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Latinx Theatre

Content in this section is created by or highlights the work of Latinx theatremakers from around the world. Start with the Journal series Taking the Temperature about issues facing Latinx theatre artists in the United States, or with the video series Latinx Superfriends Playwriting Hour. Looking for more? Check out the Latinx Theatre Commons, a national movement to transform the narrative of the American theatre and a flagship program of HowlRound.

The Latest

The Latinx Theatre Commons’s Next Cycle of Programming
Essay
The Latinx Theatre Commons’s Next Cycle of Programming
by Latinx Theatre Commons
18 March 2024
Latinx Theatre Commons Tenth Anniversary Convening
Video
Latinx Theatre Commons Tenth Anniversary Convening
Thursday 14 March to Saturday 16 March 2024
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Curating Openings in the Theatre of María Irene Fornés
Essay
Curating Openings in the Theatre of María Irene Fornés
by Juliana Frey-Méndez, Anna D. Novak
26 February 2024
A group of people watch a presented projected on a screen.
The Latinx Theatre Commons’s Next Cycle of Programming
Essay

The Latinx Theatre Commons’s Next Cycle of Programming

18 March 2024

The LTC will produce five convenings focusing on new Latinx musicals, Latinx actor training, and more between 2024 and 2027.

Event poster for the Latinx Theatre Commons Tenth Anniversary Convening.
Latinx Theatre Commons Tenth Anniversary Convening
Video

Latinx Theatre Commons Tenth Anniversary Convening

Thursday 14 March to Saturday 16 March 2024
Boston, Massachusetts, United States

The LTC Tenth Anniversary Convening was a celebration of the last ten years, a reflection on our learnings and successes thus far, and an opportunity to discuss the future of the LTC and have field-wide discussions. 

A group of performers sing around a piano onstage.
Curating Openings in the Theatre of María Irene Fornés
Essay

Curating Openings in the Theatre of María Irene Fornés

26 February 2024

Dramaturg Anna D. Novak and director Juliana Frey-Méndez discuss their collaborative dramaturgical process for Fefu and Her Friends, written by María Irene Fornés. Together they crafted a process that embraced the play’s mysteries and made space for everyone’s analysis.

A man stands with his back to the camera and stares at an empty set on stage.
Can’t Do Theatre by Yourself
Essay

Can’t Do Theatre by Yourself

23 January 2024

Latinx theatremakers Jorge Piña and Christin Eve Cato sit down for a conversation about their paths through the theatre field and their advice for future generations looking to sustain this work while caring for themselves and each other.

An actress stands onstage in front of a shadow puppet of a man on a horse.
Perspectives from Two Teatros Doing the Work
Essay

Perspectives from Two Teatros Doing the Work

3 January 2024

Alberto Justiniano and Milta Ortiz, artistic leaders at Teatro del Pueblo and Borderlands Theater, respectively, have to balance organizational leadership and prioritizing their art. They discuss this work and the ways they engage their Latine communities while providing them with avenues to reflect on social justice issues. 

An actor holds another by the hair in a pool of light onstage.
Claiming Our Places in the Legacy of Latinx Theatre
Essay

Claiming Our Places in the Legacy of Latinx Theatre

2 January 2024

In this installment of the Latinx Leaders at the Forefront series, artistic directors Mark Valdez and R. Réal Vargas Alanis discuss their work, diving into the impact of Latinx theatre and the Latinx renaissance in our midst.

An abstract rendering of a small room.
Scattered, but Not Apart: A Two-Sided Story
Essay

Scattered, but Not Apart: A Two-Sided Story

26 October 2023

Carl(os) Roa and Rula(s) A. Muñoz share a multi-vocal, non-linear account of their group’s work at the Latinx Theatre Commons (LTC) Designer and Director Colaboratorio. Through both text and images, they document their group’s explorations of non-hierarchical generative process, as well as the challenges they faced.

Six people standing behind a table pose for a photo together.
Holding a Human: Caretaking, Play, and Design as a Social Act
Essay

Holding a Human: Caretaking, Play, and Design as a Social Act

12 October 2023

Dolissa Medina details her group’s expansive design process at the Latinx Theatre Commons Designer and Director Colaboratorio. Engaging with a variety of spaces and art forms opened the group’s creative floodgates, allowing them to reach new perspectives on their work and their ways of relating to one another.

