UPDATE Thursday, March 12: this event has been canceled. Refunds available at point of purchase.
Gómez, who says he has read the book around 18 or 20 times, wanted to embody the world that Sánchez created and include all of the central themes that make the protagonist’s journey so challenging. This is especially important because although not everyone’s upbringing was the same as Julia’s, a lot of the struggles she faces ring true for many. Gómez, for example, says despite being a man raised in a home with four boys “there were some things that Julia said about not being the perfect Mexican daughter that allowed me to connect with her, especially because I was an aspiring writer who struggled with mental health and because I was someone who just wanted to get out and dream.”
But another aspect of the adaptation process was getting the rights from Sánchez herself. Luckily, the author and current Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz chair at DePaul University trusted in Gómez immediately. “As soon as I met Isaac, I felt like I could trust him with the story, and he put so much care in transforming it in a way that was respectful and very true to the original vision,” Sánchez says.
2/26-3/21: Fri 7:30 PM, Sat 3 and 7:30 PM; also Sun 3/1, 3 PM, Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted, 312-335-1650, steppenwolf.org, $20-$30, $15 students.
