vianney hopes to use her Theater degree and minors in Multicultural leadership and Education to develop and sustain performing arts spaces for young folks of color.
When asked what the highlight of the entire experience was, Vianney shared that her family’s presence and support was especially impactful. As the title implies, the show featured stories of labor workers and the importance of unionizing- themes that Vianney’s family could personally connect with.
Vianney shared that a stand out moment during the show’s run was her tío exclaiming from the audience “tienes una voz hermosa, mija!”
Vianney plans on returning to Su Teatro this summer and continuing her journey as a professional performer.
Please join the McNeill team in celebrating Vianney’s accomplishment!
