The Los Angeles Theatre Center presents Re:Encuentro 2021 livestreaming on the commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv from Monday 15 November to Saturday 20 November 2021.
About the Panels
The Latino Theater Company will be presenting a series of panels as part of the RE:Encuentro 2021: A National Latina/o/x Theatre Festival, that discuss current themes and issues in the Latina/o/x artistic community. The topics addressed include staging resistances, reclaiming culture, and reframing immigration, among others. These panels are open to the public, hosted by fellow artists and hope to initiate artists into further nuanced art creation, discussion, and collaboration. The RE: Encuentro 2021 Festival is a chance for theatre artists to engage through aesthetic-, practical-, and forward-thinking conversations. For more information on the RE: Encuentro 2021, you can visit our website at latinotheaterco.org.
About the Encuentro
The Latino Theater Company presents the RE: Encuentro 2021 Festival: A National Latina/o/x Theatre Festival; a festival that strives to create and sustain dynamic conversations between Latina/o/x artists in the field. The ten-day festival will be filled with discussions, showcases, and reflections to hold space for aesthetic and actionable discussions that engage the Latina/o/x communities. There will be sixteen play performances and six public virtual panels with Latina/o/x companies across the United States with various chances for the community to engage with the artists. The festival runs from November 12-21, 2021. For information on the RE: Encuentro 2021, you can visit our website at latinotheaterco.org.
Monday 15 November
Panel 1: Latina/o/x Counter-Narratives: Staging resistance and reclaiming culture
3:30 p.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 5:30 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 6:30 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5)
Latina/o/x theater has a rich tradition of staging counter narratives which resist or subverting stereotypes while centering the lived experience of those communities. In a conversation with artists from the RE:Encuentro Festival, panelists will discuss deepening counter narratives in their work and how that creates change on a social and an artistic level. The RE:Encuentro 2021 Festival features discussions, showcases and public engagement to create aesthetically diverse conversations in the field at both the national and international level. For information about RE: Encuentro 2021, you can visit our website at latinotheaterco.org.
Tuesday 16 November
Panel 2: Using Theater to Reframe Immigration
3:30 p.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 5:30 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 6:30 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5)
In the United States, immigration is a very politicized topic that can drive a wedge among people and completely demonize others. Meanwhile, Latinx theatres have historically provided space for stories by and about immigrants to counter mainstream narratives. In a conversation with artists from the Re:Encuentro Festival, panelists will discuss how their productions reframe this highly politicized issue for audiences beyond negative stereotypes imposed on Latinx communities. The RE:Encuentro 2021 Festival features discussions, showcases and public engagement to create aesthetically diverse conversations in the field at both the national and international level. For information about RE:Encuentro 2021, you can visit our website at latinotheaterco.org.
Wednesday 17 November
Panel 3: Latinx Queer Voices in Theater
3:30 p.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 5:30 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 6:30 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5)
Latinx Queer culture has often been cast aside and seen as dangerous. How do we increase representation of marginalized queer communities that that have been labled as stereotypes? What happens when culture is diluted to be safe for consumption? In a conversation with artists from the Re:Encuentro Festival, panelists will discuss Latinx Queer influences and how they have developed over time. The RE:Encuentro 2021 Festival features discussions, showcases and public engagement to create aesthetically diverse conversations in the field at both the national and international level. For information about RE: Encuentro 2021, you can visit our website at latinotheaterco.org.
Thursday 18 November
Panel 4: Pathway to Healing: Processing Grief and Trauma Through Artistic Expression
3:30 p.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 5:30 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 6:30 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5)
Tragedy is a part of every culture and how a community responds can show great resiliency. Throughout time, people have moved to art and theater to create meaning. In a conversation with artists from the RE:Encuentro Festival, panelists will discuss showcasing tragedies struck upon the Latina/o/x communities and how to move forward. Mental health is often a topic that is stigmatized in communities and this panel will hold space and share resources about healing and grief and how it affects us. The RE:Encuentro 2021 Festival features discussions, showcases and public engagement to create aesthetically diverse conversations in the field at both the national and international level. For information about RE: Encuentro 2021, you can visit our website at latinotheaterco.org.
Friday 19 November
Panel 5: Afro Latinidad, The Elephant in the Room
3:30 p.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 5:30 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 6:30 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5)
The question of colorism in the movie adaptation of In The Heights brought the dilemma of being Afro Latina/o/x in the performing arts to the forefront when the lead characters were “light skinned” Latina/o/x actors. In a conversation with artists from the RE:Encuentro Festival, panelists will discuss Afro Latinidad from the stage to the screen to the streets, looking at who gets to be up front, and who “gets” to play the background, even when those decisions are being made by other Latinx folks. The RE:Encuentro 2021 Festival features discussions, showcases and public engagement to create aesthetically diverse conversations in the field at both the national and international level. For information about RE: Encuentro 2021, you can visit our website at latinotheaterco.org.
Saturday 20 November
Panel 6: Music and Art: The Influence of Music in Our Creative Process and in Our Stories
3:30 p.m. PST (Los Angeles, UTC -8) / 5:30 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC -6) / 6:30 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5)
Many theatrical productions use music to effectively convey what they want to communicate. Latina/o/x music styles such as cumbia, bachata, bossa nova, merengue, rumba, salsa, samba, son and tango reflect the rhythms of the communities they came from. In a conversation with artists from the RE:Encuentro Festival, panelists will discuss how Latina/o/x music influences their narratives as well their creative process. The RE:Encuentro 2021 Festival features discussions, showcases and public engagement to create aesthetically diverse conversations in the field at both the national and international level. For information about RE: Encuentro 2021, you can visit our website at latinotheaterco.org.
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