Written by Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle award-winning playwright Bernardo Cubria, HISPANIC/LATINO/LATINA/LATINX/LATINE VOTE was originally commissioned by Florida’s Studio Theatre in collaboration with Portland, Oregon’s Milagro Theatre and will be produced this fall at the Milagro Theatre, Houston Stages, and TuYo Theatre in San Diego. The comedy comes to Cubria’s hometown of Topanga as the fifth and final play to join Theatricum Botanicum’s rotating summer repertory season. Co-directed by Cubria and Theatricum associate artistic director Willow Geer, the satire asks some serious questions about elections in a play just in time for the 2024 Presidential selection.
Max Lawrence, Blaire Battle, Laura Shein, Steven C. Fisher, Michael DiNardo, and Timothy Willard – Photo by Ian Flanders
When asked how it happened that 30 percent of Latinos or Hispanic people voted for Trump in 2016, Cubria’s response was clear and direct: “I was offended by their question; why would they expect every single Latino or Hispanic person from Tijuana to Buenos Aires to think and vote the exact same way? Why do they see us as one single entity? No wonder so many people don’t even feel like they want to participate in voting.” In fact, according to Time magazine, “Latinos are a complex demographic, but campaigns and political pundits continue to treat a group of nearly 61 million people as a monolith. Latinos in the U.S. come from all parts of Latin America, Central America, and Mexico. Some Latinos have lived in the U.S. for generations. There’s a variety of Spanish dialects, languages, foods, and traditions. It should come as no surprise that there are also differences in political ideology.”
Emily Jerez, Max Lawrence, Steven C. Fisher, Blaire Battle, Atlas Alma, and Laura Schein – Photo by Ian Flanders
The place is here and the time is now. Researcher and professor Paola Aguilar (Xochitl Romero) has a problem. Above all else, she wants to be a mom – but years of fertility treatments have left her drowning in debt. When she is approached by a group of political strategists for THE political party – and they offer her a huge paycheck to help them understand the “Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latine” vote – she is hesitant but also pragmatic. Money is money, and she does want to have that baby. Thus she embarks on the nearly hopeless task of trying to get these pundits to understand all the nuances of her varied community. Cubria’s quirky question: Will she succeed?
Xochitl Romero – Photo by Ian Flanders
It’s always fascinating to try to predict how important elections will turn out – and, when the count is in, what (or who) influenced the outcome the most? Playwright Cubria rides with that concept and decides to make pre-election machinations funny and sometimes ridiculous. Or maybe even – in the long run – impossible. The talented cast keeps the laugh meter on high as they cavort on the stage and into the audience with their shenanigans. Especially in Act I, audience necks are in danger of suffering whiplash. But it’s all in fun. As it turns out, it’s also timely and surprisingly thought-provoking as the potential influencers in the tale try to saddle and ride this bucking bronco.
Atlas Alma, Emily Jerez, and Michael DiNardo – Photo by Ian Flanders
THE HISPANIC/LATINO/LATINA/LATINX/LATINE VOTE runs through October 20, 2024, with performances at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday (10/3), at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday (8/24, 8/31, 9/7, 9/14, 10/12), at 3:30 p.m. (9/29) and 7:30 (9/22, 10/20) on Sunday, and at 3 p.m. (9/2) and 7:30 p.m. (9/16) on Monday. The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum is located at 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga, CA 90290. Tickets range from $30 to $60 (seniors, students, military veterans, teachers, AEA Members $35/$20). Monday 9/16, Thursday 10/3, and Saturday 10/12 are Pay-What-You-Will (available online one week prior to the performance or cash only at the door). For information and reservations, call 310-455-3723 or go online.
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