The Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA) is proud to announce the three new plays selected for Inicios, the 2nd Chicago Latine Playwright Festival, its annual new play incubator that fosters new works for the live stage by Chicago Latine writers.
The three winning plays, each earning a $1,000 award for their author, are already on the path to be developed via workshops with Chicago Latine directors and actors culminating with free staged readings at three favorite Chicago theaters, May 15-17.
(from left) Ale Castillo, Carolina Herrera and William Gregory were selected to have their new plays read at Inicios, the 2nd Chicago Latine Playwright Festival, May 15-17, 2024.
The winners are:
No one cares (about you) by Ale Castillo is the story of Claudia and Serafina, friends most of their lives, but a new dynamic forms as they push the boundaries of their friendship. Raquel Torre, Co-Founder of La Vuelta Ensemble, directs. No one cares (about you) will be presented Wednesday, May 15 at 7 p.m. at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Blvd. in Wicker Park.
Sacrificios by Carolina Herrera is the story of a woman who, after the death of her son, is forced to move to the home he lived in, where she learns his secrets and meets people in his life who cause her to reconsider her concept of family. Esteban Pantoja, Co-Artistic Director, Teatro Tariakuri, directs. Sacrificios will be presented Thursday, May 16 at 7 p.m. at the National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St. in Pilsen.
Meet Benjamin and his partner of 20 years, George, as they vacation at a Mexican resort in Sex, Alchemy and Mayan Mischief by William Gregory. Pre-colonial gender norms, a tryst with a possible criminal, a waiter sure he is going to hell for his gay thoughts, and an iguana who’s really a Mayan god all play parts in this fresh new play. Omar Fernandez, Co-Artistic Director, Subtext Studio Theatre, directs. Sex, Alchemy and Mayan Mischief will be presented Friday, May 17 at 7 p.m. at Aguijón Theater, 2707 N. Laramie Blvd. in Belmont-Cragin.
Be the first to witness the extraordinary talent of three Latino writers who will make Chicago proud. Play a part in a new play’s development by offering feedback at the post-show Q&A. Support CLATA’s commitment to amplify Chicago’s Latine voices on stage, continuing its role as a nurturing ground for emerging Latine voices often overlooked in theatrical storytelling.
Tickets to all three Inicios readings are free, but reservations are recommended. For more information and reservations, visit clata.org, where you can sign up for CLATA’s weekly e-news, and follow CLATA on Facebook and Instagram at @latinotheater.
Inicios 2024, the 2nd Chicago Latine Playwright Festival is supported by the Driehaus Foundation.
Behind the scenes of Inicios
Audiences enjoyed being the first to experience (left) new plays Dulcci by Raul Dorantes and Emily Masó, and New Personalidad by Nelson A. Rodriguez, at the inaugural Inicios, the 1st Chicago Latine Playwright Festival in May 2023. Photos courtesy CLATA.
Back in February, CLATA opened submissions to Latino/a/e/x writers from the greater Chicagoland area for original, full-length plays that have not been produced before. More than 2scripts were reviewed by a panel of renowned Latine theater artists including nationally acclaimed playwright Luis Alfaro; Guadalís Del Carmen, a playwright, screenwriter, performer and Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of Latinx Playwrights Circle; Xavier M. Custodio, Artistic Director, Visión Latino Theatre Company; Raúl Dorantes, founder of Colectivo El Pozo and professor of Latin American literature at Northeastern Illinois University; Emily Masó, a writer and producer with Colectivo El Pozo; and Marcela Muñoz, Managing and Co-Artistic Director, Aguijón Theater.
In addition to their $1,000 award, each playwright has been paired with an artistic director at a Chicago Latine theater company. After a one-week workshop, working with a cast of top local, professional Latine actors, each playwright will see their work read aloud in front of a live audience, with an opportunity to gather feedback during a post-show Q&A.
“As we embark on the second edition of this incredible journey, we embrace new beginnings and the profound narratives waiting to be shared with the world,” said Jorge Valdivia, Executive Director, CLATA. “Every fall, our signature program, Destinos, the Chicago International Latino Theater Festival, presents fully-realized plays and musicals from Chicago, the U.S. and Latin America. And now, every spring, Inicios offers Chicago audiences a ground-floor opportunity to witness the magic that happens when Chicago Latine theater artists get in the same room to collaborate on new works.”
Inicios: About the plays
No one cares (about you)
By Ale Castillo
Directed by Raquel Torre, Co-Founder, La Vuelta Ensemble
Featuring Gabriela Furtado Coutinho, Izzy Valdes, Nydia Castillo, Krystal Ortiz, Daniel Rivera and Amy Toruño
The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Blvd. in Wicker Park
Wednesday, May 15, 7 p.m.
Claudia and Serafina have been friends most of their lives, but a new dynamic forms as they push the boundaries of their friendship. As they navigate the reactions of their families, they struggle to reaffirm what they once thought was right. Will they be strong enough to survive the aftermath together? No One Cares (about you) is an exploration of family, friendship, and what kinds of love exist between them during a cold front in Miami.
