Jessica López understands the message behind the character she portrays: a distressed teenager suppressed by her father's Latino macho culture, by her mother's strict rules and by her liberal American classmates' ideals.

In between the lines she recited during a rehearsal at Teatro Paraguas last week, Jessica battled between doing laundry for her entire family and worrying about what to wear to school the next day.

"She's a teen who is undermined at school because of her ethnicity," Jessica, 15, said, referring to the Latina character she plays in Of the Divided Heart, one of three short plays produced by the local bilingual theater, Teatro Paraguas. Of the Divided Heart, The Dish Washer and La Sirvienta will start showing today.

Jessica and two other Capital High School classmates are enhancing their performance skills through the school's Capital Academy of Performing Arts (CAPA) program that is working in conjunction with Teatro Paraguas to give students a hands-on professional acting experience.

"I wrote specifically for these guys; I know what they're capable of," said Angelo Jaramillo, the plays' writer and director who is also Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (Gear Up) coordinator for Northern New Mexico at Capital High School.

The plays speak of stereotypes, of abuses many Latino immigrants have to put up with because of their undocumented status and of the cultural conflicts many immigrant families encounter as they establish roots in the U.S. Jaramillo said the inspiration for these plays came primarily from his own experience and from the stories of his Gear Up students and their parents.

Greg Gonzáles, 17, who leads in The Dish Washer, said his character makes him remember his years at an El Paso school. His role also makes him recognize the injustices in society and of the importance of continuing with his own education.

"When I was 13, I already had some mustache and kids made fun of me. They said, 'Oh he must be an (undocumented) Mexican,' " Greg said with a giggle, minutes before his rehearsal at Teatro Paraguas. Those experiences are motivating him to push himself a little harder and to show his family that hard work does pay off. "I'm going to be the first one to graduate," Greg said.

Hard work and abuse are words that resonate with Jovita Enríquez, 16, another CAPA student.

"I'm not going to name the business ... But because I didn't have papers, they paid me $6 per hour, less than minimum wage. It was totally unfair," Jovita said. For the theater performance, Jovita is the violinista or the fiddler. The incredible sounds of her violin, accompanied by her a cappella voice, leaves the audience with goose bumps.

The third actress, Claudia Reta, 15, a Pecos High School student, plays the role of the maid in La Sirvienta and like the rest of the cast members, she is not a stranger to stereotypes and discrimination.

After her performance in another play where she personified a pregnant teenager, an audience member approached her to ask why they had devoted so much time to her character if "it's natural for you people to get pregnant," Claudia recalled, admitting that she was shocked by the woman's remarks. Claudia is of Native American and Italian descent. "I didn't know how to react to this, but my father told her something."

Contact Sandra Baltazar Martínez at 986-3062 or smartinez@sfnewmexican.com

IF YOU GO

What: The Dish Washer, La Sirvienta and Of the Divided Heart

When: Today, Saturday and Jan. 29 and 30 at 7 p.m.; Sunday and Jan. 31 at 2 p.m.

Tickets: $8 adults, $5 students and seniors

Contact: 505-424-1601or teatroparaguas@gmail.com

Address: Teatro Paraguas, 3221 Richards Lane, suite B (off Henry Lynch Road)