Luis Alfaro facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Luis Alfaro
Luis Alfaro at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, September 2019
Born	Luis Alfaro 1961 (age 63–64) Los Angeles, California
Occupation	Performance artist playwright theater director social activist
Years active	1992–present

Luis Alfaro, born in Los Angeles in 1963, is a talented Chicano artist. He is known for his work as a performance artist, a writer of plays, a theater director, and someone who works to make communities better.

He grew up in the Pico Union area of Los Angeles. He went to Woodrow Wilson High School in East Los Angeles. His plays and stories often take place in the Chicano neighborhoods, called barrios, of Los Angeles. These include the Pico Union district where he grew up. His works often show the lives of working-class people and diverse characters.

Luis Alfaro is a professor at the USC School of Dramatic Arts at the University of Southern California. From 2013 to 2019, he was a special playwright at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Luis Alfaro's Creative Works

Luis Alfaro has created many different types of art. His writings, both alone and with others, are found in many collections. He released a spoken-word CD called Downtown in 1994. A short film he made, Chicanismo, was shown by the Public Broadcasting Service in 1999.

Plays Based on Ancient Stories

Luis Alfaro is famous for his plays that retell ancient Greek stories with a modern twist. These plays often explore themes important to the Latino communities in Los Angeles and New York.

Oedipus El Rey: A Modern King's Story

In 2010, his play Oedipus El Rey first opened in San Francisco. This play is a Chicano version of the classic Greek story Oedipus Rex. It was later performed in Texas, San Diego, and New York. The New York show at The Public Theater in 2017 featured a cast of talented actors.

Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles

Another important play is Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles. This play is a modern version of the ancient Greek tragedy Medea. It first opened in San Francisco in 2012 under the title Bruja. Later, it was shown at the Getty Villa in 2015. The play was also performed at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2017. In 2019, Mojada played Off-Broadway in New York, with the story set in Queens.

The Greek Trilogy

A book called The Greek Trilogy of Luis Alfaro brings together three of his plays. These plays are Electricidad, Oedipus El Rey, and Mojada. They are based on famous Greek plays by Sophocles and Euripides. Alfaro uses these old stories to talk about issues in Chicano and Latino communities today.

St. Jude: A Personal Story

Luis Alfaro also wrote a solo show called St. Jude. This play is a special tribute to his father. It tells the story of Alfaro's relationship with his father, especially after his father had a stroke. The play moves between Alfaro's childhood memories and the events after his father's illness. It shares many small stories that help explain Alfaro's journey to find his own identity. St. Jude was performed in California in 2013 and 2014.

Awards and Recognition

Luis Alfaro has received many important awards for his work. In 1997, he was given the MacArthur "Genius" Foundation Fellowship. This is a very special award given to talented people. In 1998, he won the National Hispanic Playwriting Competition Prize.

From 2013 to 2019, he was the Playwright in Residence at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. This position was supported by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. During this time, the festival hosted projects to help new Latinx playwrights develop their plays.

List of Works

Luis Alfaro has written many plays and screenplays. Here are some of them:

Plays

• The Gardens of Aztlan
• Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
• Black Butterfly, Jaguar Girl, Piñata Woman and Other Superhero Girls, Like Me
• Lady Bird
• Bitter Homes and Gardens
• Straight as a Line
• Body of Faith
• No Holds Barrio (2004)
• Downtown
• Electricidad (2003)
• Oedipus El Rey (2010)
• Bruja (2012)
• St. Jude (2013)
• Alleluia, The Road (2013)
• This Golden State Part One: Delano (2015)
• Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles (2015)

Screenplays

• Chicanismo (1997 short film)
• From Prada to Nada (2011 film)

Performances

• The Pikme-Up (2006)

Images for kids

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  Luis Alfaro at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival