En Mi Jardin: Healing With Our Stories at CASA 0101 | L.A. Theater

If you aren’t familiar with CASA 0101 it is a cozy small theater in Boyle Heights, which is primarily Chicano with a rich cultural heritage. The theater’s latest play is En Mi Jardin: (In My Garden) Healing With Our Stories. It is a collection of thirteen, 10-minute vignettes written by 13 out of 17 of the players. Each focuses on a painful circumstance common within the community.

The production deals with healing the pain its characters experience to empower and strengthen them.

The large cast plays multiple roles, and the play is performed with a 10-minute intermission. Emmanuel Deleage and Lorena M. Ortega direct.

The cast stars Vanessa Arias-Herrera, Martin Barrera, Michael Berckart, Bernadette Bolanos, Chrissi Erickson, Christian Gama, Michelle Lopez, Steve Loya Hernandez, Martin Morales, Itzel Ocampo, Karla Ojeda, Lorena Ramirez, Raquel Salinas and Juanita Zavaleta. It also features CASA 0101 Theater’s young actors, Acolmixtli J.T. Ortega, Bella Calderon, Lucy Wetzel, and Etienne Deleage.

A person from the main character’s past comes back in each vignette to have a conversation in the form of a ghost or figment of the imagination, to discuss the pain that was caused, and to heal old wounds. A few of the vignettes are performed in Spanish with subtitles projected at the top of the set.

Some of the stories describe instances of domestic violence, immigration, coming out as gay, obstacles to attaining higher education, family estrangement, bigoted employers, and other painful issues requiring closure or as a learning experience.

The sequences were written from the personal experiences of cast members/writers performing the roles.

Each one is so personal, that it’s hard to determine if the instance was exaggerated or true to what happened in reality.

An example is the first play dealing with a housekeeper working for a bigoted couple who have bought into the immigrants as a subhuman narrative. At one point, the housekeeper arrived to find the couple had COVID and did not tell her ahead of time. They don’t seem to realize she is a person who could also get sick and infect her family members.

I can see that happening as some people are so self-centered they would rather get their house cleaned than worry about protecting their employees.

On the other hand, the prejudice displayed in the scene is Archie Bunker-like. Although, with what is currently happening in the world this could be entirely possible.

Another vignette that stood out was a young woman in college whose career counselor tells her that her grades are too low to become a doctor. She goes on to overcome her obstacles and achieves multiple degrees. However, the way she yells at the counselor for demeaning her could have gotten her expelled. Again, the actor/writer lived that situation so it’s hard to tell how it went down in real life.

The concept of En Mi Jardin is unique

The ability to have an impactful conversation with someone of consequence from the past is compelling. Often adversity makes people stronger depending on how they react to it. Being able to understand a hurtful situation by reliving it is healing.

In a theatrical sense, though, more introspection and less yelling tend to be more engaging. There were instances in some of the short plays that relied on the latter.

Overall, it was wonderful to see the creativity of mostly young actors/writers and their ability to tackle tough and deeply personal subject matter in full view of an audience. It’s what good theater is all about.

The play runs through May 12, 2024.

CASA 0101

2102 East 1st Street (at St. Louis Street), Boyle Heights, California 90033

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