THEA 4500. Spring 2016. Contemporary Latina/O Theater in the United States

LAST MODIFIED AND POSTED 3-28-16. SEE CHANGE IN WEEK OF APRIL 11.

THEA 4500. Spring 2016. Contemporary Latina/o Theater in the United States

Tues./Thurs. 2 – 3:20 pm, PHYS 311

Dr. Teresa Marrero, Professor of Latin American and Latina/o Theater

Office hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:30 – 12:20; 3:30 – 4:45 pm or by appointment. I am available via email, and respond to messages from students on a timely basis. On occasion I will need to modify my office hours due to departmental meetings. This will be announced in class and posted on BB.

Office: LANG. 403 JEmail:

Please note that my office is in the Language Building, as I am a faculty member of the Department of Spanish.

In case of snow or inclement weather, I will communicate with the class via email and/or posting on BlackBoard.

Required: Internet access to BlackBoard and an active, valid .unt email address. Students are responsible for all reading all BB postings and email messages from your professor.

Required Text (Plays and Critical Readings):

Svich, Caridad & M. Teresa Marrero, eds. Out of the Fringe, Contemporary Latina/Latino Theater and Performance. New York: Theater Communications Group, 2000.

Required Reading,Essays in Out of the Fringe:

Delgado, Maria. “From the U.K.: A European Perspective on Latino Theater.” Out of the Fringe: Contemporary Latina/Latino Theatre and Performance, New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2000: 451-46.

Marrero, M. Teresa. “Manifestations of Desires: A Critical Introduction.” Out of the Fringe: Contemporary Latina/Latino Theatre and Performance, New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2000: xvii-xxx.

Svich, Caridad. “Out of the Fringe: In Defense of Beauty (an Introduction).” Out of the Fringe: Contemporary Latina/Latino Theatre and Performance, New York: Theatre Communications Group, 2000: ixxvi.

Plays are in Out of the Fringe or as Pdf on Blackboard

Short Eyes, Miguel Piñero, Pdf BB
And What of the Night? Maria Irene Fornes, Pdf BB
Fur, Migdalia Cruz. (Fringe)
Nilo Cruz, Anna in the Tropics, Nilo Cruz. Open access
Alchemy of Desire/Deadman’s Blues, Caridad Svich (Fringe)
Mambo Mouth. John Leguizamo (in The Works of John Leguizamo), Pdf BB
Stuff, Fusco / Bustamante (Fringe)
Men on the Verge of a His-Panic Breakdown, Guillermo Reyes, Pdf BB
Water by the Spoonful, Quiara Alegría Hudes. Pdf BB
Korean Drama-Cuban Cool, Teresa Marrero. Pdf BB

Required Reading (Critical/Historical Essays) (all Pdf on BB or online):

Garcia Romero, Anne. “Latina/o Theatre Commons: Updating the US Narrative” - at:

Chirico, M.M. “Laughter and Ethnicity in John Leguizamo’s One Man World” FALL 2002 29 Laughter and Ethnicity in John Leguizamo's ...

Marrero, M. Teresa. “From El Teatro Campesino to the Gay 1990s: Transformations and Fragments in the Evolution in Chicano/a Theater and Performance Art.” The State of Latino Theater in the United States, Luis Ramos García, ed. New York / London: Routledge, 2002: 39-66. Pdf BB.

Marrero, Teresa. “Being in a State of Memory: Notes from a María Irene Fornés Workshop.” Conducting a Life: Reflections on the Theatre of María Irene Fornés, María Delgado & Caridad Svich, eds. New Hampshire: Smith and Kraus Press, 1999: 227-239. Pdf. BB.

Marrero, Teresa. “Under the Radar: Hispanic Theater in North Texas.” Theater and Film in Small Nations. Ed. Steve J. Branford, INTELLECT BOOKS, Bristol, UK and Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2013. 141-166. Pdf BB

Rizk, Beatriz. “Latino Theater in the United States: ‘The Importance of Being Other.” The State of Latino Theater in the United States, Luis Ramos García, ed. New York / London: Routledge, 2002: 1-14. Pdf BB.

