Last stop ranchera : staged reading

Commissioned by Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (1998-1999 Wattis Artist-in-residence, established by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Wattis with leadership support from Catherine and Ted Topham), this is a staged reading of a play-in-progress drawing from personal histories and memories triggered by the music and lyrics of rancheras. This series of eloquent monologues is expressed in three movements. 'Once' is comprised of stories passed from people never known, now long gone. The movement 'Jump' reveals observations of the family, revealed by little girls' eyes. The third movement, 'Forte,' presents reflections of who we are today.

Latina Theatre Lab was one of the first and only all-Latina collective of writers, performers, and directors in the U.S. Their performance-sketch work dealt with pop culture, immigration, cross-cultural identities, and the complexities of 'being Latina.' It was founded in 1994 by four San Francisco Bay Area actresses: Dena Martinez, Jaime Lujan, Tessa Koning-Martinez and Wilma Bonet. Their purpose was to create theater that would go beyond the ever shrinking and limited range of roles for which Latina actresses were being considered. These roles were scarce, and rarely defied stereotypes. From 1994-1999, Latina Theatre Lab's work played with these cultural and gender stereotypes, exploring the legacies they inherited both as Latinas and as women. They also have collaborated with Culture Clash, the Asian American Theater Company, and the 18 Mighty Mountain Warriors.