Loud laughter resonated from the Pasant Theatre Thursday night as a series of comedic skits kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month on campus.
ChUSMA, a comedy trio from California, performed a variety of skits aimed at adding humor into everyday problems. The trio - Marisol Torres, Gustavo Chavez and Alberto Ibarra - travel throughout the county performing at high schools and college campuses.
"We perform a type of theater that is straight from the community, which we like to call 'people's theater,'" Ibarra said. "We mix consciousness and modern issues for the Chicano and Latino community with humor and satire."
In Spanish slang, chusma means "outcasts" in a demeaning manner, but the group is redefining the word as a way to identify itself and what makes the group unique, he said.
The program included skits that poked fun at family life, differences between men and women and immigration issues while raising awareness.
"ChUSMA's shows are for any city or campus that have Chicanos, Latinos and anyone interested in laughing," Torres said. "Many people can relate to the skits we perform."
The group has a variety of different shows it performs and for MSU's performance, they chose "The NACO Show."
"The show takes you from the Latin community to cultural commercialism," Torres said. "It includes slides, videos and sketch comedy.
"Audiences always love the satire aspect."
Culturas de las Razas Unidas, the Chicano and Latino group at MSU, sponsored ChUSMA's visit to campus to promote understanding of their culture and beliefs on campus.
"It was excellent, very entertaining and educational at the same time," said Taina Jorda-Cid, president of Culturas de las Razas Unidas. "I'm very grateful I got the chance to see it and have a good time."
Jorda-Cid, a political science and pre-law senior, said she liked the last skit the best, which portrayed Chicano and Latino immigrants.
"The ending was closer to home," she said. "It dealt with what a lot of our people deal with every day - people just trying to look for a better life."
