One of the great joys of my life has been the creation and facilitation of an all-Latinx emerging playwrights workshop. With the support of TuYo Theatre, I put the recruitm
ent call out, set up the Zoom, and waited. And young people (way younger than me anyway) showed up, week after week. We made this space. We agreed on a name: Pa' Letras. We agreed to support, uplift, and show up for each other. And share good chisme. Something special happens when you put Latinx artists in a (Zoom) room together. It's convivencia. Familia. Amor.
We do a fall show and a spring show. This spring, our show is called Mariposa Rising. It's a staged reading of five new works about rebirth, renewal, and butterflies, including one I co-authored with my friend and mentor, Alvaro Saar Rios. Alvaro wrote about our play, Like a Jet-Fueled Mariposa, here. Our play will then be presented at UCF Celebrates the Arts on Thursday, April 13 in the panel Mind Matters: New Plays for Teens.
But first...
TuYo Theatre presents Mariposa Rising, a Pa' Letras staged reading, Saturday, April 8, at Moxie Theatre (6663 El Cajon Blvd., Suite N, San Diego, CA 92115). Suggested donation: $10.