The film ‘Americano!’ focuses on ‘Dreamers’ and their pursuit of the American dream.

The film ‘Americano!’ focuses on ‘Dreamers’ and their pursuit of the American dream.

Web Desk
April 18, 2022

The film ‘Americano!’ focuses on ‘Dreamers’ and their pursuit of the American dream.

The off-Broadway musical is based on the story of Tony Valdovinos, a young Latino whose life was turned upside down when he learned of his own immigration status and what it meant.

When the twin towers were struck on September 11, 2001, Tony Valdovinos was in sixth school in Arizona. His ambition since 9/11 has been to join the Marine Corps and defend his nation. Valdovinos spoke with a recruiter just before graduating from high school, only to be told that he couldn’t join the Marines because he was in the country illegally.

Valdovinos had been transported to the United States from Mexico when he was two years old, but his family did not have legal status. Valdovinos reported feeling “sad, furious, deceived, and embarrassed” after learning the truth. “I thought Marines were fighters, and then I realised that was something I couldn’t have.”

Now, in New York City, a new musical based on Valdovinos’ life, Americano!, will be performed off-Broadway. The programme is now in previews and will premiere on May 1. Its goal is to highlight how Valdovinos turned his rage into advocacy and to reintroduce the “Dreamers” into the conversation.

The term “Dreamers” derives from the DREAM Act, which would legalise these young people’s immigration status and enable them to remain in the nation. The National Immigration Forum estimates that there are 3.6 million Dreamers in the United States. The DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) programme has granted temporary deportation reprieve to a limited group of people, including Valdovinos. However, the Dreamers’ long-term future remains unknown in the absence of congressional action.

Valdovinos, 31, has found it difficult to witness his life portrayed onstage at times. “It’s difficult to relive some of my most traumatic experiences, such as confronting my parents with my unauthorised status. The true recollections are resurrected.” His parents had kept him in the dark about his situation, claiming that they were attempting to protect him.

Playing Valdovinos has been “really, absolutely fantastic” for Broadway actor Sean Ewing, who plays the lead in “Americano!”

“It’s a little intimidating to represent a real-life, live person,” Ewing, a Colombian native, said. “Tony has been so generous and bold in sharing the specifics of his life with the audience, and they have been really receptive.”