CULTURE
TELLING THEIR STORIES: The ensemble of the LatinX Theatre Project, now in its fourth year: (top row, left to right) Alex Nilsson, Jasper Logan, Martin Garay, Damian Dena, Gabriela Arroyo, Felicia Deatherage, Justine Ryan; (middle row, left to right) Michael Del Rio, M. Sativa Vela, Yesenia De Loera, Betty Brutus; (kneeling, left to right) Daniela Martinex, Gabriela Torres.
LATINX ON STAGE
THE TROUPE TELLS STORIES OF THEIR LIVES WITH ORIGINAL DRAMA, HIP-HOP, SONG AND POETRY. BY CHRISTIAN LEUS
46 OCTOBER 2020
ARKANSAS TIMES
F
or the ensemble of the LatinX Theatre Project, telling heartfelt stories about the Latinx community in Northwest Arkansas is a way to spark conversations about the political and social issues that impact their lives. “We don’t typically try and simplify what’s going on, we just kind of tell our stories,” Rebecca Rivas, program director for the Northwest Arkansas company that is producing original works for the stage, said. “And then that ends up touching on really complicated issues in our country.” The project, created in 2017 by a group of young Latinx creatives and supported by a grant from the Walton Family Foundation and with help from TheatreSquared, is approaching its fourth season. Its productions are original works conceived and written by the ensemble, such as “Blanket Statements,” which explores the personal ramifications of immigration policy through spoken word poetry, song and comedy, and “The Crossroads,” about a young couple migrating to the United States and discovering how stories tie generations of families together.
