Office of Outreach and Health Disparities - Community Collaborations
Educando a Papá – A play in Spanish about colorectol cancer
View a copy of the play program.
Anita is about to graduate, the first in her family to do so. Now she would like to share what he has learned through her beautiful songs. But the one who really needs an education is her father. Can Anita convince her papá to make the most important decision of his life? Educando a Papá is a play for Spanish-speaking audiences written by local playwright Adelina Venegas. It provides information about colon cancer screening using heart-felt emotion, music, and humor.
The playwright, Adelina Venegas, was born in Monterrey, Mexico. She began acting at the age of 12 and since then it has become her passion. After emigrating to the U.S., she joined various acting groups and in 1997, she formed “Somos Todos.” The goal was to create a Hispanic theater group to bring messages of interest about culture and society to the community. She has been a scriptwriter for several TV programs and on a Telenovela, and has written and directed six plays, the latest one “Educando a Papá.”
Images from the performance at Acres Home Multi-Service Center, Nov. 13, 2008.
The Marriage Test – A play about colorectol cancer
View a copy of the play program.
The Marriage Test was produced to educate the public about colorectol cancer in an entertaining and humorous way, while at the same time informing people about the importance of early screening and detection. It was about one family’s emotional reactions in learning that loved ones had been diagnosed with the diease. The play reveals how they react to this life-altering news and how they deal with the choices they must make about their lives and health with strength, humor, and wisdom.
The playwright, Thomas Meloncon, is a native Houstonian nationally known for his many plays and three books of poetry. He has been honored with numerous awards, including a Bronze Medallion from the City of Houston for his off-Broadway debut of The Diary of a Black Man. Mr. Meloncon has produced a variety of works for the American Cancer Society, the Houston Area Women’s Shleter, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the African American Healthy Marriage Initiative, and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
To contact Mr. Meloncon about this play and other educational plays he has written, please e-mail him at truscripts@aol.com or send a letter to:
Thomas Meloncon
P.O. Box 330881
Houston, TX 77233-0881
Images from 2008 Performances
Post-performance (from left to right): Dr. Glori Chauca, OOHD Outreach Officer; Dr. Stephen Scott, "Talk Back panelist and physician in Family and Community Medicine; Thomas Meloncon, playwright, Ted Yank, Associate Director of Administration for the Dan L. Duncan Center.