When Ana Salgado walked up onto the rickety stage in the Arlene Francis Center, a small brick building in downtown Santa Rosa where the sound of the Amtrak can be heard as it rolled by, the room fell silent.
“The last time I hugged my mother was in December 1996,” recited Salgado, a member of Teatro ALMAS Libres, during rehearsal just days before the ensemble’s Mother’s Day premiere of “La Madre Patria (Motherland).” “I have been through several strong experiences over the years without being able to receive a hug from her. And finally, on February 14, 2025, we looked at each other again and hugged each other in such a strong way that our heartbeats became one.”
Salgado’s story is just one shared in the hour-long play, directed by Jackie Katz. Anel Aparicio, María Medoza, Alma Arroyo, Anastacia Cruz, Ofelia (Lía) Ramirez, Eloisa Lopez, Sandra de León and Luisa Isidro — all members of ALMAS, which stands for Alianza de Mujeres Activas y Solidarias (Women’s Action and Solidarity Alliance) — complete the cast…