© Copyright by Trevor Boffone December, 2015
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© Copyright by Trevor Boffone December, 2015 PERFORMING EASTSIDE LATINIDAD: JOSEFINA LÓPEZ AND THEATER FOR SOCIAL CHANGE IN BOYLE HEIGHTS _______________ A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the Department of Hispanic Studies University of Houston _______________ In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy _______________ By Trevor Boffone December, 2015 PERFORMING EASTSIDE LATINIDAD: JOSEFINA LÓPEZ AND THEATER FOR SOCIAL CHANGE IN BOYLE HEIGHTS _______________ An Abstract of a Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the Department of Hispanic Studies University of Houston _______________ In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy _______________ By Trevor Boffone December, 2015 ABSTRACT This dissertation analyzes the impact of theater in Boyle Heights and how the individuals involved, most notably Josefina López, have forged positive expressions of Latin@ identity. This project identifies and analyzes what I call “Eastside Latinidad,” constructions of Latin@ identity that are unique to Los Angeles’s Eastside and are performed through the arts. In this regard, this work explores contemporary moments when a diverse group of Eastside Latin@s come together to express pan-ethnic identity and community-building that is inextricably linked to the sociocultural and physical geography of Boyle Heights and the surrounding areas of Los Angeles. It pays close attention to López’s role as a community leader at CASA 0101 Theater, the company she founded in 2000, and the various acting, directing, mentoring, and playwriting programs that López facilitates in the space. I am invested in documenting the rise of performing arts and cultural activity of Latin@s in Boyle Heights from 1990-2015, made possible through Josefina López’s efforts, as well as arguing for the critical role this work plays in constructing cultural, political, sexual, and social identity in the barrio. Each chapter explores how Eastside Latinidad is constructed, performed, and theorized in Boyle Heights. This project is divided into two parts. Part one centers on Josefina López’s role as a community leader in Boyle Heights and how this enables her to use theater as a tool of social change. Chapter 1 charts a genealogy of CASA 0101 Theater and, in doing so, argues that Josefina López and CASA 0101 are able to engage with the local community by creating theater that induces critical witnessing from its spectators. In Chapter 2, I argue that Josefina López uses mentorship as the primary tool to empower and engage the community. Part two focuses on López’s role as a playwright and how iv she stages Chicana feminist thought to create a critical dialogue among theatergoers. In Chapter 3, I analyze three plays by López—Boyle Heights, Detained in the Desert, and Hungry Woman—to explore how these works theorize the intersections between Chicana identity and space with particular attention to each protagonist’s spirit connection to Boyle Heights and the Southwest. Chapter 4 uses two plays by López—Confessions of Women from East L.A. and Unconquered Spirits—to examine how the playwright re- writes and restages Chican@ cultural paradigms to present Eastside audiences with alternative portrayals of Chicana womanhood. Ultimately, this dissertation explores the textual and performative strategies of contemporary Latin@ theatermakers based in Boyle Heights that use performance as a tool to expand notions of Latinidad and (re)build a community that reflects this diverse and fluid identity. Therefore, this study, although localized in Los Angeles’s Eastside, comprises a model for exploring issues of community, identity, and artistic expression of the United States Latin@ population, well on its way to becoming the country’s largest demographic, yet one that remains marginalized and underrepresented in the literary and performing arts. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS As with any project, this is the result of many people. I owe tremendous debt to the many mentors who have encouraged, influenced, and supported my work from the beginning. I owe much thanks to my former professors at Loyola University New Orleans. I thank Eileen Doll for her support from day one, for introducing me to Spanish theater and the Movimiento Madrileño, and for still being there for me as a mentor and friend. I thank Blanca Anderson for opening my eyes to the world. As a result of Anderson’s influence, I became aware of social justice issues and was introduced to the writings of Gloria Anzaldúa among others. I give thanks to Alice Kornovich for making my life richer both in and out of the classroom. I thank Nathan Henne for teaching me how to work hard and push past my limits. I thank Uriel Quesada for our time in Ávila, Spain, and for reassuring me that I