Dominguez, Sylvia Maida 1935-

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DOMINGUEZ, Sylvia Maida 1935-

PERSONAL: Born November 28, 1935, in Rio Grande Valley, TX; daughter of Jesus J. and Adela (de la Garza) Vasquez; married John F. Dominguez, 1959; children: John J. Ethnicity: "Hispanic." Education: Our Lady of the Lake College, B.A. (with distinction), 1957, M.Ed., 1958; attended National Autonomous University of Mexico; University of Arizona, M.A., 1968, Ph.D., 1971. Politics: Democrat. Religion: Roman Catholic. Hobbies and other interests: Hiking, bird-watching, beach-combing.

ADDRESSES: Home—P.O. Box 53, Mercedes, TX 78570. Office—Department of Modern Languages and Literature, University of Texas Pan American, 1201 W. University Dr., Edinburg, TX 78539-2999. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Writer. Our Lady of the Lake College, San Antonio, TX, instructor in Spanish and English, 1956–59; elementary schoolteacher in Hidalgo County, 1959–60; University of Texas Pan American, Edinburg, adjunct professor, 1960–63, assistant professor, 1963–70, associate professor, 1971–76, professor of modern languages and literatures, 1977–2001, member of graduate faculty, department chair, 1975–76. University of Arizona at Guadalajara, visiting professor, 1978–85; conference and symposium participant; gives readings from her works.

MEMBER: American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese, Southwest Council of Latin American Studies, Texas Association of College Teachers, Alpha Psi Omega, Sigma Tau Delta, Kappa Gamma Pi, Kappa Delta Pi, Sigma Delta Pi, Alpha Chi.

AWARDS, HONORS: Cervantes Award, Alamo chapter, American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese.

WRITINGS:

PLAYS

Tesoro espãnol de obras originales, produced in Edinburg, TX, at Pan American University Ballroom, 1971.

La comadre María (first produced in San Juan, TX, at Saint John's School Auditorium, 1972), American Universal Art Forms (Austin, TX), 1973.

Samuel la carretilla, first produced in Edinburg, TX, at Pan American University Fine Arts Auditorium, 1974.

Tres aguilas de la revolución mexicana, first produced in Reynosa, Mexico, at Restaurante Elegante, 1990.

OTHER

Tesoro español de obras originales (three-part television script) broadcast by KRGV-TV (Weslaco, TX), 1971.

Christmas on the Rio Grande: A Blending of the Old and New (television script), broadcast by KRGV-TV (Weslaco, TX), 1973.

Author of introduction, Ocho estudios hispánicos y un brindis, Grafo Print Editores (Monterrey, Mexico), 2000. Contributor of poetry and nonfiction to periodicals, including Journal of Sigma Tau Delta, Mesquite Review, and El Americano News.

WORK IN PROGRESS: José Peón y Contreras: gran romántico mexicano; research for a play, I, Sor Juana, based on the life of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz.

SIDELIGHTS: Sylvia Maida Dominguez grew up in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, an area with a rich blend of Mexican and Texan culture. She spent many summers on her aunts' farm in Penitas, Texas, where she created plots for a children's game called Las comadritas, in which players act out everyday events. In grade school, she was often chosen to create and produce the school pageants, showing a talent she would continue to use throughout her creative life. She also studied music and ballet, which contributed to her dramatic work. Dominguez earned an B.A. in English and Spanish and an M.Ed. in counseling and guidance; her doctoral dissertation discussed the romantic drama of the Mexican writer Jose Peon y Contreras.

Dominguez is American but writes in Spanish, drawing on the Mexican-American cultural heritage of South Texas, where she grew up. She writes about social themes rather than political ones, and her work has been described as humorous and often touching, with simple characters and everyday struggles. She cites the Spanish poet and playwright Federico García Lorca as one of the major influences on her work.

Dominguez may be best known for her plays. La comadre María is a three-act play starring Maria, who is a folk healer and advice-giver of the barrio. Using a combination of common sense and magic, she helps people with their troubles, and finds them romance. Samuel la carretilla is a tragi-comedy about a young man, Samuel, who is considered the village fool, but ends up being a hero. Samuel confesses to the barber and banker that he wants to be a policeman. The townspeople think this is funny, and they give him a wooden gun and a fake badge, and convince him they're real. However, robbers kill Samuel while he is trying to protect the townspeople with the wooden gun they gave him, and in the end the whole town publicly confesses and asks for forgiveness. Tres aguilas de la revolución mexicana is a historical three-act play, in which one actor portrays the titular "three eagles" of the Mexican revolution—Emilio Zapata, Pancho Villa, and Francisco Madero.

In addition to her plays, Dominguez has also been involved in producing the Posadas, which are reenactments of the journey of Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem shortly before Christ's birth. She began producing these at Pan American University in 1960 and continued to do so through 1966. She then produced them at the Town Square of the City of Edinburg, Texas, for the people of Hidalgo County, from about 1984 to 1988.

Dominguez's play La comadre Mar'ia, was published and has been distributed in Spain, Mexico, Argentina, and other Spanish-speaking countries, as well as throughout the United States. Her works have been locally performed with success and have been well received by audiences.