Mother Knows Best: A moment in the woods with Pamela Garcia Langton

Today we spend a moment in the woods with Pamela Garcia Langton! Many will remember Pamela from her performance as the fiery Camila in last years In the Heights. This year she plays a very different type of mother - one she was surprised to find she had more in common with then she previously had thought.

 

When I auditioned for this show I knew who my favorite characters were and that out of all the characters, I probably would not want to be Jack's Mother.  She's not attractive, she is a nag, she's grouchy and well, no one really ever likes her.  Guess what, I got Jack's Mother.

Now, I have seen Into the Woods about a million times, no exaggeration, but it wasn't until I started working with Adam that I am seeing Jack's Mother in a different light.  And it is scary!!  All of this time I never thought of her as real person with real feelings and problems, just some fairy tale old lady who yells a lot and wears bad clothes.  But she is and worse, she is a little too much like me!!

Now let me explain, I am not too bad looking, I am not a nag or grouchy all of the time and I think people like me.  But, she and I have had similar experiences that have made us the people we are.  Like Jack's Mother, I too was a single mother.  After reviewing the show again, this time with a different eye, I imagine she has gone through similar things as me and is the way she is because of those things. 

For instance, maybe she fell in love with the bad boy of the neighborhood, followed her heart, made some bad choices and became pregnant.  Upon finding out she was with child, he left her to deal with the problem. She may have been made to believe that it was shameful to have a child without a husband.  She was terribly hurt that she lost most of her friends because they were disappointed in her. She might have been humiliated by the fact that she was not allowed to have a baby shower because unwed mothers didn't deserve to celebrate the birth of their child, so she had to dress her baby in hand me downs and thrift store clothes and use old strollers and yard sale items for her nursery.  Her siblings may have expressed to her what a loser she was and that she was never going to amount to anything because she was stupid enough to get pregnant at age 21.  Eventually, she may have even felt it was the biggest mistake of her life to have a child and so after a while she started resenting Jack and took to alcohol and other things to be able to cope.

I did experience all of those things, luckily, the latter didn’t.  I fought hard to prove to everyone I was going to become something, I could raise my child alone and I survived slightly wounded by my experience.  Without going through any more detail, let me just say it was the roughest time in my life and I apologize to my beautiful daughter, Kelly, if I ever made her feel like I resented her or didn't want to be a mother.  I love her with all of my heart and soul and wouldn't give up being her mother for anything in this world.  If it wasn't for her I wouldn't be the woman that I am today, she is so very special and I owe her my life!!

 

Jack's Mother however has yet to learn to cope with all of it.  She has never gotten over the fact that she had little support from family and friends, especially not Jack's Father.  She hasn't gotten past the humiliation and shame and has become sad, powerless and unable to truly see the beauty in having a child and being a mother.  It isn't until she thinks she is going to lose him that she realizes how lucky she is to have this child and her love for him is stronger and worth more than Golden Eggs or Singing Harps.

We can all learn a great lesson from this.  When things don’t go how you have planned, don’t cry about it, fight to survive and know everything happens for a reason. Be grateful for every day that you are alive and for all of the people in your life.  Love your family; be there for your children. Take every experience as a lesson, make the most of everyday and be thankful for everything God hands you. 

Jeremy Coca, Aigner Mathis, and Pamela Garcia Langton
star in Artes de la Rosa's
INTO THE WOODS

"JUST JACK": A Moment with the youngest cast member, Jeremy Coca

Today we blog with Jeremy Coca. Affectionately deemed 'Baby Coca', Jeremy, as the youngest member of the professional acting company for Into the Woods, plays the dreamer Jack (of Jack and the Beanstalk fame); but this is not Jeremy's first time on the Rose Marine stage. Most people will probably remember him from his wild antics in the youth ensemble of Artes de la Rosa's In The Heights, recently named "Best Show" (Non Equity) in John Garcia's THE COLUMN "Best of Issue."  Spend a moment with Jeremy and find out why Jack is so close to his heart.



