Photos Courtesy Berlyn Tijerina
Sol Garcia| THE RIDER
A new organization is forming to shine a light on UTRGV students.
Founded this semester by students Berlyn Tijerina and Annie Solis, Equal Arts Productions will strive to perform, film and distribute members’ plays and films.
“Our main goal is to give every member the opportunity to create their own production, from start to finish,” said Tijerina, a theatre and mass communication senior and president of the new organization.
The idea for Equal Arts Productions came from Solis, a theatre junior, who told a theatre class group chat that she would like to start an independent production company. Later, Tijerina, who is also a senator for the College of Fine Arts, messaged her that she would like to start a similar organization at UTRGV. They soon partnered up.
“We started talking,” Tijerina said. “We met over Zoom, and we started figuring out what we wanted to stand for.”
The founders knew they wanted Equal Arts Productions to provide an equal chance to share every member’s stories, because within the music, film and theatre industries, there is “not a lot of equality,” she said.
“We want, really, to give everyone an opportunity, no matter their religion, no matter their race, their sex, their sexual orientation, no matter any of that,” Tijerina said. “We just wanted to give everyone an equal opportunity to tell their stories that are authentic to them.”
With this mission in mind, Tijerina and Solis, the vice president, thought of the organization’s name.
After finalizing the club’s constitution, it will be submitted to VLink, so Equal Arts Productions can be a step closer to becoming an official UTRGV organization, Tijerina said. It already has over 20 members.
“It grew quickly,” she said. “Everyone’s really passionate, and they understand the type of dedication it’ll take to be able to make this organization prosper and grow.”
Equal Arts Productions aims to create a board of directors that selects the productions made, with the advisers’ approval. Members will be able to pitch their scripts to the board and receive feedback, Tijerina said.
“Since we are really small because of COVID, we’re aiming for at least two to three productions to be completely finished this semester,” she said.
Throughout the productions, members will prepare virtually until it is time to film. Tijerina will then contact UTRGV officials to arrange filming on campus, Tijerina said. Theatre performances will be filmed. There will be no live performances, for now.
“We actually have [implemented] a safety manager for every single production,” she said.
The safety manager will ensure COVID-19 protocols are followed by checking for proper facial covering usage, limiting the number of people in the room, disinfecting the area between shots and more. Students must also take a COVID-19 test to ensure they do not have the virus before filming, Tijerina said.
“In order to be there in person, you have to have a negative test,” she said. “UTRGV does do testing, so we’re seeing how we can work with the university to make that happen.”
Once the productions are finalized, Equal Arts Productions plans to distribute them to film festivals and other events that accept submissions, Tijerina said.
“I’m so happy that they have this ambition to aim towards distribution of their films, towards film festivals, because of the community that you can make at a film festival,” said Linda Belau, one of Equal Arts Productions’ advisers and director of the Film Studies Program.
Distributing work at festivals can also involve participating in Q&As, attending workshops and being able to network with others, said Belau, also a literature and cultural studies professor.
“I would really like to see our students have those experiences,” she said.
Equal Arts Productions’ other adviser is Dustin Pruitt, a lecturer in the Department of Communication.
John Medrano, a theatre junior and the organization’s treasurer, looks forward to creating more content with other members and acting, which will help his aspiration to professionally act.
“I just hope that for all of us, we get to share our own creativity as directors, writers, actors, producers, etc.,” Medrano said.
On Jan. 22, Equal Arts Productions held its first meeting, which had a “good turnout,” he said, adding that he hopes membership continues to grow.
“The more people we have, the more help that we could receive and share ideas, these concepts and whether we like it or don’t like it,” Medrano said. “We just want to make sure that we get enough people to where we could have many opinions on this certain production.”
All majors are welcome to join Equal Arts Productions, regardless of experience level, Tijerina said.
“If you have a passion for it, and you’re willing to dedicate some time and effort to us, then we’re welcome to have you,” she said.
For more information, students may contact Tijerina at berlyn.tijerina01@utrgv.edu.
