Countywide : Dramatics Class Instills Self-Worth

When 10-year-old Denisse Alvarado’s acting coach instructed her to play the part of a frightened little girl, the part came naturally.

Denisse said she often quivers and hides under her bedsheets at night when she hears gunshots in her Santa Ana neighborhood.

So it was no surprise when she instinctively squirmed on the floor and nervously muttered “mommy” during her acting class.

“It’s easy because it’s not real,” the fourth-grade Lowell Elementary School student said about the character part. “I know how to be scared.”

Denisse and 11 other children from the poorest neighborhoods of Santa Ana receive acting classes Tuesdays at the El Salvador Recreation and Community Center as part of Neighborhood Conservatory, a free outreach program geared toward instilling self-esteem and teaching children a skill that might otherwise be out of reach for them.

The 11-week program is sponsored by the South Coast Repertory of Costa Mesa. It was created in 1986 to encourage underprivileged Orange County youngsters to participate in drama classes after school and gain an appreciation for theater arts.

George Herrera, who is teaching the program at the El Salvador Center, said he has seen his students develop self-confidence and creativity.

“Many of these kids are disenfranchised through the mainstream because they live in economically depressed and gang-infested areas, and the acting classes give them a sense of accomplishment and self-worth,” he said.

Herrera said that when he asks his class to do improvisations, most of the students act out violent skits about gang fights and drive-by shootings.

Herrera is “teaching these kids how to use their voice and body language and interactive skills, which really gives them a lot of self-esteem,” said Anthony Novella, director of the El Salvador Center. “That’s what a lot of kids around here need.”

Novella said the neighborhood children encounter heavy peer pressure on the streets “to do what they know is wrong. Coming to this class teaches them how to react and think in different situations.”

“By learning different voice inflections and body language, the kids become empowered and you notice the difference when (the program) is over,” Novella added.

By the time the class draws to a close, Herrera nominates students for SCR scholarships so they can take more acting classes at the Costa Mesa theater.

Vanessa Jimenez, 9, said she hopes to be a recipient of the scholarship because she wants to become an actress. “If I get good, I can be a movie star,” the third-grader from Fremont Elementary School said.

“Acting is better than sitting at home watching TV, and when I’m an actress I’ll be so proud of myself,” Vanessa said.

For Sarah Espinoza, 9, and Denisse, the class diminishes their everyday fears.

“I used to be afraid of the dark but not anymore,” said Sarah, who is a third-grade student at Fremont. “We learned that we don’t have to be afraid of anything.”

Added Denisse: “It helps me a lot.”

The class is busy putting together a play about the circus in which each student will play a different animal or clown. Their show will take place next month.

“We try to teach the kids that they have control of their imaginations and nurture their artistic ability so that, ultimately, they become creative and innovative adults,” Herrera said.