-
Period: to
Contemporary Theatre (Latino Theatre)
-
María Irene Fornés
María Irene Fornés was a Cuban-born American who began writing plays in 1965. She was a mentor to several Latino playwrights, including Nilo Cruz (Brockett et al.). She also received eight Obie awards for "Promenade", "The Successful Life of 3", "Fefu and Her Friends", "The Danube", "Mud", "Sarita", "The Conduct of Life", and "Abingdon Square" ("María Irene Fornés"). -
Luis Valdez
Luis Valdez is an American playwright and known as the father of Chicano theatre. He is one of the most important and influential American playwrights living today and was the person who established El Teatro Campesino. Some of his work includes "Los Vendidos", "I Don’t Have to Show You No Stinking Badges", and his most successful play "Zoot Suit" (Brockett et al.). -
José Rivera
José Rivera is an award winning screenwriter and playwright who is known for his use of use of realistic and fantastic elements in his works. Some of his most well known plays are "Marisol", "Cloud Tectonics", "Sueño", and "'References to Salvador Dalí Make Me Hot" (Brockett et al.). -
Octavio Solis
Octavio Solis is a playwright and director who has written over 20 plays. He was born and raised in El Paso, Texas, which is where most of his plays take place (Brockett et al.). He is considered by many people to be one of the most prominent Latino playwrights in America. Some of his plays include "Pastures of Heaven", "Quixote", "La Posada Magica", and his most popular work, "Lydia" ("Octavio Solis"). -
Nilo Cruz
Nilo Cruz is a Cuban playwright who was mentored by María Irene Fornés. He was the first Latino playwright to win the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for drama, with his play "Anna in the Tropics". Some of his other works include "A Park in Our House", "Two Sisters and a Piano", "Lorca in a Green Dress", and "Beauty of the Father"(Brockett et al.). -
El Teatro Campesino
El Teatro Campesino is a bilingual Chicano company founded by Luis Valdez. (Brockett et al.). It started with short performances in fields for farmworkers, but grew into a company that inspired the formation of many other Chicano theater companies across the country ("El Teatro Campesino"). -
The Bilingual Foundation of the Arts
The Bilingual Foundation of the Arts is a professional bilingual theater in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1973 by Carmen Zapata and Margarita Galban. They present Hispanic literary culture for both Spanish and English speaking audiences. Their mission is to unite their audience by providing an understanding between the diverse cultures ("Bilingual Foundation of the Arts"). -
"Zoot Suit"
"Zoot Suit" is a play written by Luis Valdez. It was the first Latino play produced on Broadway and was eventually made into a film. The play is based on a true story of injustice against a group of young Mexican Americans during World War II (Brockett et al.). -
"Anna in the Tropics"
"Anna in the Tropics" is a play written Nilo Cruz. It was awarded the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for drama, being only the second play to have ever been so awarded before being staged in New York (Brockett et al.). "Anna in the Tropics" takes place in a Cuban-American cigar factory in Florida in 1929. The play focuses on a Cuban-American family and the lector that they have hired to read to them. Their lives change when they start to reflect the book that is being read to them ("Anna in the Tropics"). -
"Lydia"
"Lydia" is a play written by Octavio Solis and was originally a commission by the Denver Center Theatre. It was a finalist for American Theatre Critics Association prize for the best new play originally produced outside of New York City. "Lydia" was set in El Paso, Texas in the 1970's and focuses on a Mexican-America family going trying to overcome a tragic event that left their daughter paralyzed as well as the title character, Lydia, who was hired to care for the daughter (Brockett et al.).
