Blanca “Moon Chola” Espinoza working with two actors during a rehearsal.
What more can we write about Alex?
His candor, sincerity, his love story, which now impacts one of the masterpieces of literature, Romeo and Juliet.
“We wanted to bring one of the key stories of universal literature to our community,” says Alex Alpharaoh, writer of Romeo and Juliet, Rolling through East L.A.
The story of William Shakespeare, a classic of universal literature, has been adapted by Alpharaoh to portray the Latino community of Los Angeles. His partner, Blanca “Moon Chola” Espinoza, is the director of the play, which opens from December 8 to 17 at La Puente Community Center.
It’s a love story, no matter how difficult.
In a way, it reveals the love story between Alex Alpharaoh and Blanca.
“At first, we didn’t like each other,” he says, laughing. “Later on, things happened, and we fell in love before COVID,” he adds. “We spent a lot of time locked up together.”
Alex always wanted to be an actor, born in Guatemala but raised in Los Angeles, he spent 30 years of his life waiting for legal status that would allow him to work and develop his talent.
“I grew up in Echo Park, always wanting to be an actor, but we were a very poor family. We didn’t have access to after-school programs. My mom asked me, ‘What is your plan in life?’ And I told her I wanted to be an actor, but being undocumented had the danger of being deported at any time. I told her, ‘If it’s not here, I’ll open an acting school in Guatemala and go to London.’ I don’t think she believed me, but fortunately, everything worked out well,” he adds.
He liked acting since he was a child; a neighbor introduced him to the world of cinema.
“He offered to pay me 85 dollars, which was a significant amount of money at that time. With that, I got my first tattoo; I engraved my mothers name Lucrecia on my arm. Years later, my mom found out and beat me with a board. She said, ‘I don’t raise gang members,'” before getting kicked out of his house, he recalls. “That led him to the streets, kept him away from his important goal, to be an actor, filmmaker.
But he came back. His partner, Blanca, whom he refers to as a very important and fundamental change in his life, has focused him on what he loves and needs to do: art and cinema.
“I am very interested in working with the community. Blanca and I do mentorship programs to collaborate with the community. People don’t have access to acting; plays like Romeo and Juliet need to be heard and seen in the community. We love Shakespeare,” he adds.
“I told my partner Blanca, there won’t be tragedy here; the tragedy is when you met me,” he says with his very Latino humor.
“I am going to uplift the community; I am who I am thanks to Los Angeles. There are resources, but politicians don’t want to give them. We have to prepare a new generation of artists so that our voices are heard. Not having money doesn’t stop us. If we have our hearts in the right place, things will happen. We have to change the narrative of those who want to colonize us,” he concludes.
Excerpt from his adaptation of the play Romeo and Juliet:
Two families, both firme sin duda. In big bad L.A. w estay posted up.
An old skool beef sworn in blood por, vida.
Innocence lost, senselessness runs amuck.
Boiling flesh of their flesh, blood of their blood.
These enamorados forfeit their lives.
Paying their jefes debts with mourning floods.
Of tragedy till true love, lifeless lies.
Con mi miedo still, les valio verga.
Their parents strife’s no their pinche pedo.
Even as bloodline healing got cerca..
Their storied romance you’ll now get to know
Stay trucha and perk up those hustler’s cars
In case you catch something that wasn’t clear here…
Juan Escobedo: “A good filmmaker leaves you thinking after you watch a movie.”
