3 Questions

This weekend's performances of Roses in Winter represent the revival of the Esperanza Battered Families Shelter's Prevention Through the Arts program. Sam Leyba, outreach prevention director, wants a full house, offering a "pay-what-you-wish" admission for shows at 7 pm and a 2 pm Sunday matinee at El Museo Cultural.

Tell me about the program.

I did the Prevention Through the Arts about 15 years ago when I first started working at Esperanza, and it's basically utilizing visual arts, performing arts, music, dance and theater...to educate the community about all the different things we are doing to combat violence, domestic violence, street violence and bullying in schools.

Do they tackle themes in a really obvious way?

Before, we have done public art murals, and we have done plays on bullying, and we have done plays on stuff like teen suicide and domestic violence and alcoholism in the home, and we've done plays on community violence like gangs and anti-gang themes. The one that we are doing now is called Roses in Winter, and it's basically the indigenous version of the story of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe...It's basically a morality story about doing good deeds and about treating women well...and putting out the word about respect and responsibility and treating each other well and treating the environment well and animals. It's kind of like a subtle way of addressing the issue, but it's very, very effective.

And you have a lot of roles in the show?

I'm an actor in the show. I am also a director and producer, so I am covering all the bases. I did the soundtrack, and I am helping with the lighting design and the stage design, but I have done it before. I am really psyched to get this program back and working again because there is so much need in the community.

Santa Fe Reporter