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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
tlaloc rivas headshot with text latinx superfriends playwriting hour
Latinx Superfriends Playwriting Hour
Video

Latinx Superfriends Playwriting Hour

A 5-week Latinx-led playwriting series featuring writers/theatremakers from across the U.S.

Monday 13 April 2020
United States

Tlaloc Rivas presented Latinx Superfriends Playwriting Hour livestreamed on the global, commons-based, peer-produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv beginning Monday 13 April 2020 at 3pm EDT (New York) / 2 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 1 p.m. MDT (Denver) / 12 p.m. PDT (Los Angeles).

two actors onstage
Female Playwrights, Hispanic Comedia
Essay

Female Playwrights, Hispanic Comedia

A Jubilee Primer

16 March 2020

Barbara Fuchs and Rafael Jaime argue that beyond the English-language theatrical canon lies a rich corpus of classical work that remains remarkably hospitable to women, focusing their discussion on two playwrights: Ana Caro and Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz.

three actors onstage, one jumping in the air.
On Bicultural Comedy
Essay

On Bicultural Comedy

An Interview with Herbert Sigüenza

5 January 2020

Matthew McMahan talks to playwright Herbert Siguenza about branching out as a solo writer after years as a member of Culture Clash, writing bilingual comedy, and more.

a person speaking in front of a standing and applauding audience
Building a Future on Our Terms
Essay

Building a Future on Our Terms

The Latinx Theatre Commons Announces Four Years of Programming

17 December 2019

Armando Huipe, new Latinx Theatre Commons producer, announces the next four years of programming which include the Creative Renewal Retreat, a Comedy Carnaval, and furthering the internal work of anti-oppression, coalition building, and combating colorism.

producer logos
The Latinx Theater State of Emergency
Video

The Latinx Theater State of Emergency

An evening of conversation and excerpts featuring the Latinx Playwrights Circle Intensive Mentorship Finalists

Tuesday 10 December 2019
New York City

Latinx Playwrights Circle and The Sol Project presented the Latinx Theater State of Emergency conversation livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Tuesday 10 December 2019 at 5 p.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC-8) / 7 p.m. CST (Chicago, UTC-6) / 8 p.m. EST (New York, UTC-5).

poster for Mas Cara.
Performance of Más Cara by Krysta Gonzales
Video

Performance of Más Cara by Krysta Gonzales

at the VORTEX in Austin, Texas

Friday 8 November 2019
Austin, Texas, USA

The VORTEX and Teatro Vivo presented a performance of Más Cara by Krysta Gonzales livestreamed from Austin, Texas on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network on Friday 8 November 2019 at 6 p.m. PST (San Francisco, UTC -8) / 8 p.m. CST (Guatemala City, UTC -6) / 9 p.m. EST (New York, UTC -5).

two graphs: Are at least half the characters specified as females by the playwright. Are at least half of the characters specified as non-white by the playwright?
What Our New Plays Really Look Like
Essay

What Our New Plays Really Look Like

A Statistical Guide to US World Premieres in the 2019–20 Season

21 October 2019

Marshall Botvinick shares the results of the research he undertook about new plays premiering across the United States in the 2019–20 season: who is being produced, what characters are appearing on stage, and what forms and themes are common.

oregon shakespeare festival black text
Working From Home / Trabajando Desde Casa
Video

Working From Home / Trabajando Desde Casa

Five Migrant Artists Talk About Working & Writing in America & Ashland at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival

Sunday 29 September 2019
Ashland, Oregon

The Oregon Shakespeare Festival presents Working From Home / Trabajando Desde Casa: Five Migrant Artists Talk About Working & Writing in America & Ashland livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network on Sunday 29 September 2019 at 10 a.m. PDT (Portland, UTC-7) / 12 p.m. CDT (Chicago, UTC-5) / 1 p.m. EDT (New York, UTC-4).

two panelists seated in front an audience
Curating Freedom and Power for Women of Color in Leadership
Essay

Curating Freedom and Power for Women of Color in Leadership

26 September 2019

Linda Parris-Bailey and Diane Rodriguez talk about their own leadership transitions and what’s next, gender, race, and economic barriers; documenting work; and more.

three groups sitting in circles
La Complejidad De Mi Ciudad
Essay

La Complejidad De Mi Ciudad

A Report on the LTC Miami in Motion Convening

19 September 2019

Carl(os) Roa reflects on the 2019 Latinx Theatre Commons Miami Regional Convening, which took place between 12 and 14 July.

four actors onstage
"We’ve Got to Protect Our Art"
Essay

"We’ve Got to Protect Our Art"

Celebrating the Artistic Journeys of Two Latino Playwrights

18 September 2019

Luis Alfaro and Herbert Sigüenza talk about their experience in the National Playwright Residency Program, learning about the inner workings of theatre companies, portraying Latinx people in a positive light, the importance of comedy, and more.

an actor onstage
We Have Suffered Enough
Essay

We Have Suffered Enough

The Cost of Performing Trauma for Women of Color

12 September 2019

Melisa Pereyra talks about how suffering goes hand in hand with being a woman of color actor, how trauma is held in the body, and how audiences react when stories lack grief.

