Our annual youth production

In La Mariposa, a young Panchito arrives in the U.S. with his family, and finds his way amid a life of constant moving and in a school where he doesn’t understand a word his teacher says. As he watches his classroom caterpillar transform into a butterfly, he too begins to learn to spread his wings.

Breaking Through follows him to his teenage years, where Panchito comes to love school and reading. A dream to become a teacher awakens in him. But when his responsibility to his family clashes against his own desires, he must navigate the competing priorities that face him.

Jiménez’s memoirs have resonated across generations, in their message of love, determination, and the importance of one’s mentors.

The novels are presented as two one-act plays performed together—La Mariposa in Spanish and Breaking Through in English. Both plays include projected supertitles in English and in Spanish.

Nuestra producción juvenil

La Mariposa muestra al jóven Panchito a su llegada a los EEUU con su familia donde tiene que encontrar su lugar en una vida de mudanzas constantes y en una escuela en la cual no entiende ni una sola palabra de lo que dice su maestra. Al observar en su salón de clase a una oruguita transformarse en una mariposa, él también aprende a desplegar sus alas.

Breaking Through lo sigue a su adolescencia, cuando Panchito empieza a encontrar alegría en la escuela y los libros. El sueño de ser maestro se despierta en él. Pero cuando sus responsabilidades familiares colisionan con sus deseos, él tiene que navegar las múltiples prioridades a las que se enfrenta.

Las autobiografías de Francisco Jiménez resuenan a través de varias generaciones con un mensaje de amor, determinación y el valor inestimable de los mentores.

Las novelas serán presentadas como dos obras de un acto exhibidas juntas. La Mariposa se presenta en español y Breaking Through en inglés. Ambas obras incluyen supertítulos proyectados en inglés y en español.

Teatro Visión's operations and this production of La Mariposa and Breaking Through are made possible, in part, by the California Arts Council; the National Endowment for the Arts; a Cultural Affairs grant from the City of San José; SV Creates, in partnership with the County of Santa Clara; David & Lucille Packard Foundation; Silicon Valley Community Foundation; Applied Materials Foundation; Fleishhacker Foundation; Leo M. Shortino Family Foundation; Opera San José; and the School of Arts and Culture at the Mexican Heritage Plaza.