Culture and Legacy: ‘White Rose of Tejas’ blossoms in Bayou Theater

A pandemic-stricken season of writing, a spring campaign aiming for a fall debut, a semester delay and ten weeks of auditions and rehearsals all lead to more than 40 people in a dark room on an April weekend. The lights go dim, and so begins a UHCL Storytellers production paying homage to a legend of Tejano music.

The long awaited production, “The White Rose of Tejas” debuted in the Bayou Theater April 14, playing throughout the weekend. The show, written by Andrea Baldwin, senior lecturer in communication, and Olivia Gessella “Gigi” Perez-Langley, explores Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla Perez’s social and cultural impact through performances by five UHCL students.

A performance about Selena had long been on the mind of Perez-Langley, who is an adjunct instructor at Park University and Director of Art in Uncommon Places. 

“I wanted to write a show about the culture of Selena that continues to persist even after her death,” Perez-Langley said. “It comes from a long line of me being around musicians. My sister is a musician who has always sung Selena’s music. So a large part of me wanting to do that was in homage to her. It also spun from seeing my husband being a musician and so just seeing part of the music world and the way Texans think about Selena and continued to resonate in Tejano people. We have a culture of people who weren’t even alive when we started remembering Selena and so I think that’s an interesting thing to note. After all these years you can still remark on certain things and people know that exact reference to Selena.”

Baldwin, who is the advisor of the UHCL Storytellers, proposed a performance about Selena could be done and performed at UHCL. 

“Gigi actually had this idea probably for seven or eight years,” Baldwin said. “She and I are native Texans and big fans of Selena. For her conceptually, this has been going on a long time. For me I jumped in with the project probably about two years ago around Spring 2020. My interest and love for Selena goes back my entire life as a Texan. I distinctly remember the first time I heard ‘Bidi Bidi Bom Bom.’ I was in the third grade and I can also recall the day she died. I was actually a sixth grader and so much of that memory, mystery and speculation about her iconicity is really fascinating and also because this institution is an HSI [Hispanic Serving Institution] it seemed like a right fit for topics for conversation and topics for performance.”

With that, the two headed off to San Antonio and spent three days writing what would become the script for the White Rose of Tejas. 

“Gigi Iives in San Angelo, Texas which is about six hours from here so San Antonio is a halfway point for both of us,” Baldwin said. “So we got a hotel in San Antonio on the River Walk and we just pulled ourselves up and wrote what we consider bones of the show. When we wrote those bones part of it was getting in that atmosphere because San Antonio is part of what we consider the Tejano triangle, which is San Antonio, Houston and Corpus Christi. So we wrote some of the show there and we spent the better part of July to November kind of going back and forth with the script via email and in a Google Doc.”

The title references the symbol of the white rose often associated with Selena, a title Baldwin and Perez-Langley came up with together.

“So much of her icon status has to do with white roses and when you think about icons, there is always a personal signifier,” Baldwin said. “When we think about Michael Jackson we think of the sequin glove, when we think about Beyoncé we think about her hair glowing. There’s all these cultural artifacts that come with identifying an icon status and with her there’s always a white rose. The importance of saying it’s the White Rose of Tejas and not the White Rose of Texas is to incorporate the idea that [partial] Spanish speaking identity is a large part of Tejano culture. And also it’s tied with notions and conversations about Spanglish identity as well.”

While Selena is the person of interest in this performance, the show is about more than just the Tejano superstar. 

“Selena is the driving force of it and what brings people together but it is not the sole thing,” Baldwin said. “Yes it is about people’s experience with her but also it is about how you define an icon. What does it mean to be an icon? If you make a list, what characteristics do you need to be an icon? That is what I hope people take away. Even if you’ve never heard of Selena, you can identify your icon and how they fit that criteria.” 

Initially set to premiere in Fall 2021, the production found itself, like so many events and activities, delayed because of COVID-19. 

“The big thing we wanted to make sure we did was we wanted to do this show live,” Baldwin said. “In the past few years our productions were digital experiences which is great but there is nothing like doing a show live. So one of the big things we wanted to do even though we had the script for months was wait to be able to do the show live.”

Despite being a show about experience, the performance did not require those who auditioned to have theatrical or performative experience. 