Svich, Caridad. Interview. “On Writing, Fornés and 40 Ounces of Sand”

Required Access to virtual sites: (Where to find the latest info!)

www.theaterjones.com(for Latina/o reviews search: Teresa Marrero)

(Theater Communications Group)

Latina/o Theater Networks on Facebook. Find out what’s happening:

ATHE (Association for Theater in Higher Education) Latina/o Focus Group

Cara Mia Theatre Co. (Dallas)

DFW Theater

Latina/oTheatreCommons

Latino Theater Artists in Texas

Latino Theater Club (closed group)

La Cooperativa of NYC Latina/o Theater Artists

TANTO (Teatro Alianza of North Texas Organizations

Teatro Dallas

Teatro Vivo (Austin)

Valley Alliance of Latina/o Theater Artists (VALTA)

Latino Hollywood:

Census data:

Recommended (for projects or assignments, some are conversations with artists, some are anthologies of plays, others are critical essays):

Cummings, Scott T. Maria Irene Fornes. New York and London: Routledge, 2013.

Delgado, Maria M. and Caridad Svich. Conducting a Life, Reflections on the Theatre of Maria Irene Fornes. New Hampshire: Smith and Kraus, Inc., 1999.

Herrera, Brian. Latin Numbers: Playing Latino in Twentieth-Century U.S. Popular Performance. Ann Arbor. Michigan: University of Michigan Press, 2015. - See more at:

Guterman, Gad. Performance, Identity and Immigration Law: A Theater of Undocumentedness. New York: Plagrave/Macmillan, 2013.

Prida, Dolores. Beautiful Señoritas and Other Plays. Houston: Arte Publico Press, 1991.

Ramos Garcia, Luis, ed. The State of Latino Theater in the United States: Hybridity, Transculturation and Identity. New York and London: Routledge, 2002.

Sandoval-Sánchez, Alberto and Nancy Saporta-Sternbach. Puro Teatro, a Latina Anthology. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2000.

Svich, Caridad. The Breath of Theatre: Conversations and Reflections 2003-2013. Southgate, CA: NoPassport Press, Dreaming the Americas Series, 2013.

Rivera, José: “An Urgent Voice for Our Times”

Dorfman, Ariel: “Subverting Narrative”

Luna, Violeta: “re-membered body”

II.CourseDescription

This course examines the works of drama by contemporary Latina/o and Hispanic artists living in the U.S, within a critical, cultural and contextual background. Ratherthan tryto surveythewholeofsuch anextensivebody ofwork, wewill focus on the advent ofaprofessionally-oriented Latina/o theatre, specificallyexaminingsignificant plays and playwrights. We will also be looking at current Latina/o theater projects.The courseisgeared towards thoseinterested in playwriting analysis, production and the creative process. The course employs contemporary websites and social media as resources.

Teaching Format:

Theclass period willincludeamixtureof lecture, discussion and creative exercises that willhelpyou to developyour own uniquestyleas ateaching artist. Sinceboth thestudyandthe practiceof racially and culturally diverse theatreare complexactivities that cannot be fullymasteredwithin the short timeperiod ofthis course,Ihopethis class willlead you to a lifelongpursuit.

As aprofessor ofthis course,Ilook forward to beingan important part ofyour journey into alifeof broadening your horizon as to what counts as ‘American theater’. As ascholar,Ilook forward to exchanging ideas withyouabout themanyacademic and creative aspects of Latina/o Theater. And asateachingartist,Ilook forward to learningfrom you asIlisten toyour ideas and tryto understandyourartistic choices.

Student Responsibilities:

You should arrivein class havingread,considered, and mentallycritiqued each of the

topics and readingmaterials listed on the class schedule. You havethe syllabus, andIwill expectyou to keep up—even ifyou miss a class. Sinceyouare an important sourceof information foryour classmates,Ialso expectyouto participatein class discussions and activities. Moreover,you should spendconsiderable time each dayseekingandreviewingLatina/o theater information sources.

