Telling Our Stories~ Ken Trevino “Jalapeno Blues” 3/29 6:30p
The Museums of Port Isabel and the Laguna Madre Museum Foundation are proud to present its “Telling Our Stories” Series of 2012 on Thursday, March 29, at the Treasures of the Gulf Museum, 317 East Railroad Ave at 6:30pm. This month’s topic will be a theatrical play “Jalapeno Blues”, written by Ken Trevino.
The play Jalapeno Blues was written by poet and playwright Ken “Bluetown” Trevino, in the spring of 2006. It is based on an anthology of poems by the same name, written by Chicano poet Trinidad Sanchez Jr. The play organizes bits and pieces of the anthology’s poems into dramatic play format depicting the life and times of Trinidad “Trino” Sanchez. Trino’s widow, Regina Chavez y Sanchez provided all the specific facts, words, dates, times, and places. Los Angeles playwright and poet Ron Allen offered the guidance of inspiration for the storyline.
Jalapeno Blues starts off portraying Trino as a child of Mexican immigrants who move from Monterrey, Mexico to Detroit, Michigan in search of a better life. Trino shows his stron sense of spirituality when he enters the monastery and serves for twenty-seven years. During this time period he learns to write poetry like his father. He meets a woman along the way who inspires him. He soon finds injustices in the monastery and begins teaching poetry in various public schools. Regina Chavez Y Sanchez, whose father Santiago Chavez was one of the leaders of the Chicano Movement in Denver, Colorado meets and inspires Trino. Trinidad and Regina marry and move to San Antonio. Embedded in the storyline are two characters, the suitcase Pachuco and the Calico Cat that play off of each other symbolizing the need for harmony and racial unity. In the end, Trino dies, but through his words, his Chicano spirit is set free.
The cast of Jalapeno Blues is made up of: Meliton Hinojosa, an auto mechanic instructor at San Benito High School and a published Chicano poet, as Joe Suitcase Pachuco; Jesus Lopez, an eleventh grade student, poet, and writer at Port Isabel High School, as the Calico Cat; Ken “Bluetown” Trevino, poet, playwright, and English teacher at Port Isabel High School, as Trino; Mitzi Franco, and eleventh grade Port Isabel High School student, poet, and writer, as Trino’s mother, Sophia; and Perla Rodgriuez a twelfth grade student, poet, and writer at Port Isabel High School, as Regina.
Ken Trevino has been an English teacher at Port Isabel High School since 2000. He is a published poet and playwright as well as a co-founder of the Laguna Madre Writers Forum, and a member of the Narciso Martinez Cultural Arts Writers Forum. He has read poetry across the Rio Grande Valley, at Northwest Vista College in San Antonio, and at Casa Mata Museum in Matamoros, Mexico. Trevino has a Bachelor’s degree in English, with a Spanish minor, from Incarnate Word College in San Antonio, and an Associate Degree in Behavioral Sciences from San Antonio College. He taught at Blessed Sacrament Academy in San Antonio for one year, then at South Palm Garden s High School in Weslaco for three years before moving to Port Isabel. He is married and has two lovely daughters. Locally, Trevino has read at Paragraphs Bookstore on South Padre Island, the Port Isabel Lighthouse, Day of the Dead Celebrations, the Port Isabel Public Library, and Telling of Our Stories at the Port Isabel Museum. Trevino started a night of poetry and music known as Beat Night for the last five years which is poetry read by, and written by, Port Isabel High School Students. Other plays that he has written, produced, and directed include Home of the Brave, and modified versions of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and Othello.
Please join us as we are entertained by “Jalapeno Blues”. All locals and visitors are welcomed to attend this free presentation. Complimentary drinks and hors d’oeuvres will be provided, following the program.
“Telling Our Stories” is an educational program aimed to preserve the heritage of the City of Port Isabel and the Laguna Madre area. Our goals are to preserve and educate out local and natural history through presentations and exhibits. The program is co-sponsored by the Museums of Port Isabel and the Laguna Madre Museum Foundation. “Telling Our Stories” is presented on the last Thursday of each month from January through September at the Treasures of the Gulf Museum. Admission is FREE.
Sponsored by: Laguna Madre Museum Foundation
For more information on “Telling Our Stories” or to help sponsor an event, contact Jeannie Marie A. Flores at 956-943-7602 or visitwww.portisabelmuseums.com or you may also send an email tomuseumdirector@copitx.com.
