As a student at Crawford Elementary School 15 years ago, Nelson Moreno didn’t have many opportunities to experience local theater. In fact, they practically didn’t exist. Practically. Scenes of scripts, sets and stages seemed a world away to Moreno and his classmates, an unfortunate reality for many schoolchildren who grow up in areas like the one in which they did.
“I grew up on Colfax, with a lot of violence, domestic violence, and a lot of gangs,” Moreno said.
The East Colfax corridor was battling those issues on a daily basis when Moreno was an elementary-schooler there in the late ‘90s – an area on constant damage control amid the constant stigma of social strife; a stigma the area continues to grapple with today. In an environment like that, Moreno says, memorizing lines is the last thing on anybody’s mind.
“When you grow up on those streets you don’t have the opportunity to do those things – to go to the theater and stuff,” he said.
But, for a couple of hours a few times each year, Renee Fajardo changed all that.
“She was the pioneer in bringing talent to the stage for this community which has grown ever more diverse,” said Peg Alt, community outreach specialist with Original Aurora Renewal.
Fajardo is the founder, coordinator and leader of the holiday cultural concert series at the Aurora Fox Arts Center, an initiative she started 19 years ago that puts on monthly cultural events for the underserved youth of north Aurora.
“I wanted to draw attention to The Fox Theater and artists in Colorado, because 20 years ago people had no idea the area could offer those things and had such diversity,” she said.
Fajardo spearheaded the project fresh out of law school through a partnership between her former employer, the Colorado Folk Arts Council, and The Aurora Fox and Original Aurora Renewal. In the nearly two decades since its inception, the series has introduced middle and elementary schoolers to the world of theater.
“I grew up on Colfax, and people would tell me how rough of a neighborhood it was and I would say, ‘no it’s not,’” Fajardo said. “I wanted to do something to prove that to them.”
Now a professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver, Fajardo coordinates eight annual shows throughout the fall, winter and spring with her outreach group, Journey Through Our Heritage, which aims to grant artistic and cultural opportunities specifically to Native American, Chicano and black students in underserved communities. Over 25 schools from across the metro region now participate in the program, and more than 250 students attend each show, which often center on holidays like Día de Los Muertos in November and Cinco de Mayo in May.
The project has come full circle for Fajardo in recent years, as she now works alongside Moreno, an undergraduate work-study employee of hers at MSU, in planning the series. A junior psychology major, Moreno has helped organize the series with Fajardo and other MSU students for over two years by providing PR and marketing support.
“It just kind of happened, I really wasn’t looking for this,” Moreno said. “I found Renee and found out she was the one behind The Fox stuff and thought I should help out. I’m just trying to give back to my community, and trying to make a difference through theater.”
Moreno also tutors at Aurora Central High School, his alma mater, where he said he’s seen a noticeable difference in the attitudes of students over the years.
“I see that it’s changed and that kids actually care about their school work,” he said. “There’s less violence, less drugs, less bad stuff in general. I definitely see Aurora getting better.”
Fajardo said Moreno’s perspective as a former student has been an invaluable asset to Journey Through Our Heritage, and that she sees in him the same, innovative personality with which she started the series years ago.
“I was pretty burnt out on organizing, but when Nelson came in, it was this fresh perspective emphasizing that this is a very important event for the children in that neighborhood,” she said. “Working with him has really helped give me a new perspective and a fresh set of eyes.”
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance performed this month’s cultural concert with a dance on Dec. 17. Janelle Ayon, spokesperson for the dance troupe, said the series allows the company to better fulfill its vision of exposing students to multicultural, world-class art.
“The face of Denver is changing, and this production in particular touches on several different cultures and when there’s some part of a show kids can relate to, it allows them to buy into the experience and be that much more fulfilling,” she said.
Hosting performances like the one given by Cleo Parker is also fulfilling for Charles Packard, executive director of The Fox, who said being able to bring students into the world of theater is immensely gratifying, despite the constant responsibility to entertain.
“In these types of performances you know that there is somebody that is having their first experience with a live performance, and you know that that is only going to happen for that kid once and that performance is going to be profound,” he said. “I feel a lot of responsibility, but I feel great that we’re able to provide that – even though it’s a little bit terrifying.”