Assignments should becompleted on time. Meetingdeadlines isan important professional responsibilityaswellas acourtesytoyourcolleagues. Therefore, assignment grades willbelowered two fullletters forlatework (see“GradingPolicy”below).Yourfinal points tallywillalso be loweredfor excessiveabsences (see“AttendancePolicy”below).

Papers should be written and references or citations should follow guidelines for writing college papers in thelatest edition of The MLA Handbook. All written assignments must be typed, Times New Roman, 12 points type, double spaced (unless otherwise stated). Papers must follow a coherent structure of presenting a thesis statement (the main idea), supported by 2 or 3 key points to be discussed, followed by a conclusion. Spelling and grammar count.

AttendancePolicy:

You are expected to attend eachclass for theentire period. Active class participation is

Important, andyou needto be hereto participate.

Regular attendanceis expected. Two absencesareallowedwith no penaltytoyour grade. Startingwiththe3rdabsence (for whatever reason),your final point total willbe reduced by 100. On the 4thabsence,you willreceive a failing grade. Ifyou desirea"make- up"assignment to retrievepoints,you willneed todiscuss thematterwith me. Imustapprove the substitution and thepointvalue.

Threelate arrivals or"tardies"willcount as one absence. Lateness falls into thecategory of "disruptivebehavior," and is groundsfor anadministrativewithdrawal from the class. Plan to beon time for each classmeeting and performance. Ifyou are10 ormoreminutes lateto class,I willstillrecord theincident as an “absence.” Iwillconsideryou“late”ifyou arriveafterIhave completed thetask oftakingattendance at the bethebeginningof everyclass session.

Leavingclass earlywithout prior noticewillresult in an "absence." Leavingearlyisalso disruptive and is groundsfor administrativewithdrawal from this class.Ifyou leavetheclass10 or moreminutes before thescheduled dismissal,I will still record theincident as an “absence.”

In brief, poorattendanceand excessivetardieswillseriouslyaffectyourgrade.

III.CourseGoals

Thegoals ofthe courseareto:

A.Introducestudents to avarietyofperformancetexts and styles.

B.Provideaset ofintellectual “strategies”with which to conceptually approachascript.

C.Develop the abilityto analyze andcomprehend Latina/o playscripts.

D.Develop anappreciation forthe culturalexpressions oftheatrein its many aspects.

E.Motivatestudents to examinetheirown political, economic, social, and cultural positions as awayto prepare all students to inhabit and contribute to an increasinglydiverse and transnational U.S. societywhich may demand new modes ofinteraction and integration.

IV.Introductionto theCourse

Thea4500: Latina/o Theatreis an intensestudyofvarious dramatictexts that

requiredetailed readingandcritical examination. Typicallywewill analyze plays within their cultural contexts in ourongoingsearch to find production andperformancevalues in agiven playscript in a culturally informed manner. Students ofthetheatreneed to learn how to read, interpret, analyze and communicatedramatictexts becausethis is an essential basis for anytypeof production work.

V.CourseRequirements

A.Grading

Your creativegrowthandthoughtfulresponsesconstitutethemajorfocusof thisclass.Therefore,open discussionanddeepinvolvementareessential.

Yourgradein the class will depend on the following:

a)Activeinvolvement in thedailyclasswork and discussions.

b)Competent completion of all classwork.

c)Thoroughpreparationfor classasassignedby readingalltherequiredmaterials.

d)Successful completion of projects asassigned.

f)Regular, faithful attendance.

g)Reliable, collegial partneringingroupprojects.

h)Demonstrating initiative towards independent research, critique or creative work.

Apointsystemwillbeusedtodetermineyour finalcoursegrade.Eachassignmentfor thiscoursewill haveapointvalue.Thegradefor thiscoursewillbebasedon thefollowingassignments:

Types of Assignments:

Critique Sheets (Crit. Sheets),10x 50 points each500 points
Presenter/ Discussion Leader of in-class readings: 50 points
A written critical response of (1) Latina/o play read outside of class or a Café Onda blog 100 points
An oral/visual 6minute PP presentation on a Latina/o author or theater company

not covered in class 50 points

A critical review of one local Latina/o liveperformance (Cara Mia, Teatro Dallas) 100 points
Midterm Project 100 points
FinalProject100 points

TOTAL POINTS: 1,000

Extra credit: a total of 25 extra credit points is possible. Extra credit is possible for early hand-ins of final project and for perfect attendance. Any other extra credit project, please discuss idea with me ahead of time.