“Everyone should have access to the performing arts.” Baldwin said. “The institution wants lifelong learners. Even if the cast members don’t go on and do a show, every time they see a show they know the work behind it. They’ve experienced it and can honor the empathy and power of what performance and community can do.”

For Nallely Peña, accounting major, and Sirena Gonzales, education major, it was their experience with Selena that mattered rather than performing experience.

“I originally heard about this show through my sister who has Dr. Baldwin in a class,” Gonzalez said. “I was intrigued because I heard that the show was about Selena. I grew up listening and dancing to her music with my family. I even went to Corpus Christi to see the memorial, her grave, and the museum. I auditioned not only because of that, but I also saw an opportunity to explore my boundaries and build community.” 

Peña, like so many involved in the performance, was ready to test herself in an opportunity focused on this childhood icon.

“I have listened to Selena Quintanilla’s music growing up and so that initially caught my interest for the show,” Peña said. “Additionally, I felt it was a good opportunity to practice my communication skills and get a feel for part of the UHCL community. I knew that there was so much to learn from this experience.”

Serving as the assistant director of the performance, Peña’s decision to feel part of the UHCL community did not result in disappointment.

“The White Rose of Tejas does a great job of highlighting Selena Quintanilla’s impact on Tejanx people,” Peña said. “Our culture and community was changed because of her. I am very proud to be a part of this project.”

After nearly two years of boiling in the creative pot of Baldwin and Perez-Langley and six weeks of rehearsals, the show has been a learning experience for both its cast and crew. Baldwin herself knows just how much performance can teach, but had one lesson she especially wished to impart on her performers.

“The biggest one is the ability to perform and to participate in community,” Baldwin said. “This is also a practice in group communication and ensemble work. For the rest of your career and rest of your life you will have to work in a group or an ensemble. You learn about what it means to be held accountable. It’s also advanced public speaking. The big one is community and a sense of belonging.”

What began as a mere extra-credit opportunity turned into an eye-opening experience for Walter McNairy, art & design major, and Ayeka Potter, biology major.

“This is my first time acting in a theatrical show and it has challenged me and shown me what I’m capable of doing,” McNairy said. “I learned how to memorize lines and how significant Selena is to people.”

Potter, who participated in theater in high school, found the experience to transcend any of the technical roles she held in high school productions.

“It has been one of the best experiences since coming to UHCL,” Potter said. “I am a freshman, so I haven’t had much experience going to college let alone UHCL. This has been the highlight of this semester. Getting to meet up with the other performers every week and bring a script to life has been magical and a gift. It has given me a sense of community not only with my fellow performers but also with those who love Selena. I am thankful to have the chance to bring this script alive and create something magical with some of the silliest and amazing people.

Like so many involved in the production, Mikayla Cooney was amazed by all she learned from participating in the performance. 

“I’ve learned much about Selena and Latinx/Tejanx culture from my experience,” Cooney said. “I’ve also learned a lot about icons and legacy in general, and have used what I’ve learned in the show to apply to my life, and how my icons have impacted myself and how I view them. I’m happy to say that Selena has now impacted my life in a way I didn’t imagine her to.”

Cooney and Potter are not the only students with a theater background who found the show to be a notable experience.

“The experience has been a fun challenge for me, it’s the fastest turnaround from start to show so learning fast has been a new challenge for me,” Gabriel Ismail, communication major, said. “It was a new experience and taught me a lot about an icon I knew nothing about beforehand and learning about Selena’s life and impact was really inspiring to me.”

Performed over a period of three days, the show’s discussion of Selena and her legacy struck a chord with audience members. 

“I thought they did a good job of portraying Selena’s importance to the community and various groups of people that I didn’t know she was important to,” Marissa Gonzales, biology major, said.

Legacy is often determined by memories and for many the production provided unexpected nostalgia.

“I thought it did a nice job of stirring memories,” attendee Mark Del Toro said. 

Now, with the production over, the experience and knowledge gained by the attendees is one Baldwin is proud to have witnessed her cast give. 

“I’m over the moon,” Baldwin said. “It is always fun watching your cast after six weeks of rehearsal make our words their own. Whenever it’s show time it belongs to the cast. It is truly magical watching them really have fun with it and watch them give it away.”