A woman holding a tiny doll with glasses up to the camera.
Lambe-Lambe and the Radical Generosity of Miniature Puppet Theatre
Essay

Lambe-Lambe and the Radical Generosity of Miniature Puppet Theatre

10 October 2023

Kristin Idaszak reflects on experiencing Nina Vogel’s lambe-lambe piece ConCordis at the Prague Quadrennial. This deceptively simple puppet performance aided Kristin in processing her feelings about her work in theatre while navigating chronic illness, and also reminded her of the deep connection to the universe that we all share.

event poster for a conversation with the diane awardees.
Continuing Diane Rodriguez' Legacy
Video

Continuing Diane Rodriguez' Legacy

The Diane Awardees in Conversation

Tuesday 3 October 2023
United States

The Latinx Theatre Commons (LTC) in celebrate the 2022 and 2023 recipients of the Diane Rodriguez Teatrista Award on Tuesday 3 October from 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. EDT (Boston, UTC -4). Patricia Garza and Adriana Gaviria speak about their careers, learnings from their mentors and Diane, and their hope for the Latine theatre field.

Artists gather around a table and build LEGOs together.
How Do We Tend to Collaboration?
Essay

How Do We Tend to Collaboration?

28 September 2023

Mateo Hernandez acknowledges collaboration and artmaking as two distinct processes that inform each other in the theatrical process, an observation rooted in their group’s experience of intentionally reexamining the collaborative process at the Latinx Theatre Commons Director and Designer Colaboratorio.

A designer works on the floor
Play as Process at the Latinx Theatre Commons Designer and Director Colaboratorio
Essay

Play as Process at the Latinx Theatre Commons Designer and Director Colaboratorio

26 September 2023

The Latinx Theatre Commons Designer and Director Colaboratorio gathered dozens of Latinx theatremakers to approach collaboration from a place of inquiry, play, and exploration. Carla Della Gatta writes about this event as an alternate story of what is happening—and what could be happening—in US theatre right now.

A graphic that reads "Call for Proposals: LTC Programming 2024-2027."
How Do We Transform the Field We’ve Inherited?
Essay

How Do We Transform the Field We’ve Inherited?

18 September 2023

Designer and Latinx Theatre Commons (LTC) steering committee member Tara Houston reflects on the transformation that the LTC inspired in her own career, and how the interventions at LTC convenings are helping Latinx theatremakers transform the theatre field.

Gender Euphoria teaser image featuring guest profile images.
Making Space for Queer Futurity in Texas
Podcast

Making Space for Queer Futurity in Texas

16 August 2023

Austin’s pop princess, p1nkstar, shares the story of her evolution from performance artist creating a pop star persona for Instagram to real life pop star to community leader creating spaces for fellow trans artists to showcase their work in Texas. This episode also features guest co-host Melissa Lin Sturges, coordinator of the annual Doric Wilson Panel for the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) LGBTQ+ Focus Group.

A woman looks skeptically toward the camera.
Negotiating the Migrant Self in Maia Novi’s Invasive Species
Essay

Negotiating the Migrant Self in Maia Novi’s Invasive Species

15 August 2023

Maia Novi’s testimonial play Invasive Species tells the story of one Argentinean immigrant’s experience constructing her sense of self in the United States in the face of the limitations on her identity that she encounters in her new home. Sebastián Eddowes-Vargas, a Peruvian living in the United States, reviews the production with an eye toward the way that Invasive Species embraces complexity, humanity, power imbalances, and even humor.

Three smiling performers wearing feathered halo headbands dance and clap.
Teatro Vivo’s Fully Interactive La Pastorela 2022
Essay

Teatro Vivo’s Fully Interactive La Pastorela 2022

10 July 2023

Genevieve Schroder-Arce discusses her experience attending—and co-creating—Teatro Vivo’s Las Pastorela 2022, which invited audience members to construct the piece and perform it for one another as a way of modeling collaboration among community members.

A tree's branches stretch skyward among the brush.
How Magical Realism Can Make Climate Change Matter
Essay

How Magical Realism Can Make Climate Change Matter

29 June 2023

Playwright Raul Garza discusses the potent connections between environment and Latinx heritage that he explores by employing magical realism in his play Arbolito.

event poster for afrolatine superfriends playwriting hour with adrienne dawes.
AfroLatine Superfriends Playwriting Hour with Adrienne Dawes
Video

AfroLatine Superfriends Playwriting Hour with Adrienne Dawes

An AfroLatine-Led Playwriting Series Featuring Writers/Theatremakers from Across the United States

