In many crucial senses, and despite what the recent election results may signify, the United States is a Latin American culture (with all the good and bad postcolonial baggage that entails). So it shouldn’t be surprising that taking root alongside the U.S. resident theatre movement over the past 50 years has been a parallel and occasionally overlapping—and too often overlooked—stream of vibrant Latinx theatre, from Tucson to Off-Broadway, from Seattle to Denver and beyond, in which activist impulses mix with new and old storytelling traditions to produce a uniquely and proudly American theatre tradition. In recent years the emergence of the Latina/o Theatre Commons has served to reflect and amplify the work of this movement, and new generations are picking up the banner and carrying it forward. The stories in this special issue look at where Latinx theatre and artists in the U.S. have been, and where they’ll take us next.
On this week’s podcast, director Lisa Portes stopped by to discuss Latinx theatre in Chicago, and directing work for young audiences. Plus, the editors discuss the responses we’ve been getting from artists about the election.
Latino, Latina/o, or Latinx? We heard good arguments for and against them all, and opted for both greater inclusion and typographical clarity.
