The University Spanish Theatre Group has been a labor of love for Spanish Prof. Fernando Operé for more than two decades, but when asked about the birth of the group, he seemed to shun the dramatic.
"Twenty-four years ago we said, 'let's do a play,'" said Operé, who does double-duty as director and cast member.
Twenty-four plays later, Operé and the Spanish Theatre Group will open the doors to Helms Theatre this weekend for their latest production in Spanish, José Luis Alonso de Santos' "Yonquis y Yanquis," a contemporary drama set in the rough-and-tumble outskirts of Madrid during the Gulf War in the early 1990s.
While the group has been known to favor traditional, literary plays like those by famed Spanish playwright Federico Garcia Lorca, some cast and crew members said "Yonquis y Yanquis" will prove a fresh departure from their usual fare.
"It's an urban legend, a modern-day West Side story," Assistant Director Arantxa Ascunce said. "There are issues we deal with -- racism, interracial relationships, sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll."
Not to mention cultural confrontation. The play examines the relations between "Yonquis" -- a clan of Spanish junkies who peddle drugs or work as prostitutes -- and "Yanquis" -- wayward American or "Yankee" soldiers stationed near Madrid during the Gulf War.
Operé said Santos' play is a critique of both American and Spanish cultures.
"There are stereotypes about America and Spain that people can identify with," he said. "I know many students have been abroad and experienced both countries."
Many cast members said the presence of the Gulf War in the show seems particularly timely considering the recent war in Iraq. Sounds of planes roaring overhead and gunshots popping in the distance remind the audience that war is a subliminal influence on the Yonquis and Yanquis.
Graduate Architecture student Gustavo Cohen, who plays Angel, the Yonqui son of a working-class family headed by Operé's character, commented on the war's relevance.
"The play shows that what's going on in Iraq can affect the nucleus of a family," Cohen said.
But while "Yonquis y Yanquis" addresses social tumult and violence, it is enlivened by laughter. Flamenco beats blare during some scene changes and splashes of humor, sex and vulgarity are common. These are signs, according to cast members, that the play is an interesting hybrid of social drama and cultural comedy.
"It's supposed to be a drama," said fourth-year College student Mariandrea Chamorro, who plays a prostitute. "But it can be very funny."
Third-year College student and cast mate Maria Jose Ribadeneira said spontaneity seems to make the characters feel authentic.
"The author creates characters and allows them to say anything," Ribadeneira said.
The notion of expressing anything seems to come easily to the cast and crew, a blend of faculty, graduate and undergraduate students who wax enthusiastic about the unique theatrical environment the group creates.
"There are not many settings where graduates, undergraduates and professors are together," Operé said. "It creates a wonderful camaraderie."
Operé said he has treasured this sense of unity since acting with independent groups in Spain, despite fierce censorship from former Spanish dictator Francisco Franco.
"I loved to work in a group and be part of something artistic and creative -- especially with the challenges," he said.
And this year's production has provided its fair share of obstacles. While most productions are comprised of three settings or less, "Yonquis y Yanquis" calls for 17, an especially daunting task in Helms Theatre, a relatively small performance space. The result is a production peppered with short scenes that skip back and forth between different characters in varying locales, an effect many cast and crew members compared to the design of a television show.
Operé also said the group surmounted the problem of crafting a production with few props by borrowing materials from the Drama department. Boxes, benches and columns form the bulk of the constantly-changing set, which includes a television set airing footage from the recent war in Iraq.
Chamorro said the group prides itself on its versatility.
"We're like a traveling troupe," she said, "Adapting to whatever problem, whatever circumstance."
The cast and crew will, in fact, become a traveling troupe this month as they perform "Yonquis y Yanquis" at Wake Forest University Feb. 29 and James Madison University Feb. 16.
Operé said because Spanish theatre at American colleges is rare, several other institutions invite the University group to perform each year.
Though commitments to classes limit the group from embarking on more than a couple of trips, the actors said they don't need to go far to enjoy themselves. Cast members can't seem to resist dancing in groups when the sound technician tests the Flamenco CD, and even after months of readings, members of the cast and crew still laugh aloud at onstage jokes.
History Prof. Tico Braun has been with the Spanish Theatre Group for 10 years and said he marvels at the group's dedication.
"This is crazy, zany, spontaneous, theatrical and entertaining," Braun said. "And ultimately, pretty professional."
"Yonquis y Yanquis" opened last night at the Helms Theatre. Weekend shows include Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m.
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