four actors onstage
Turning Medea into a Telenovela
Essay

Turning Medea into a Telenovela

Melodrama and Luis Alfaro’s Mojada

5 September 2019

Juan Recondo looks at Luis Alfaro’s reimaging of Euripides’s Medea, in which the title character is a Mexican undocumented immigrant who arrived in New York after facing the horrors of the border.

three actors onstage
Tragedy That Heals Amid Heartbeat Laws
Essay

Tragedy That Heals Amid Heartbeat Laws

Melinda Lopez’s Yerma

31 July 2019

Shari Caplan discusses the Huntington Theatre’s production of Yerma.

musicians performing in a band
A performance of The Canción Cannibal Cabaret
Video

A performance of The Canción Cannibal Cabaret

at the Guadalupe Theater in San Antonio, Texas

Saturday 27 July 2019
San Antonio, Texas

Aztlan Libre Press in San Antonio, Texas presented a performance of The Canción Cannibal Cabaret & Other Songs by award-winning author and performance poet Amalia Leticia Ortiz, livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network on Saturday 27 July at 5 p.m. PDT (San Francisco) / 7 p.m. CDT (Chicago) / 8 p.m. EDT (New York) / 03:00 UTC+0.

actors onstage
A Lover’s Guide to American Playwrights
Essay

A Lover’s Guide to American Playwrights

Octavio Solis

16 July 2019

Todd London celebrates one of the most prolific and prominent Latino playwrights in America, Octavio Solis.

group of artists at convening gathered in a circle
Miami in Motion
Video

Miami in Motion

The 2019 Latinx Theatre Commons Miami Regional Convening

Friday 12 July - Sunday 14 July 2019
Miami, Florida

The Latinx Theatre Commons presented Miami in Motion: The 2019 Latinx Theatre Commons Miami Regional Convening livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer-produced HowlRound TV network from Friday 12 July to Sunday 14 July 2019.

a youtube screenshot
A Look at Independent Theatres in Mexico
Essay

A Look at Independent Theatres in Mexico

Un vistazo a las salas de teatro independiente en México

3 July 2019

Mariela López talks about her research on independent theatres across Mexico, including the challenges, the benefits, and recommendations for anyone wanting to create a company. / Mariela López nos habla de su investigación sobre los teatros independientes en México, incluyendo los desafíos, los beneficios y recomendaciones para cualquiera que quiera crear uno.

encuentro cover
Toward a More Inclusive Theatre Curriculum
Essay

Toward a More Inclusive Theatre Curriculum

Encuentro: Latinx Performance for the New American Theater

2 June 2019

Trevor Boffone, Teresa Marrero, and Chantal Rodriguez, co-editors of Encuentro, talk about the content of the book and how it can be used as an educational resource.

actors onstage
Discovering Your Authentic Voice As a Playwright
Essay

Discovering Your Authentic Voice As a Playwright

19 May 2019

Herbert Siguenza, co-founder of the Latino performance troupe Culture Clash, talks about his unconventional writing path, his time working with the collective, and finding his unique voice.

actors onstage
"Fighting Fire With Fire"
Essay

"Fighting Fire With Fire"

The Intersection of Gun and Sexual Violence in Kristiana Rae Colón’s good friday

5 May 2019

Sean Anthony Chia discusses Kristiana Rae Colón’s good friday, placing it within what he calls “theatre of the unashamed.”

blue arts equity logo
The Arts Equity Summit
Video

The Arts Equity Summit

A three-day summit and arts-integrated experience examining issues of equity both in, and through, the arts.

Friday 22 March 2019 and Saturday 23 March 2019
Boston, Massachusetts

Arts Connect International presented the Arts Equity Summit livestreamed on the global, commons-based peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv on Friday 22 March 2019 and Saturday 23 March 2019.

two actors onstage in costume
At the Core of Theatre for Young Audiences is Voicing Identity, Intersectionality, and Empathy
Essay

At the Core of Theatre for Young Audiences is Voicing Identity, Intersectionality, and Empathy

20 March 2019

Kim Peter Kovac looks at the way the theatre for young audiences field has changed over the last few years, where it’s at today, and what his hopes are for the future.

two people look at each other intensely
Put Some Latinx Representation in Your Puta Syllabus
Essay

Put Some Latinx Representation in Your Puta Syllabus

20 February 2019

Andres Osorio reflects on the fact that as a student of playwriting, he was never once assigned a play by a Latinx writer.

performer holding a cloth above her head
Learning from and Listening to Latinx Youth at the 2019 LTC TYA Sin Fronteras Festival and Convening
Essay

Learning from and Listening to Latinx Youth at the 2019 LTC TYA Sin Fronteras Festival and Convening

19 February 2019

Marci R. McMahon reports on the 2019 Latinx Theatre Commons Theatre for Young Audiences Festival and Convening, which took place in January 2019 in Austin, Texas.