‘The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latiné Vote brings election laughs to Theatricum

Opening Saturday, Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle award-winning playwright and Topanga resident Bernardo Cubría and Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum associate artistic director Willow Geer co-direct “The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latiné Vote,” a funny election year satire.

Xochitl Romero stars as university professor Paola Aguilar, who is drowning in debt from years of fertility treatments. So when Kaj Luken, Nicola Ramirez, Rebecca Feldman and Bernard Robinson, political strategists for THE political party, offer Paola a substantial paycheck to help them understand the “Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latiné vote,” she reluctantly takes the job. Can Paola help these pundits understand all the nuances of her varied community to save the election? Or will her own journey ultimately be more important than who controls the White House?

“In 2016 when Trump got elected, I started getting all these text messages from friends of mine, most of whom were white Americans, and they were like, ‘Dude, how could 30% of Latinos or Hispanic people vote for Trump?’” says Cubría. “I was offended by their question; why would they expect every single Latino or Hispanic person from Tijuana to Buenos Aires to think and vote the exact same way? Why do they see us as one single entity? No wonder so many people don’t even feel like they want to participate in voting.”

According to TIME magazine, “Latinos are a complex demographic, but campaigns and political pundits continue to treat a group of nearly 61 million people as a monolith. Latinos in the U.S. come from all parts of Latin America, Central America and Mexico. Some Latinos have lived in the U.S. for generations. There’s a variety of Spanish dialects, languages, foods and traditions. It should come as no surprise that there are also differences in political ideology.”

Originally commissioned by Florida’s Studio Theatre in collaboration with Portland, Oregon’s Milagro Theatre, “The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latiné Vote” will have productions later this fall at Milagro Theatre, Houston Stages and TuYo Theatre in San Diego as part of a National New Play Network rolling world premiere. It received a staged reading earlier this year at The Old Globe.

“The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latiné Vote” will run in rotation every weekend with four other plays: two by Shakespeare, “The Winter’s Tale” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”; “Wendy’s Peter Pan,” a re-telling, by Ellen Geer, of the 1904 play by J.M Barrie; and “Tartuffe: Born Again,” adapted and translated from the Molière by Freyda Thomas — each of which is already up and running. Unlike most theaters in the L.A. area that stage continuous runs of a single play, Theatricum will perform all five plays in rotation each weekend throughout the summer.

Other events taking place at Theatricum this season include comedy improv with Theatricum’s resident troupe Off the Grid at the end of each month (Aug. 30, Sept. 26); the Under the Oaks salon series on Fridays in September, and Theatricum’s fourth annual Holiday Family Faire on Saturday, Dec. 14.

“The Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx/Latiné Vote” opens on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and continues to run in repertory through Oct. 20. For a complete schedule of performances, visit the website. Tickets range from $15 to $48; premium seating is available for $60. Pay What You Will ticket pricing is available for the performances on Monday, Sept. 16 and Thursday, Oct. 3 (available online one week prior to the performance, or cash only at the door). Prologues (pre-show discussions) are scheduled from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 16; Thursday, Oct. 3; and Saturday, Oct. 12.

The amphitheater is terraced into the hillside, so audience members are advised to dress casually (warmly for evenings) and bring cushions for bench seating. Patrons are welcome to arrive early to picnic in the gardens before a performance.

Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum is located at 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Topanga, midway between Malibu and the San Fernando Valley.

For more information and to purchase tickets, call (310) 455-3723 or visit theatricum.com.