Published 2008-04-15T00:00:00Z”/>

Karla Hernandez

Move over Hillary, Barack and John. A new candidate is vying for the U.S. presidency, and his name is Pedro.

After winning the Preston High elections with the help of his friend Napoleon Dynamite, Pedro has decided to bring change to the White House. As president, Pedro will improve the national health care system by giving everyone a container of vapor rub.

Vote for Pedro.

The plan for Pedro’s presidency is one of the many comedic skits that will be performed by the Chicano comedy troupe Teatro Izcalli on Friday in the Bell Memorial Union Auditorium.

Nu Alpha Kappa, a Latino-based fraternity, and the Multicultural Affairs Council will be hosting the performance to bring cultural awareness to Chico State, said Heriberto Coronel, event coordinator.

The San Diego-based comedy group raises awareness about issues Chicanos face on a daily basis, Coronel said. Skits cover topics such as racism, police brutality, education and cultural-identity crisis.

Macedonio Arteaga, a founding member of Teatro Izcalli, said the skits are based on Chicano issues. A Chicano is a person of Mexican descent, but born in the United States. The issues Chicanos face can be different from the issues Mexicans or other Latinos face.

A lot of people in the United States interact with Chicanos every day, but they still do not know the difference between the different groups of people, Arteaga said. Comedians such as Carlos Mencia and George Lopez have helped bring Chicano issues mainstream, but that is just the beginning.

“People still don’t know who we are or that we can be funny,” Arteaga said.

Members of Nu Alpha Kappa hope students will attend the event for entertainment but also to learn more about Chicano culture, Coronel said.

“You can relax and just laugh at the issues, but they make you think,” he said.

Friday’s performance will touch a lot on the presidential election, but the main theme will be “Chicano rehab,” Arteaga said. The topic pokes fun at extremists because every group has extremists who give the community a bad name. The seven-person comedy troupe will be playing extremists roles such as the college activist and the Native American who will all be going through rehab.

Teatro Izcalli was started in 1995 and travels around the United States, performing at conferences and universities, Arteaga said. The theater group is part of a bigger community-based organization called Izcalli. The organization was started in 1993 to provide a place young Chicano students could learn about their heritage through art and oral traditions.

The theater group was inspired by a group based in San Francisco called Culture Clash, he said. Culture Clash has been performing comedy skits and plays since 1984.

Teatro Izcalli looks to the media and the community for inspiration, Arteaga said. A lack of Chicanos in mainstream media has inspired skits such as “Bosque Gump,” a parody of “Forrest Gump” that acknowledges Chicano contributions to the Vietnam War.

“When you don’t see Chicanos on TV or onstage, we almost don’t exist,” Arteaga said.

While the skits cover Chicano issues, it is safe for non-Chicanos to laugh along, he said. People may be resistant, but the performance is supposed to be political satire.

“Laughter is healing,” Arteaga said.

Griseyda Vargas plans to attend the event and thinks everyone will be able to relate to the skits regardless of culture, she said. The comedic factor is not intended to offend people but to show how anyone can feel like an outcast.

“It’s empowering to the Chicano culture but in a fun way,” she said.

Karla Hernandez can be reached at <a href= “mailto:khernandez”>[email protected]</a>