VIDEO: Watch a Clip From Center Theatre Group's ZOOT SUIT, as Part of the Scenes From the Vault Series

In this scene from the vault, Center Theatre Group is taking you back to the vibrant opening number from the 2017 revival of Luis Valdez's "Zoot Suit" at the Mark Taper Forum.

Check out the video!

Based on the Sleepy Lagoon Murder of 1942 and Zoot Suit Riots of 1943 in Los Angeles, the story follows Henry Reyna and the 38th Street Gang, who were tried and convicted for the alleged murder of José Gallardo Díaz despite lack of evidence.

The coverage of the Sleepy Lagoon trial escalated racial tensions in Los Angeles, ultimately inciting the Zoot Suit Riots in which over 600 Latino youths were arrested. But for Los Angeles' Chicano community, the zoot suit and the defiance of those who donned them served as the inception of the Chicano Movement.

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