Las Denas
An Original one-person show written and directed by me, Dena Barros! Would you believe me if I said every woman in my family is named Dena? This project is incredibly dear to my heart, as it ventures into the women in my life and how their names have impacted me today.
Meet The Denas!
Dena Gil, Dena Fabiola, Dena Fabiana, Dena Fiorella, Dena Daniela (Me!) Dena Gabriella, and counting!
What’s in a name?
Growing up I didn’t like my name. I thought it was ugly, strange, and hard to pronounce. People would call me DIE-nuh, many versions of Deanna, and the occasional Dena-saur. Then one day, it happened: I watched Radio Rebel on Disney Channel for the first time, and I fell in love with the name Audrey. From then on, any make-believe game I played, my name was Audrey, and this was the start of my fantasy alter ego. I wanted to be a thin white girl, with pin-straight hair, and a beautiful name. It wasn’t until my early college life that I began accepting myself for who I am. I put away the hair straightener and started appreciating who I was and where I came from.
I started analyzing the women in my life- their strength, sacrifices, and pure dedication to making something of themselves in this country. How could I ever want to change my beautiful name, when my family worked hard to make it known? My one-person show explores my future daughter, Dena Valentina, and her desire to change her name.
“Las Denas” is my labor of love to my name and the women in my family. Growing up, everyone was always shocked to find out that almost every woman in my family was named Dena. Some might feel like this caused a lack of identity, but for me, it created my identity. I found myself through the women in my family, and for that, I am forever grateful. My grandma always comes to see my shows but never understands because she doesn’t speak English, so this one is for you, Abuela.”
It was important to me to not only have a bilingual show but also provide subtitles for both English and Spanish. I often find that theatre is inaccessible to those who don’t speak English, and I hope that the future of theatre in the U.S. is catered to all, not just the english speaking population.
“Las Denas” es mi obra de amor a mi nombre y las mujeres de mi familia. Al crecer, todos siempre se sorprendían al descubrir que casi todas las mujeres de mi familia se llamaban Dena. Algunos podrían sentir que esto causó una falta de identidad, pero para mí creó mi identidad. Me encontré a través de las mujeres de mi familia y por eso estaré eternamente agradecida. Mi abuela Dena siempre me viene a ver mis obras, pero nunca las entiende porque no habla inglés. Entonces yo cree esta obra para ella. Te amo!”