Thefinalsemestergradewillappearinletterform:

950-1000 points= A

800-949 points= B

700-799 points= C

600-699 points= D

599 pointsorbelow= F

ExplanationofAssignments:

Critique Sheets: The Crit. Sheets are a standard format that Dr. Marrero employs for the table work analysis of dramatic structure.See the end of this document for the prototype to be used throughout the semester for each of the 10 required plays.

Please do not reformat.

Studentslookfor recurrentimages, phrases,ideas,events,charactertypesthatgivethework itscoherence.Look for set design and possible directorial and acting choices. Look for juicy material in the script. Juicy material can be contradictory, messy, understated, over the top, missing or otherwise challenging to some aspect of production and performance. Please write in complete sentences. Spelling and grammar counts. Crit. Sheets must be typed, 12 points, Times New Roman, 1.5 space. Include research sites that you may have visited to inform your perspective (50 pointseachx 10 =totalof 500 pts)

Presenter/ Discussion Leader of in-class readings:(50 points).

You may use a Power Point format to visually present and share key discussion issues. Length: between 6 - 7 minutes (maximum). Grading will be based on:

-Succinct written and oral summarization of the key argument

-Written key points (spelling, grammar, organization)

-Visuals (relevant, appropriate, engaging)

-Clarity of speech

-Keeping within the allotted time.

-The ability to generate leading questions for class discussion

Written critical response of (1) Latina/o play read outside of class OR a written, published contribution to a Latina/o Theater Commons/ Café Onda blog(100 points).

The written critical response of a Latina/o play read outside of class needs to be a two page discussion paper, typed, Times New Roman, 12 points, double spaces. Include 2 bibliographic references. Use the latest MLA style guideline for writing college papers.For an explanation of a critical response paper go to

For Café Onda blog, please speak directly with Dr. Marrero. We need at least 3 students to contribute to the blog series. For examples of Latina/o Theater Commons/ Café Onda blog series go to Dr. Marrero will functionas the blog curator. (I am on the editorial board , but that does not guarantee acceptance!)

An oral/visual 6-7 minute PP presentation on a Latina/o author or theatercompany

not covered in class (50 points). You may use your author from your written analysis (#3 above).

Format:

Slide 1: your name and the title of your presentation.

Slide 2: The main idea you will be discussing and 3 main points you will be developing.

Slide 3: 50% visual component and 50% written component of point #1.

Slide 4: 50% visual component and 50% written component of point #2.

Slide 5: 50% visual component and 50% written component of point #3.

Slide 6: Conclusion.

Slide 7: Bibliographic references.

You may include a YouTube clip of no more than 20 seconds.

Reserve your author or topic early. No duplicate presentations!

Possible options include:

Puerto Rican Travelling Theater and the actor Miriam Colon andPregones Theater (NY), GALA Theater Company (DC), Repertorio Español (NYC), INTAR (NYC), South Coast Repertory Theater Hispanics Playwrights Project (OC, CA.), Los Angeles Theater Center-José Luis Valenzuela, Encuentro-Latina-o New Works Festival (LA Theater Center/Latina-o Theater Commons), Carnaval of New Latina-o Plays (DePaul University, Chicago/Latina/o Theater Commons), Convenings (Latina/o Theater Commons: Boston, Chicago, Dallas), Avante Theater/ Miami International Theater Festival (Miami, FL), Su Teatro (Denver), Milagro Theater (Oregon), Teatro Vivo (Austin, TX), Teatro Dallas (TX), Cara Mia Theatre Company (TX), Cambalache Teatro en Español (Dallas), Teatro Flor Candela (Dallas), Tearo del Pueblo (MN), Teatro Luna (Chicago).