Ale Castillo is a Uruguayan-American playwright and actor who has lived in Chicago for 12 years. She is Associate Artistic Director at Visión Latino Theater Company (VLTC), now a Jeff Award-winning company. Her work is informed by growing up in Miami, Florida, which inspired her first screenplay, "Literally." As an artist, Ale has worked with CLATA, Goodman Theater, PrideArts, Silk Road Rising and Teatro Vista, among others. She began playwriting in 2008 with the creation of The New Play Project, a collective for upcoming artists and writers at Area Stage in South Miami. She also served as an educator for nine years in Chicago, working with Emerald City Children's Theatre in outreach programs for ages 3-13. She is an advocate for Latine representation in film and theater in all cities.
Sacrificios
By Carolina Herrera
Directed by Esteban Pantoja, Co-Artistic Director, Teatro Tariakuri
Featuring Isabel Quintero, Mayra Echevarría, Jocey Villa, Victor Lopez, Juanjo Lopez and Carlos Garcia
National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th St. in Pilsen.
Thursday, May 16, 7 p.m.
*Presented entirely in Spanish with no English subtitles
After the death of her son, Purificación, a 64-year-old diabetic woman, is forced to move to the home he lived in and look after herself, something that he had taken care of until that moment. To support herself, she makes tamales and sells them at church on Sundays. But Purificación doesn't like the new neighborhood, because there are a couple of sex workers, Merlina and Corina, who offer their services on the corner in front of her house. Seeing she does not have enough money to buy the insulin she needs, Purificación asks God for help. Minutes later, a shooting is heard and Merlina and Corina run to Purificación's house for shelter. She resists, but lets them in. That night, Purification deals with sex workers, police officers, drug dealers and other unexpected characters who reveal her son's secrets, while suffering a health crisis that tests her faith, but helps her reconsider her concept of family.
Carolina Herrera has worked as a lawyer, diplomat, interpreter, translator, project director, interpreter trainer and adjunct professor. She is director of global services at Interprent, a global company that provides linguistic services around the world. Herrera has written two books, “#Mujer que piensa” (El BeiSMan Press, 2016) and “Flor de un árbol raro” (El BeiSMan Press, 2021). Both received top honors in their respective categories in the International Latino Book Awards. Her stories and essays have appeared in nearly a dozen anthologies, and she has translated numerous scripts for film and television. She is co-organizer of la Feria del Libro de Chicago and director of ElBeisman.com.
Sex, Alchemy and Mayan Mischief
By William Gregory
Directed by Omar Fernandez, Co-Artistic Director, Subtext Studio Theatre
Featuring Nelson Rodriguez, Jorge Aguilar, Jason Martin, Michael Dias, Rafael Moreno Fracek and Juan Muñoz
Aguijón Theater, 2707 N. Laramie Blvd. in Belmont-Cragin
Friday, May 17, 7 p.m.
Benjamin and George are vacationing at a resort in Tulum, Mexico. Benjamin just discovered he is a quarter Mayan and is going through an existential crisis, while George,, his partner of 20 years, has re-discovered his passion for history and wants to write a book on gender norms of pre-colonial Indians. Benjamin has brought Andrew, and George introduces his latest tryst, Rafi, and Rafi’s pet iguana, Raekwon, really a Mayan god in disguise who is only seen or heard by those with a special gift. Enter Arturo with room service, who believes he is condemned to hell for having gay thoughts, and has a history with Rafi. While Raekwon serves as a guide, genealogist and drag mother, Benjamin learns how to move on with his life, climaxing in an epiphany about his past, present and future that ends in a moment of beautiful clarity.
William Gregory is a Master of Arts graduate from Columbia College Chicago. His one-act musical Welcome to the Shangri-la was produced at Southwestern College, and Electric Butterfly was produced at U.C.S.D. He is a singer/composer and he served as a music and theater critic with Midwest Ursine/In Pittsburgh. His one-act play La Medici of Beverly Hills was produced as part of Perceptions Theater in Chicago’s 3rd BiPoc Festival. He was also short-listed for the Goodman New Stages playwrights. His short stories, “Persimmon and Blessings,” can be found in Hairtrigger. Gregory submitted this play for the inaugural Inicios Festival in 2023. Sex, Alchemy and Mayan Mischief is an entirely new rewrite with a different title.
About the Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA)
The Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA) is a leading advocate organization for Latine theater in Chicago. Supporting the development of emerging and established Latine playwrights, actors, directors and theater professionals is central to its mission. CLATA’s goal is to cultivate a vibrant and inclusive theater community, by presenting and producing Latine theater that celebrates and promotes the richness and diversity of our Latinidad. CLATA believes together we can build a stronger and more sustainable Latine theater industry.
CLATA has three signature programs: 1) Destinos, the Chicago International Latino Theater Festival, an annual, citywide festival showcasing Chicago's Latine theater artists and companies alongside top Latine artists from the U.S. and Latin America, 2) Destinos Al Aire, a free outdoor family festival that brings performing arts to Chicago Latine communities with the goal of making the arts accessible to everyone, and 3) Inicios, the Chicago Latine Playwright Festival, an annual festival dedicated to elevating and promoting Chicagoland area Latine playwrights.
CLATA is supported by the Ford Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Joyce Foundation, Arts Work Fund, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Driehaus Foundation, Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelly Foundation, Excellerator Fund, Shubert Foundation, National Association of Latino Arts and Culture, Illinois Arts Council Agency, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and Arts Alliance Illinois.
For more information, visit clata.org, or follow CLATA on Facebook and Instagram at @latinotheater.