Tanya Saracho, Welcome to Los Angeles

By Tony Bartolone

Staff Writer

pLAywriting in the city

When I walked into the backyard of a house in East LA it was a classic fish out of water scenario. Everybody there seemed to have a great passion for Latino theatre, a passion (by the simple nature of my ethnicity) my heart does not possess. As a white male born in the mid-eighties, racial prejudice is not something that has heavily impacted my life. However, the more food shared and the more conversations that developed, the more I felt connected with their spirit.

The reason people were gathered at a house in East Los Angeles was to hear from feminist, Latina playwright Tanya Saracho. Born in Sinaloa, Mexico, Saracho moved to Texas in 1989. But it was in Chicago where she really made her mark. Fresh out of college, the young actress soon became frustrated with the limited potential of acting roles she was able to play. It seemed that her “type” was confined to play Latina stereotypes, such as the Mexican housemaid. Armed with her outgoing, infectious personality combined with her desire to play more substantial characters, Ms. Saracho co-founded Teatro Luna, a Chicago-based, Latina theatre ensemble. And it was with this company of women that she started writing.

Respected Chicano playwright and recipient of the 1997 MacArthur Genius Grant, Luis Alfaro conducted an informal (yet informative) interview with Saracho. What was compelling was how unpretentious and friendly the entire event was. The concept of interviewing somebody naturally puts that person on a pedestal. Yet the guest of honor was so down-to-Earth, it was much more conversational and relaxed than any ‘Q & A’ I had ever attended. Both humble and confident, Alfaro and Saracho sitting on a sofa and talking candidly about their beliefs and experiences was a rare pleasure.

Responsible for putting on this wonderful event was Individual Artist Collective. IAC is a new arts group dedicated to ensuring that any conversation about theatre is not a practice excluding certain groups. In other words, they stand for diversity in discussion of theatre. The collective was formed for similar reasons that Tanya Saracho started writing; there was an immediate need for it. Living in the City of Angels, there is not a day that goes by I am not somehow influenced by Latino culture. But when I turn on the TV or go to the movies or see a play, their presence is lacking, to say the least. When considering race, it’s strange that these mediums are often the first to mention an issue, but the last to build a significant foundation for progress.

El Nogalar (in English, “The Pecan Orchard”), Tanya Saracho’s loose adaptation of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, premieres on the West Coast January 28th at The Fountain Theatre. “When I was in school, I felt that Chekhov was the most Latino playwright I came across” said Saracho before talking about her hesitations in moving to Los Angeles. She described herself as “too much of a Chicago girl.” While she’s not completely committed to transplanting herself to the West Coast, it’s nice to have her here for now. On behalf of Southern California, I would like to welcome Tanya Saracho and wish her all the fortunes she deserves. Salud!

El Nogalar opens on Saturday, January 28th, with performances on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays @ 8 pm and Sundays @ 2 pm through March 11.

The Fountain Theatre is located at 5060 Fountain Avenue in Los Angeles. For reservations and information, call 323 663-1525 or go to www.FountainTheatre.com.

The Go-Getter Year

by Fanny Garcia, Editor

pLAywriting in the city 

My 2011 has a soundtrack and it starts off with “The Go Getter” by The Black Keys.  2011 was the year I became a bona fide go-getter. I wasn’t going to let L.A. keep me on my knees. I needed to keep moving. So I ran a marathon in the pouring rain. If I could do that I could do anything.

2011 is also the year that pLAywriting in the city took a different turn. It started out as a personal blog about my success and struggles as a playwright in L.A. But I quickly realized that I wasn’t that interesting. The solution? Invite my friends to contribute stories. The first person I asked was the fantastic Alejandra Cisneros and she wrote a story called “On Being A Stage Manager”.  Her contribution is the most popular article at the blog with 567 reads! American Theatre Magazine also featured the piece on their Facebook page.

I then had the good fortune to attend the TCG National Conference in Los Angeles as part of the Young Leaders of Color. I was suddenly faced with the reality that being a theater artist was a career choice that was feasible. Why? Because theater is a $1.9 billion dollar industry and my work most definitely has a place in those numbers.

My attendance at Theatre Communication Group’s conference opened many doors. I was asked to share the story about my first play for their 50^th Anniversary video campaign called I AM THEATRE. This opportunity helped to renew my commitment to a career as a writer. Later in the year I was invited to travel to New York and attend TCG’s Fall Forum on Governance. I met many amazing playwrights, board members, artistic and managing directors from theater companies across the United States.

The biggest lesson I learned is that there needs to be more representation of people of color at events where the future of theatre is being discussed. The group Individual Artist Collective was created as a result of this observation. Our goal is to raise $10,000 to send five artists of color to TCG’s 2012 conference in Boston. Our website will be up in a few days so you can follow our progress. Our next event is to host a Welcome to Los Angeles brunch for playwright Tanya Saracho. Her play El Nogalar will open on January 28^th at The Fountain Theatre.

2011 had its lows but the highs were amazing. I can still feel their ripple effects. Therefore, it was kind of appropriate that a pipe in the bathroom sink of my apartment burst during the Christmas break. I came back from visiting family to water everywhere. It was a hassle a first until I realized how perfect it was for the year to end this way. The water has washed away all traces of the lows. I now stand on new wood floors and look forward to a brand new year.

The following people deserve a mention for being awesome and inspiring my artistic soul in 2011:  Tony Bartolone, Alejandra Cisneros, Anthony Aguilar, Juan Ramirez, Angela Imperial, Luis Alfaro, Marcos Najera, Desi Molinari, Kimberly Simpson, Jose Cruz Gonzalez, Jesus A. Reyes, Camille Barrat, Maria Ayon, Raquel Sanchez, Caroline Kuntz, Laurie Woolery, Diane Rodriguez, Anthem Salgado, Shana Kogan, Madeline Sampson, Melissa Gordon, Hilda Sandoval, Alida Gunn, Lizett Alvarez, Ena Valladares, Monica Chavez, Bobby Plasencia, Ramona Gonzales, Carmelita Maldonado, Diana Romo, Claudia Duran, Sheila Korsi, Tara Lewis, Babbs and Maria Lopez,  Julissa Lopez, Liana Arauz, Dove Pressnall, Edgar Miramontes, Oscar Basulto, Blanca Melchor, Lynn Haro, Kristoffer Diaz, Dafina McMillan, Emilya Capachero, Julie Taymor, Federico Patino, Jesus Gonzalez, Rajiv Joseph, Octavio Solis, Natalie Mann, Prof. Argelia Andrade, Prof. Rod Moore, Prof. Rick Murray, Karen Anzoategui, Stephanie Berlaga, Tim Burton, Francisco Goldman, Hector Tobar, Junot Diaz, Henry David Hwang, Voltaire and Sor Juana.

Thank you to everyone who reads pLAywriting in the city. We have a lot planned for the blog. Our hope is that it can become a site where theatre that is neglected by the mainstream media can have a home.