THE SALVI CHRONICLES Premieres on CTG's Digital Stage Today

Recent CTG Creative Collective members and two thirds of powerhouse Latino/Chicano performance trio Culture Clash, Ric Salinas and Herbert Siguenza share their Salvadoreño (Salvadoran) roots in "The Salvi Chronicles." The six-part series premieres August 27 at 10 am Pacific and is available free to the public through October 25, 2021 at 11:59 pm on Center Theatre Group's Digital Stage at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org/SalviChronicles.

Written, directed and performed by Salinas and Siguenza, "The Salvi Chronicles" introduces audiences to the culture, cuisine, history and social contributions of the second largest Latino group in Los Angeles. Blending sketch comedy, commentary and interviews, the two renown performers trace the Salvadoran experience from the Mayans of Cuscatlan to the Angelenos of MacArthur Park and follows the Salvadoran diaspora throughout the United States as well as their own personal connection to country and cultural traditions of El Salvador.

The composer for "The Salvi Chronicles" is Freddy Lanuza, Dennis Mendez is the editor and the production coordinator is Michelle Blair. Tyrone Davis is Center Theatre Group's associate artistic director on "The Salvi Chronicles" and the Zerote Brothers are producers.

Ric Salinas is an original member of the critically acclaimed performance troupe Culture Clash. He is theatre artist, comic, writer, social commentator and activist with two bachelor's degrees - one in Broadcasting Communications and one in Speech Communications. Born in El Salvador, Ric is proud to have co-created "The Salvi Chronicles" with Herbert Siguenza. Recently, his solo play "57 Chevy" was made into a film, and was shown on San Diego Rep's streaming platform. Ricardo has directed shows for Teatro Zinzanni, a Cirque du Soleil-type show and for the Long Beach Opera, he wrote the book for two operas. He is proud to be a professor at Occidental College teaching a course on Comedy and Social Justice. Film and television credits include "Encino Man," "Hero," "Mi Vida Loca," Larry Crowne," the TV sketch show "Culture Clash" and "In Living Color."

Herbert Siguenza is currently the Playwright in Residence for the San Diego Repertory Theatre thanks to a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Herbert is also a founding member of the performance group Culture Clash. For twenty years Herbert and Culture Clash created a series of plays based off oral histories of residents from different neighborhoods throughout America. As a solo writer and performer Mr. Siguenza has produced "Cantinflas!," "A Weekend with Pablo Picasso," "Steal Heaven," "El Henry" (Best new play San Diego Critics Circle Award 2014), "Manifest Destinitis," "Beachtown" and "Bad Hombres/Good Wives" for the San Diego Rep. Mr. Siguenza is also an accomplished visual artist and has exhibited both nationally and internationally. He has a BFA in printmaking from the California College of Arts, Oakland, California. TV and Film credits: "Ben Ten Alien Swarm" for the Cartoon Network, "Larry Crowne" feature film directed by Tom Hanks. His voice was prominently featured in Pixar's 2017 Oscar winning animation feature, "Coco".

The CTG Creative Collective, a dozen inspiring, innovative and highly collaborative artists, came together to seize upon the unprecedented moment, as theatres across the world sat dark and took the opportunity to challenge the basic tenets of theatre and the long held theatrical traditions that both build and bind the art form. These artists helped Center Theatre Group discover what theatre could be during a global crisis and are helping shape the contours of the theatrical landscape of the future. Made possible by a $200,000 grant from an anonymous donor, the CTG Creative Collective included Luis Alfaro, Culture Clash (Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas and Herbert Siguenza), Elephant Room (Steve Cuiffo, Trey Lyford and Geoff Sobelle), Lars Jan, Daniel Alexander Jones, Miwa Matreyek, Dominique Morisseau and Kristina Wong. Formed in June of 2020, the collective worked together until May of 2021.

Center Theatre Group's Digital Stage is presented by American Express. As presenting sponsor of The Digital Stage, American Express Card Members enjoy special opportunities on The Digital Stage, including: presales and early access for limited-release premium events, invitations to private pre- or post-show meet and greets and access to exclusive content curated especially for Card Members.

Bank of America is Center Theatre Group's 2021/2022 Ahmanson and Digital Stage Season Sponsor. Bank of America believes in the power of the arts to help economies thrive, to educate and enrich societies, and to create greater cultural understanding. For more than 20 years, the company has supported Center Theatre Group's innovative Education and Community Partnerships programs as well as world-class productions. Bank of America is also an instrumental supporter in accelerating Center Theatre Group's commitment to becoming an anti-racist, equitable, diverse and inclusive organization.

Center Theatre Group, one of the nation's preeminent arts and cultural organizations, is Los Angeles' leading nonprofit theatre company, which, under the leadership of Artistic Director Michael Ritchie, Managing Director / CEO Meghan Pressman and Producing Director Douglas C. Baker, programs seasons at the 736-seat Mark Taper Forum and 1600 to 2100-seat Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles, and the 317-seat Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. In addition to presenting and producing the broadest range of theatrical entertainment in the country, Center Theatre Group is one of the nation's leading producers of ambitious new works through commissions and world premiere productions and a leader in interactive community engagement and education programs that reach across generations, demographics and circumstance to serve Los Angeles.

To post a comment, you must register and login.