Overview

Herbert Siguenza, a founding member of the celebrated Chicano/Latino performance troupe CULTURE CLASH, unveils his first collection of plays, crafted during his impactful tenure as a solo playwright at the San Diego Repertory Theater. Each play in this collection was fully produced, garnering acclaim for its creativity, wit, political commentary, and innovative exploration of societal and cultural themes. Inspired by timeless classics, these works are brilliantly reimagined for a modern audience. El Henry offers a reinterpretation of Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1, while Bad Hombres/Good Wives and Manifest Destinitis are fresh takes on two beloved comedies by Molière. A People's Cuban Christmas Tale transports Dickens' cherished A Christmas Carol to Cuba's historical landscape before, during, and after the revolution. Additionally, It's a Wonderful Vida and Star of Ocotillo invite readers into intimate family dramas filled with unexpected twists and heartfelt revelations. This collection is not just a journey through diverse narratives; it's an invitation to reflect on the complexities of the human experience through the lens of Chicano/Latino culture and history.

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Reviews

""When Siguenza's prodigious imagination runs riot, language turns to fire and humor becomes a shiv. The satire borne by 40 years of Culture Clash performance has yielded vital and explosive re-visions of classic drama in this thrilling collection."" -Octavio Solis, Playwright ""Siguenza offers re-imaginings of classics and contemporary plays that embrace the authenticity of Chicano culture and the complexity of our use of language. His playwright's voice articulates new perspectives of the Latine experience with style and humor."" -Cynthia Santos DeCure, Associate Professor, David Geffen School of Drama at Yale, and co-editor of Latinx Actor Training ""With his roots firmly in Chicano Theater, Siguenza writes about the Latinx experience and beyond with vivid and powerful resonance."" -Evelina Fernández, Playwright and Associate Artistic Director, Latino Theater Company, Los Angeles ""Herbert Siguenza once again shares his virtuosic magical style in this collection-a must read for all those in contemporary theater circles."" -Mark Bly, Dramaturge, Educator and Author

Author Information

Herbert Siguenza was Playwright in Residence for the San Diego Repertory Theatre thanks to a generous grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation from 2016-2022. Herbert is also a founding member of the legendary performance group CULTURE CLASH. Along with Richard Montoya and Ric Salinas, Culture Clash was the most produced Chicano theater troupe in the United States. Founded in San Francisco in 1984, Culture Clash has performed on the stages of America's top regional theaters including the Mark Taper Forum, The Kennedy Center, The Arena Stage, The Alley Theater, The Berkeley Repertory, Yale Repertory, South Coast Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, San Diego Rep, Syracuse Stage, The Huntington Stage and at countless universities and colleges. Mr. Siguenza has co-written, and or performed in the following Culture Clash plays: Bordertown Now, American Night (Commissioned by Oregon Shakespeare Festival), Palestine, New Mexico, Water and Power, Chavez Ravine (All commissioned by the Mark Taper Forum), Peace (Commissioned by The Getty Villa), Zorro in Hell! (Commissioned by the Berkeley Rep), The Birds (Commissioned by the Berkeley Rep and South Coast Rep), Bordertown (Commissioned by the San Diego Rep), Radio Mambo, Nuyorican Stories, Anthems, S.O.S., A Bowl of Beings, The Mission and others. As a solo writer and performer, Mr. Siguenza has written and produced Cantinflas!, A Weekend with Pablo Picasso, Steal Heaven, El Henry (Best New Play-San Diego Critics Circle Award 2014), Manifest Destinitis, Beachtown, Bad Hombres/Good Wives, A People's Cuban Christmas Tale, It's A Wonderful Vida, Star of Ocotillo, The Many Sins of Diego Rivera and the musical Birth Day.Siguenza teaches Chicano(a) History of Dramatic Arts at San Diego City College. He consistently teaches master classes in playwriting at different institutions and centers. He 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: 10 Alien Swarm for the Cartoon Network and the Larry Crowne feature film directed by Tom Hanks. His voice was prominently featured in Pixar's 2017 Oscar winning animation feature, Coco. He will be working on the upcoming Coco 2. David A. Romero is a Mexican-American spoken word artist from Diamond Bar, CA. He is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of El Martillo Press. Romero is the author of My Name Is Romero (FlowerSong Press, 2020) and Diamond Bars 2 (Moon Tide Press, 2024). Romero has received honorariums from nearly a hundred colleges and universities in thirty-four different states in the USA and has also performed live in Mexico, Italy, and France. His poem, ""You Were Born a Tree"" was sent to the Moon by NASA in 2025 as part of the Lunar Codex. Romero's work has been published in literary magazines in the United States, Mexico, England, Scotland, Canada, and Hungary. Romero has opened for Latin Grammy winning bands Ozomatli and La Santa Cecilia. Romero's work has been published in anthologies alongside poets laureate Joy Harjo, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Luis J. Rodriguez, Jack Hirschman, and Tongo Eisen-Martin. Romero has won the Uptown Slam at the historic Green Mill in Chicago; the birthplace of slam poetry. Romero's poetry deals with family, identity, social justice issues, and Latine culture.

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