This week we are looking at an overview of Latino Theatre and thestories of this culturally diverse group from many different parts ofthe world. You have watched the lecture session with Luis Valdez as hediscussed his own path to his career in the Theatre and how the power ofstorytelling helped pull him from the life he may have lived or wasexpected to live. What is amazing to me about his journey is hisconversation about the power of Art and how his Art shaped his politicsand his politics shaped his Art. His work in the last 40 years has beentremendous in furthering Mexican or Chicano culture making huge strideswith people like Cesar Chavez and other Chicano leaders in breaking downdiscrimination with all so called Latino cultures and the racism thatwas the norm in that day.

The term Latino from the Websters is:

La·ti·no – noun lə-ˈtē-(ˌ)nō

: a person who was born or lives in SouthAmerica, Central America, or Mexico or a person in the U.S. whose familyis originally from South America, Central America, or Mexico

This title covers a wide rages of cultures, social identities, foodsand regional places where this wide and dynamic demographic lives.Mexican, Cuban, Spanish, Puerto Rico, Central American countries andSouth American countries all can fall under this very general coveringof Latino. This terms does no real justice to the descriptionand understanding of what the true nature of Latino Theatre is. In factthere is an on going debate if the term really is the best one todescribe the vast array of cultures and difference that societygenerally ascribes to this label. Of course even the use of the label LATINOinsights debate as some feel it could be a marginalizing term. Youheard Luis Valdez express his own angst and problems with the "Latino"label. It would be hard to put Latino Theatre into a single definitionsince there are so many different people groups, struggles, triumphs,tragedies and histories that can be told in this genre.

Latino Theatre deals with many of the generalissues that we have discussed with other topics that the theatre dealswith crime, poverty, immigration, the limited social ladder, racism,religion and paternal culture pressures that cause a great deal of angstfor the children of immigrants who are looking to assimilate into amodern American society.

Here is Southern California we have a particular relationship withLatino culture and how we see this played out in politics and localgovernance. In southern California we see Chicano Theatre that is morespecifically from the Mexican heritage and a Mexican P.O.V. This makessense since California has such a symbiotic relationship with ourbordering nation Mexico. We see the on going battles for driver’slicenses, fair pay, immigration status, poverty, and a farming andservice culture that tends have a second class citizen kind of P.O.V.wrapped up around it. Just look at the recent movie about Cesar Chavesand his life in central California in the 60’s fighting for immigrantrights. That fight continues in many ways today not only in the growingfields of the great state of California, but in the hotels and motels,the lawns and gardens, the restaurants and service jobs where our hardworking Latino friends are working long hours and deserve to be treatedjust as well as anyone else for the work they do. You have seen recentlyin the news about large groups of children from numerous CentralAmerican countries fleeing their homes to seek out lives here in theU.S. as nearby as Murrieta Ca. We see mixtures of xenophobia, politicalpositioning, declarations from our new president elect of building ahuge wall on the border and questions about health concerns coming intothe larger debate from those that are not as convinced aboutimmigration and its effective enforcement. The issues facing our nationand the individuals trying to access the prosperity and security of ournation is an ongoing struggle and so many of these stories have yet tobe told.

Your assignment is in three parts but two pages long:

1. The Theatre Review

A. I would like you to research a major newspaper from a major cityand find a professional Theatre review for. The review should be on aproduction of your choosing by a Latino/a Playwright. Dealing with topics that would be important to one of our various and divers Latino communities.

B. It can be a period or present day play.

C. The review should be no more than five years old.

D. Please copy and paste the review you choose into the assignment with citation.

E. Write a 1 page reaction to this review and the play.

– A brief biography of the playwright and why they wrotethe play (you may need to do some follow up research about theplaywright)

– What are the Issues that this playwright is trying to raise?

– Did the reviewer feel as though this was strong production and that the messages were conveyed?

– Would you watch this play or any other play from this Playwright? Why or why Not?

2. Watch Your Movie Choice

A. Choose a film to watch that was written OR directed by a Latino/a. (This can certainly be a Luis Valdez film)

B. This film should also have the protagonist be a "Latino" man or woman .

D. Be sure to choose a movie that wrestles in some way with a topic(s) related to "Latino" cultural and societal topics.

3. Write a Review for your film.

A. With the review that you researched as a template, write a 1 page review for your chosen film.

B. Give us your opinion of the acting and storytelling in the mannerthat you read other reviewers analyzing the play's that they watched.

C. Discuss the relevant "Latino" issues that were raised by the film, its writer and character(s)

D. Was the filmmaker, writer and actors successful? Why or why not?

YOU ASSIGNMENT SHOULD BE 2-3 PAGES LONG DOUBLE SPACED.