CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Texas A&M Corpus Christi Department of Theater and Dance is rehearsing for a play based on the life of civil rights activist, Dr. Hector P. Garcia.
The production will take audience members through the most pivotal historical moments of the 20th century for the Mexican American community.
Dr. Hector P. Garcia's legacy lives in the minds of older generations here in the Coastal Bend. However, Texas A&M Corpus Christi is hoping a production like this one will inform the younger generations so everyone can appreciate the life of the civil rights icon.
Gabriel Almager spoke with 3NEWS and said, "As a Hispanic American, I think it means more to be doing this this month, right here right now."
Almager is playing the starring role of Dr. Hector P. Garcia. To Almager, there is no better time than the present to share the remarkable life of the activist.
"It is definitely a very big honor. But it is also a very big weight onto my shoulders. But I think what I've been trying to do is just make it to where I'm able to tell his story," Almager explained.
The Assistant Professor of Theatre, Thomas Oldham assisted with the story. "College students walk by his statue, and they don't know half the story and we're hoping to fill in a little bit of the gap," Oldham said.
The impact Dr. Garcia made on the lives of many will be on full display. Almager told 3NEWS, "I think it's the perfect time to put it on. And it means the world."
Oldham added, "We decided to apply for a grant to commission a professional playwright to write an entirely new script based on the life and legacy of Dr. Hector."
A production of this magnitude has been in the works for 18 months. Playwriter, Iraisa Ann Reilly worked with professors to assemble the script.
"It tells just a magnificent, humbling story that I am proud to be even the smallest part of," Oldham said. "The idea that one man, one man from Corpus Christi can change the world."
The play will run Tuesday, September 27 through Sunday, October 2. The tickets can be purchased directly from the box office on campus in the Center for the Arts, or can be purchased online.
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