Oftentimes, the shows with the simplest choices generate the most engaging and creative theater. “Tomás and the Library Lady” at the Austin Playhouse sticks to that notion, offering West Campus and the rest of Austin a timely play about migration and education in the United States and its Chicano community.
“Tomás and the Library Lady” is part of the Playhouse’s Theatre For Youth series. The series aims to allow the youngest audience members “to see themselves represented on stage navigating the complex issues they and their peers are facing,” according to the play’s program. Sarah Chong Dickey, the show’s director, said the Playhouse offers free performances of its Theatre For Youth shows, including “Tomás and the Library Lady,” to Title 1 schools.
The play, written by José Cruz González, is based on the true story of Tomás Rivera, a Mexican American author and educator who advocated for literacy and education throughout his life.
As the audience enters the small theater on West 22nd Street, they hear ranchera music reminiscent of any small-town Mexican café in Texas. The stage is set with a small library and a pile of trunks in front of a person-sized book with the show’s title.
The story begins quickly with a song sung in English and Spanish, reflecting the dialogue throughout the show. Set in the 1940s, young Tomás and his family are moving from Texas to Iowa in search of work. As the song concludes, the large book opens to a beautiful night sky backdrop.
The book constantly flips through the pages, revealing different backdrops and connecting the set to the play’s dialogue. Characters often step back and narrate specific moments, creating many fun moments on stage where the audience hears the action before seeing it.
A cast of three actors plays seven characters, showing off the acting chops of each performer. Diego Arroyo Aceves doubles as Tomás and his father, Florencio. Erika Santana plays Tomás’ mother, Josefa, and brother, Enrique.
Diego Arroyo Aceves and Erika Santana sit on the trunks center stage, transforming the pile of luggage into a car making a cross-country trip. As Florencio and Josefa, the actors lay out the reasons for the family’s move. Florencio is optimistic about finding work in Iowa, but Josefa worries that Tomás will fall behind in school.
After that scene concludes, Aceves simply changes from pants to shorts to shift from Florencio to Tomás, who’s fast asleep and dreaming in the backseat of the car. The audience enters Tomás’ head, where he’s having a nightmare about his old teacher in Texas.
“I will not be lazy, daydream or speak Spanish,” the Nightmare Teacher scolds Tomás, demanding him to repeat it. The recurring nightmare, which features a shrouded dragon teacher, serves as a poignant reminder of Texas’ education history, which continues to affect Latino families across the state — from 1918 to 1973, Texas law banned students from speaking Spanish in public schools.
Interestingly, Bernadette Nason plays the Nightmare Teacher and the Library Lady, who meets Tomás on his way to drop a letter at the post office. Because of a slight language barrier, Tomás is initially intimidated by the Library Lady, but she invites him into the town’s public library to give him some water.
Throughout the play, Tomás and the Library Lady form a strong relationship. The Library Lady helps Tomás develop his reading and storytelling skills, and Tomás teaches her Spanish. The Library Lady’s nurturing methods produce stronger results than the Nightmare Teacher from Texas. Tomás tells her about his recurring nightmares, and she encourages him to confront them head-on with his new knowledge.
The Library Lady shows Tomás the power of knowledge, which the real-life Tomás Rivera carried forward in his own life, which the play reveals to the audience. Tomás Rivera, the child of migrant farm workers, earned degrees from Southwest Texas State University. He went on to teach at the University of Texas at San Antonio and the University of Texas at El Paso before becoming the chancellor of the University of California, Riverside.
Although “Tomás and the Library Lady” is geared toward a younger audience, the Austin Playhouse’s production enriches the play’s timely story and conflicts with simple theatrical choices, bringing the audience into Tomás Rivera’s true story.
The production certainly meets the Theatre For Youth series’s mission, offering a distinct magical realism to teach all audiences about our complicated world. I highly recommend “Tomás and the Library Lady” for those looking for a quick yet engaging trip to the theater.
“Tomás and the Library Lady” has five more public performances until March 2. The show runs approximately 50 minutes, and tickets are pay-what-you-can. For more information, visit austinplayhouse.com.
