Zoot Suit & Other Plays
Apr 1992 · Arte Publico Press
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This critically acclaimed play by Luis Valdez cracks open the depiction of Chicanos on stage, challenging viewers to revisit a troubled moment in our nationÕs history. From the moment the myth-infused character El Pachuco burst onto the stage, cutting his way through the drop curtain with a switchblade, Luis Valdez spurred a revolution in Chicano theater. Focusing on the events surrounding the Sleepy Lagoon Murder Trial of 1942 and the ensuing Zoot Suit Riots that turned Los Angeles into a bloody war zone, this is a gritty and vivid depiction of the horrifying violence and racism suffered by young Mexican Americans on the home front during World War II. ValdezÕs cadre of young urban characters struggle with the stereotypes and generalizations of AmericaÕs dominant culture, the questions of assimilation and patriotism, and a desire to rebel against the mainstream pressures that threaten to wipe them out. Experimenting with brash forms of narration, pop culture of the war era, and complex characterizations, this quintessential exploration of the Mexican-American experience in the United States during the 1940Õs was the first, and only, Chicano play to open on Broadway. This collection contains three of playwright and screenwriter Luis ValdezÕs most important and recognized plays: Zoot Suit, Bandido! and I DonÕt Have to Show You No Stinking Badges. The anthology also includes an introduction by noted theater critic Dr. Jorge Huerta of the University of California-San Diego. Luis Valdez, the most recognized and celebrated Hispanic playwright of our times, is the director of the famous farm-worker theater, El Teatro Campesino.
This critically acclaimed play by Luis Valdez cracks open the depiction of Chicanos on stage, challenging viewers to revisit a troubled moment in our nationÕs history. From the moment the myth-infused character El Pachuco burst onto the stage, cutting his way through the drop curtain with a switc...
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4 reviews
Manuel Ramirez
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December 18, 2016
Not for everyone
2 people found this review helpful
About the author
LUIS VALDEZ is acknowledged as the founder of modern Chicano theatre and film of the United States. Born to migrant farm workers, Valdez spent his early life working in the fields with his family. Valdez joined the United Farm Workers and staged improvisational theatre to further the causes of the UFW, which led to the formation of his theatre group, El Teatro Campesino. Among his theatrical productions are The Shrunken Head of Pancho Villa, Bandido, and I DonÕt Have to Show You No Stinking Badges. Valdez is a faculty member and the founding director of the Teledramatic Arts and Technology Department at California State University, Monterey Bay.
LUIS VALDEZ is acknowledged as the founder of modern Chicano theatre and film of the United States. Born to migrant farm workers, Valdez spent his early life working in the fields with his family. Valdez joined the United Farm Workers and staged improvisational theatre to further the causes of th...
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