PLEASE JOIN US FOR READINGS OF SCRIPTS FROM MEMBERS OF
LATINO THEATER COMPANY’S CIRCLE OF IMAGINISTAS.
The Latino Theater Company’s Circle of Imaginistas is a five-year-long commission-oriented writing circle aimed at producing new, relevant plays from both established and early/mid career Latinx voices that address important issues of our times. The program will pair veteran, established Latinx playwrights with early/mid career playwrights in a writing partnership through which each of them will create a full-length play over the course of a year, attend monthly group meetings where they can share their work and receive feedback from their peers.
The word Imaginists has been used to represent a variety of literary movements: from the London-based Imaginists who wanted to return to Classical values, emphasizing simplicity, clarity of expression and the use of exacting visual imagery, to the Latin American movement where invention was prime, creating work to “make us feel, think and imagine” through their acute, vivid observations unshackled from reality and charged with fantasy. The term has since been coined to at times refer to playwrights or a generally imaginative person. A circle is an important symbol in Mayan civilization, a place where life flows through the circle of life and where knowledge is shared devoid of hierarchy. By combining the two, we signal our intention of creating a safe space where writers are encouraged to imagine strong, innovative plays that address contemporary issues, while supporting each other through the process of creation.
Circle of Imaginistas is supported by a WarnerMedia grant, funded by the AT&T Foundation
THE LITTLE KINGS
Written by Israel López Reyes
Directed by Geoffrey Rivas
Israel Lopez’s captivating new drama, The Little Kings, follows Chicana Jackie Estrada, a devout athlete who serves as translator at her Evangelical parish in rural Iowa– spreading the gospel to its small Latinx community. Pastor Gabriel, the parish leader and Jackie’s boss, has growing ambitions to parlay his religious beliefs into a political agenda and serve as religious advisor to the President. Jackie must confront her own beliefs and Latinx identity, and the complicated intersections of religion and politics in the contemporary United States.
JANUARY 27, 2022 AT 5:00 PM
GHOST WALTZ
Written by Oliver Mayer
Directed by Alberto Barboza
Oliver Mayer’s new play Ghost Waltz is a boldly original picaresque portrait of the tragic life and death of Juventino Rosas– among Mexico’s most significant musicians. Following Juventino, from his father’s death, his encounters with rag-time legend Scott Joplin in New Orleans, his revolutionary encounters in Cuba, to his own untimely death, Mayer mixes music, magic, drama, passion, ghosts and dance in a highly theatrical style, to show the impact of colonialism on the emerging Americas of the late 19th century.
JANUARY 27, 2022 AT 8:00 PM
TACOS LA BROOKLYN
Written by Joel Ulloa
Directed by Fidel Gomez
Emerging playwright Joel Ulloa’s exciting new drama Tacos La Brooklyn follows Chino, a young and ambitious Korean American who grew up in a foster family on Los Angeles’ Eastside, as he hopes to grow his successful taco stand, “Chino’s Underground Tacos,” into a brick and mortar restaurant. When Yesenia Tapia, a Mexican American social media influencer, accuses Chino of cultural appropriation and pandering to a gentrifying neighborhood, he must convince the community of his cultural authenticity in a multi-faceted and complicated city. A multilingual drama, Tacos La Brooklyn asks captivating questions about cultural appreciation vs. cultural appropriation in contemporary mutli-ethnic Los Angeles
JANUARY 28, 2022 AT 8:00 PM
THE GOOD ONE
Written by Karen Zacarías
Directed by Denise Blasor
Karen Zacarias, among the nation’s most celebrated contemporary playwrights, new black comedy The Good One, inspired by La Otra, a cornerstone of film noir from Mexico’s Golden Age of Cinema, presents a darkly hilarious twist on the genre for the American stage. When Elena’s husband Antonio mysteriously dies, she inherits his vast wealth. When Sofia, her identical twin sister, attends the funeral, Elena taunts and deamans her impoverished sister, and in a fit of passion, Sofia murders Elena. After taking Elena’s identity and wealth, Sofia spirals down a road of betrayal and guilt in a comic and stylish fashion as Zacarias explores humanity's capacity for good and evil.