Playwrights include, but are not limited to: Evelina Fernandez (LA), Josefina Lopez (LA), Comedy group Culture Clash (LA), Elaine Romero (AZ), Octavio Solis (SFO, CA-TX), José Rivera (NYC), Dolores Prida (NYC), performance artist Carmelita Tropicana (NYC), performance artist Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Naomi Iizuka (LA), Luis Alfaro (LA), Oliver Mayer (LA), Pedro Monge Rafuls (NYC), Cherríe Moraga (SFO), performance artista Monica Palacios (LA-SFO), Amparo Garcia-Crow (Austin), Diane Rodríguez (LA), Silvana Wood (LA), Estela Portillo-Trambley, Karen Zacarías (DC), Marissa Chibas (LA), Ruben C. Gonzalez (SFO), Magdalena Gomez (NJ), Eduardo Gallardo (NYC), Jose Cruz González TYA (LA), Roxanne Schoeder-Arce TYA (Austin), Lynn Alvarez (OR-MI), Tanya Saracho, Anne García-Romero, John Garcés (NY)

Written critical review of one Latina/o live performance at UNT or off campus. (100 points). Attend a play production or work in progress by local companies, Teatro Dallas or Cara Mia Theatre Company. A two page discussion paper, typed, Times New Roman, 12 points, double spaces. Use the latest MLA style guideline for writing college papers. See schedule for due date. See ADDENDUM for events. Check out performance reviews in (you are welcome to read some of mine to get an idea of the format by searching: Teresa Marrero. I am the Latina/o theater critic. You can read any of the other reviewers also, like Mark Lowry, the editor in chief.) You can also go to or to to get a breakdown of the process, including taking notes during the show.

Midterm Project (100 points). MIDTERM PROJECT PRESENTATIONS/DISCUSSIONS

SELECT ONE OPTION:

Following Nilo Cruz’s practice, create a Joseph Cornell box with a one page description of your concept for an original play inspired by Latina/o works. Can be any topic or a topic inspired by any of the Latina/o artists from the class. (Cornell boxes must be personally brought to Dr. Marrero’s office after class, LANG 403J)

From our Fornesian playwriting exercise, hand in your play development of 3 written pages. Include the image(s) that provoked you to write your piece. You may do a 3 page concept paper, a 3 page monologue OR a 3 page dialogue. Papers will be handed in class.

FinalProject:A fully developed play project initiated from your Midterm,a new play project different from your Midterm, a Performanceproject, Lit. Crit Piece for Café Onda publication (I will discuss this in class), or a Playwritingproject (100 points).

Assignments turned in"late" are reduced two fulllettergrades (or20%plus 1- e.g., if a project is worth 20 points, thenIwillreducethe points received by6 points). Due to the timeliness in the schedule, the ‘Discussion Presenter-Leader’ presentationscannot be made-up.

Additional Information onAssignments:

You will be workingin smallgroups orpairs sometimes. Pleasespend

the time and effort to engagein open and honest dialogueto assess levels ofcommitment. Being friends does not alwaysmakeforthe best workingrelationships.

No previous production experienceis necessary. Workingwith other people in the class should easesomeof theanxietyassociatedwith therigor of analysis and interpretation.

ThoughIhavemadean effort to set asidea certain amountof timeduring class hours foryou to interact with othergroupmembers, beawarethat someassignments willdepend oncontact andresearch outside ofscheduled class meetings.

Theprojects will be presented duringthe scheduled class. Finally,allmake-upandextra-creditassignmentsaredueonWed., April 28, 2016.

Course-relatedAcademic Adjustments inCompliancewith theAmericans withDisabilities

Act

TheUNT Department ofDanceand Theatredoes not discriminateon the basisof disabilityin therecruitment and admission ofstudents. The content ofthisclass requires each student to (a) activelyparticipatein a safemannerand (b) spontaneouslyprocess visual and verbal cues. Thestudenthas the responsibilityof informingthe instructor of anydisabling condition that will requiremodifications. Ifyou haveadisabilityand feelyou areunableto meet the requirements of this class withoutreasonableaccommodations, please contact theinstructor