1200 Avenida Cesar Chavez, Apt.

711 B
Albuquerque, NM 87106

October 19, 2018

University of New Mexico College of Fine Arts

1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001

To whom this may concern,

Every July, the Aguijon Theater in Chicago, the local theater in my neighborhood, hired teens just
before school started to offer them a quick source of income. And the summer before I moved out
to Albuquerque, I was lucky enough to work there. The theater was built on the first floor of an old
two-story apartment building. The front of the theater was only a few feet wide and the green room,
costume closet, prop closet, and restrooms were all held in the same part of the theater, the
basement. During performances we never turned people from the neighborhood away, even when
too many people showed up. Instead we made space in the hallway, on the stairs, in chairs we would
bring up from the prop closet, and right at our feet along the edges of the stage. I realize now,
thousands of miles away, Aguijon still holds a piece of me. I woke up in the morning to work in a
space that somehow always smelled like drying paint, cups of café con leche, and Ben Nye stage
makeup that had stayed under the vanity lights for too long. But I left with a better understanding of
myself after being fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to pretend to be someone else.
There was not much in my neighborhood, but we still had that theater. Theater showed me what a
group of people can create if they agree put their minds to something. Inspiration is fleeting but
acting upon that flicker of an idea can turn something fictional into a fact that can change hundreds
of lives. As my knowledge of theater grew, I became more confident in my ability to juggle multiple
projects with others while still completing them as well as we could. I learned to adapt to new
situations as they arose or fail to the detriment of the entire production. The process of
conceptualizing, editing, and eventually creating a production created a sense of humility in me.
Acknowledging the fact I learned when to ask for help has benefitted me both on and off the stage.
Realizing every day is an opportunity to step out of my comfort zone and to learn something new
introduced me to theater, which I have grown to love and respect. I am so grateful to have
experienced theater, and I would be honored to be considered for the prop master job and be given
the opportunity to step even one foot onto a stage again.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,

Sairis L. Perez-Gomez