“How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents” Would Have Been the First Bilingual Play at UR

By Claire Paulhac
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Originally posted in The Collegian

The department of theater and dance spring production “How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents” would have been a trailblazer for the University of Richmond as the first bilingual play presented on campus. Its April 16 opening night was halted by the transition to remote learning, but its impact lives on with the cast.

The play, which was written by Karen Zacarías and based on a Julia Álvarez’s novel of the same name, was directed by theater professor Walter Schoen. It follows the Garcia girls, four sisters who emigrate from the Dominican Republic to New York City in the 1960s, according to the Modlin Center for the Arts. They’ve come to the United States because of political strife and personal danger in their homeland, according to the Modlin Center.

University of Richmond’s Modlin Center for the Arts. Photo by Eric Jedel of The Collegian

Senior Maria Acosta was cast to play Yolanda, the main character and one of the four Garcia girls, Acosta said. 

“This play would have highlighted not only a cultural story, but a narrative about immigration, assimilation and the difficulty of growing up and being different,” Acosta said.

Sophomore Esmeralda Castillo was cast as Doña Charito, the Garcia girls’ English teacher, Castillo said. 

“The play is a story of girls growing up between two cultures,” Castillo said. “As they emigrated from the Dominican Republic from such a young age, they have to find ways to stay connected to their roots and honor those traditions and values but in America. Once they are teenagers, they become more assimilated to American culture and it turns into a story about losing your roots.”

Some of the cast members said they had felt emotionally attached to the play, as many identified as Latinx and had an understanding of what it means to be between two cultures.