L.A. Real
March 30th - April 8th, 2023
Written and directed by Theresa Chavez
Starring Marlene Beltran
Original theme music by César Castro “Jarochelo”
Pondering its complicated layers, a Latina dives deep into her California ancestral history and how she should embrace it on a personal, political and cultural level. How can she connect to a past that has been nearly lost in time and move forward with a deeper sense of her identity?
Written and directed by Theresa Chavez, and with original video, music, painting, and vintage photography, L.A. Real peels away L.A.’s fantasy past to find a deeper, visceral connection for the 8th generation Latina.
Following this solo performance piece featuring actress Marlene Beltran, selected student monologues written by local youth through the "Art of the Monologue" workshops will be presented. As with the Latina in L.A. Real, these students from L.A.-area public high schools have explored their own self-identity.
Performances ended April 8th, 2023.
“Artfully abstract… fanciful and free-associative, the piece proves intriguing…”
“...laced with a kind of pragmatic irony that never takes itself too seriously, full of rancor for the savaging of the land, imbued with the richness of the past, poetic but never so lyrical as to be out of step with present reality.”
“...offers a hybrid, dynamic alternative history of Southern California that empowers the Chicana as an active subject of her own history, present, and future.”
March 30th - April 8th, 2023
Plaza de la Raza’s Margo Albert Theater
3540 N Mission Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90031
Post-show panel Archiving L.A. Latinx Theater on Sunday, April 2nd, following the 3PM performance.
Click the button below to access our educational materials, including the L.A. Real History Guide and extra resources for further reading.
Marlene Beltran at Placita Olvera, L.A. Photo by: Rob Aft
Marlene Beltran (Actor/Musician/Co-Songwriter) is a first generation Chicana, born and raised in Los Angeles. A multidisciplinary artist; actor, director, singer, songwriter and theatre arts educator. She is an alumna of Cal Arts where she received her BFA in acting and is also a graduate of the LACC Theatre Academy. In 2019, she directed the National Hispanic Media Coalition’s Annual Showcase as well as appeared as a lead actor in the film La Serenata directed by Adelina Anthony, which won the Best Short Film Imagen Award in that same year.
Recent productions of note include the live streamed play a farm for meme, written by Virginia Grise and directed by Elena Araoz in August of 2020 as well as, Flower of Anger written by Edwin Alexis Gomez and produced by Queer Youth Foundation as part of the East Side Queer Stories: One Act Play Festival. As a musician, she is a member of the all women, native song and drum group; In Lak Ech and the lead singer of the world soul band Cuicani , which released three original singles in 2020 and can be found on all major music streaming platforms.
Marlene is bi-lingual in Spanish and has over 15 years of teaching artist experience, building culturally relevant curriculum, leading residencies and workshops with underserved youth and communities in collaboration with such organizations as Plaza De La Raza, Shakespeare Center LA, Arts For Healing & Justice Network and About…Productions. She also leads professional development sessions for educators, mental health professionals and artists, which focus on emotional well being and center the healing of self and our communities through creative expression and collaboration.
“L.A. Real” and the “Art of the Monologue” programs are generously supported in part by the California Arts Council, the California Nonprofit Performing Arts Grant, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, the Pasadena Arts & Culture Commission and the City of Pasadena Cultural Affairs Division, the Pasadena Arts League, and the L.A. Arts Recovery Fund.