Ask anyone who knows me well. I've been asking for a dog ever since I could remember. It started out just wanting a puppy. But then I settled for ANYTHING. My family has never owned any sort of pet. Most of my family is allergic to cats and my parents have always been reluctant to get a dog. I think that's why I've always felt so close to the role of Jack whose cow is his best friend. 

Jeremy backstage at
In the Heights with Pamela
Garcia Langton. The pair are
reunited as Mother & Son in
Into the Woods!

 

Jack has been one of my dream roles to play since I was in 4th grade when my sister, Natalie who plays Cinderella in this production, brought home the DVD from a teacher that had let her borrow it. I remember sitting there, watching the characters and stage come to life, and just seeing it all in amazement. 

 

So you can imagine my excitement when I not only received a callback for the role, but being offered the role! 

 

Words can not amount to the excitement I'm feeling. Even as I write this post! To top it all off? I get to share the stage again with my sister and for the first time in forever my brother, Anthony who plays Rapunzel's Prince, as well. 

 

This really is an incredible show. It says so much and its all so beautiful. Its not just the characters in the show that have their story. This brilliant cast and their backgrounds are just so beautiful and heart warming.

 

And the best part? 

 

THE FACT THAT I'M THE YOUNGEST IN THE SHOW! 

 

Its so great, working with such a talented cast, and absorbing all that his being given. I just recently turned 17 and being cast in this show is the best birthday present I could have ever received. Being a high schooler and having this be a part of my life is just unbelievable. I am so blessed.

Tradition Honored or Defied? Learning to balance tradition with drive with Pamela Garcia Langton

Tradition Honored or Defied?

Learning to balance tradition with drive with Pamela Garcia Langton

 

I believe your life experiences make you who you are.  My personal history has driven me to become what I am today, a very strong Latina woman who has goals for herself, pride in her accomplishments, high aspirations for her children and an unconditional love for her family and friends.

Getting to know Camila Rosario, I am starting to realize how alike we are.  Being from similar upbringings, I imagine her female role models were much like mine; wonderful mothers, attentive wives, amazing cooks and immaculate housekeepers, who never thought they could, or, felt they deserved to pursue their dreams.

I had seven aunties, my mother's sisters, all who were very beautiful and come to find out, extremely talented artists, dancers, writers, musicians, singers etc.  Growing up around them, I would have never known any of this because none of them shared their talents.  In fact, I would say that it was never mentioned.  It was shameful to their father, my grandpa, that my mother wanted to be a singer. He taught her women had their place, it wasn't outside of the home and definitely not on stage.  At age 21, my mother had to sneak out of her bedroom window to perform with the jazz band that hired her as the beautiful lead singer because if her father knew what she was doing, the punishment would be unbearable.  I loved my grandpa but I don't believe he would be proud of me today and that makes me very sad.

When you grow up surrounded by old values and traditions you have two choices.  You go along with the way things have always been for generations or you fight for yourself and the future of your family and culture.  Well, here I am.  I am a fighter and I believe Camila is as well.  It is not that we don't love and respect our heritage, we want to make it better.

Don't get me wrong, I know we both love traditions like; Tamales on Christmas Eve, Piñatas at birthday parties, homemade flour tortillas (yummy), Quinceaneras, and Mariachi's at weddings!!!  However, passing down the tradition of being a woman afraid of living, afraid of dreaming, afraid of change, afraid of strength with no goals for yourself or your family is a tradition neither one of us wants to share.

Being a fighter isn't easy, you have to really want to change.  You have to leave a lot behind, which was a huge sacrifice for me the day I left my family in Los Angeles and I am sure for Camila when she left Puerto Rico.  You carry the burden of knowing you may be hurting your family by leaving, knowing they may never understand you are doing it for them and future children who will carry on after we are gone. 

 

Camila wants Nina to be a strong role model for her family, she is fighting for the future of her culture.  I want my children to be strong role models for their younger cousins, and believe me, I am seeing a change.  When I was growing up, many of my family members and friends were having babies at 16, with no goals or dreams for a better life.  I would love to believe my nieces and nephews want to go to college because my kids did, want to pursue their dreams because my kids are, want to make a difference because I am.