Thursday 22 June 2023
United States

The AfroLatine Superfriends Playwriting Hour is an incredible opportunity to learn from AfroLatine-led playwrights and theatremakers from all corners of the United States. With a wealth of experience, they will share their writing practices, experiences, and insightful anecdotes on the process, inspiration, and practices of dramatic writing. Live human-edited captions and American Sign Language (ASL) will be available for all live sessions, and human-edited closed captions will available on the archival video.

event poster for afrolatine superfriends playwriting hour with reynaldo piniella.
AfroLatine Superfriends Playwriting Hour with Reynaldo Piniella
Video

AfroLatine Superfriends Playwriting Hour with Reynaldo Piniella

An AfroLatine-Led Playwriting Series Featuring Writers/Theatremakers from Across the United States

Thursday 15 June 2023
United States

The AfroLatine Superfriends Playwriting Hour is an incredible opportunity to learn from AfroLatine-led playwrights and theatremakers from all corners of the United States. With a wealth of experience, they will share their writing practices, experiences, and insightful anecdotes on the process, inspiration, and practices of dramatic writing. Live human-edited captions and American Sign Language (ASL) will be available for all live sessions, and human-edited closed captions will available on the archival video.

A woman giving a speech at a podium on the left and a man speaking into a microphone on the right.
Projections and Reflections on Chicano Theatre
Essay

Projections and Reflections on Chicano Theatre

15 June 2023

Tony Garcia and Claudia de Vasco share their experiences becoming immersed in the Chicano movement, which has informed both of their careers in artistic leadership.

event poster for Breathe Explore Restore Benefits of Latinx Affinity Networks to Advance Your Career.
Benefits of Latinx Affinity Networks to Advance Your Career
Video

Benefits of Latinx Affinity Networks to Advance Your Career

Breathe.Explore.Restore.

Tuesday 13 June 2023
United States

Latinx affinity networks are like a breath of fresh air, offering a space to explore your interests and restore your energy. They can also help you advance your career by providing access to resources, support, and opportunities. This group of influential organizers talked about the foundations of their collectives and the significance of making spaces where our most genuine selves can be seen, celebrated, and advanced, even and especially if they do not already exist.

The cast of a show grouped together on stage under multiple lights.
Vamos a inventarnos algo / Let's Make Something New
Essay

Vamos a inventarnos algo / Let's Make Something New

13 June 2023

Theatremaker Eric Swartz sits down with Rosalba Rolón, co-founder and artistic director of Pregones/PRTT, to discuss ensemble-based theatre, mentorship across generations, and their work to sembrar una semilla—to plant a seed and work to make it grow.

Two men posing for a picture in front of a wall that reads "Experimental Theater".
Ripples of Legacy in California’s Latinx Theatres
Essay

Ripples of Legacy in California’s Latinx Theatres

12 June 2023

Richard Falcon and Fran Astorga discuss the need for inclusive spaces that led to founding their own companies, the road blocks they've pushed against, and the legacy they hope to create as part of the teatro field.

Event poster for afrolatine superfriends with Candido Tirado.
AfroLatine Superfriends Playwriting Hour with Cándido Tirado
Video

AfroLatine Superfriends Playwriting Hour with Cándido Tirado

An AfroLatine-Led Playwriting Series Featuring Writers/Theatremakers from Across the United States

Thursday 8 June 2023
United States

The AfroLatine Superfriends Playwriting Hour is an incredible opportunity to learn from AfroLatine-led playwrights and theatremakers from all corners of the United States. With a wealth of experience, they will share their writing practices, experiences, and insightful anecdotes on the process, inspiration, and practices of dramatic writing. Live human-edited captions and American Sign Language (ASL) will be available for all live sessions, and human-edited closed captions will available on the archival video.

An actor on stage in performance of Evelyn Brown.
Conversation with the Original María Irene Fornés Design Team
Video

Conversation with the Original María Irene Fornés Design Team

Reuniting for the first ever revival of Evelyn Brown: (A Diary), Scenic Designer Donald Eastman, Costume Designer Gabriel Berry and Stage Manager Peter Littlefield discuss their long time collaboration with Fornés

Wednesday 7 June 2023
New York City

Dramaturg Gwendolyn Alker engages in a post-show conversation with Donald Eastman and Gabriel Berry—two members of María Irene Fornés’s design team—about the various shows they designed for Fornés, as well as their current work on the first-ever revival of Evelyn Brown (A Diary). Peter Littlefield, the stage manager for the original 1980 production, will also join.