A play by Hartnell students examines the current state of women through eyes from the past.

A Latina suffragette wakes up in 2016. That’s how Get with the Times, Jane  – A Sufragista Play begins.

This new stage play was devised by Hartnell College theater arts and cinema students, co-facilitated by artist collaborator Estrella Esparza-Johnson and instructor River Navaille, and is directed by student Karen Alfaro, 19. It tells the story of a proto-feminist from 1916 who travels forward in time to 2016 to both admire and condemn the current situation of women.

It’s an interesting scenario. We can share a laugh over confrontations with pregnancy tests, internet trolls and existential dread. And the play is bilingual, without shutting out speakers of either Spanish or English.

“I’m a daughter of two Mexican immigrants who don’t fully speak English,” Alfaro says. “But I think my parents will be able to understand. We repeat key words during the play and make sure everybody keeps up with the plot.”

According to Navaille, the play was developed collaboratively by students through many conversations and brainstorming sessions.

“As much as the themes are pretty heavy, including election stress, unplanned pregnancies, maternal mortality, the rise of fascist mob mentality – we tried to keep a lot of humor,” Navaille says. For that reason, the students decided that placing the play in 2024 would be “too close.” We don’t necessarily have perspective on 2024, but we can talk about what happened in 2016, Navaille says.

Hartnell College is fortunate to be the permanent host of a professionally managed theater, Western Stage, that offers rich programming of theater each year. Independently, the college offers a Theatre Arts and Cinema program.

The play is funded in part by racial equity grants from the Hartnell College Foundation and the Monterey Peninsula Theatre Trust. About 15 students were involved in the project, writing, developing themes, characters, the pace and more. The hope is the students involved with Get with the Times, Jane will be awarded with scholarships.

“Doing theater has to be accessible,” Navaille says. “It requires so many hours of practice… That’s what the scholarship is for.”

Get with the Times, Jane  – A Sufragista Play runs 7:30pm Friday-Saturday, Nov. 22-23. The Western Stage at Hartnell College, 411 Central Ave., Building K, Salinas. Free. 755-6816, westernstage.com.