L.A. REAL Comes to Plaza de la Raza's Margo Albert Theatre

About Productions presents L.A. Real, a solo performance piece, opening on Saturday, April 1, 2023 at Plaza de la Raza's Margo Albert Theatre in Lincoln Heights (3540 N. Mission Road, Los Angeles, CA 90031). The performance runs through Saturday, April 8, 2023. Tickets available at aboutpd.org.

Performed by Marlene Beltran (a first generation Chicana, born and raised in Los Angeles), the piece L.A. Real explores the many complicated layers of a Latina diving deep into her California ancestral history and pondering how she should embrace it on a personal, political and cultural level. How can she connect to a past that has nearly been lost in time and move forward with a deeper sense of her identity? Written and directed by 7th generation Los Angelino Theresa Chavez, this reimagined production features vintage photography, and original music by César Castro "Jarochelo," painting, and video featuring Marco Rodriguez as Rodolfo Serling in a homage to Twilight Zone. L.A. Real peels away L.A.'s fantasy past to find a deeper, more visceral connection for the Mestiza Narrator, an 8th generation Latina.

Marlene Beltran says "to be a part of this historical project at this time and on this land is, for me, a powerful convergence of ancestral memory and generational resilience. It is an excavation and examination of the sacred feminine and this city's past, which urges us to reclaim our futures within it." Beltran was a director for the National Hispanic Media Coalition's Annual Showcase in 2019 and appeared as a lead actor in the film La Serenata, featured on HBO which won the Best Short Film Imagen Award in that same year. 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.

César Castro "Jarochelo" says "it is an honor to participate as a composer for the soundtrack of L.A. Real because it invites and challenges me to be part of the great California musical legacy." Castro is a traditional luthier, songwriter, adjunct professor at Occidental College and an instructor for California state prisons. He is a 2022 United States Artists fellow of the traditional arts, and performs frequently with his band Cambalache.

Following L.A. Real performances, selected student monologues written by local youth through the Art of the Monologue workshops will be read by professional actors. As with the Latina played by Beltran in L.A. Real, these students from Los Angeles-area public high schools have explored their own self-identity.

Celebrating the production's 30th anniversary and its inclusion in the About...Productions' Original Theaterworks Collection in the California State University Northridge Digital Library Collection, the production is being revised and restaged, and will include the panel Archiving L.A. Latinx Theater.

Theresa Chavez says "I'm deeply moved by the work our artistic team is doing to reimagine L.A. Real and bring this personal story and history to new audiences, and a new generation. Uncovering L.A.'s past is vital to our understanding of our city and the entire region. This production connects that history in a visceral and emotional way, and will allow audiences to see the city and its landscape through a new lens. I'm also excited that we're bringing our student's voices to this stage and feature their multifaceted monologues after each show (except for the matinee that includes our special panel, Archiving L.A. Latinx Theater).

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