Description:

The Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA) is proud to introduce Inicios: Chicago Latine Playwright Festival, a new, annual new play incubator for Chicago's Latine voices.

Inicios is a new initiative from CLATA, best known for producing Destinos, the Chicago International Latino Theater Festival, and builds on the organization's mission to increase the visibility of Latine voices on stages in Chicago, the U.S. and Latin America, year round. The winning plays were selected by a panel of renowned playwrights: Rey Andujar, Sandra Delgado, and Isaac Gomez, and are as follows:

NEW PERSONALIDAD
BY: NELSON A. RODRIGUEZ
DIRECTED BY: XAVIER CUSTODIO
IMPORTANT DATES:
Rehearsal 1: May 30, 2023 -Time TBD
Rehearsal 2: June 1, 2023 - Time TBD
Rehearsal 3 & Free Public Reading: June 2, 2023 at 7:30pm
LOCATION: UrbanTheater Company, 2620 W Division St, Chicago, IL 60622

Synopsis:
A household of devout Jehovah's Witnesses, the Alvarez family, struggles to financially prosper, remain true to their faith, and accept the loss of their youngest member, Vladimir. As time becomes fluid, father, mother, and daughter slide into a past haunted by secrets (and Vladimir) with unprecedented consequences in the present. Can the family come to terms with their past and move forward with their new personality? This new Spanglish work mines how religious devotion can bind people together or rip them apart.

Characters:
Carmen Alvarez: (30s to 50s) auxiliary pioneer of the The Truth, loyal, mother, wife

Leilani Alvarez: (teens to 30s) auxiliary pioneer of The Truth, faithful, daughter

David Alvarez: (30s to 50s) elder of a Jehovah's Witnesses congregation, stern, father, husband

Vladimir Alvarez: (child to 20s) independent, no longer anyone's child, no longer anyone's brother

DULCCI
BY: RAUL DORANTES & EMILY MASO
DIRECTED BY: MARCELA MUNOZ
IMPORTANT DATES:
Rehearsal 1: May 31, 2023 -Time TBD
Rehearsal 2: June 2, 2023 -Time TBD
Rehearsal 3 & Free Public Reading: June 3, 2023 at 3:00pm
LOCATION: Aguijon Theater, 2707 N Laramie Ave, Chicago, IL 60639

Synopsis:
A young high school student from Chicago, after an encounter with Don Quixote, decides to give her legal identity as a gift to her best friend, Dulce, who is undocumented and unable to continue studying. This decision impacts the lives of her family and friends. Throughout the play, the protagonist tries to explain the reasons behind her decision. This play deals with the encounters and disagreements between the individual and the community.

Characters: MUST BE FLUENTLY BILINGUAL IN SPANISH/ENGLISH

Elizabeth/Lizzi/Dulcci: 18 años, estudiante bilingüe, mexicoamericana, curiosa

Zoyla: 21 años, bilingüe, hermana de Dulcci, inmigrante indocumentada, responsable y esctrica

Dulce: 18 años, estudiante bilingüe, amiga de Dulcci, inmigrante indocumentada

Kiko/Calixto: 18 años, estudiante que habla mayormente español, ciudadano estadounidense, de cultura mexicana

Don Quijote: Personaje ficticio , sin edad, solamente se comunica con Dulcci

Tres "participantes espontaneos" del público: Cada uno cuenta su historia del cruce

Mama de Elizabeth y Zoyla: Soltera, trabaja mucho, sólo escuchamos su voz

GASPING: A NICARAGUAN FEVER DREAM
BY: CLARIBEL GROSS
DIRECTED BY: KARLA LOPEZ- GALVAN
IMPORTANT DATES:
Rehearsal 1: June 1, 2023 - Time TBD
Rehearsal 2: June 3, 2023 - Time TBD
Rehearsal 3 & Free Public Reading: June 4, 2023 at 3:00pm
LOCATION: Teatro Tariakuri, 3117 W 63rd St, Chicago, IL 60629

Synopsis: This play is an imagined and surrealist retelling of the history of a powerful and eccentric woman in Nicaragua who is at the end of her life. This work, infused with rum, limes and sunsets follows the journey of a brazen, barefooted little girl who is searching for the future only to encounter a wild haired, old woman reminiscing on love, country and her desire for a perpetual Christmas.

Characters:
SOLEDAD: Latina. 30s-40s.(Friend of Alma, lives in Alicia's compound and does some publicity work but mostly swings in a hammock.) Middle-class. Educated. She is wearing a modest jaguar patterned 80s style swimsuit with a bright colored shawl tied around her waist. She has a sacuanjoche (plumeria flower) in her hair.

ALMA: Latina. 30s - 40s. (Friend of Soledad, lives in Alicia's compound and is in charge of daily operations of the house.) Working - class, now Middle class. Educated. She is wearing long flowing orange colored cotton pants and a green blouse with traditional hand embroidery. Her hair is down but neatly cut and cropped.

ALICIA: Latina. An old and powerful woman. A mess of hair. She is frail,skinny and tired looking. When she speaks English her accent is thick. She is in mourning and frequently indulges in a ritual unknown to the rest of us.

Rehearsals will take place at respective locations unless otherwise noted.

Compensation
$250 flat stipend

About the creative team:
The Chicago Latino Theater Alliance (CLATA) is committed to enticing, fostering and showcasing new thought provoking works of emerging Latino playwrights, while preserving and promoting the best works of classic and contemporary artists, to inspire a cross-cultural audience.

CLATA works to showcase existing and new thought provoking U.S. Latino playwrights, actors and directors primarily in Chicago, along with national and international counterparts. CLATA strives to preserve cultural heritage and serve as a conduit to promote and identify new and exciting works.