could begin this journey. At Villanova University, I owe much thanks to Estrella Ogden for introducing me to Latin American Theater and letting me study Latin@ theater within this framework. Her guidance on my study of Anna in the Tropics proved to be a turning point in my trajectory. I thank Salvatore Poeta for our many conversations in Cádiz and for helping me find my path. I especially thank my cohort at Villanova University, mis doñas—Paula Plastic, Sara Cashin Walker, Lori Compton, Stephanie “Smitch” Mitchell—thank you for being familia, for pulling me through tough times, and for making the good times even better. I owe special thanks to Paula Plastic for being my first editor and teaching me more about writing than anyone. My personal and scholarly interest in Latin@ Studies were deepened and expanded at the University of Houston. I give special thanks to my dissertation vi committee—Nicolás Kanellos, Gabriela Baeza Ventura, Guillermo de los Reyes, and Marci R. McMahon—for their unwavering support throughout the entire process. To El Profe Nic Kanellos, thank you for your constant support and belief in my work. I offer a special note of gratitude to Gabriela Baeza Ventura for always keeping me honest. Thank you for suggesting I study the work of Josefina López when I arrived in Houston. Thank you for always being there for me through thick and thin. I’ve learned more from you than you will ever know. To Guillermo de los Reyes, fellow wizard and Hogwarts alumnus, thank you for being there whenever I needed you and for trusting me. And where do I begin to thank the inimitable Marci McMahon? I owe enormous gratitude to Marci for being a world-class mentor to me throughout not only this project, but also my time on the job market, and in the field at large. I extend a special note of thanks to Cristina Herrera for always being there when I needed a sounding board and for sharing so many similarities with me. I am fortunate to have met so many artists and scholars along my journey who have helped shape this project and my trajectory. I extend thanks to the Latina/o Focus Group of the Association of Theatre in Higher Education for being my intellectual home and the Latina/o Theatre Commons for being a safe space to blend my scholarship with art making. While the amount of individuals who have encouraged, shaped, and supported me along the way is innumerable, I extend special thanks to Lorenzo García, Amparo García-Crow, Anne García-Romero, Brian Herrera, Patricia Herrera, Eric Mayer-García, Irma Mayorga, Teresa Marrero, Marci R. McMahon, Noe Montez, Carlos Morton, Jimmy Noriega, Solimar Otero, Jason Ramírez, Kimberly del Busto Ramírez, Chantal Rodríguez, Elaine Romero, Jon Rossini, Analola Santana, Roxanne Schroeder- vii Arce, Tamara Underiner, Abigail Vega, Claudia Villegas-Silva, Gloria Waldman, and Patricia Ybarra. I give special thanks to Tiffany Ana López. Thank you for your mentorship even when you didn’t know you were mentoring me. I will forever be grateful for our conversation over green juice in Culver City that helped me find my project. I give my heartfelt thanks to Jorge Huerta for suddenly popping into my life and giving me more than he could ever imagine. I owe tremendous gratitude to my CASA 0101 Theater familia for all of their help. Without their contributions, this project would not exist. Thank you for sharing your work, perspectives, time, and energy so that I could tell this story. I thank Patricia Alarcón, Lauren Ballesteros, Emmanuel Deleage, Cork Domínguez, Claudia Durán, Miguel García, Lindsey Haley, Aaron Higareda, Mark Kraus, Suzanne Linares, Josefina López, Gabriela López de Dennis, María. G. Martínez. Jaime Mayorquin, Margaret Medina, Eddie Padilla, Andrés Ramacho, Hector Rodriguez, and Patricia Zamorano. I give special thanks to Mercedes Floresislas. You’ve opened my eyes and ears to a new world that I didn’t know existed. I thank you for your generosity, kind-spirit, and friendship. This project would not be possible without the unwavering support of Josefina López. To Josefina, I am forever in debt to you for giving me countless drafts of your work, hosting me at CASA 0101, letting me scour through your personal archives (including personal journals from your time as a teenager to the present), and for connecting me to my Boyle Heights familia who continue shaping who I am today. Every time I am with you, I want to be a better person. Like so many people that I interviewed viii for this project, you make me believe I can be more than I am, even if we are just having a crème at a sidewalk café in Paris or having sushi in Boyle Heights. I especially thank my feminist writing community, Write on Site, for creating a safe space to become inspired. I thank Maria Gonzalez, Sarah Luna, Sylvia Mendoza, Eesha Pandit, Rachel Afi Quinn, Alexis Salas, and Kavita Singh for keeping me accountable and supporting my work.