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María Irene Fornés
Fornes was an influential Cuban american playwright mentored and taught several latino playwrights (Brockett et al.). Maria won eight Obie Awards and also received a Distinguished Artist Award. Fornes directed most of her own plays and several other playwrights productions. Her most well known plays are "Promenade," "The Successful Life of 3," "Fefu and Her Friends," "The Danube," "Mud," "The Conduct of Life," "And What of the Night?" and "Abingdon Square" (María Irene Fornés). -
Luis Valdez
Valdez was a staple in the popularity of Latino theatre. He founded the El Teatro Campesino and was an advocate for migrant workers(About Luis). Valdez won public support for these migrant workers through his works and efforts. As Latino theatre began to develop, he started writing about Mexican American heritage and the lives of Mexican Americans. Luis had several popular plays including "Zoot Suit," "Los Vendidos" and " I Don't Have to Show You No Stinking Badges"((Brockett et al.). -
José Rivera
Rivera is an Obie Award winning playwright who also is a screenwriter. Rivera is known for his realistic and fantastic elements inspired by novelists Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Brockett et al.).His most well known plays are "Marisol," "Cloud Tectonics" and "Sueno". "Boleros for the Disenchanted" was one of his most recent plays performed across America in the 2000's. Rivera was from Puerto Rico and his work is strongly influenced by his migration to America as a child (Artist Bio). -
Octavio Solis
Solis is a playwright who has written over twenty plays influencing Mexican-Americans across the country. One of Solis' productions discussed in the Brockett text is "Lydia" (Brockett et al.). His works are influenced by his Mexican-American experience. Solis uses his cross cultural experience to express truthful points of humanity and the reality of immigrant life. Solis is known for being brutally honest while using all aspects of humanity's good and bad influences (Octavio Solis). -
Nilo Cruz
Cruz is a Cuban-American playwright who wrote award winning productions. His Pulitzer prize winning play was "Anna in the Tropics." Other plays he wrote are "A Park in Our House," "Two Sisters and a Piano" and the "Beauty of the Father"(United States Artists). According to the Brockett text Cruz says, " I come from the Irene Fornes school, you don't write a play about an idea-you wright a play about character" (240). He was a successful playwright because of Fornes' influence. -
El Teatro Campesino
El Teatro Campesino was a bilingual Chicano company founded by Luis Valdez. This company inspired other Latinos to use theatre to express their culture (Brockett et al.). Their mission is to create popular art that accurately displays human history while encouraging the next generation to control their destiny through theatre and art. The company began performing on flat bed trucks on the Delano Grape Strike picket lines. What they performed were known as "actos" or short skits (About us). -
Repertorio Español
This company introduced the best of Latinx, Spanish and Hispanic-American theatre to a diverse audience in NYC. Repertorio Espanol has produced more that 250 original productions. Gilberto Zaldivar ad Emeritus Rene inspired the formation of the company by producing excellent Spanish theatre. This award winning company has toured thirty states and sixteen countries to embrace Hispanic heritage to vastly diverse audiences. Education is a huge part to promote dignity and self-esteem (Repertorio). -
"Zoot Suit"
One of Luis Valdez's most famous plays that focuses on the injustice of Mexican Americans during World War II. "Zoot Suit" was the first Latino play on Broadway and later made into a film (Brockett et al.). This production is inspired by two historical events including the Sleepy Lagoon Murder Trial and the Zoot Suit Riots. The play shows these events as Mexican Americans youth would have experienced them. Zoot suits were popular attire in the Mexican culture during the 1940's (Zoot Suit). -
"Anna in the Tropics"
One of Nilo Cruz's productions that one a Pulitzer Prize in 2003. This was the first time a Latino playwright had won (Brockett et al.). "Anna in the Tropics" takes place in Florida in 1929. The play starts out when a Cuban-American family hires Juan to read to them while they roll cigars. Juan begins to read "Anna Karenina" which leads the family to unravel their own personal flaws. The play ends in tragedy just as the reading (Anna in the Tropics (Play) Plot & Characters). -
"Lydia"
"Lydia" was first performed in the Space Theatre at the Denver Center for the performing Arts. Octavio Silos wrote the play on commission at the Denver Center Theatre. The play became popular resulting in professional productions throughout the country. "Lydia" is set in El Paso, Texas (Brockett et al.). The production is centered around a Mexican-American family whose trying to overcome a tragic accident which paralyzed their daughter (Lydia (Play) Plot & Characters).
