Survey of Chicano/Latino Theatre from the 1960's to the present. Students will be introduced to various aspects of theatre production with particular emphasis on playwriting and development. Plays will be studied within their social and historical context.

In this course, we will explore the powerful, ongoing legacy of Chicanx theater and performance, examining its historical roots, key figures, and the social, cultural, and political issues they address. Through readings, table-reads of scripts, discussions, performance viewings, and creative performances, students will gain a deep understanding of the impact and relevance of Chicanx theater and performance. We will critically examine plays, essays, and critical texts that highlight the diverse experiences of the Chicanx community and that serve as forms of activism. We will attempt to maintain a queer Chicanx feminist framework throughout. This course is listed on Berkeley’s website with its old title as “Chicano Theater” with an “o” and only with “Theater.” I changed the masculine “o” to the gender neutral “x” to recognize the important contributions of female and LGBTQ+ Chicanx performance and to question patriarchal narratives present in early work. In Spanish, the grammatically collective masculine “o” diminishes the presence of female, trans, and non-binary identities. I also expanded the course to include Chicanx performance art forms that, in true border-crossing Chicanx push the boundaries of traditional theater and the limitations of script-bound text and center radical queer Chicanx bodies with their rich ambiguities.

This class will meet at the Latinx Research Center, 2547 Channing Way.

Repeat Rules